When we arrived in Marquette last year, we tied up along a long wall that ran alongside the waterfront park. There was an International Food Fest just starting and we got to enjoy some good music and sample some so-so food. This year we tucked into a slip in the marina – a side slip that required backing into with great care so as to not hit the boat on the adjacent finger pier. The adjacent boat was a very pretty Tartan whose owner Bob had “heard” about us through mutual friends (Bob and Ilona – that would be you). He didn’t say whether it was positive or negative – I didn’t ask.
Turn the Heat Down!
Our Marquette to-do list grew on the crossing from Houghton-Hancock when we realized that our refrigeration was not working and everything in the freezer was in process of thawing out. After a number of phone calls, we were promised that someone would come out the next morning to assess the situation. Of course this happens when the temperatures were on the rise and instead of long-johns we were wearing shorts and t-shirts.
In addition to the refrigeration issue, we also had to retrieve our vehicle from the marina in Houghton Hancock. For that Dan rented a very comfy Buick which was a great improvement over the Rent-A-Wreck that we got previously. With vehicle in hand he went to pick up some breakfast pasties at Lawry’s – if you are in Yooper land these are some of the best and are worth the trip to one of their stores. While there he found out they sell dry ice (to ship their pasties for those who can’t live without them) and he came back with enough to chill the reefer and the Yeti cooler. With our refrigeration issues temporarily abated, we drove on to Houghton to get our vehicle and trailer.
The refrigeration tech showed up on Thursday morning and performed some magic that included blowing out the compressor line and replacing a filter. With fingers crossed he turned the system back on and voila – we had a reefer back in business. Confident that issue was resolved; we took off with the rental car and our vehicle and headed to Sault Ste. Marie, MI to drop off the SUV/trailer.
Biking and Boats
On Friday we hopped on our folding bikes and went for a ride through Marquette and along the parkway by the lake. Our folding bikes are Bromptons and fold up fairly small. We have one in a bag strapped to the doghouse and the other is stored in our aft cabin. Regardless of how small they are, they take up precious real estate on a boat. In other words, we better use them!
For those who are familiar with Minneapolis, it is very similar to the bike paths along the Mississippi River in downtown with lots of families enjoying a summer afternoon in the park. With 8 speeds, we’re able to zip around quite easily and even make it up some of the steep hills in Marquette. Note that I said “some”. Dan of course, had ulterior motives for the bike ride – finding some French brandy – really? We need more liquor on board? Did he forget the memo about crossing into Canada?
For dinner we went to Lagniappe Cajun Creole restaurant which we had heard was fantastic. More importantly we were told they made Hurricanes and you could specify whether you wanted a Category 1, 2, or kick-ass 5.
I had the Category 5 – I don’t remember walking back to the boat! I do remember that the food was fabulous and the prices were reasonable. I love it when you feel like you actually got a bargain at a restaurant because the food was just that good!
We heard there was a Saturday morning Farmer’s Market and while we acknowledged that we really didn’t need anything, we hadn’t been to a market all spring. The market was fabulous with lots of people and all the wonderful smells that are inherent to markets. We ended up buying maple syrup, garlic scapes, bread, a lamb roast, etc. We now have enough food aboard to survive for the remainder of the season and then some – as long as the reefer keeps working!
June 28 – July 1, 2016 46° 32.587’N 87° 23.035’W