Day 7 of 8: Milwaukee

The final stop on our Great Lakes tour on the Viking Octantis is Milwaukee. We pulled into Milwaukee  early this morning and were scheduled to go on a 3-hour kayaking tour of the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers. Unfortunately, after consecutive days of great weather, today's outlook was rain, rain, rain. So the kayaking excursion was cancelled for today. Like most ports on this cruise, the Octantis docked at the rugged industrial Port of Milwaukee. The Great Lakes cruise ship business seems to be too new for attractive tourist port facilities.

We decided to spend the day eating, resting and going to the gym. It was actually quite nice to spend the day on this beautiful ship. There were some sightseeing excursions available, but we had been to Milwaukee twice recently, so we opted for a quiet day on board. 

Octantis gym

Lunch of norwegian open-faced sandwich, caesar salad, walleye and twice-baked sweet potato

We also visited the Viking travel consultant to look into future Viking cruise opportunities. While there, we ask him about "The Hide," a location that was included in the Octantis guest survey. Turns out The Hide is a bar in the lower bow section of the ship. We never saw it on our Antarctica cruise and until now still didn't know it existed. Guess we need to come back ...

Late-afternoon, we met with Milwaukee-based friends Chuck and Henry at a local microbrewery called New Barons Brewing Cooperative. It was a nice, relaxing visit to cap off an active week.

Tonight we had dinner reservations at the other upscale restaurant on board, called simply "The Restaurant." We both started with Langostine Bisque and then I had poached Norwegian salmon with brussels sprouts and rice pilaf, while Keith had Steak Diane. We finished with dessert and rolled out in time for our 10 pm luggage check and departure preparation. Our group leaves at 7:15 tomorrow for the return flight home to Detroit.

To wrap up the week, I decided to highlight some of the various food bars in the World Cafe, our standard daily dining area, separate from the two upscale restaurants. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the main hot food line, with meats, seafood and side dishes.

Daily fresh-baked bread selection

Antipasto bar

Caesar salad bar (second mixed salad bar not shown)

Mamsen's Norwegian specialty bar

Sushi bar

One of the three dessert bars

Tomorrow is day 8 of 8, but since it is only a travel day, I don't expect to add a separate blog post unless something interesting happens. Thanks for joining us on this journey!

Day 6 of 8: Mackinac Island

Octantis stopped in front of the Mackinac Grand Hotel for today's excursions on the island. We're using the bright orange tenders again today to come ashore. 

Some of our fellow Viking passengers chose the carriage tour

Keith and I selected the bike tour, riding the 8.2-mile perimeter road M-185. About 20 of us assembled downtown to get our bikes. After having been partially washed out over the past couple years of high Lake Michigan water levels, the boulder breakwall has been reinforced and the road repaved in several sections -- it's in great shape now.

That's Keith on the left, on a rebuilt section of M-185

Our first two stops on the bike tour were Arch Rock and British Landing.

Keith and I continued to ride with the group, sometimes riding ahead to take photos. The weather was perfect; our guides said it was the best day of the season so far.

Cave explorer

After the bike ride, we stopped at Great Turtle Brewery, a newish microbrewery on the island, for a refreshment. It's name is connected to the island itself. As the story goes, Native Americans thought the shape of the island resembled a turtle, so they named it “Mitchimakinak” meaning “big turtle.” French settlers adjusted the name from the original pronunciation and named it “Michilimackinac” and finally, the English shortened it to the present name that we all know, “Mackinac.” The "turtle" origins have found there way into local events, art and names, including this new brewery.

Some of you are aware of my fondness for the private home "Brigadoon" on Mackinac Island. Others no doubt saw the story of the tragic fire that gutted this historic home in May of last year. I was pleased to see the that the home had been rebuilt and looks as good as ever. Given how challenging and complicated construction is on Mackinac Island, it's quite amazing to see the house restored so quickly.

After a short walking tour, including Fort Mackinac, we caught the tender back to Octantis.

The captain hosted a farewell happy hour on the back terrace of Octantis, coinciding with our departure from Mackinac Island and sailing under the Mackinac Bridge. Opened in 1957, Mackinac Bridge remains the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere and is quite impressive to sail under. 

Octantis Captain's farewell greeting

A NOAA scientist from Ann Arbor has been onboard this week, initiating a variety of experiments, including this release of a current tracking device. It sends back GPS location signals once per hour and is expected to operate for several months before they retrieve it.

That's it for today. We're on our way to Milwaukee overnight, scheduled to arrive at 7:00 am.

Day 5 of 8: Alpena and Thunder Bay

Today Octantis is positioned in Thunder Bay, near the mouth of the Thunder Bay River that divides downtown Alpena. There are a variety of excursions available; we chose the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center and Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, operated by NOAA. Opened in 2000, this is the first national marine sanctuary in the Great Lakes. Its purpose is to protect the rich maritime history of the Great Lakes, as well as engage in research and exploration designed to protect the Great Lakes. 

Our excursion wasn’t until the afternoon, so we enjoyed breakfast and lunch onboard, with a visit to the gym in between, before departing Octantis. The ship was ”virtually” anchored in Thunder Bay and we ventured ashore in orange tender vessels. 

Lunch: dorado, scallops, prime rib, focaccia, avocado salad

Tender vessel for the trip ashore

There are over 200 shipwrecks in Thunder Bay; 100 of them have been identified and marked by buoys to support public viewing. Our excursion included a glass-bottomed boat tour to see shipwrecks in shallow water.

Two shipwreck buoys

Alpena cement plant, with the SS Alpena loading up its cargo

Entry to Alpena via Thunder Bay River

As we prepared for the day, I received a text from Tom and Cathy Kerr, who have a cottage south of Alpena, offering to drive to Alpena to meet us. When we arrived at the maritime center, I asked a staff member to explain our schedule so that we could slot in time to greet Tom & Cathy. Turns out he was the Superintendent and encouraged Tom and Cathy to join us for the tour, including the glass-bottomed boat ride, since there was space available and, as he explained, their mission is to introduce as many people as possible to the research, education and community involvement work of the center. So we spent the afternoon with Tom and Cathy on an enjoyable excursion.

Inside Lady Michigan, glass-bottomed boat

Here are a few photos of two shipwrecks we reviewed from the glass-bottomed boat. The first two are remains of the crane from Scanlon’s Barge, wrecked during a Thunder Bay storm in 1929 in just 13 feet of water, making it easily viewed from the surface. Like other shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, it is well preserved by the cold fresh water, unlike ocean wrecks which decay more quickly in the salt water.

The second shipwreck we viewed is the William P. Rend, built in 1888. At that time, it was among the largest wooden freighters on the Great Lakes. It worked for decades hauling bulk cargo such as coal, iron, and limestone. On September 22, 1917, William P. Rend made its last run. Loaded with crushed limestone, she sprang a leak and quickly sank in 17 feet of water. No lives were lost but attempts to refloat the barge failed and it was abandoned. The William P. Rend invites divers, snorkelers, and paddlers to explore it remains.

We said farewell to Tom & Cathy and returned Octantis.

Alpena's de-commissioned lighthouse "Little Red," as we return to Octantis

Back onboard, we had dinner reservations at the premium Italian restaurant, Manfredi’s, where we concluded the day with a wonderful dinner and a nice sunset.

Seared tuna, gnocchi, creamed spinach and Francis Ford Coppola Zinfandel

Executive Chef Sateesh Devan with his skilled Manfredi's crew

Tiramisu and vanilla ice cream

Tomorrow (Thursday): Mackinac Island.