May 1 - 5 Indian River, Michigan
Indian River RV Park
Before heading out from Traverse City, The Sandman needed some attention. He decided that his electrical system was going to whack out a bit. So off to Airstream of Northern Michigan which just happened to be not too far away….oh thank you!!!!!! After 3 hours of replacing a few fuses, testing this and that, resetting this and that, all systems were GO and we were on our way – Yayyyyy!!!!!
Have you ever felt like you’re all alone in a strange place? That maybe the road less traveled is for a reason? We get that!! Very nice RV park…large sites, great staff, and…..we were the only ones camping all week until the night before we left – LOL!! But that’s okay. It’s early in the season up here in Michigan so not everything has opened up yet.
We planned our stay here as we have some friends that moved from CA to the area 3 years ago…literally the street behind the campground. Meet Gretchan….remember when Donna wore her hair in a short spike for many years? Gretchan was the person that worked that magic and they’ve stayed in touch. Originally from this area, their family is back again, along with her Mom and sister.
Gretchan played tour guide with us for 3 days and took us all over the place, including a nice home cooked meal one evening……….Yes!!
Life here is about drinking in the atmosphere, seeing the night sky with stars so clear and bright, you can see them forever. The beauty of the trails, homes, miles of coastal shoreline, and breathtakingly clear water is magical.
And…..we’re off to Kitchiitikipi Big Spring – in the Upper Peninsula. Michigan’s largest natural freshwater spring and probably the most unusual thing we’ve seen in a long time. Located within Palms Book State Park and the water is crystal clear – CRYSTAL CLEAR – Are those trout?? Yep – they sure are! It’s a consistent 45 degrees (burrrrr), 40 feet deep and 10000 gallons of water per minute rise up through the cracks. It was fascinating to watch the water bubbling up under the fish. We hoped aboard the hand operated raft that propels the raft along a guided line – oh what fun that was!!! The raft has a roof so you can see the fish without the glare from the sun.
Did someone say lunch? In these parts which are RURAL and small little fishing towns, there’s not much to choose from. Off to the town of Manistique – oh so charming!! We found a cute little bar that served – well – not much – but we managed. Bonus – they had a pool table at .25 a game! What????? Then it was off to the Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse. Perfect timing as there were several families of Geese with their new babies…awwww….adorable!!
Since we were somewhat in the area, off to the Ocqueoc Falls – gorgeous, beautiful, cascading waterfalls!! It is known as the biggest waterfall in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. During spawning season, you can see salmon swimming upriver. How cool would that be????
Okay – what the hell is THAT in front of us? Looks like smoke. Nope, not smoke. OMG – those are swarms of midges (tiny flies)! When they hatch, there are millions of them. They mate and then die. Okay…..that’s after they cover you when you get out of the car. Then you look at your car and it’s covered with millions of them – ewwwwww!!!!
We couldn’t end another day without seeing yet another lighthouse. Off to 40 Mile Point Lighthouse in the very small city of Rogers on the western shore of Lake Huron. Beautiful!!!! On the beach lies the remnants of the Joseph S. Fay – a wooden steamer built in 1871. It met its demise in 1905.
We saved the best for last……Mackinac Island. OMG!!! What a magical place!!! There really are no words to describe this island other than you’ve just stepped back in time. It’s a car-free zone (including electric bikes unless you live or work there). Horse drawn carriages and bikes are the modes of transportation. There are several Ferry companies to transport you back and forth, and several places to rent bikes on the island.
Let’s just get this out here – it’s not cheap getting to the island and once there, NOTHING is cheap – LOL!! It was on our bucket list so off we went. The island itself is only 4.35 square miles. It’s a whole 8 miles to ride your bike all the way around. When we stepped off the ferry, we both looked at each other and said “this reminds me of Catalina Island!” (off the coast of southern CA). The short main street is loaded with….what else…..shops, bars, restaurants, and several places to buy their famous fudge – LOL!!
As we walked along Main Street, on a very foggy and cool (cold) day, every house was more grand and beautiful than the next – wow – wow – wow!! Then boom!!!! What the heck was that??? Oh yeah, Fort Mackinac sounding their cannons. Scared the crap out of us – LOL!! And then – there is was in all its glory – the famous Grand Hotel. My oh my…….it reminded us a bit of the Hotel Del Coronado. Not the architecture, but the “grandness” of it all. As we stepped inside, you could smell the $$$$ just floating around. And everything was GRAND – meaning expensive. But what the heck, you only live once. We all had drinks – Cheers to a $25 drink – LOL!! We savored every……single……sip…….and enjoyed taking in all the views – from the people, to what we saw on the grounds and out the windows. Simply awesome…..
