South of the border

Hello cruisers,
Above you see Little Current as we left last Sunday morning, following worship at the Anglican Church. From there we were off to a sheltered anchorage at Croker Island... We were so close
to the shore that we had this view of the rock! And, from another direction, we could see other boats through a narrow and shallow passage. These rock cliffs make it challenging to find a place
to take Dinah to the shore, but we found a small sandy landing area, where we could climb another set of rocks. Dinah really likes to scamper across the rocks... so much so that she forgets to 'do business.' Next came Blind River, a small town along both the North Channel and Hwy 17, aka the Trans-Canada Highway. A small marina, but one with gas, for our last fillup in Canada.
BTW, gas in Canada, with the new tax, meant that we often paid over $1.20/Liter, which translates to $4+/gallon, and one time we paid (gulp!) $5.40/gallon. When you've gotta have it, you've gotta have it! Blind River is our northern-most point; from here it's southbound!
We left out of Blind River early to make the long run to Drummond Island and the US of A. We'd heard a variety of reports about the customs process, and we'd sent for the sticker (well, actually, we only had a printout of our receipt) to return. Another beautiful traveling day, and an easy but formal check-in. We're across the border! If you look at a map, you'll see that Drummond Island is part of a chain of islands, and visually seems that it should still be Canada, since it's North Channel waters. Here's the marina at Drummond.
We anchored that night in nearby and very sheltered Harbor Cove. Good thing, too, because the middle-of-the-night hard thunder storm came with very strong winds which blew us around and dragged our anchor 1/3 of the way across the cove.
It took awhile for the clouds to clear the next morning, and the wind was still up. You can see how much the weather itself and the weather reports figure into our travels. If you look carefully at the water, you can see that it looks kinda blue and a little greenish. Everywhere, we've remarked that the water can look almost emerald... resembling the color you see in the Caribbean. The camera just doesn't capture the beauty.

Our next 2 night stop has been in DeTour... on the DeTour passage and connection between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. From our slip, we could watch large freighters passing by.

Also, its a busy spot for the ferries that run 24/7 between the EUP (Eastern Upper Peninsula) and Drummond Island (west side). Below is the DeTour marina; in the foreground is what we were calling the 'rub-a-dub-tub', a homemade craft powered by a small outboard with a hot-tub built into the center, and heated by (yes!) a wood-fire.

As we leave Georgian Bay and the North Channel, we've noted the vastness, the emerald/clear water, the zillions of islands large and small, the wonderful views and terrific anchorages, and the welcoming people. We have missed being able to use our cell phones, working internet/email, and some US brands in the small stores. Oh yeah, and better gas prices! So we're ready to move on and continue this great adventure. Stay with us for more!
Be safe, know God is with you, and keep in touch.
nan and jack