Ahoy!

While we were in Traverse City, we got to tool around onboard the Maritime Academy's ship, the State of Michigan. Our friend knew the captain, so he took us on a private tour, which was quite nice of him. It was a really interesting place--it used to be a spy ship, listening on on sub communications and such. It's been renovated and can now accommodate about 60 academy trainees while on the Great Lakes. I'm just full of useless information.

I wouldn't be all that keen on sleeping on a miniscule little bunk, but the view is great, and they'd have to drag me inside off-deck.

I guess they take the ship out for the Fourth of July Fireworks, and when the Blue Angels put on airshows over Traverse Bay, they use the State of Michigan as their centering point. I guess the planes come within 20 or 30 feet of the deck going a couple hundred miles an hour. My guess is that the experience would be a lot like clinging to a post right next to the railroad tracks while a freight train goes rushing by. Your adrenaline is shrieking, "Sweet jesu, you're going to diiiie!" but your brain is enjoying every second.

Moving on...I was kind of shocked at just how blue the bay is. It's practically tropical.

The Boy approves of the view from the third deck of the ship.

Despite how sunny it was, the beaches were not crowded at all. There were people out, but it wasn't anything like those "every square foot is taken by some bimbo with a beach towel" beaches.

There were also people parasailing, which looked insanely fun, but also reminded me of an awful Sci-Fi Channel original movie (your cue to either run, or prepare for extreme hilarious awfulness) where a parasailer is snatched out of the air by the jaws of a massive prehistoric shark-thing. So terrifyingly realistic. Like real actual cardboard cutouts. Or real actual claymation.