We had a rougher than expected ride last night on Lake Erie. I awoke several times to the loud crashing of the Clelia II over choppy waters, but things smoothed out by mid-morning when we entered the Detroit River in bright sunshine. My fellow lecturer from Columbia Univ. gave his first lecture on “The Great Lakes Before Europeans Arrived” at 9:15 a.m. He actually borrowed my computer and a few of my maps and satellite shots of the Great Lakes to augment his talk, which was very informative. He spoke of the three primary tribes around the Great Lakes (the Iroquois, Algonquin and Ojibwa) and their customs and relations with each other and the early Europeans. Giving gifts is a big part of Native tradition. The Europeans viewed gift exchange as an economic transaction, whereas the Native Peoples believed exchanging gifts was a way to build relations and trust. This probably explains why there was little feuding among the tribes until the Europeans arrived! I delivered my second lecture at 11 a.m., focusing on environmental challenges and opportunities. I had packed some lamprey and zebra mussel specimens, which were a big hit! As I finished, I looked out just in time to see us passing under Detroit’s lovely Ambassador Bridge. It was too windy to eat on deck so our buffet lunch (spaghetti, salad, pork loin) was instead enjoyed in the main dining room. The afternoon was relaxing, filled with reading, napping and walking around the deck taking photos of all the passing vessels in Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River. One channel on the TV in each cabin shows the view from a webcam on the bridge of the ship so you can easily keep tabs on what’s ahead! A boat came alongside the Clelia II at about 5 p.m. and we changed pilots. Later we crossed under the Bluewater Bridge, which connects Port Huron, Mich., and Sarnia, Ontario, and then headed into the open waters of Lake Huron. My dinner companions were Susan Marrinan and Lucy McCabe, both retired judges from California; Joan Baxter, a retired teacher originally from Detroit and now living in Salt Lake City; and Ted and Marty Hartman from Big Sur, Calif. Coincidentally, the Hartmans’ owned a resort (14 redwood cabins) in Big Sur so we had fun exchanging stories since my family, as many of you know, also own a log cabin resort in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I had almond crusted herring for dinner with an orange salad to start and green tea sorbet for dessert. Two birthdays were celebrated at dinner. One gentleman turned 90 and my dinner companion from the first night (Nancy from Duluth) also was serenaded by the wait staff as they delivered a big cake to her table. Overnight the Clelia II will be heading north through Lake Huron around the Bruce Peninsula to Manitoulin Island. Did I mention that I’m having an absolutely WONDERFUL time?
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