SIX WEEKS IN CANADA AND SUDDENLY OUR PHONES WORK AGAIN

August 23-25, 2026

Yes, we are penny pinchers and didn’t buy the cell service plan for Canada which meant the only time we were connected was on the boat with Starlink. It worked pretty well until issues with trying to find a grocery store. It is amazing how much we rely on our phones. We typically have them in our pockets or our hands for our entire waking time. It was somewhat frustrating to be talking about something and pick up my phone to get information and realize I couldn’t use it. Oh well. It was just 6 weeks.

So, we went through customs through an app. Answered some questions, included our passport numbers, Bella’s vaccination records, where we had traveled in Canada and boom, we were approved to be back in the US. Amazing how that works.

De Tour, Michigan is a quaint town with a couple of good restaurants. Mainsail had a quality dinner though the atmosphere was a bit lacking. It seemed to be run by a couple with the husband serving and the wife cooking. Actually, a nice spot that I would go back to. The De Tour Village Inn was a down home place that had some interesting pictures on the wall with great service and fantastic burgers.

Detour has a botanical garden that was created by locals and sits right on St. Mary’s River which connects the North Channel with Lake Huron.

Beautiful gardens created by locals.

I was able to get in a bike ride that showed how close I was to the I-75 highway. Gave me some nostalgia for home.

Cedarville is where our dear friends the Bohn’s have a floating dock business that was created by Sally and her husband. Their son has taken over the business.

We used to go to Beavertail to visit the Bohn’s in their amazing home. My sister Laurie and I would go up on the bus and spend time with Uncle Earl and Aunt Millie. They would take us to Mackinac Island and we had a glorious time picking blueberries, making balsam bags, writing home on birch wood and spending time on the rock beach.

This part of Michigan gets a lot of snow. This map is a pretty good indication that cross country skiing and snow-showing are a pretty big part of their winter activities.

Headed to Mackinaw City from De Tour and went by Mackinac Island on the way. It was a glorious day on the water.