Windmill Island, Black River

An Electric motor, a Tour of the Island, and an Unexpected Wedding

We launched at Dunton Park again on the northeast side of Lake Macatawa, just across from Padnos scrap yard. Even though we headed out late in the day, it was a hot Saturday afternoon so there was a lot of activity at the launch site. We were the smallest boat by far to launch and probably also the easiest.

I chose to head east under the bridge. Yes, I got to choose since Ted rigged up an electric motor for us to try for this trip. No need to work up a sweat rowing on an already hot day. 

I love the electric motor. It is so quiet, doesn't require a nasty gas tank like an outboard motor and best of all you can just turn it on and don't have to pull a cord to start it. It is also really easy to adjust the depth of the propeller on the fly, which was especially handy as we headed into the marsh land on the way to Windmill Island.

We passed some friendly fishermen along the way to the bridge.

You've probably never wondered what the underside of a bridge looks like, but we thought it was cool how the water's reflection danced across the metal beams.

. 

It's like entering a different word once you come out on the other side of the bridge.
You'd think we were in the deep south.

That is until the windmill appeared as we rounded a bend.
These photos are all compliments of Ted. Enjoy!

This is the truly Dutch way to enjoy Windmill Island. You don't have to pay park entrance fees or mind the hours of operation. Of course you don't get to tour the windmill, but you do get a great view of it. This is also very fun to do in a kayak or canoe.

To our surprise we passed by a wedding service just as the couple
was pronounced husband and wife!

 and the cake . . .

On the way back Ted took over navigating and "discovered" a new way
to steer the boat.

And, as this adventure worked up quite an appetite, we headed to Boatwerks Restaurant on the south shore of Lake Macatawa, where we docked the boat and had dinner. To our surprise we met some friends inside who were also out for dinner.

We actually pulled up to the dock on the east side of the building (this is a photo of the west side) where there weren't any boats or onlookers to see us get out and then lift the boat onto the floating dock while we had dinner. Chalk it up to another successful adventure.