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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.

Live-edge wood sign reading Floathaus Anne Bonny on the siding of a floating home at a marina with a docked boat nearby. *Welcome sign on the dock side of the Floathaus.* Modern two-story houseboat with beige board-and-batten siding and flat dark roof, moored at a marina between other boats. *Clean, nordic inspired design.* Two-story beige metal houseboat with a wooden Floathaus sign on the dock, a blue motorboat moored alongside at slip 346. *Entrance is along the dock side.* Woman in blue shirt and two children explore bright loft-style houseboat interior with ladder staircase and sleeping loft above. *Inside is bright and nordic.* Two-story modern houseboat with wood-railed decks and portholes, moored between larger boats at a marina on calm water. *Here is the Floathaus from the water, taken on our [Donut Boat ride](https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/08/12/donut-boat.html).* Dozens of motorboats and sailboats docked at Tower Marina on a cloudy evening, with a blue-roofed marina building at right. *View of Tower Marina from the 2nd floor deck of the Floathaus.*
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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.

Charlie's Round the Corner Ice Cream shop exterior with a neon Open sign and families on the sidewalk out front. Three people holding large scoops of ice cream on wafer paper inside a shop with wood floors and teal painted walls.
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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. 🤩

Four people riding a round pink and white electric boat on a calm lake surrounded by wooded shoreline and docked boats Four people giving thumbs up seated around an orange table on a circular pink electric boat on the Kalamazoo River Two circular electric rental boats docked at a wooden pier on a calm tree-lined lake, one orange and one pink, each with a canopy and center table. Person in sunglasses relaxing inside a round pink electric boat with circular gray seating and an orange table, moored on a calm river.
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Sailboats at Tower Marine in Douglas, Michigan.

Sailboats with tall masts docked at a marina on calm water, with trees and waterfront homes visible in the background.
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Very challenging driving in Ohio on I-90. Very heavy rain. High winds. Limited visibility.

Radar map showing severe thunderstorms over Cleveland and northeast Ohio with heavy precipitation near I-90 and active storm warnings.
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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.

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Vermont Road Trip Log: Day 12, Wednesday

Weather: 89 °F, feels like 103 °F. 🥵

Jump to day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 of Vermont Road Trip.

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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.

Corner of a red brick building with a hanging Good Luck sign pointing right, plus BOA Editions and Anderson Arts Building entrance signs. Massive pile of thin golden french fries covering two burger halves on brioche with a pink beef patty, served on a wooden board Cross-section of a thick medium-rare beef burger on brioche with a slice of white cheese, served alongside a basket of thin crispy fries.

I may need to learn how to make this.

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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.

Green-and-cream canal boat named Sam Patch moored at a dock on the Erie Canal, with other boats and a brick building visible behind. *Sam Patch at dock before we take off.* Family of four smiling at a wooden table inside a canal tour boat, green trees and water visible through windows behind them. *Family selfie inside the Sam Patch.* Erie Canal Lock 32 viewed from water level, concrete walls on both sides, open lock gates ahead with water spraying through, green traffic light visible on left wall *Approaching Lock 32 in preparation to go up.* Boat passing through open Erie Canal lock gates with a green steel bridge visible beyond and tree-lined canal ahead *Lock doors closing behind us.* Closed Erie Canal Lock 32 gate doors viewed from water level inside the lock chamber, with yellow safety railing above *Lock doors closed and the water going up. It takes 9 minutes for the lock to fill on the way up.* Erie Canal Lock 32 with open lock gates ahead, concrete walls flanking calm brown water, trees and lamp posts lining both banks. *Lock is at height and we are released.* Lock 32 on the Erie Canal with concrete walls on each side, blue and yellow lock gates numbered 32, and green trees under a blue sky. *Coming back the other way with the lock doors open.* Sailboat moored against the stone wall of Erie Canal Lock 32, with open lock gates revealing the canal stretching into the distance. *Preparing for the lock to go down. Watch [my time-lapse video of the lock lowering](https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/08/11/timelapse-video-going.html).* American flag flying off the stern of a boat cruising a tree-lined Erie Canal waterway with another vessel ahead *Cruising along the Erie Canal and this sailboat wants to pass.* Rusty Erie Canal gantry crane over a maintenance yard with yellow work trucks parked beside a brick building along the canal bank. *One of many maintenance stations along the canal. Each section is maintaied from a station like this.* Several boats moored along a tree-lined Erie Canal bank, with a large white and red houseboat in the foreground. *Boats docked in the canal in Pittsford.* Village of Pittsford Erie Canal Park waterfront with a red cylindrical silo, low commercial buildings, and a tall concrete grain elevator with a crane on top. *Canal shoreline in Pittsford. I also got this [same view from shore](https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/08/11/erie-canal-at.html).* Calm Erie Canal waterway lined with dense green trees leading toward a vertical lift railroad bridge in the distance. *Canal approaching an emergency damn location where the canal is higher than the neighborhoods around it.* Family of four smiling in a selfie aboard a canal cruise boat with a lift bridge and calm waterway visible behind them. *Family selfie on the canal.* Green steel truss bridge spanning the Erie Canal on a sunny day, with lush trees lining both banks and a calm reflection in the water below. *Bridge over the Erie Canal.*
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Time-lapse video going through Lock 32 on the Erie Canal.