May 20, 2013 - Mackinaw City

We had a foggy welcome this morning. Were picked up by the ferry folks and bob had breakfast across the street. We were the only ones in a fairly large restaurant. Most importantly, we learned that the “flies” are called “midges”. They come out in hoards in May to breed only, have a life span of a day and a half and don’t bite. We may see more of them in the UP!! The ferry to the island was full of high school seniors on a field trip. In fact, there were many school groups all over the island and at the Grand Hotel buffet lunch. We took a...

May 19, 2013 - Frankenmuth to Mackinaw City MI

Today we left for the MI Upper Peninsula, Mackinaw City, driving 200 miles up Hwy 75. The terrain was relatively flat with a few farms as we started. The farms then gave way to aspen forests the further we drove north. As we approached Mackinaw City the temperature suddenly dropped from the upper 70’s to the lower 60’s. The motels, hotels and camps are nearly deserted even though this is the Canadian’s Patriot Holiday. ( In Frankenmuth we saw many Canadians down in the US for holiday.) We are camped in Mill Creek camp on Lake Huron where...

Oct 8, 2012 - Tahquamenon Falls

We headed for the Michigan UP (Upper Penninsula) and drove to Tahquamenon Falls. The Falls are in two different areas. The Lower Falls which are downstream are separated into two falls by an island and are in a series of cascades and rapids. The Upper Falls can be reached by a four mile walk or a short drive (as we did). They are fifty feet high and about two hundred feet wide. They have a slightly brownish color caused by the tannic acid in the river. The river is best known as the river in Longfellow's poem Hiawatha. It was a really...

Oct 7, 2012 - Mackinac Island

The weather here in northern Michigan is ever changing and unpredictable. The forecast for today was rain but when we ventured out, it was sunny and not windy so we decided to head to Mackinac Island. We had some time to wait for the next ferry so we stopped in town for the special breakfast at the Admirals Table which is two eggs, two meat and toast or pancakes for $4.29 then we went to catch the ferry. We had calm water on the way over and though there were a few clouds it was mostly sunny. When we arrived on the island, we went straight...

Oct 6, 2012 - Tunnel of Trees Drive

Today we took a scenic drive called the Tunnel of Trees. It is about twenty miles of a narrow winding road the runs along the edge of Lake Michigan. There are trees on either side of the road which have grown together at the top thus creating a tunnel. We left the campground in sunshine but found rain and sleet before we got to the Tunnel of Trees. It didn't last long and created a rainbow over Lake Michigan. It was a really pretty drive and we ended up in the town of Wequetonsing. From there we went into the town of Petosky where we picked...

Oct 5, 2012 - Scenic Drive to Travis City

This morning, we headed west and then south along the Lake Michigan Shore. It was a very windy day and the lake had whitecaps. We stopped to get a picture of a lighthouse and then again at the dunes. The drive was beautiful with loads of colorful trees decked out for fall. We drove as far as Travis City where we had lunch at the wonderful Mackinaw Brew House. They smoke their own meats and we had a sampler of ribs, sausage and brisket which were all outstanding, then shared a rueben made with smoked corned beef. YUMMY!! The salmon were...

Oct 4, 2012 - On to Mackinaw City

Beginning Mileage 32453 Ending Mileage 32686 Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping 9730 US 23 Mackinaw City, MI 49701 231-436-5584 8/9/8.5 We left Lansing about 9:30am and headed to Mackinaw City stopping only at a rest stop. The ride up US 127 was beautiful with splendid fall colors on both sides of the road. It was a pretty day. We had morning clouds but then it cleared and was great the rest of the day. We arrived at Mackinaw City a little after 2:00pm and got set up. The campground is very nice with views of the bridge and Mackinac Island from...

Aug 21, 2012 - Mackinac Island: A Theme Park

Saturday night Chef David demonstrated his growth in creating superb dishes. I can’t explain the finer points of this delicious three-course meal, only the primary properties as shown in the attached photos. We started with a fantastic cold melon (cantaloupe) soup beautifully presented. This was followed by a grilled swordfish steak on a bed of quinoa seasoned perfectly. Finally, we had pulled pork tacos with each taco having two homemade tortillas (courtesy of Cris) sandwiched on a cheese filling, and other goodies added to the pork....

Aug 10, 2012 - Move to Mackinaw City

We had an easy drive today, 35 miles to Mackinaw City. The road was a little rough but an uneventful trip. We’ve actually switched lakes now since our view from the campground is Lake Huron and we have a pretty decent view of the Mackinaw Bridge. I was sure glad we didn’t have to drive over that today. The wind was gusting up to 30 mph and I know I would have been white knuckled, even at 20 mph which is the posted speed for RV’s. We’re here for 9 nights and, temps permitting, we’ll head south to Elkhart on the 19th to get the a/c...

Aug 9, 2012 - Mackinaw City MI

It was raining when we got up on our day to leave Porcupine Mountain but it did stop before we left. And so on the road for another long day’s drive with rain off and on. And lots of road construction. On the stretch of US 41 between L'Anse and Baraga, is a giant copper figure standing astride a silvery cloud rising some 60 feet above the bluff overlooking Keweenaw Bay. This heroic statue pays tribute to one of the earliest and most beloved pioneers of the Keweenaw, Frederic Baraga, and the Snowshoe Priest who became the first Bishop of the...

Jul 11, 2012 - Day 12

Today we ventured around Mackinaw City, first going to the Information Center and then driving though downtown. We followed Huron St to the north end of the city where Colonial Michilimackinac sits justs to the Lake Michigan side of the Mackinac Bridge. To the right of the bridge is the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and Lake Huron. The Mackinac Bridge separates Lakes Michigan to the West and Lake Huron to the East. We then drove back downtown, walked around looking at some of the shops and having lunch at The Dixie Saloon. We also drove...

Jul 2, 2012 - Sault St. Marie

We took a ride about 50 miles north to Sault St. Marie to see the Soo Locks. When we got to the visitor center they told us to go right out to the observation area that there were two ships in the locks. It was really interesting to watch the ships come up and down in the locks. The ship closest to us they were raising to go into Whitefish Bay and Lake Superior. The one on the opposite side they were lowering to go into Lake Huron. Once the ships had cleared the locks we went inside the visitor center and watched a movie on the building and...