We decided to take the courtesy van to the “downtown” of Grand River to visit the Christmas display put on by Patti’s Restaurant. A million light display set out by a local that has had business here since 1880. Beautiful lights in the 40 degree weather.
As we stopped at the grocery store to stock up the temp dropped. The night was a chilly 32 F. Setting up the heaters as well as the onboard air/heat which were set to full tilt kept us warm for the night. Anyone traveling these parts needs portable heaters, toques, scarves and long johns. It gets chilly even during the first part of the day.
We woke to 32 with frost on the entire boat, ropes and slippery decks everywhere. We shoved off from GTB at 7:-00 AM with our sites set on Clifton Marina some 133 miles away. Great mild winds and no locks made that trip easy. Beautiful rock cliffs and houses on stilts set very high were interesting sites. We passed a few tow and barges but the river is so very wide that it too is easy. The sun was shining as we ran the gen to stay warm with our extra layers of clothing. Even with the sun the morning was cold. The day warmed up to about 50 degrees but we didn’t notice it much until we stopped.
Clifton Marina has everything we need. A courtesy car is available to head into town. The main street is lit up with Christmas lights. Restaurant, restrooms, and friendly folks who also offered covered slips for the rain coming tonight. As we sit on the transient dock we decide to have dinner and make it a movie night. Aiden has homework to do and he really wants to get the overwith while he has wifi.
