Month: September 2017

Our last stop in Michigan was Holland State Park, which has their FHU sites close to the beach. And the beach is what everybody had told us we just had to see, as according to everybody we met – the Eastern side of the peninsula had rocky beaches and the Western side was sand.

When we arrived at the end of September, and we had had a spectacular month with higher than normal temperatures in the month of September so far, we got to enjoy the last days of warm weather and so did everybody in and around Holland, MI.

The full hook up part of Holland State Park is right behind the dunes and a basic no frills parking lot without shade, but all services

but, as they say in Real Estate – location, location, location – cannot camp closer to the lighthouse or beach.

Everybody in the area comes out for the spectacular sunsets

and they are spectacular

On our way back south we had long planned to stay in Mio, MI where Barb and Brian own a campground. We met last year over Christmas in Cedar Key, Florida and promised to visit.

Well, a promise is a promise…..

Nice countryside and beautiful campground

with lots of lakes around for kayaking

It was a short visit, but filled with beer and football watching and Brian makes an awesome pizza, and we mean awesome pizza.

When we had communicated our travel itinerary to Steve and Lauren, they had immediately said that they would visit us in Cheboygan, MI.

We had met in San Antonio, TX in March and celebrated St. Patrick’s Day along the San Antonio Riverwalk together. With Green Bay being a “mere” 5 hours away they came over and we spend 4 fun filled days together.

From kayaking the Cheboygan River

to crossing the Mackinac Bridge into St. Ignace, so we can at least rightfully say we were on the Upper Peninsula

Visiting smoked fish stores

and having our pyromaniac friend Steve show Kirsten how to properly start a campfire (even with smuggled in firewood)

4 fun filled days of food (Lauren makes an awesome white Chili) and lots of beer.

Thank you for the visit Lauren and Steve, and we look forward to meeting you in 2018.

When we decided to visit Michigan, lighthouses went far up the list of things to see. When we went to Shepler’s to get some information on the Mackinac Island Ferry we found out that they also offer lighthouse cruises.

We thought this would be fun, to see the lighthouses from the water and not from land where the view was not always unobstructed.

Shepler’s Ferry offers 2 different lighthouses cruises – westbound and eastbound – with extended versions of these 2 as well.

It being the end of the season, we were lucky and garnered 2 tickets for the last eastbound cruise of the 2017 season.

With the cruises starting at 2pm we were not too worried about the weather as long as the sun was out. Taking a jacket was still a good idea.

Just after passing under the Mackinac Bridge the ferry heads across the straits and Mackinac Island between the Round Island Light and the Inland Passage Light

Turning East into Lake Huron towards Bois Blanc Island and passed the Bois Blanc Light, which is actually privately owned.

Bois Blanc Island is inhabited by 40-50 residents year round and almost 1,000 during the summer, according to our guide. It was nearly cleared of all timber at the turn of the century and new growth has slowly established the island back to it’s namesake of “white wood”.

Turning around the northern end and heading towards Cheboygan we passed Poe Reef and Fourteen Shoal Lighthouses

Up the Cheboygan River passed the Cheboygan Front Range

and after a quick turn around out of the river passed the Cheboygan Crib Light

when the ferry heads back towards Mackinaw City and the pier, with the last 1/2 of the total 3 hours running through the clear blue waters of Lake Huron.

It was a very enjoyable trip, very well narrated by the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association tour guide, and can only be recommended for a different outlook on light houses.

One of the reasons for us to visit this area is the famous Mackinac Island between the Upper and Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Originally a strategic place for the Great Lakes fur trade, it later became a tourist attraction and summer playground, thanks to the Grand Hotel.

Shepler’s Ferry, one of the oldest ferry services

offererd tours to the island that pass underneath Mackinaw Bridge twice daily

On the 20 minute ride to Mackinac Island, where only horse drawn carriages and bicycles are allowed.

And that goes for everybody, including the police and city hall employees

as well as the moving and drayage company

Beautiful Victorian houses turned into Bed and Breakfasts

the stately 18th century Island House

beautiful churches

Fort Mackinac

The Grand Hotel and the Governor’s Mansion next to it

All in all, a beautiful place to visit. Maybe a tad too touristy, especially with all the shops. But overall worth the visit, especially if you like ferry rides.

Next stop on the Michigan tour – Waterways Campground in Cheboygan, Michigan. We had chosen this Campground as the others in the vicinity were either too expensive or did not have 50 AMP full hook up service. And the right choice it was. From Mark, the new owner, who is a more than pleasant host and his ammaculately clean Campground on the Cheboygan River

with the trail system ideal for hiking and biking right next to the campground

to the vicinity of Mackinaw City (20 mins) to the north

and Mullet Lake and Topinabee and it’s beach to the south

a perfect setting.

The two weeks in Port Hope turned out to be interesting for the people we met, the sights we saw and the stories we heard.

From Leslie and John the “Germany travelers” to Mark our Camp Host, who was looking forward to closing the Park down mid-October and go back to Oregon.

The sunrises over Lake Huron, we enjoyed every morning

the rainbow after it had gotten colder and wetter

The Store, with it’s self baked bread and weekend self made pizza deals

The German Lutheran Church, a remnant of the German population at the turn of the 19th century

and the Port Hope Hotel, where Leslie and John took us to the weekly fish fry

Small town America at it’s finest. Even on Labor Day weekend when the crowds gathered at the Campground for one last time before the summer was over.

One lighthouse we almost missed out on is the Harbor Beach Lighthouse

in it’s namesake city just down the road from Port Hope, Michigan. Harbor Beach is also home to Sandmann’s Grocery where they still grind their own meat and make their own Bratwurst. A place we definitely needed to visit and buy some.

Not much else to see in Harbor Beach unfortunately.