Great Loop Ch. 09

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.

MJ and I woke the next morning to drizzle and fog. After my experience being on Lake Erie in a storm, I decided to stay in Cleveland for the day.

There is a lot to do along the Cleveland lake front. We started by touring the Steamship William G. Mather. It is a restored Great Lakes freighter that was built in 1925. It not only carried freight, but also carried passengers in elegant staterooms. The ship is 618 ft. long, 62 ft. wide, and 32 ft. high. Freighters look huge on the lake when seen from my boat, but they are a whole lot bigger when viewed from their own bridge.

After completing the tour of the steamship, we toured the U.S.S. Cod, a WWII submarine. The Cod had quite a history in the Pacific during WWII, sinking a destroyer, and several supply boats as well as doing a sub to sub rescue of mariners aboard a Dutch submarine.

We then went to the International Women's Air & Space Museum but got there too late to enter. We would have only had a half hour before it closed.

MJ suggested we go to a sports bar near the Cleveland Browns Stadium called the Dive Bar. I can't even guess how many beers they had on tap, but there were an awful lot of them. It was a fun place. We danced, ate and drank before returning to the boat.

I thought it was a great day. The skies had cleared around noon and it turned into a beautiful day. I found MJ to be smart, knowledgable about many topics, articulate, funny, and easy to be with. We both did a lot of laughing and goofing around.

As we were walking from the parking lot to the dock, MJ put her arm thru mine and said, "I hope you enjoyed the day as much as I did." I looked at her, smiled, and said, "Probably more."

"No, I enjoyed it more!" and we started laughing again.

Sex that night was very enjoyable. I totally focused on her pleasure and when we were finished, she said, "Jim. I've never had such a considerate lover. Thank you so much for pleasuring me. You are rapidly becoming a very special person."

I pulled her close and told her she was becoming a very special person as well.

She snuggled into me and we drifted off to sleep in each others arms.

Dawn found us at the diner having breakfast and coffee. Back at the marina, we made ready and got underway. We wanted to get to Sandusky and Cedar Point Amusement park in time to enjoy some of the evening activities. Since she had a boat of her own, I was comfortable leaving the bridge while she was running the boat. It felt good to be underway and able to stretch my legs for a while.

We arrived at Cedar Point in late afternoon and were soon tied up in a slip. This marina has about 100 transient slips so it was easy arranging our stay and getting into the slip. Since the marina has dock side pump out, I pumped out my waste water tanks. Then we made reservations at the marina restaurant and headed for the park.

We wandered the park looking at the many roller coaster rides and other attractions. The newer, bigger and faster coasters had long lines of kids and adults waiting to ride them. MJ looked at me and said, "Those are more than I care to ride. Let's ride Cedar Points first roller coaster, the Blue Streak." We did and then got back in line to ride it again. We also took in a show before heading to dinner. Drinks, food, laughter, enjoyable conversation made for a great evening. As we headed back towards the boat, MJ slipped her hand in mine and we walked hand-in-hand around the marina looking at boats and talking to boat owners. Some were locals, others were doing the loop as I was.

Back at the boat, we sat and watched the sun set before heading to bed. MJ did an erotic strip tease for me and then crawled into bed and sat astride my hips, her pussy teasing my cock. She leaned forward, kissed me and said, "How come you're so excited? Expecting to get lucky tonight?"

"My cock smells hot, wet pussy, that's why I'm excited! Yes, I'm getting lucky!" With that, I pushed her down on my cock and she let out a huge laugh and started riding me. It wasn't long before she came, but she kept riding, building towards a big one. I went along with her and then she exploded with her juices flooding my cock and my cum flooding her pussy. She nuzzled into me, wiggled her ass and said, "I'm sleeping right here tonight." Then she faked snoring as I laughed. We did fall asleep in each others arms again.

The next day was spent in the park. We rode some roller coasters, saw several shows, and viewed many of the venues of the park. There are way to many to mention here but you can view them on the park's web site.

Again, we ate at the marina restaurant and had a very relaxing meal. Walking back to the boat, we stopped and talked to others as they sat on their boats enjoying a drink. Mostly, we talked about boats, boating, and some showed pictures of families and grand kids.

At the boat, MJ started to put things away anticipating leaving in the morning for Toledo while I took advantage of having WiFi to update my blog, get my emails, pay bills, etc. One of the emails was from Amber. It had a file attached with the photos she took of the Erie Canal while we went from Rochester to Buffalo. As expected they were great. I showed them to MJ who was impressed and asked if Amber was one of my previous lovers. I explained our brief time together and she just said, "Uh uh." She did say, she wanted to know more about my travels and the people I had met. She wanted ideas for her novels. When we finished, we headed to bed, got undressed, hugged, kissed and fell asleep.

The next morning, I pulledSecond Chanceto the fuel dock and topped off the fuel tanks, put fresh water in the water tank and then we were headed back out on Lake Erie. It was a beautiful day. The water was calm, the sun warm, the sky blue. MJ joined me on the bridge and said, "Ok, tell me about your harem."

"Go get my computer and I'll introduce you to the people I've met on my trip so far."

When she returned, I opened the screen saver file and said, "Are you sure you want to see this and hear each story?"

She stared at me for a moment, "If I want you to stop, I'll let you know."

I started the slide show. The first picture was Debbie and it progressed all the way to MJ.

"Well, I asked for it, didn't I?"

As I shut down the computer, she sat back in the chair and appeared to be deep in thought. I kept still and continued to run the boat. I sensed more questions coming and waited for them.

"So, am I just anotherfriendin another port?"

Careful Jim, I decided to be fully honest. "You could have been, but spending time with you the past few days doing things together, laughing, and loving have shown me that you are more than just afriend.What that means going forward, I have no idea. We're going to be in Toledo in a few hours and then you will be heading back to Cleveland and next week you are in Manhattan with your publisher and I will be continuing my trip. I don't know who I'll meet, or where, or what may happen. We can arrange to meet from time to time along my route if you're interested, but I'm not confident that's the best way to build a long term relationship. In all honesty, I enjoy the company of a variety of women. "

"Thank you for being honest. I've never met a man like you. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I do like the way we make love together. You are considerate, fun, funny, curious about everything, and I enjoy being with you. Like you, I'm not sure I want to enter a long term relationship, but I'm not sure that I want to just walk away from this relationship or what ever it is. I also know that I want to be more than just one of yourfriends."

We both looked forward and watched the water as we motored along. The only sound was the boat, the wind and the water. Neither one of us knew what to say. Finally, I said, "How would you handle this in one of your romance novels?"

She laughed. The tension was broken, she put a hand on my thigh, gave me a peck on the cheek and said, "I'm going to get something to drink. Want anything?"

"Bring me some water, please."

The conversation had started me thinking. This whole trip would be even more fun if I had someone to share it with. Someone to spell me at the helm. Someone to break up the long boring stretches with. MJ was a definite possibility. Was there anyone else? Debbie, maybe. I hadn't heard from her in a while. Julie and Amy were in school, Lori and Helen were married, Susan wouldn't leave Helen and her dance school. Amy wasn't the type.

"Here's your water. You looked deep in thought."

"Thank you. Our conversation got me thinking, but I haven't come up with any solutions or suggestions."

We continued to converse. The topics ranged across a wide range of topics, but ignored the elephant sitting in the corner of the room.

Eventually, the sky line changed from water and sun, to a more industrial look. We passed another nuclear power plant with a cooling tower and its large plume. I knew from my reading, that the water fronts in and around Toledo were industrialized and would continue that way until I got into Lake Huron north of Detroit.

We found our marina, which actually was up the Maumee River a ways, and our assigned slip. Quickly we were secured to the dock and made all our hookups.

MJ made arrangements for a rental car to be delivered the next day so she could drive back to Cleveland. That night, we ate at a local restaurant and then went back to the boat. I learned there is a museum in Toledo called the National Museum of the Great Lakes. I asked MJ if we had time to visit it together before she had to leave and she said, "Sounds like fun."

Getting into bed, she wrapped her legs around me and said, "Make love to me." It started with a kiss. We started in the missionary position, moved her legs over my shoulders and finished with her on all fours and me pounding her from behind. She had three orgasms before I flooded her with my cum. We were hot, sweating, thirsty and tired. We fell asleep that way.

The next morning, we had another long, slow hour of sex before showering and going to breakfast. The car was delivered about 10:00 and we went to The National Museum of the Great Lakes which tells the story and history of the Great Lakes. I learned about the role of the Great Lakes in the underground railroad, rum runners, ship wrecks, and more about the freighters that ply the waters of the Great Lakes. MJ collected information and bought a couple of books about shipping on the Great Lakes. I suspect that information will find its way into one of her future novels. They have a freighter as part of their exhibits as well, but we had seen the freighter in Cleveland so elected not to tour it.

We had a quiet lunch that was a bit awkward since MJ would be leaving when we finished. I paid the bill and we walked out to the car. MJ drove me back to the marina. We both got out of the car, held each other in a long embrace and a kiss.

"Jim, I'm going to see you again. I don't know when or where, but when you least expect it, I'm going to show up. I feel we have the beginning of something that could be really special and I'm not going to give up on it. Now I'm going to get going because I have to, but remember, even though I was high as a kite, I told you I love you. I think I do, but I'm still struggling with that emotion, just as many of the characters in my books do."

With that, she kissed me and climbed in the car. With a wave and a honk, she was gone. I stood there speechless.

Back at the boat, I tried to get my head screwed on straight. It felt like it was cross threaded. How does someone fall in love after only knowing each other a few days? I certainly wasn't ready to proclaim my love for MJ. She was different then the others I had known and had a lot of special qualities that I liked, but LOVE?

The next morning, I headed for Detroit. I wasn't certain about Detroit. I had heard that the city had filed for bankruptcy and was in dire straits, but I also had read that old industrial sites along the Detroit River were being bought up and converted to water front parks. I would be staying at a marina on Lake St. Clair which is between Lake Erie and Lake Huron. It has an area known as the Nautical Mile and boasts the largest concentration of marinas and pleasure boats in the Midwest. And of course, with pleasure boats comes a variety of dining and nightlife destinations that provides lots of variety.

The Detroit River was busy with commercial traffic and I had my head on a swivel so that I didn't run over anyone, or get run over. There were several freighters on the river going both directions that I had to watch for as well as smaller commercial ships and then the pleasure crafts. I wished I had an extra set of eyes to help me, but I didn't, so I stayed alert, listened to the chatter on the marine radio frequencies and slowly moved up the river towards Lake St. Clair. I arrived at the marina in late afternoon, got tied off and relaxed with a drink.

"Nice boat. Not registered in Michigan, so I assume you're doing the loop?"

Looking up, there stood an older couple holding a drink and standing on the dock at the stern of my boat.

"Thank you. Yes, I started in May from Long Island and am working my way around the loop. Would you like to come aboard?"

"Sure, we're locals and keep our boat here. We like to meet all the Loopers and find out how they're doing, if they have any questions, sorta a welcoming committee for our city."

"Wow, that's kind of you. I'm Jim." I shook hands with both of them. Their names were Charlie and Sally. They asked how long I was going to be staying in Detroit, what I planned to do and then made some suggestions for other places that I might be interested in visiting. I told them I wanted to visit Greenfield Village, The Henry Ford Museum and perhaps take a tour of a car assembly plant if that was available. They suggested that since I was doing the Loop, I may also want to visit the Mariners' Church.

Sally said, "We'd love to take you to the church. We try to visit it at least once a month, just to remember the sailors that have been lost on the Great Lakes. Gordon Lightfoot wrote a song that refers to the church. You may have heard it, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". We can also help you get a rental car so you can get to all the places you want to visit. The village and the museum are in Dearborn and there is no public transportation, other than a cab, to get you there."

"I'd appreciate that. That sounds like an interesting church to visit, however, I'd prefer not to go for services."

"Oh no, we'll go when there are no services."

They also suggested a restaurant for dinner and if I was interested, a club that was aimed more at people my age instead of the younger set. After some more talk, they excused themselves and we arranged to meet in the morning to get me a car and to visit the church.

Dinner that night was pleasant. I had a table at a window over looking the lake and a marina and all the boats. It was a pretty standard menu, but the steak was cooked perfectly, the salad was good and the wine very nice. I debated going to the club, but since it was still relatively early, I walked to the club.

The club was pretty typical, dark, a dance floor, live music, and not overly crowded. I was seated at a table in a corner and an attractive server took my drink order. As I waited for the music to start, I looked around. Most of the tables were occupied by couples, but a few had either a group of women or men sitting at them. As the music started, I was served my drink. I sat back to watch. I'm not much of a dancer, so I was reluctant to approach any of the women and ask to dance. The band played thru their first set and I ordered another drink. As the band started its second set, two women in their 30's asked if they could join me. I indicated that they could if they wanted to.

"Do you dance?"

"Not very well."

"Oh, will you dance with us anyway?"

I swallowed the rest of my drink and let them lead me to the dance floor. I had no business being on the dance floor with these two. The way they moved their bodies, the grace, energy and the way they lost themselves in the music was amazing. I did notice that they took every opportunity to rub themselves up against me, either with their ass or with their boobs. At one point it felt like they were doing the grind on me and I was helpless to stop it. When the music ended, we went back to the table and I ordered drinks for all three of us.

"That was fun. My name is Tina and this is Margo. We crew on a yacht that is currently in a boat yard having some maintenance done. The owner flew back to Florida for a couple of weeks while the boat is being repaired. When he gets back, we're supposed to go up to Lake Superior for a week and then head back down the ICW to Florida."

They were in their early 30's, blonde, blue eyed, tan, fit and I noticed several guys contemplating hitting on them. I told them my story and they thought that was cool. They were surprised that I was alone.

Margo asked, "Did you come in today on a boat calledSecond Chance?"

"Yes, why?"

"That's a beautiful boat. It's also a nice size for two or three people. Do you ever have guest on board?"

"Err, yes, I've had guest on board. The most I've had, were two college students that helped me travel the Erie Canal and get thru all the locks."

"Oh, were they pretty?" She laughed as she said that and Tina joined in.

"Sorry to laugh at you, but we have been working on boats for almost 12 years now, and know what happens on boats. That's partially why we do it, plus we get to see exotic places and meet rich men."

At this point they were approached by a couple of guys and asked to dance. They agreed but indicated they would return. When they got back, Tina said, "Typical male ass holes. They think because they were brave enough to ask us to dance, they deserve to get in our pants. They picked the wrong two girls for that stunt."

I just laughed.

Tina asked, "How long are you going be here?"

"I'm here for 3 or 4 days. Tomorrow I'm going to the Mariner's Church with some people I just met and then I'm going to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum. My plan is to be on Mackinac Island by Labor Day."

Margo, "That sounds like fun. The Captain has given us the week off, so we're going shopping tomorrow and we're at a loss for the next few days. Would it be ok if we tagged along with you?"

"Sure, I'd enjoy the company."

We danced through one more set, exchanged phone numbers and then I excused myself and headed back to the boat.

The next morning, I arranged for a car to be delivered. Charlie and Sally picked me up about 11:00 and took me to lunch and then to the Mariners' Church.

The church really surprised me. It was such a peaceful and quiet place even though it was located in the heart of Detroit. The church was established in 1842 by the will of a lady named Julia Anderson. The church is different because it was founded as a non-diocesan, self-perpetuating parish especially for sailors. The church remains that way today. To some degree, the church was made famous by Gordon Lightfoot's song, ' The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'.

"In a rustic old hall in Detroit they prayed,

In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral.

The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times

For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald."

The whole experience was quite emotional. It gave me pause to think that if the Great Lakes can sink a ship as large as a Great Lakes Freighter, imagine what it could do to my little boat.