One minute at Oval Beach, Saugatuck, Michigan.
Afternoon craft coffee at Uncommon Coffee Roasters in Saugatuck, MI.
Vermont Road Trip Log: Day 13, Thursday
Weather: Clear morning until Pennsylvania with moderate to heavy rain. Crazy heavy rainfall in Ohio. Weather cleared up in Michigan and rest of the day was very pleasant.
- 6:04a: Depart Airbnb in Rochester.
- 8:05a: Enter Pennsylvania. 👋
- 8:25a: Gas stop on I-90 outside of Erie, PA. ⛽️
- 8:55a: Enter Ohio. 👋
- 9:40a: Just past Cleveland, very heavy thunderstorm and downpours! ⚡️⛈
- Culver’s for lunch in Oregon, OH.
- 12:27p: Enter Michigan! 👋
- 3:35p: Arrive Saugatuck, MI.
- Great afternoon in a Donut Boat rented from Retro Boat Rentals.
- Extended power outage disrupted our plan to have dinner at the Southerner. Had a fine dinner at Fresh Basil Cafe.
- Charlie’s Round the Corner for Ice Cream.
- Settled into the Floathaus of Saugatuck.
Jump to day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 of Vermont Road Trip.
Floathaus of Saugatuck
For our final destination of this Vermont 2021 trip we are capping off the unique places that we are staying with the Floathaus of Saugatuck. We’ve never stayed on a houseboat, and this is a gorgeous one to give it a try with.
Welcome sign on the dock side of the Floathaus.
Clean, nordic inspired design.
Entrance is along the dock side.
Inside is bright and nordic.
Here is the Floathaus from the water, taken on our Donut Boat ride.
View of Tower Marina from the 2nd floor deck of the Floathaus.
This is our third time in Saugatuck and we’ve gotten to know the place reasonably well, including what some of our favorite ice cream options are.
Donut Boat
After arriving in Saugatuck from Rochester this morning we went straight to Retro Boat Rentals to get our 4pm reservation for our Donut Boat. Only Tammy really knew what we were getting, but we all had an awesome time once we got into our pink Donut Boat and tooled around the Kalamazoo River and Kalamazoo Lake. The donut boat is all electric and extremely quiet and incredibly easy to use. It tops out at a leisurely 4 mph. Perfect for enjoying a beverage and great company.
We spent an hour a sand beach just before the Kalamazoo River enters Lake Michigan before returning the donut to the rental shop. If you ever get a chance to go out in a donut boat, do it. 🤩
Sailboats at Tower Marine in Douglas, Michigan.
Very challenging driving in Ohio on I-90. Very heavy rain. High winds. Limited visibility.
On family vacations I still use technology, but as much as possible I try to put the Internet in “write-only” mode. I’ve done a pretty good job of it this trip. Having Feedbin mark all new items as read has been great to keep diversions away.
Vermont Road Trip Log: Day 12, Wednesday
Weather: 89 °F, feels like 103 °F. 🥵
- Mad Hatter for breakfast.
- Rochester Museum & Science Center.
- Iced Maple Latte with extra shot at Ugly Duck Coffee.
- Shopping stop at Millenium Games
- Pittsford Farms Dairy for Ice Cream.
- Boat tour down the Erie Canal on the Sam Patch.
- Delicious Good Luck Burger for dinner.
- Prep for an early departure tomorrow!
Jump to day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 of Vermont Road Trip.
Good Luck Burger
One of the things we wanted to do in Rochester was to return to Good Luck to share a Good Luck Burger. “1 lb. house-ground, grass-fed local beef on brioche with cuba cheddar, vegetable slaw & fries.” You split this four ways. We had to return here after our visit in 2018, 3 years and 1 day ago.
I may need to learn how to make this.
Sam Patch on the Erie Canal
We took a 90-minute river Erie Canal cruise today on the Sam Patch. We got to go to Lock 32 and experience that and then went back the other way to see where the canal is actaully 70’ higher than the houses in the area.
Some fun stats:
- There is a 568 foot elevation change as the canal goes from Lake Erie to New York Harbor.
- The original canal was 4’ deep, 40’ wide and 363 miles long. The canal has been lengthened and widened three times.
- Doors to the locks weigh 40 tons!
Enjoy some photos.
Sam Patch at dock before we take off.
Family selfie inside the Sam Patch.
Approaching Lock 32 in preparation to go up.
Lock doors closing behind us.
Lock doors closed and the water going up. It takes 9 minutes for the lock to fill on the way up.
Lock is at height and we are released.
Coming back the other way with the lock doors open.
Preparing for the lock to go down. Watch my time-lapse video of the lock lowering.
Cruising along the Erie Canal and this sailboat wants to pass.
One of many maintenance stations along the canal. Each section is maintaied from a station like this.
Boats docked in the canal in Pittsford.
Canal shoreline in Pittsford. I also got this same view from shore.
Canal approaching an emergency damn location where the canal is higher than the neighborhoods around it.
Family selfie on the canal.
Bridge over the Erie Canal.
Time-lapse video going through Lock 32 on the Erie Canal.
Erie Canal at Pittsford, NY.
Hot day! Ice cream stop at Pittsford Farms Dairy. 🍦 We stopped here in 2018 and wanted to return. Great place.
Arrays of knobs and dials are mesmerizing. Even old ones. At Rochester Museum & Science Center.
The kids are sleeping on an actual air mattress tonight, fulfilling the origin story of Airbnb! 😊
Updated COVID-19 graphs from today’s New York Times. The case count in Florida is pretty stunning. Minnesota is doing well. The best news is the continued low death rate.
Vermont Road Trip Log: Day 11, Tuesday
Weather: Good weather, pretty hot. Started raining after we got settled in Rochester. Hot and humid in the evening.
- 7:45a: Depart Treehouse.
- 8:00a: Dunkin’ Donuts! 🍩
- Drive to Rochester, NY.
- 10:31a: Enter New York. Goodbye Vermont. 👋
- 11:45a: Lunch at DomAdi’s Deli in Amsterdam, NY.
- 3:40: Arrive in Rochester, NY. Get settled in Downtown Rochester Retreat.
- Walk to Vern’s for an amazing Italian dinner and drinks outside.
Jump to day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 of Vermont Road Trip.