A Drive in Door County, Wisconsin

We are currently at Tranquil Timbers RV Resort, an Encore Park. This is mostly a seasonal park as many here have decorated their sites for summer. Most of the lots here are huge and the lot we are in usually goes for $55.00 per night.  Thankfully our Passport America membership knocked it down by 50 percent. The only reason we came this far up the peninsula was to experience Door County, an area we heard was a "must see" in Wisconsin.. Tranquil Timbers RV Resort is conveniently situated on a bluff overlooking the waters of Green Bay and is adjacent to Potawatomi State Park.

On our first full day we picked out a driving loop of over 100 miles in our car to explore all that Door County could offer visually. We started by heading up the western side of the peninsula and headed across one of the several bridges over Sturgeon Bay into the small town of the same name. We plan to explore the town of Sturgeon Bay later since we are so close to it but this day the plan was to drive completely along the coastline of Sturgeon Bay to the waters of Green Bay.

This area is cottage country as this area is without a doubt  a summer vacation boater’s paradise. We passed countless waterfront lots and slips of motorboats and sailboats. As we doive along the coastline we were reminded of parts of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as it was similar to this part of Door County. That is until we got to Egg Harbor where the congestion of cars and people picked up dramatically. We stopped to look at their quaint harbor but decided it was much too crowded to enjoy a stroll.

Further north we passed into the town of Fish Creek and then into Ephraim where we found both towns also were hustling and bustling with people. We were surprised to see so many folks during the middle of the week but considering summer is about over for everyone here maybe it shouldn’t have surprised us. We stopped in Ephraim and had lunch on a grassy knoll in their harbor area. The color of the water was gorgeous but the pictures didn't do it justice because this was a hazy day. Next up were the towns of Sister Bay and Ellison Bay.

These towns were more laid back,less crowded and more designed for those looking for a little more solitude. At the northern tip of the peninsula is the small town of Gills Rock and just west of there is Northport which is nothing more than the ferry landing where tourists can catch ferries over to the islands off the peninsula. We stopped at their visitor center to see the exhibits and then walked on the rocky beach. No sand here as most of the beaches were of fragmented limestone where we and a family on the beach had fun trying to skip stones on the water.

As we headed south we tried to drive along the eastern side of the peninsula along the shore of Lake Michigan but most roads along this side don’t allow us to see much along the shoreline as we were mostly driving along fields of corn. I joked with Sharon that this was preparing her for what we will see once we enter Illinois. We did find a small park near the town of Bailey’s Harbor that allowed us to experience the power of Lake Michigan as it was pretty windy this day. The kite boarders sure were enjoying this windy side of the peninsula as they ripped to and fro across the waters at fairly substantial speeds.  It looked like a lot of fun but one sport that fortunately for our bodies isn’t on our bucket list…

We drove back across the lower peninsula through the town of Sturgeon Bay and back to the park. In retrospect the drive was enjoyable but not as scenic as we had had hoped.  Because it is cottage country nearly every inch of shoreline is occupied with little or no turnouts for water viewing.  Therefore every park we did find was quite crowded yet we are still really glad we experienced  the beauty s here in Door County, Wisconsin.

Waterfalls and Black River Harbor, MI…

Our next stop was at Eddy Park in Wakefield, Michigan where we found a site one row from the edge of Sunday Lake. This is another township park and typical in that we only have electricity (50/30/20 amp) and water.There are some sewer sites but they were either full or too un-level. We will stay here for four days even though it took us a while to find a site that wasn’t too sloped so that we could get level. The rates are great in that we are paying $15 for this site and we have certainly enjoyed the lake views..

Needing a few things we went out and explored the towns nearby. Wakefield itself is a very small town with only fulfilling basic needs. It is nice but we were looking for a larger grocery store so we drove a bit further west through another small town of Bessemer (bigger than Wakefield) and on into the town of Ironwood in Michigan then into Hurley just across the border in Wisconsin. 

The history of these towns is fascinating and it explains why the adjacent towns of Hurley, WI and Ironwood, MI are so different. We really noticed the differences when we crossed from  Michigan into Wisconsin and noticed that every other building in Hurley seemed to be a bar. Most of these bars would be classified as “dive bars” and they mostly appear to be in decline. It turns out that Ironwood wanted to separate itself from the debauchery found in Hurley so most of the bars and bordellos ended up in the nearby town of Hurley. Ironwood celebrates its mining heritage after all and lets be real… all those miners had to have somewhere to go after a hard days work!

The next day we took a drive over to Black River Harbor where we took a few hikes in the area. There is a dry camp campground there as well and we did see one 40 footer RV sitting in a spot, however, most sites appeared to be more suited to smaller rigs.What attracted us here was the five major waterfalls with hiking trails running adjacent to them.

Man there were fungi of ever type everywhere along the Black River which made me wish even more I had taken a class in Mycology when I was in college. I am sending many pictures to Dawn of Dawn's Bloggy Blog hoping she can enlighten me on some of them. Also we saw a plant with beautiful blue fruits that start out white that I wished I knew what was (pictured above left). We hiked many of the Black River trails and took in all but one of the waterfalls (not sure how we missed it). At the tail waters of the Black River is Black River Harbor and it features a very picturesque park with a cool pedestrian suspension bridge.

The suspension bridge took us over the harbor onto the shore of the very beautiful Lake Superior. We walked along this nice little beach and on our return found a bench that faced out over the lake where we watched the waters of the Black River intermingle with the placid waters of Lake Superior. A great way to end the day…

St. Ignace, Michigan, and why we are still here…

Well we certainly didn’t plan on staying in St. Ignace as long as we have but since sever thunderstorms were predicted to roll through for two days straight we changed our plan. We asked our host at Tiki RV Resort about staying longer and he said we could stay for $34 bucks our next night then could revert back to the Passport America rate the next two. With bad weather coming I really didn’t want to be under so many trees so we checked a few other parks in the area and settled on the Kewadin Casino just a few miles north of where we were.  They offer 50 amps and water for $10 per night and have an onsite dump station . So we pulled into the casino and parked in site nine. Sharon went to check in and came out smiling because since we have never stayed here before they were running a promotion and gave us four nights free. In addition when you stay here you can also use for the fitness room, indoor pool and hot tub, Score!  And as it turned out we were right about moving as the weather came through with fierce winds and those at the Lakeshore RV Park weren’t as lucky as us as falling trees damaged several RV’s there.

Being able to weather out the storm away from all the trees at Tiki RV Resort was a relief and even better we now have the added bonus of saving some bucks by having four nights free. Even better, we thought, as there is a Fish Festival this weekend that we would now be able to attend. This part of the great lakes takes pride in their smoked fish as well as other fish such as whitefish, lake perch and walleye. We even bought some fresh whitefish filets at the Mackinac Straits Fish market and baked them with a topping of mayo, panko and ground almonds which was so good we will buy more fish to have it again.

Between storms we have been simply enjoying the little town of St Ignace. It is a coastal town along the Straits of Mackinac and as such it has a nice boardwalk along the shoreline, the Huron boardwalk. We have enjoyed taking long walks there whenever the weather allowed us to. There are a few sights to see as well such as the St Ignace Marina where not only do they host many beautiful sailboats, they also are a venue for free Wednesday and Thursdays evening concerts. Not to mention there are several nice bar/restaurants near the water for the occasional happy hour…

There are several parks scattered along the boardwalk as well but our favorite one is the Chief Wawatam Park. Chief Wawatam was an honored Ojibwa man whose namesake was also given to one of the powerful rail ferries used to keep the Straits of Mackinac open year round during the winter months. It operated from 1911 to 1984, carrying as many as 26 railcars per trip between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace. It also served as a traditional icebreaker and helped open other shipping lanes and ice-bound ports. The Chief Wawatam  was one of the only icebreakers on the Great Lakes until 1944 when the U.S. Coast Guard finally commissioned the icebreaker Mackinaw.

Near this park we also walked around the small Wawatam Lighthouse  to watch the more modern ferries zipping by as they take guests to the Island. The park also is home to a small waterpark (splash pad)  for the kids where it is always fun to watch their expressions and antics as the water pulsates, squirts and bubbles up from the concrete below. There are also a few museums here one of which we visited called the Museum of Ojibwa Culture. Being part Native American myself I am fascinated with the Indian culture. The museum depicts life during the 1670s when not only the Ojibwa and Huron were in Saint Ignace but also the French missionaries.… The museum was pretty small but worth a look and there was even a wedding happening in the green space out back when we visited there.

Saturday we were pretty excited about the fish festival. So much so that we forgot all about the farmers’ market and man we really could use some fresh produce. One of the problems with retirement life is we never really know what day it is. Later in the day we went down for a walk on the boardwalk again and then walked over toward the fish festival. Man is the water clear here! We walked along the marina since it was adjacent to the festival giving us a preview of what it was all about. Sadly it looked pretty disappointing as I couldn’t see any band setup (as advertised) and in its place was a DJ… strike 1… Then we noticed that even as small as it was there was an entrance fee despite not having live music… strike 2… But worst of all was that there seemed to be only two vendors serving fish at the FISH FESTIVAL!!!! Strike three!!! So we went back home after buying some “snotty beer™” and made our own whitefish filets along with some wild rice and a nice green salad… Life is pretty grand when you have choices…

Visiting Mackinac Island, Michigan…

There are only two ways to get to Mackinac Island… by plane or by boat, assuming you aren’t an Olympic swimmer. There are also two towns that have ferries to the Island. Mackinaw City is one and the other is the one we are in, St. Ignace. Several different ferry companies are available and charge around $25.00 per person round trip. Coupons are everywhere saving you from 2-3 bucks per person. However, the real deal to get over to the Island can be found on the Arnold Line. This fare is not reservable online so you must go to the harbor and buy your ticket there asking specifically for a ticket on the “Classic Ferry”. This round trip ticket is only $15.00 per person. The beauty of this fare is on the return trip you are not limited only to the Classic ferry as you can take any ferry back. We thought this was great as we were thus able to experience both types of ferries.

After purchasing our tickets we boarded and made our way to the top and front of the boat. We really enjoyed the slower ride over on the Classic Ferry as it went about half as fast as the others. This gave us extra time to take in all the sights along the harbors in St. Ignace and then on Mackinac Island as well. We also had great views of the expansive, beautiful Mackinac Bridge connecting Michigan’s two peninsulas. As we approached Mackinac Island the gorgeous harbor, Fort Mackinac and the Grand Hotel came into view. The Grand Hotel is impossible to miss due to its size. It boasts having the largest front porch of any hotel in the world. Perched on the hill with flags waving in the breeze it was indeed a grand sight to see.

Since Mackinaw Island is a tourist destination and thus can be very expensive  we opted to save a few bucks by packing a nice picnic lunch. Our plan was also to pass on the horse drawn carriage or rental bicycles (bicycles taken on the ferry cost $8 round trip or can be rented on the island for $5 per hour for a single speed bike). Instead we preplanned our own self guided walking tour. We were sure glad we had a plan because once past the harbor and on into town there were throngs of tourists crowding the walkways. And the most striking thing we noticed was the lack of cars and trucks as no cars are allowed on the island. Here the streets are bustling with bicycles, pedestrians and horses trotting by!

Mackinac Island is only about 8 miles around but rather hilly in the interior. We quickly passed the many shops and saw plenty of places to stay overnight. Many say that the best way to get the full Mackinac experience is to stay overnight on the island but they must have deeper pockets than I. We turned off the main street and headed straight uphill toward Fort Mackinac pausing along the way to examine a couple historical buildings and a quaint church. Fort Mackinac was built by British forces in the late 1700’s. There is also an admission fee here ($11 I think) but we have seen enough forts and aren’t huge history buffs so we also opted out of visiting this one. Besides I personally love the architecture on the outside of buildings much more than seeing the inside. Near the fort be ready to hear an occasional bugler or cannon firing demonstration and the fort has period costumed guides that can be seen inside and outside the fort answering questions or reciting facts to anyone interested.

Next we walked over to the east side of the Island to Arch Rock located in the Mackinaw State Park. Mackinaw State Park is said to be the only free state park in the state and makes up a great part of the island itself. Arch Rock is pretty neat and after taking photos of the placid and clear turquoise waters through the arch we continued back toward town on the Manitou Trail. The trail took us along the edge of the coastline through densely wooded hills. These beautiful forests would open up every now and then for us so we could look out over the Straits of Mackinac at the vast lake below. Stunning!

We then navigated through a really nice neighborhood dotted with Victorian homes over to the Grand Hotel. Sharon wanted to see this magnificent structure as she remembered if from the 1980 movie Somewhere in Time, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. Now this hotel really caters to the upper crust. To protect them from the riff-raff they charge $10.00 per person to even enter the hotel… It worked as we only took pictures of the beautiful outside and continued on down the street… If you don’t want to pay the entrance fee then you can come after six o’clock at night and have dinner at the hotel but be forewarned all women are expected to wear either a skirt or dress and all men must wear a coat and tie. We were in shorts and tennis shoes so that was not an option for us either. Sharon was happy nonetheless as she mainly wanted to see the porch and courtyard areas depicted in the movie.

Since it was now time for lunch we wanted to find a spot near the water so we passed back through town one block above the main street where we saw more of the historic buildings on our planned tour. We found a nice waterfront park with flowers and a shade tree where we could see the sail boats coming in that were participating in the sailing race from Chicago to Mackinac Island. There was also a rocky beach right below us where kids were swimming and skipping stones. After lunch we struck up a conversation with a fellow at the park who happened to have been in the race (and who placed fourth by the way). He told us all about the race and how this was a tough year with the lack of winds, the heat and the bugs out on the water.

After our long leisurely lunch we walked back along the boardwalk around the perimeter of the island and saw many tourists riding horses or horse-drawn carriages led by a tour guide while others were toting their children along in a bike trailer behind bikes as they cycled around the island. And again since no cars are allowed on the island it interesting to note that all the normal day to day activities are performed using horses.We saw horses pulling a flat bed trailer used to transport goods throughout town and horses pulling garbage filled wagons to the dump (wherever it is).

That gives rise to the biggest negative (for us) of the island. Because there are so many horses around, there too was the stench of horse poop and horse urine nearly everywhere we went! Mackinac Island’s natural beauty and slow paced atmosphere provided us with a very peaceful and relaxing day. One that we truly enjoyed but to be honest Mackinac Island is probably a place we won’t return. The beauty and serenity of the island is offset by the hoards of people along the main streets and we were put off by the continued smell of horse urine and horse poo everywhere. So there are indeed tradeoffs when not allowing cars on the island. That being said however, I do think it would be even worse if cars were allowed on the island.

As we left the island we took the faster Arnold ferry back to St. Ignace to experience the speedier version, but we both actually preferred the slower Classic boat to this one. From the docks we made our way over to the Driftwood for a little happy hour overlooking the bay. There we were able to sample another local brew called the Widow Maker Black Ale made by Keweenaw Brewing Company in Houghton, Michigan… A good way to end a good day…

Note: If you do go to the Island make sure to print a good map to take along because if you wait till you get to the Island the visitors center will charge $2 for a map…

Port Huron, Michigan and vicinity…

It has been rather cloudy and rainy during our stay here in St Clair, Michigan. But at least most of the time the rain has come at night or in the early morning hours allowing us to sneak out for a few excursions during the day. One town that is really neat and one we visit quite often is Port Huron. Port Huron is the first town in Michigan we visited as it is just across the Blue Water Bridge from Sarnia, Canada. It is the same bridge that cost us our passenger side mirror but we still enjoy visiting it nonetheless.

Just north of the bridge is a really cool little lighthouse in the town of Fort Gratiot. It is called the Fort Gratiot Light and it is the oldest lighthouse in the state of Michigan as well as the oldest in all the Great Lakes. First built in 1825 and shortly thereafter in 1928 it was destroyed by a storm. Rebuilt in 1829 it reached a height of 65 feet and in 1863 it was increased in height to 86 feet. Finally in 2011 over 35000 bricks were replaced to restore it to what it is in its present state… an exquisite light house along the shores of Lake Huron at the mouth of the St Clair River.

  

Visiting the lighthouse is free but interior guided tours are available for purchase at the onsite store. The rocky beach below the lighthouse is strewn with rock rounded and shaped by the powerful erosive forces of the great lake and the weather influencing its waters. There are lots of informative historical plaques to read that allow one to immerse in the history of this place.

The fast flowing St Clair River is very navigable so it is a great place to sit and watch the tankers as well as other large ships pass through the narrow mouth of the river from Lake Huron. The ships pass under the Blue Water Bridge and most will bellow their deep baritone horns as they pass through. Sailboats, jet skis and power boats often pass by adding to the river view.. All along the river is a nice boardwalk with benches to sit upon to view the water, watch people walking their dogs or to see guys and girls trying their luck fishing the blue waters of the river.  In the grassy park alongside the boardwalk people can be seen lounging on blankets or folding chairs picnicking or simply enjoying the sights. On our visit we saw lots of teens just out of school for the summer jumping off the docks into the surely chilly waters below and enjoying a swim..We found the park and boardwalk to be a really great place to spend some time soaking in these sights.

There are also lots of nice little restaurants with outside seating lining the shore as well as art, hanging flower baskets and flower beds along the river edge. A small historical museum is housed in a retired Coast Guard tug appropriately named the Huron. For a small fee of $7 we could have learned more but the blue water and clear skies kept us outside. As we drove around the town we even stumbled into a vintage car show that was not only free but provided some great live music where a band playing some 60’s and 70’s tunes piqued our interest. We saw lots of cool cars and even one Sharon coveted….

Well we are in our last day here and tomorrow we will move southwest to the Wayne County Fairgrounds so that we can visit with Sharon’s cousin who lives in nearby Novi, Michigan. From there we have pretty much decided that we will head north and move on up to the “Uper” and visit the highly acclaimed Mackinaw Island.