Hammond Indiana

October 9, 2016

It is a beautiful but chilly Sunday morning. We have to bundle up before heading out the New Buffalo Breakwater for our last long hop on Lake Michigan. We are only about 45 miles from Chicago but we are heading South of the city to Hammond. This allows us to stay very close to shore to get protection from the south east wind we are heading into. We are learning to be very careful! The mast and boom sit quietly on the cradle. Every time we hit bigger swells we both grip the rail and watched closely. So far, no movement!

The decision to bypass Chicago was not easy. We have heard that the trip down the Calumet River is industrial, rather than beautiful, hence the nickname, “the ditch”. Dave had talked about how fascinating it would be to take Mystic through the vibrant, beautiful city of Chicago but agreed that we just needed to be off the Lakes. Today is the Chicago Marathon; the river could be very busy. We would have enjoyed being at the race and experiencing the excitement. In spite of this, we know we've made the right choice.

Passing Michigan City, Indiana

With our course and plans set, we settled into the six hour ride. As soon as we get onto the Lake and face south, we can see the smoke stacks of Gary Indiana, 40 miles away! This makes for good navigation and is a preview of what is ahead on the Calumet. Our first glimpse of Chicago was the three tallest buildings. We saw them as we passed Michigan City. The further south we went, more buildings filled in on the horizon. We are excited, not quite there, but we will make it there today. As we turn west along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, the Horseshoe Casino next to Hammond Marina takes shape. The wind is hitting us from the side now so we have to be careful entering the breakwater.

View of Chicago from the East coast of Lake Michigan

Chicago Skyline from 35 miles away

Gary Indiana Steam

Horseshoe Casino, Hammond, Indiana

Hammond Marina Horseshoe Casino, Hammond, Indiana

The Marina is huge! We called ahead so we know our slip number S15 and where to find it. The water is really clear and Caribbean blue. A gentleman named Jim grabbed our line during docking. He is the father-in-law of dock master Keith. We had a lovely chat with him. He gave us information and history about the marina. The office is about a 1/4 mile walk for us but once we paid for our slip we didn't need to make that hike to use the  bathhouse and laundry. Each dock had their own.

We did laundry then walked over to the Casino to explore. Neither of us are gamblers but we thought we may find something good to eat. The casino allows smoking; it is strange being in a closed space with so much smoke and ashtrays. Monday is Columbus Day; the place is very crowded. We walked around, completely out of our element, eventually finding a spot to have a craft beer. As soon as our glasses were drained, we walked back to Mystic and made our dinner in the quiet rocking of the bay.

Fish made from flowers

Glitz of Horseshoe Casino

Out of our element at Horseshoe Casino, Hammond, Indiana

Tomorrow we will officially be in the “Ditch”. We will have completed the 950 mile journey across Lake Superior, onto the St. Mary’s River, through the Soo locks into Lake Huron then down the east coast of Lake Michigan. This is our first big milestone!

For those who were following our microbrewery visits, we visited seven Breweries on this leg of our journey:

Houghton, MI ~ Keweenaw Brewing Co.
Marquette, MI ~ The Vierling & Blackrock Microbrewery
Grand Marais, MI ~ Lake Superior Brewing Co
Frankfort, MI ~ Storm Cloud
Ludington, MI ~ Jamesport Brewing Co
St. Joseph, MI ~ Silver Harbor Brewing Co.

There are 1100 more miles to cover before we get to the Gulf Coast. We’ve gained a lot of hands-on experience and built our confidence for the next leg of our journey. Everything will change in the Ditch. Our concerns will switch from terrifying conditions to shallow water, finding good anchorages and staying the hell out of the way of tows and deadheads. We are excited to explore the rest of the Great Loop. Hopefully we'll start meeting other Loopers as we move south.