Abide:To Continue in a Place

As the 31 Day Challenge comes to an end, I have decided to bring to a close the Intuion Diaries series. Over the next three days, join me as I retell the last days of our summer adventure, boating around Lake Michigan. To read from the beginning of the series check out the tab, Intuition Diairies.

The last week of vacation offered many opportunities to Abide, Trust and linger in a Retreat state of mind.

The crew’s life…consisted of long monotonous days

interrupted by times of extreme excitement and danger.”

(A description on a sign outside of the U.S. Life Saving Service building

 in historic Elberta, MI)

 

 

Cruising in a boat can become monotonous, but we were always on the alert for changes in the weather.

From Charlevoix, we planned on travelling about forty miles and anchoring off near South Manitou Island, part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. We were getting reports that the wind was about to switch from NE to SW and get stronger. (It amazes me how aware one needs to be of wind direction, when travelling upon the water. I never knew the wind changed direction so often.)

Heading south along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, we stopped at Leland for lunch, to buy groceries and to tour their historic Fishtown.

 

 

 
Nestled on the inlet these little shanties still remain, a gathering place where fisherman for many years processed their daily catch. Today, the buildings house trendy little shops. One of the huts still smokes fish and sells it to the tourists.

Upon arriving in Leland, the harbor master mentioned that the weather was going to turn snotty. It’s a sailor term that means the winds are picking up and you best take refuge or be ready for some rough seas. This was disappointing because we really wanted to anchor out by South Manitou Island.

Because of the weather, I was getting a bit snotty. I had imagined a day of picking up groceries and then claiming our own private beach to soak up the sun, while Les grilled some burgers.

Thankfully, I have been abiding in God’s grace long enough to ask for help to redirect my attitude.

After my fussing was put aside, we  enjoyed a nice afternoon. In Leland, we ate at an outside café. I devoured a delicious tuna melt. Then we walked around the shops in Fishtown. We went our separate ways for a bit, and I met two interesting women to talk to about art and such. One a clerk at the Fishtown Pottery shop,(where they sold unique tile art made by Sporck), and the owner-creator of Fishtown Sail Co., where she re-purposed old sailcloth into cool tote bags.

Les and I met back at the grocery, stocked up and decided to brave the weather and go out to the island. On our way, we saw a lighthouse, a shipwreck from 1960, and the immense sand dunes. We anchored for awhile behind the island, wading from the boat to the beach with our chairs. Les napped, while I read. The wind was still in our favor at the time, but we didn’t feel safe spending the night out there, so late afternoon, we headed back closer to shore.

 

 

South Manitou Island, MI

 

We cruised along the shore, enjoying the views of Sleeping Bear Dunes, despite the choppy water due to the increased winds.

As the day faded, we were faced with another decision. To take our chances of being whipped by the wind all night in an unprotected harbor or travel ahead to a more secure harbor, another twenty miles ahead. (In rough water, we average 8 mph, so we knew we'd be chasing the sunset to make it to the next port before dark.)

We chose to keep going. As the sun went to bed for the night, we anchored in the harbor near the town of Frankfurt. We were able to drop anchor with just enough fading sunlight to see what we were doing.

 

Instead of the planned forty mile day, we covered ninety-six miles. It was a long, fulfilling day, abiding in God’s grace and asking for wisdom along the way.

 

 

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

John 14:16 NKJV