Seeing more of Michigan...

 Thursday,-Friday August 20-21, 2020

Jim woke up a year older and sure enjoyed the birthday wishes from friends and family on the Kudoboard.  Thanks to all the contributors.

We left the beautiful Hearthside Grove resort and they thanked us for coming and even sent us a picture taken when we arrived..pretty classy!

We traveled 260 miles south to St. Joe Michigan in the lower part of Michigan.  It lies on the shore of Lake Michigan, right at the mouth of the St. Joseph River. These north pier lighthouses are  listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

We met up with my brother and sister in law who treated us to a beautiful evening at the Yacht Club!   (Thanks Greg)

Shortly after we arrived, sirens went off—a Coast Guard alert --and the boat took off quickly from the marina (I wondered if someone called ahead and told them about Jim’s birthday--they may have thought we were going to light candles and wanted to be ready!)

On Friday we strolled around downtown St. Joe and an unbelievable event occurred....Jim made a purchase before I did!  Wonders never cease!  We stopped at North Pier Brewery to sample their collection and enjoyed the pleasant weather along with the tasty brews—-Weiss Guy and All my Guava! 

When we got back to the campground Jim tried once again to capture the satellite signal.  There are trees and branches blocking the signal path.  They were too high to cut, so Jim got on top of the RV and threw a rope over a branch to pull it out of the way.  The nearby campers came over to help (and to see what we were doing).  But, it didn't work--we were not able to get a signal —darn!  Hope they don't throw us out for messing with the trees!

The campground is filled with all sizes of campers, a lot of tents, and even cabins; and it is completely full.  (We know this because we asked if we could change campsites to one that might have better satellite access.)  There is cable provided at the campground, so we will be able to watch the NASCAR and IndyCar race on Sunday, thank goodness!  

We closed out the day with a great dinner on the grill, followed by a trip with Spot to the beach to watch the sunset.              

   

R&R Day

 Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Today was a day of rest and relaxation to soothe the achy muscles from yesterday's biking and walking adventure.  We took a trip to nearby Charlevioux, did more walking, and found these "mushroom houses".  They were built in the 1920's and 30's by a local self-taught architect who used stone and materials from the area.  He had a signature style with the wavy thatch roofs and horizontal design--very interesting!  These houses are privately owned, but open for rentals through VRBO.

Later in the afternoon, Jim was busy washing the motorhome, so I figured I needed to "get out of the way" and retreated to the pool to enjoy the hot tub (and actually did a few laps).  I was the only one there for the whole afternoon!

This is our last night in Petoskey, so to cap off the day, we visited a local brewery and came home with some tasty brew!  

We sat outside and enjoyed the great weather and this heron came by to tell us goodbye.

It's been a great visit so far!

Celebrating anniversaries at Mackinac Island

Tuesday, August 18, 2020
It was a wonderful day on Mackinac Island! Mackinac Island was the second National Park (after Yellowstone), but it was closed in 1895 by the Federal government.  Then, Michigan established it as its first State Park, so this year, the Island is celebrating its 125th anniversary of being a State Park!  And, we are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary!  How appropriate!   

We took a ferry that treated us to a trip under the Mackinac bridge which is the 5th longest suspension bridge in the world at 5 miles long and 552 ft above the water!  There were spectacular views of the bridge.  And, I discovered we were actually in Lake Huron (I always thought it was Lake Michigan--oops!)  

The Grand Hotel is the island's principal landmark and greeted us as we approached.  It's the showplace of the island, built in 1887, and where "Somewhere in Time" was filmed.  (Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour).

The Island banned automobiles in 1898, so the  only mode of transportation on the island is walking, biking or horse-drawn carriage. 

 It's amazing to experience the "quiet" without cars!  We brought our bikes with us  (which cost an additional $12 each to load on the ferry!) and decided to focus on exploring the island.   We rode the entire perimeter of the island which is a little over 8 miles.  The road is M-185...the only state highway where cars are banned. The only drawback to no cars is the challenge of dodging horse poop on the road!. It was pretty funny!  There were some awesome sights along the way,  as we rode along the shoreline.  That's Jim in the picture!

Arch Rock is an impressive structure that spans 50 feet and rises 146 feet above the water.  The arch was formed over thousands of years by wind and water eroding the soft rock below.  We climbed a lot of steps to get to the top, and got another view from below.

 We also found Devils Kitchen, a cave of brecciated limestone (a new term for me!) 

There were lots of bike riders--Check out the dog crate on back of this bike--we didn't tell Spot that he could have joined us if we'd known they had dog carriers! (He would be mad.)

We had lunch at a Bistro overlooking the water, and it included a hibiscus-vodka-lemonade that was yummy!  Another yummy is Mackinac's  well-known hand made fudge,. Of course we had to visit and sample the product.  We left with a bag full of assorted fudge...I hope it makes it home! 

The scenery on the island was stunning and there was so much more to see, but we'll save that for another day.  It was the perfect place the celebrate a special anniversary!

Can you believe I still have a napkin from our wedding?

Michigan Getaway

 After staying home much of the summer, we planned a getaway week in Michigan.  Originally we were going to a wedding in Grand Rapids, but sadly, the wedding is restricted to 10 guests due to COVID, so those plans were cancelled, but we decided to go ahead with the rest of the trip.  We are in Petoskey, Michigan, at a luxurious motorcoach "resort".  It's the first time we've stayed at a place like this.   Most of the individual lots are privately owned, and the open ones are rented out to people like us.   Each lot is equipped with  lounging furniture, a grill and firepit.  Ours in nestled in between trees and flowers, overlooking a small lake, and is quite nice.

Total relaxation!!

We explored the area, and found a dog-friendly beach.  Although Spot didn't dive in the lake like the big dogs, he pranced around and waded a bit.  

 

We also took a scenic drive through the tunnel of trees, and enjoyed a picnic at the city park overlooking the lake.

The weather has been beautiful...couldn't ask for a better get-away!