Week 2 at Petoskey, MI

We're gettin' use to this Michigan being a resort destination thing.  We've managed to walk & bicycle a lot of the Little Traverse Wheelway: Charleviox-Harbor Springs-Alanson to be exact. Walked some of the Bear River area a time or two, also.  Got in a visit to the Michigan Fisheries Visitor Center as well (pictures to the right & below).  Ate at a couple of restaurants Donna wanted to try plus take the free chocolate tour at Kilwins Chocolate Factory, too.

Yes, we got free samples:  ice cream, fudge and a chocolate tuttle (Kilwins version of a chocolate turtle.)

Lots of traffic & rough roads at times, though.  Managed to throw Donna's bike off the bicycle rack.  Scuffed the handle bars & destroyed the mirror.  The mirror actually saved the bike as that's what it slid on until we could get off the road.

New mirror & Donna says it's fine. I think mine's been so shaken that it needs a tune up, already (just had it done in May!)

Got in the new Star Trek movie, today.  So we're still getting out & doing things.
 

It ends soon, though.  Sunday - if all goes well - we move down to the Silver Lake region for a couple weeks.  May try to stay a little longer.

It's a new campground - Dunes Harbor Family Camp.  When I kept looking for places to stay, it kept coming up as an advertisement for a campground in the Silver Lake region.  It's a Lutheran run organization and so new that it's not listed on any app or campground directory that I have.  Google Earth and Google Maps have it & show it under construction.  So we're going to give it a try.

That's if for this week.  Thanks for stopping by & checking on us. Everyone enjoy your "warm" weekend!  David

Petoskey, MI

We made the 46 minute trip down to Petoskey, MI (Little Traverse Bay area) from St Ignace, MI on Sunday.  We managed to get on the road and into Petoskey before the rains hit.  One of the things that we didn't think too much about was how much of this area is vacation destination.  We've managed to hit the sweet spot of mass visitation & traffic and small roads in the dead center of vacation time in the northern portion of Michigan's lower peninsula.  Oh, well...

We're here for the bicycle paths.  Since arriving we've gotten in a couple of days of bicycle riding on the Little Traverse Wheelway, rode into Harbor Springs, walked Sunset and Bay Front Parks, and walked the North Country Trail around the Bear River area in Petoskey.  Also watched "The Secret Life of Pets", too.  So we've had a good week since arriving.

Every once in awhile we stay at a campground worth bragging about.  The last three photos are of the Petoskey KOA.  It's a busy place during the summer.  The cedars & pines in the cabins area remind us of western campgrounds.  Clean place.  Eerily reminiscent of Ft Wilderness at Walt Disney World.  (The straight path in the picture to the right is one of the few straight paths in the park.  All others are curved just as Disney would do.)  It's more of a resort than a typical KOA.  Like the Billings, MT KOA, this would be a KOA that I would plan our stops so we could stay at it when in the area.    I don't know if it gets the "Destination" KOA rating, but it should if it doesn't.  Unfortunately, trimming trees for big rigs isn't a priority.  Drive accordingly if you bring a big rig.  We'll be backing out of our "pull-thru" just so we're not driving through tree limbs.

Anyway, we've gotten warm, but still cool compared to most of the east.  Our highs are in the 80s.  Not too bad until you realize the dew point is about 70.  Yep, just a tad humid.

I bet we survive, though.  Hopefully, everyone else is staying cool.  Until next time, David

St Ignace, MI

Marina, St Ignace, MI.  Good week for sailboats.

Having visited the Soo Locks, we're now making a slow trip south for a planned winter at Gulf Shores, AL.  For this week, we're hanging out in St Ignace, MI - just above the Mackinac Straits, Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, etc.  We've had good weather though it's raining as I type this.  Most of our exercising has been us walking the Huron Boardwalk and trying to follow the North Country Trail as it passes through St Ignace to the state park to the Mackinac Bridge.  We got our share of eating out and ice cream while doing this, too.

Once again we're in the KOA.  It's an average KOA, expensive like most, but has the most bizarre hookups at many of the campsites.  I think on most campsite review sites it's called "shared hookups".  But many sites, while having electric be the shared utility, the water connections at some sites are placed in "unique" locations.  In our case we look like a spider web.  Sewer somewhat logical while electric and water go in different directions.  So ensure you have plenty of  extensions for all utilities if plan to stop here. It is a big-rig friendly campground.  We've got a couple of 45 footer class As backed-in across the road from us.  A class B to our rear has pulled forward into a back-in site because that's the only way they could make their hookups work.  Just strange.

Once we leave here, we travel south a little bit to Petosky, MI for a couple of weeks.  From there we plan to move down to the Silver Lake area of Michigan for another couple of weeks.  Still got a good 4 or 5 weeks with nothing planned before we meet the Folks-on-Spokes group for a rally in southern Ohio in mid-September.  So we're still winging it for a little bit.

Well, that's it for this week.  Later, David

Tahquamenon Falls State Park

Upper Falls

Saturday we drove out to Tahquamenon Falls State Park for a walk in the woods.  We were here in 2012.  Still can't say the name, but can spell it now.  We took a soggy, buggy walk along the pine trail loop and saw a couple of a large pine trees while visiting the falls views.  This was also our first time there with crowds.  Wasn't aware that the lower falls are treated somewhat like a water park.  Really nice place to visit and worth the time to drive out of your way to get there.  If you're traveling from Sault Sainte Marie, the scenic drive by Lake Superior is  excellent!  David    

Lower falls, left side.

Lower falls, right side.

The floating bridge

Maybe a better title is "What did you do on your drill weekend?"

For a rainy Friday, Sault Ste Marie pulls out all the stops.  Best way to keep a wet campground entertained is to have the local National Guard practice launching, connecting, moving, and retrieving a modern "pontoon" bridge next to the campground.

As you can tell from the pictures, it kept a lot of people entertained! Not sure all the "trainees" enjoyed being watched so carefully.

They eventually had three sections of this size that they moved down river and placed between the river bank and an island before returning

 At a distance, it does look like a floating road.

Retrieval is by crane. Once they lift it up, it folds up on its own

Soo Locks at Sault Ste Marie (MI)

Southbound freighter entering the middle US lock

 After a rainy arrival on Wednesday, we got out to the Soo Locks on a beautiful Thursday.  Pretty impressive to see the big freighters go by so close.  Some even shake the campground as they go by.  Nice Soo Locks Visitor Center & park next to the locks.  There's a viewing stand with three levels to watch the locks in operation.  Several tourist traps and restaurants across the street from the locks.  Food's great, but ice cream & fudge are better!

We're staying at the Anne Osborn Campground.  Big rig friendly, water & electric, only, sites with a dump at the south end of the campground.  They do have pump out service.  Lots of rain while we're here, and several sites do pond water.  Best sites are on the river and worth the costs if you can get one.  Most people are here only for a few days before moving on.

We're here until Sunday when we plan to move a little south to St Ignace, MI for a week.  As always, that's the plan.  Everyone have a great weekend!  David

Southbound freighter exiting the middle lock

View from the campground of the channel (looking south)

Marquette, MI

Marquette, MI

Mouth of the Chocolay River

While we stayed in Ishpeming, MI, we really spent most of our time in & around Marquette, MI.  It's really a nice area, renovated downtown, and excellent walk & bicycle riding trails.  The shoreline consists of two harbors - one "lower" and more of a marina & recreational area, and the other the "upper" and more shipping related (though Presque Isle Park is there).  Nice, nice area to visit and spend some time.  Here's some pictures of what we saw while walking and riding around the town.

We leave the area tomorrow headed for Sault Sainte Marie, MI.  At least that's the plan.  David

Looking south from the upper harbor

Dock at upper harbor

Big Bay, MI (Lumberjack Tavern)

As we've traveled in & around Marquette, we kept seeing a sign for Big Bay, MI.  Donna looked it up and said, "There's a restaurant there that has something to do with some big, well known movie or something."  Well, that's what I heard, anyway.  After biking around town Saturday, off we went to see what was there.

First up, our in-dash GPS knew Big Bay existed, but not a clue how to get there.  Literally, it said it could not process a route to Big Bay, MI. So off we go the old fashion way - follow the signs!  (BTW: Google Maps App on the smartphone knows how to get there.)  Beautiful drive up.  Only one paved road to/from there.

Turns out the restaurant is the Lumberjack Tavern.  The book "Anatomy of A Murder" is based on a murder committed at the Lumberjack Tavern in 1952. The movie, "Anatomy of  A Murder" is based on that book.   They've painted a copy of the movie's poster where the victim fell.  They have a scrapbook at the tavern that tells ya all about it.  Based on the pictures in the scrapbook, the victim didn't quite end up in the position indicated in the poster.  The location on the floor is accurate, though. The bar has been relocated & enlarged since the murder occurred.  Great pizza, by-the-way.

Worth the trip if you're in the area.  Don't forget to stop at the Thomas Rock Overlook and walk to Thomas Rock while you're there.  Nice short walk with great views - weather permitting.

Big Bay, MI is at the center along the Independence Lake Shoreline