If you have read our blogs, you might think that when we hit the rock in Canada was the least favorite part. However, aside from the actual hit, it gave us a chance to explore parts of Georgian Bay that we really enjoyed and would not have otherwise experienced.
Lake Michigan, especially the last part makes the list, but with a caveat. The caveat is that it was pretty much self-inflicted. We ended up on Lake Michigan late in the season (October) because of our rock strike, so were at the end of the “boating weather”. Aside from the washing machine waves, we enjoyed the little towns and villages along the Michigan shore. We would go back and do the Michigan and Wisconsin sides of Lake Michigan, just not in October!
The real answer to our least favorite part for us is the Rivers. The Illinois, Mississippi, and Ohio. All of these were very industrial, with lots of large barge traffic to negotiate, and especially in the Mississippi, tons of large debris in the rivers (sticks, logs, trash, cables, wing dams). There was not much to see, and the cruising was somewhat stressful. We see it as a necessary evil from Chicago to the Tenn-Tom Waterway. Once we got to Paducah, Kentucky, on the Ohio River, things calmed back down, and the trip became much more enjoyable again.
On our second loop, not much changed; the rivers were still a necessary evil. The only other spot that we would add is our visit to Greenbay, Wisconsin. It is an interesting town, but not much there for boaters unless you are a Packers fan! If we end up in Wisconsin again, we will explore Door County rather than go to Green Bay.