Descending the Sunset Side of Michigan

Leaving Mackinac City, we traveled south, rounded Grand Traverse Bay to the west and settled into a nice park just south of the city.  I had changed the bedclothes so had laundry to do.   In between the washing and the drying I cleaned the bathroom real well, dusted and discarded the collected papers from our last stop.

Ted was washing the trailer and Tom and Eileen went looking for a car wash.  When everyone was finished with their chores we went to Sam's for a few things.  Eileen wanted to know what Menard's is, a store we have encountered in Ohio and Michigan, so we stopped and I actually bought my Windex and paper towels there because Sam's packs were too big for the RV.  

Ted started the grill and we had steak, fries and salad for dinner.  It was very windy so we ate inside.  Everyone needed a down day and we all just stayed inside for the evening.

Our second day was spent picking cherries and raspberries.  We drove an hour north to King's  Orchards and Ted and I picked 8 cups of raspberries, 24 cups of tart cherries 1.5 gallon bags of Queen Anne and 2 gallon bags of Bing cherries.  Then we came home to clean and package them all.

I had put meatballs and spaghetti sauce in the crockpot before we left so dinner was almost ready when we got home.  We ate outside then came back in.  The fresh air is tiring us all out.  I put together a cherry pie and baked it in my countertop oven.  The convection oven doesn't brown well, the gas oven tends to burn a stripe into the bottom of things.  I had to guess on timing because the oven is a smaller area than a normal oven.  It cooked until the cherry filling was bubbling up through the slits but I should have covered it with foil so the crust wouldn't have gotten so brown.  But it tastes good!

Our day in the orchards.

Tom, Eileen and Ted picking cherries.

The trees were loaded.

We hit four orchards - Bing, Queen Anne, tart and raspberries.  We paid for our cherries and had the tart ones pitted.

First you pour your bucket of cherries into the water and skim the floating debris.

The conveyor picks them up.

They enter the circular drum where the pit is punched out.

The lady bags them up for you.

I wish I could share some of the sweet cherries with you all.  The tart ones and the raspberries are washed, measured and in the freezer for use later on.  But we have all been eating the Bing and Queen Annes so much we are fearful of the Bing Cherry Two Step!

Last Boat Ride

Sunday we drove about an hour to Sault Ste Marie to take the Soo Locks Tour.  We have been through hundreds of locks but Eileen and Tom said they may have but can't remember.  We felt they should do the tour, travel a bit in Canadian waters and enjoy the Antler Bar.

The trip to the first lock took us past a beautiful 1/4 mile long energy plant built long ago by Italian stone masons.  

We passed the Tower of History as we approached the lock to raise us up 21 feet.

Here is another tour boar exiting the lock so we could enter.

As we entered the lock.

Flags of all the countries that use the locks were flying.  No one pays anything to use the locks; the cost is borne by the US Federal Government (i.e., you and me!).  This is unlike the Panama Canal that Jimmy Carter gave to Panama that charged our cruise ship last November $750,000 to go through.  That is just one ship.  Pay in advance, no credit!  

There are viewing stands for folks to watch the ships lock through.  I am sure the big freighters are more exciting to watch than our little tour boat.

We passed PLM Ironmas plant and saw much of how the raw materials are obtained, transported and used.  I hope you can figure most of it out!

I know these are finished coils.

This is the plant and it shows the border in the middle of the St. Mary's River.   We spent a lot of time in Canadian waters.

We passed the Bushplane Museum.

A bushplane.

We came back through the Canadian lock that dropped us down 21 feet so we could return to the dock where we started.

We headed to the Antler Bar to have lunch and I turned Ted loose with the camera.

A furry fish caught in Lake Superior.

A two-headed calf.

Since it was Eileen's first visit, she got antlers!

We posed for Ted.

We returned home with about an hour to freshen up before leaving for the Dam Site Inn to meet up with Pat and Bill, friends from Detroit News days.  Bill was SO happy to see Ted.  The six of us had a great dinner and visit.  We appreciated Tom and Eileen sitting and mostly listening to the four of us gab.

Today we took the 10 am ferry to Mackinac Island.  We thought most of the crowd would be gone from the yacht race.  It was cloudy in the morning so traffic was light but as the day went on, the sun came out and crowds increased!  And the sailboats and crews were still arriving or on shore whooping it up!

Another ferry throwing a roostercomb in the shadow of the Big Mac bridge.

The Grand Hotel as we approached.

A few sailboats were just finishing the race!

The fort as we approached.

We took the Carriage Tour through the island which is 80% state park and 20% fudge shops (or so it seems!).  We had a great view of the many sailboats that had completed the race.

One stop was at Arch Rock with a great view of the water below.

 

Next we toured the fort and joined in the Rifle Drill learning how to march and turn like a soldier.  We also took part in a court martial where our punishment didn't match what the books say actually happened!  

We visited many of the buildings before having lunch.  The crowds seemed to be multiplying and it took a few tries before finding an acceptable restaurant.  Next door was a fudge shop (!) so I bought some for a gift.  Then the clouds started gathering so we left for the dock to take the 5:00 ferry home.

We move on to Traverse City in the morning.

Mackinac/Mackinaw

We drove up to Mackinac in misty rain getting the vehicles all dirty.  But it doesn't matter much at the KOA we are in.  It is mostly sand, a little gravel and minimal grass that is mostly brown.  But it is conveniently located and was easy in and hopefully out.  We have cable and wifi so we will deal with the aesthetics such as they are.  It is just a huge change from the Thunder Bay Resort that we just left!

We had lunch, then took a ride through town to get our bearings.  Our first stop was at the Trolley Tours but we were a half hour late for the last tour so we booked for 10 am on Saturday.  

We stopped at the McGulpin Lighthouse, built in the 1800s, and took a self guided tour.  Its history is very interesting and the fact that it was a private residence for 100 years probably is the reason for its fine condition.  We walked the circular stairs to the top but it was so foggy the view wasn't great.  Of interest in my musings was the keeper was married for 21 years to a woman that bore him 10 children.  She and that 10th baby died.  In his death notice there was no mention of her at all!

We determined it was built in 1866. 

We continued on driving in a circular direction and suddenly found ourselves back at the KOA.  We decided to rest, have dinner then go into town for the concert in the park.  I took a nap again and Ted woke me for dinner.  He was grilling pork chops and we had mac and cheese, stuffing, mixed vegetables, salad, cole slaw and applesauce as we tried to accommodate everyone's druthers and use up any leftovers.

We donned our new windbreakers, loaded up the chairs, brought the bug spray and headed to a lovely park on the water.  Right next to us was the Coast Guard Icebreaker The Mackinaw that is a museum.  

The Genesee Valley Concert Band was performing.  It was a gorgeous night, just the right temperature with no wind or bugs.  The band was fantastic and we really enjoyed their performance.

Afterwards we drove to a small beach where the bridge was finally visible.  We explained to Tom and Eileen that the bridge connects the Upper and Lower peninsulas of Michigan and Mackinac Island sits to the east of the south end of the Upper Peninsula in the Straits of Mackinac that connects Lake Huron on the east to Lake Michigan on the west.  Tom was thinking the bridge would take us to the island and couldn't figure out the part about no cars.

We continued on to Central Avenue where there is a fudge shop in every other storefront.  Lots of people were out and about.  We found the Museum of the Bridge located upstairs of an Italian restaurant and the Catholic Church but never did find Heritage Village.

Saturday we took the Trolley Tour and learned some more history of the area.  We stopped at the larger lighthouse, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse.  

It also had a fog horn station that could be heard for fifty miles and long before the light could be seen.  

The entire complex cost $8,000 to build in 1892 to replace the McGulpin lighthouse.  In 1957 it was decommissioned and opened for tours.  The added bathrooms needed for the public cost $2.5 million!  

This house caught my eye and I asked the driver to stop to get a photo.  He said when they were excavating to build, it appeared to be what they thought was an Indian burial ground.  Carbon testing the bones indicated an age of about 1000 years.   None of the Indian tribes claimed them due to the age so they were reburied in a special site but he didn't say where.

It was lunchtime so we went to Scalawag's for some Great Lakes whitefish.  It was very good and lived up to its reputation.  We walked around a shopping area and took in the museum movie about the building of the bridge.  That feat is to this day mind boggling.

We returned to the campground and took some down time before leaving for church.  Mass was very enjoyable, small and personable.  There is a nun who runs the church in the absence of a resident pastor.  The priest comes from Cheboygen to say Mass on the weekends.  

Ted grilled Italian sausages and peppers plus brats for our dinner.  I was still full from lunch so only ate a brat.  We sat at the picnic table to right before dark which is about 10 pm here, and then I headed in before the bugs started in on me.

Tomorrow, the Soo Locks and dinner with some old Detroit News friends from our 16 years in Michigan.