Great Loop Ch 11

This set of stories are meant to be read as chapters in a book. If you haven't read the previous chapters of the Great Loop, I recommend you do to better understand the characters.

All characters are fictional. Obviously, many of the place locations are real.

*****

After leaving the cabin, I found an anchorage in Georgian Bay for the night before crossing Lake Huron back to Alpena, Michigan. Once again, the crossing was uneventful. Fortunately, the Great Lakes had been kind to me so far and had not thrown any bad storms at me while I was out on the water.

Alpena is another friendly town with lots of water front activities, especially now that the summer was coming to an end. I had been in town for a day, when the weather turned to thunder storms, wind and heavy rain. Everyone was concerned that the holiday weekend would have bad weather and visitors wouldn't come. Business men and women were worried, restaurant owners were worried and local farmers were worried. My only worry was if I could make my reservation at Mackinac Island, but I shared the locals concerns as well. The wind persisted for a couple of days and then laid down and the sun reappeared. Everyones spirits lifted with the sight of the sun. I figured two days to get to Mackinac Island.

The next morning, I said good bye to some of my neighbors at the marina and headed for Mackinac Island. I made it just past Rogers City before finding an anchorage for the night. The sunset was beautiful. As I sat on the deck, I couldn't help but think about Helen, Lori and Susan and the times we had been together. It was good memories. I pulled up some pictures I had taken and smiled at the memories they brought back. It also brought back other memories, including MJ. I still hadn't resolved that issue, nor did I have any idea what I was going to do about her. Was she more than a

friend

, were Lori and Susan more than a

friend

? AAARRRRGGGGHHH.

The boat had a gentle roll all night and I slept very well. The next morning I weighed anchor and moved on. I spent the night near Cheboygan, Michigan. From there it was only a few hours to the island.

Finally, it was Labor Day weekend and I was at Mackinac Island. The marina was great. Mackinac Island is unique in my experience. Motorized vehicles are not allowed, only horse drawn carriages, bicycles, or walking. People get to and from the island by a ferry from either Mackinaw City or St. Ignace in the upper peninsula. There's also air service to the island. Also on the island is the Grand Hotel with the longest front porch in the world at 660 feet. The hotel has 390 rooms and no two are the same. I had managed to reserve a room at the hotel for a couple of nights and was looking forward to staying there. The hotel does have a dress code. After 6:30, ladies are required to wear a dress, blouse and skirt, or pant suit. Men are required to wear a suit or sport coat, and tie. No denim is allowed. I was glad I bought a sport coat when I was in Toronto.

After getting the boat squared away, I walked around the island. There were more shops making fudge than I thought would be possible. As expected, the town was full of tourist, families, kids and others. There were the usual tourist traps, but there was Fort Mackinac, an Art Museum, a lighthouse, golfing, swimming, and beach exploring. I even took a horse drawn carriage tour just to acquaint myself with the island. Since my hotel reservation was for Saturday and Sunday nights, I found a pleasant restaurant for dinner and then returned to the marina. The marina had filled up during the day and I met some of my neighbors before going to

Second Chance

for the evening. Pouring a drink, I watched the sun set with the Mackinac Bridge in the fore ground. It was spectacular. The temperatures dropped almost as fast as the sun and I was soon looking for a sweater to put on. I later learned that at the Straits of Mackinac, I was closer to the North Pole than I was the equator. No wonder it was cool.

I woke Saturday morning to a beautiful sunrise. It was cool, the air clear, the sound of waves, lines slapping the mast of sail boats, gulls soaring over head, made for a great way to start the day. I enjoyed a cup of coffee as I sat on the deck and watched the marina and island come to life. The first ferry arrived full of people and carriages were lined up to take them where ever just like taxis at an airport. Many tourist went to one of the many bike shops to rent bikes for the day. I was surprised at how well the horses managed all the distractions without any distress. As I drank a second cup of coffee, I decided I would visit the fort and the lighthouse before checking in at the hotel.

The fort is now part of the Michigan State Park system as is the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. "Fort Mackinac was founded during the American Revolution. Believing Fort Michilimackinac at what is now Mackinaw City was too vulnerable to American attack, the British moved the fort to Mackinac Island in 1780. Americans took control in 1796. In July 1812, in the first land engagement of the War of 1812 in the United States , the British captured the fort. In a bloody battle in 1814 the Americans attempted but failed to retake the fort. It was returned to the United States after the war. The fort remained active until 1895. During these years Mackinac Island was transformed from a center of the fur trade into a major summer resort. The stone ramparts, the south sally port and the Officer's Stone Quarters are all part of the original fort built over 225 years ago. The other buildings in the fort are of more recent origin, dating from the late 1790s to 1885. The buildings have been restored to how they looked during the final years of the fort's occupation. Interpreters depict U. S. Army soldiers from this same period, dressed in distinctive Prussian-inspired uniforms. "

I watched cannons being fired, muskets being shot, soldiers march and saw how the soldiers lived during that time period. I toured the grounds and admired the view of Lakes Huron and Michigan as well as the Mackinac Bridge. I visited the gift shop, but living on a boat, you don't have room for those kinds of trinkets and souvenirs.

Next I visited the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. It has served as a guide for ships since being built in 1889. Part of the displays talk about the ship wrecks that have occurred in the Great Lakes. The view from the top of the light tower was spectacular and the lens for the light was fascinating. Once again, I was reminded of the power of water, storms and the Great Lakes, and of the Mariner's Church in Detroit.

After I finished the tour, it was time to go back to the boat, get my clothes, and check in at the hotel. I took a carriage from the marina to the hotel. It brought back memories of a carriage ride I had taken thru New York's Central Park a very long time ago.

Checking in at the hotel was simple and I was shown to my room. As expected, it was beautiful and had a stunning view from the window. Dinner was at 7:30, so I showered and changed into my sport coat and put on my only tie. It took a couple of tries to get it right since I hadn't worn a tie in a long time. When everything looked right, I headed for the bar. The hotel has several bars but I chose the Cupola Bar which is at the top of the hotel and has a great panoramic view of the Straits of Mackinac. A couple of bourbons later and it was dinner time.

For dinner I chose the Main Dining Room. There are a variety of options, but the menu at the Main Dining Room offers a five course meal and I was feeling like spoiling myself. As I approached the Maitre de desk, I was behind a women that had all the curves of a No. 2 pencil. She wore flats, a skirt that went to mid-calf, and her hair was in a bun. I thought she must be in her 60's. She asked for a table for one, I said, "Excuse me ma'am, but I'm alone too. Would you care to join me for dinner?"

She turned, looked me up and down as if she was checking me out and said, "Thank you, I think I would. It is far better to eat with a handsome man than to eat alone."

After being seated, she extended her hand and said, "Kathryn." I took her hand and said, "Jim." We spoke briefly about ourselves, then ordered a bottle of wine. She was a great conversationalist and had the driest sense of humor I had ever experienced. She could keep the straightest face while I was laughing so hard that I could have had tears running down my cheeks.

She was married and she and her husband owned a business that supplies parts to the auto manufacturers. She claimed it was a marriage for convenience. It seems they didn't sleep together any more and that her husband had left early to fly back to Detroit to spend the weekend with one of his 'hussies' as she said.

I asked, "Why don't you divorce him?"

"That is easier said than done. The way the business is set up, we are equal partners and if we should ever divorce, the person filing for divorce would lose everything. So we are virtually locked together for life. We have agreed to ignore each others transgressions and put in appearances together only if necessary. He runs the business and I volunteer at the University of Michigan hospitals in Ann Arbor."

"That sounds like a tough life if you're any kind of a romantic."

"It's not so bad after you get used to the idea. My husband goes through hussies at the rate of one a month and I have had the occasional evening with a man. We are both only 40, so we are healthy and both have found ways to meet our desires.'

Her lips turned up in a half smile, but her eyes were sparkling. About that time we ordered dinner and talked turned to my history and my trip. I gave her the vanilla version and talked about where I had been, what I had seen, and some of the people I had met. She was familiar with the Mariners Church in Detroit and shared a similar emotion for what it represented. She also knew who Charlie and Sally were from some social events. I also told her my rough plans for finishing the loop. When I finished, she asked, "After you have finished the loop tour, what are your plans?"

"I haven't given it much thought since it's probably a couple of years away. I probably won't go back to Long Island, but I don't know what I'll do."

"Well, you should start planning for it. Your young and smart, so you could probably do what ever you want. Having been in business for yourself, you probably won't be happy working for someone else. Just my thought."

Dinner soon arrived and the conversation slowed down as we ate our dinners. She had a sea food plate and I had prime rib. We also ordered another bottle of wine. After dinner, Kathryn asked me if I would like to join her in the Parlor to listen to the Grand Hotel Orchestra. Since I didn't have any other plans, I joined her.

An hour later, I stood and said, "If you don't mind, I'm going to head upstairs to my room now."

"I think I will too."

She stood and we headed for the elevator. I asked her what floor and she said three which was also the floor I was on. When we got off the elevator, we both turned the same way. It seems our rooms were only a few doors apart. When we got to hers, she turned, put out her hand and said, "Thank you for a most enjoyable evening. It was so much better than eating alone. It was a pleasure to have met you, Jim. I wish you a safe journey."

"Thank you , Kathryn. It was a pleasure to have met you as well. Would you mind if I took a selfie of the two of us for my collection of people I have met on my trip?"

"No, that would be fine."

I stood behind her, and lowered my head to near her shoulder and snapped a couple of pictures. My breath must have been in her ear because she developed a little flush.

"Thank you, Kathryn. Maybe our paths will cross again sometime in the future. Good night."

"Good night Jim."

With that I walked down the hall to my room. As I was closing my door, I heard her door close.

It was good to get my coat and tie off. I turned on the TV to CNN to catch up on the world. I hadn't watched TV since before I left Long Island. As I was laying on the bed and watching the TV, I half dozed off.

A gentle knock on the door roused me. Looking thru the door peep, it was Kathryn. As I opened the door, Kathryn stepped into the room, put her arms around my neck and said, "Would you make love to me tonight?"

"Huh, sure. What's up? Are you sure you want this?"

"I'm tired of my husband ignoring me and I want to feel sexy and wanted. I know I don't have a figure. My tits are small and so is my ass, but I'm a passionate woman."

With that, she reached up and undid her hair. She had beautiful, long auburn hair that shone like polished strands of glass. She turned her back to me and said, "Un-zip me please."

"No, not yet. If we're going to do this, then we're going to do it my way."

She looked me in the eye, judging if I was a crazy man or something and finally said, "Ok, your way, but I don't like pain or bondage."

"I promise, no pain, no bondage, only pleasure."

I kissed her hard, then I kissed her again and we shared our tongues. All those little tricks that Holly had taught me all those months ago came back to me. I nibbled on her ears, and teased her neck. Her head leaned back giving me better access to her neck, throat and ears, so I blew, rubbed, kissed and nuzzled her. My hands slowly moved up to her breast. She was right. They were very small, but she responded well when I played with them. As her breathing started to quicken, I slowly unzipped her dress and lowered it to the floor. She kicked off her shoes. Her bra and panties were surprisingly high end, flesh colored, and sexy. I took off my shirt and pants before continuing to make love to her. I returned to her ankles and slowly worked my way up her legs finding all her erogenous zones. When I reached her shoulders, I pulled her close and we kissed again. I'm sure she felt how hard my cock was and I felt her breast against my chest. When her bra came off, I teased, sucked, licked and played with her nipples. They got REALLY big and hard and she responded with a " MMMMMMMMMM." She reached down and rubbed my cock thru my shorts. I laid her down on the bed and kissed my way down her body to her pussy. I started pulling her panties off and she raised her ass off the bed to help me. Her pussy was neatly trimmed with just a small landing strip. She leaned forward and pulled my shorts down and sucked in my cock. I let her suck it for a minute or two before pulling out. As I did, she started to say something, but I just put my finger to her lips and she stayed quiet. I moved down her body again and started licking her clit as I slowly entered her with my fingers. I knew immediately when I found her G-spot because she said, "OHHHHHH.' As I continued to lick and suck her clit, I also continued to rub her G-spot. Soon her ass and legs started shaking and her pussy started leaking her juices.

"Oh, yes, yes. That feels soooooo good, please don't stop, please."

It didn't take much more and she was off to the stars. Once she started to come back down, I moved to a 69 position and started in on her again. She licked my cock before sucking it in. She proved to have a very talented tongue. It would have been easy to giver her my load, but I wanted to fill her pussy, so after coming close, I pulled out, turned around, put her legs over my shoulders and entered her. Our eyes locked on to each others. Hers were sparkling and her lips were in a half-grin. As I started stroking in and out of her, her mouth opened and a silent ohhhhh came out before becoming a full blown smile. The first I had seen from her all evening.

"I'm going to cum soon. Please cum with me. Lets go to the stars together, please."

I started stroking her with longer strokes and deeper strokes. Her legs began to shake, I could feel her pussy spasming and my balls started churning. Just as she yelled, "YES" I flooded her pussy with my spunk and we rode the orgasmic express together. As we started to return to normal, she moved her legs to around my back and held me in her as I softened. She pulled my face to hers and kissed me hard with a lot of tongue. When I softened enough to fall out of her, she let me go and I laid next to her so we could nuzzle together.

"My dear man. I don't know where you learned all that and I don't care. I've never experienced pleasure like that! I should take you home with me, but I doubt that would be possible. I can't wait to tell some of my friends about tonight. They'll be so jealous. Oh, that was soooooo good."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, because I did as well. You are a very passionate woman."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now all good things must come to an end. So I'm going to return to my room and get ready to leave tomorrow morning. I want to be on the first ferry and then it's a 5 hour drive home."

She kissed me once again, got out of bed, put on her dress, picked up her bra and panties and said, "Jim, I really can't thank you enough for tonight, but it is a night I'll remember the rest of my life. Good luck with your journey. Please be safe."

Then she left. I heard her door close and then it was quiet.

As I lay there thinking, it dawned on me that of all the women I had met on this trip so far, MJ was the only one that seemed to want to stay with me. AAAARRRRRRGGGGGG. What am I going to do about her?

Sunday was a beautiful day. I walked around the island as much for exercise as anything, but I did stop in at a couple of art museums and galleries and enjoyed looking at the artists works and talking with the shop owners. I found a nice restaurant for lunch that over looked the water and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. Later in the afternoon, I enjoyed an ice cream cone. Chocolate. I returned to the hotel, showered and dressed for dinner. I went back to the same bar for drinks before going to a different dining room for dinner. I ate alone that night. The day had worn me out and its wasn't long after returning to my room that I was sound asleep.

Labor day was another beautiful day. I ate a leisurely breakfast, checked out and headed for the marina. I did stop at a fudge shop and bought a half pound of chocolate with walnuts and a half pound of white chocolate. I wondered what Ben would have to say when I saw him in a couple of days. I spent the day lounging around the marina, meeting various folks and exchanging stories of our time on the water, where we were from, where we were going, and talked about families and boats. Happy hour started at about 1:00 and then moved from boat to boat. When we got to my boat, there must have been a dozen or more people on board. There was much laughing, joking and of course drinking. I hadn't had that much to drink in a long time, but I had a great time. A group of us went to a restaurant that someone recommended for dinner and the wine flowed freely. By the time we all got back to our boats, no one was feeling any pain. I briefly thought that I hadn't met any available women in the last two days, but that was my last thought before the alcohol and the rolling of the boat lulled me to sleep.

I had planned to leave early the next morning, but when you don't get up until 9:00, that's a little hard to do. I drank some coffee, took some aspirin, moved the boat to the fuel dock and then headed out. The Mackinac Straits have some impressive currents as the waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron come together. It took all my concentration to get through the Straits without a problem, but I did enjoy going under the bridge. It is an impressive sight. A couple of days later, I was in Grand Traverse Bay and headed for Traverse City where I would meet Ben and his wife Shirley. We would spend a few days exploring the Old Mission Peninsula and the wineries before Ben and Shirley headed west to Bozeman, MT for their annual fly fishing trip. They had been going there annually for as long as I have known them and they both fly fish. Ben says Shirley is the better fisherman.