Day trip to Marquette Michigan…

We awoke to intermittent rain and definitely cooler temperatures once again. Sadly we read that the next few days would be the same or worse. We lounged around after breakfast toying with the idea of moving or staying put. Finally we decided just before lunch to move on. We sure appreciated the free camping at the casino and the easy in and out diesel station adjacent to the where we camped. So after a fill up, off we went for a very short 27 mile drive to Marquette. We didn’t say we planned on moving very far now did we. The rain event shrank to a drizzle so the drive was not bad at all. We elected to try another casino stop at the Obijwa Casino since it was near Marquette but they have only seven first come, first serve electrical sites available. We were pleasantly surprised to see these extremely spacious wooded sites and so relieved there was one site open.

We slipped into site #2, plugged into the 50 amp box and walked over to the casino to register. Upon registering we were told camping is FREE, sweet! But it got even better as we were both given free drink vouchers and $5.00 checks to cash at the cashier’s desk! The nice lady also told us we needed to re-register every day and they would again give us cash and drink vouchers each day we stayed here! Man, these Michigan Indian Casinos are certainly welcoming! We played our cash and had our free Killian’s drafts, very happy indeed that we decided to come here despite the weather.

Once we headed back to the motorhome we noticed our neighbors walking up with their friendly little dog and two buckets full of blueberries. We asked where they found blueberries and they said that the forest behind us is brimming with fresh berries. Upon further conversation we were amazed to find out they not only were from Texas but from Lake Conroe near our home town! They enjoy Michigan in their motorhome every summer and we chatted awhile about their favorite stops.

On Saturday morning we decided to take a chance to explore Marquette before the predicted afternoon rainfall. We donned long pants and jackets as the high temperature predicted would not even reach 60 degrees. Marquette was a very charming bustling town with a Saturday Farmers Market we enjoyed walking through. The lake view from downtown to the harbor beckoned so we carried our fruit and veggies a bit longer to gain a closer look. As we arrived we noticed the “Art on the Rocks” festival was in full swing so we strolled through to enjoy various works by artists from all over the USA. Lots of really interesting pieces of art from the artisans were on display. We wandered further down the harbor walkway and eventually back to the car to drop off our bags in order to walk the full downtown area. Unlike many other towns we have visited this town had beautiful well cared for historic buildings and had few vacant or run-down buildings making the walk extra interesting and enjoyable.

Before we knew it we had walked nearly the entire town and found ourselves in need of a treat. We stopped at Ore Dock Brewing Company where Sharon had a Dream Weaver Belgian style amber ale and I had their OD IPA. What a treat it was as we felt this was some of the best craft beer we’ve had since we came back east. We vowed to return again tomorrow for another treat because not only was the beer great, the place was hopping with local people of all ages and it had a great vibe.

Once back at the motorhome we were able to enjoy a walk where we picked our bucket of fresh blueberries because thankfully the predicted rain never materialized. After dinner we realized we forgot to re-register so off we went to the casino to register and got our $5.00 and free drinks. Who knew this chilly, cloudy rainy weekend would turn out so great! And Sunday promises more rain and chilly temperatures so if our water tanks hold out we will likely stay one more day here…