Rather than push through from Munising to Petoskey we chose to boondock at the Kewadin Casino in St Ignace, a trip of only 125 miles. We ran into thick fog along the Michigan Lake shoreline slowing our progress. The roads Joani mapped out for our trip were beautifully paved with very little traffic. The fog made the trip a bit more interesting.
We had stayed at this casino before, so it was all familiar. We found a level spot in the lot and set up to boondock for the night. We hit the buffet in the casino and returned to find the refrigerator choosing this time to stop cooling. After a couple restarts, to no avail, we pulled up the leveling jacks and circled the parking lot a few times (jostling the fridge has worked in the past). It never did behave, but it was a cold night and the temperature only slowly increased but never to the point of concern for our groceries.
Early the next morning (Sunday) we were practically alone as we crossed the Mackinac Bridge. Apparently, we timed it perfectly to avoid traffic. We continued to Magnus Park in Petoskey, MI. It was a very short and uneventful 48-mile drive.
Where is everybody?
Some confusion over our site led to setting up twice, but we landed on a very nice site and had plenty of time to address the fridge. We loaded 2 bags of ice inside and started it again. This time it cooled as it should.
Of course, Joani immediately hit the shoreline in search of Petoskey stones. She found some interesting specimens that will be heading back to the lapidary in Mesa for processing.
The next day we drove west to Charlevoix. We hiked a few of the trails in the North Point Nature Preserve. Some kind of plant on the beach spread with little tentacles. I do not know what it was but it seemed like a good time for a shadow wave.
Heading into downtown Charlevoix, we passed a house with a most interesting fireplace chimney and had to stop for a few pictures. A woman walking her dog filled us in on the history of the house. It was built for the daughter of Earl Young, the architect of the famous "Mushroom Houses" in Charlevoix. The whimsy was easily seen in the brickwork and the roofing. I'm sure this would be one interesting house to tour.
In town, we headed straight for the Cherry Republic. They still had plenty of samples available for tasting. We left with two bottles of cherry wine, some cherry habanero summer sausage, and some cherry BBQ sauce (see the bags I'm holding below).
We drove by a few more of the Mushroom houses before returning to Petoskey.
The "Thatch House" is available to rent (sleeps 12) for a mere $1720 a night.
This little jewel next door to the Thatch House is more my style. It's called "Half House."
On the 30th, I was given the "royal" treatment for my birthday breakfast. This fine dining was just a short walk from our campsite (although it included a very steep uphill grade).
On our last full day, we got in more than 12,000 steps. We hiked several miles along the Bear River. The wealth and variety of wildflowers was a pleasant surprise. The weather was perfect and I don't remember any insects harassing us so I know just how lucky we were.
I was surprised to find a few Petoskey stones on the ridge high above the Bear river.
This was a first for me - a black squirrel. When I asked about them, I learned they are pretty common.
The squirrel is hard to see, he blends so well with the log.
We saw several deer along the trail but they were usually shy. This one posed for me before slowly wandering into the woods.
Downtown Petoskey was filled with charm. We walked along a few major streets and visited an art gallery. We left knowing there was much more to explore and we certainly will be visiting again.
Crooked Tree Arts Center was housed in a beautiful old church.
Almost every storefront included a flower box adding to the overall appeal of the downtown area.
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