To Mackinaw City

To Mackinaw City

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We said our goodbyes and hope to see you soon this morning and reluctantly, left Torch Lake to head on further north towards Mackinaw City, by the “scenic route”.

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This was via Charlevoix, where a community group plants flowers along every roadside and maintains them through the summer.  How pretty!

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It was also where there was a sudden obstruction on our route in the form of the lifting bridge over the waterway in between the small lake and Lake Michigan.  A small pleasure cruiser was coming through and we were happy to wait and take in the view!

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Our first stop was Petoskey, famed for the fossilised stones which bear the name.

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Here was a cute little shopping street; quiet because it’s Sunday morning, but livening up in the hour or so we were there.

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Needless to say, we couldn’t resist the invitation to drop by this little shop!

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The bookshop a few doors down was pretty nice too and we enjoyed browsing some different reading suggestions.

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I spotted a book about the storm we’d learned about whilst driving through the Sleeping Bear Dunes, where fallen trees still remained, some years later.

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Someone spotted a book which he liked the look of and with a birthday coming up, a purchase was made. 

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So all in all, a pleasant Sunday morning in Petoskey.  Where next?

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We set off, noting the small lighthouse, and followed the road around the coast.

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The clouds were coming in and it didn’t look too promising, but we know now how quickly the weather can change and didn’t worry too much about it.

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Our next stop was Harbor Springs, another delightful small town with a collection of lively shops and cafes.  We browsed in and out of them and, finding a pretty cardigan/jacket in one, I thought I was about to spend my “Sunday Dollars”.  But thankfully I noticed a small hole in the collar just in time – a shame they didn’t have another.  They did have a very sweet Michigan cushion though, which might just inspire a road trip souvenir when we are home!

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A flowery table in the sunshine and the promise of ice cream seemed a great idea, so we put our feet up and watched the world go by for a while before jumping back in the car for the next thing on our list.

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Seeing this barn with a quilt on it reminded me what I had intended to look out for on the way to Charlevoix this morning!  We’d driven that road when out to dinner last night and spotted a barn quilt just before the “Welcome to Charlevoix” sign.  This morning, as we passed that sign, I knew there was something I was supposed to spot, but could I remember what?!   Never mind.

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Anyhow, the next attraction was the “tunnel of trees”.  Very beautiful it was too, reminding us of home…

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The Legs Inn is a landmark, recommended by our friends and judging from the car park, was a popular spot for lunch.  There was an interesting menu outside, complete with the Polish specialities the Inn is known for.

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We’d imagined this as a great place to stop for lunch except, standing here right now, we couldn’t imagine how we might manage it.  It was a daft decision to eat ice cream, wasn’t it?

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See the “legs” on the roof?  (The table legs, of course – I don’t know the significance of the silhouette)

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So, with a change of plan we might regret later, we continued to dawdle our way to Mackinaw City, following Gill Road at one point.

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It was quite clear when we were almost there!

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We couldn’t resist stopping to take a look at the beautiful lake from this little beach.

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Though this isn’t Lake Michigan any more.

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The Mackinaw bridge crosses the strait between Lakes Michigan and Huron and is the dividing line.

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So I put my feet into the (cold) Lake Huron and ticked that one off.

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From here, with the aid of my zoom lens, I could see where we’ll stay tomorrow night.

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But for now, we’ll enjoy the sunshine here in…

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No, I have no idea how to pronounce it either.  I’ll stick with Mackinaw City.

To the Island

To the Island

Sleeping Bear

Sleeping Bear