The evening we left Muskegon was a cliff-hanger. For one thing I still had not found my missing SD card, so as we packed I scoured the stateroom to make sure it was not left behind (it wasn't). I checked every shelf. I pulled out every drawer. I looked under every piece of furniture. Twice. It was either gone for good, or somewhere in our luggage or clothes.
Then there was the last jigsaw puzzle. There had been several stinkers over the past two weeks, but when the last one had showed up the day we left Green Bay, I was appalled. I had seen it in the Railroad Museum's gift shop and wondered what crazy person would ever buy that. Well one of the cruise puzzlers was the crazy person. Would we manage to finish it before disembarkation?
As we enter the Chicago harbor from open water the green light is on our left, port side.
The Chicago Harbor Light, on the opposite side, is flashing "red, right, returning."
The lighthouse was constructed in 1893, moved to its current location in 1917, after the construction of the Navy Pier, and automated in 1979. It is now owned by the city of Chicago and there are some discussions about restoring it, but I am unable to find any concrete plans.
The Victory Cruise Line ships are the only cruise ships that can dock at Navy Pier in downtown Chicago. We agree that if we ever get back to Chicago, we want to spend some time exploring the pier itself. According to the information at the link above, Navy Pier has been "repurposed, recycled, reinvented, and reinvigorated" over its 100+ year history.
On our last Great Lakes cruise, high winds kept us from docking here and we had to go to the commercial port waaaay south of the city. It is a major convenience to be downtown.
The other end of the pier looking toward the city. The Ferris Wheel has returned to its birthplace.
As we went to breakfast, the bags had been collected and sorted overnight by the staff. They were taken to the buses as we scattered to the four winds: some to O'Hare, some to Midway, some to independent destinations. One couple was driving home to Houston. Another was taking the train from Chicago to California.
And yes, we finished the puzzle.
Our return to Charlottesville was uneventful, unlike our departure. The plane was on time, the car was patiently waiting, and we had a smooth drive home.
My favorite part of travel is returning home and I like to include a picture to show why we like it so much. With our visits to two railroad museums, it seems appropriate to use this photo from a couple of years ago of the Norfolk & Western 611 locomotive under steam pulling a "leaf peeping" expedition.
We took the excursion one day (it was much more scenic than the one in Duluth), and came back the next to get a picture as she was comin' 'round the bend. All along the excursion route there were mobs of photographers.
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