Pictured Rocks Rock!

We arrived in Munising late afternoon and what a pleasant surprise we had when we checked in in our hotel. Our room was a suite with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a nice living room with plenty room for the four of us to enjoy it. But that wasn't the surprise, it was the magnificent view overlooking Lake Superior. It was spectacular and we wish we stayed there a few more days.

                           

This town is known for being the home of Pictured Rocks, a beautiful state park that can be seen by foot or by boat with two different experiences. By foot you have the opportunity to hike the trails, watch the water falls and be amazed by the beautiful views of the rocky shore of Lake Superior with its lush forests. By boat, you relax in a beautiful tour boat on the lower or upper deck and be thrilled to capture the images of the magnificent rocks that changed colors and shapes with the time projecting a multicolor landscape that appears to be painted to simulate a palette of colors from yellows, to oranges, browns and reds,a truly masterpiece. 

                                

Beautiful Marquette!

This town has it all! It has become an upscale town with the beautiful boutiques on Washington Street, a truly unique Farmers Marquet, which is small in size but offers a huge assortment of organic produces, meats, wines, prepared meals, breads, toiletry and pharmacy items all homeopathic or organic. There is a selection of coffee shops, bakeries and ice cream places too! Needless to say I was impressed with the selection for a small town. 

Marquette is also a walkable place, it offers walking trails around the city.  One of my favorites, the Lower Harbor, where you find a beautiful park around the harbor, a theatre that offers shows twice a week, restaurants and its surrounded by beautiful townhomes that showcase appealing landscapes. Oh, I can't forget the bike paths around the entire town and many locals take advantage of them. 

                     

Another one of my favorites is Presque Isle. Do you know what it means...well in French it means "almost a island" as it has three sides on water. Well, this is a place to drive around, or walk around, go for picnics, sunsets, swimming, jumping the black rocks, kayaking, or simply enjoy nature on the shores of Lake Superior. We went there several times, two stand out, a special trip just to watch the sunset one evening and another time to take pictures after a storm in a beautiful sunny afternoon.

      

                      

One more place I like....Sugarlof Mountain. To get to the top, you need to climb 320 steps on the easy trail and at the end you have the most spectacular views of Lake Superior. We climbed it with Jon and Diana.  The plan was to have a breakfast picnic at the top, but our travel friend Dianne just had a surgery on her ankle and was still under therapy. She and her husband Gene drove  around while we climbed and then we enjoyed the breakfast at Jon and Diana's home porch which was a delight for all.

It is also the home of Northern Michigan University with 8000 students, also known for being a Winter Olimpics training site and the largest wood dome - football stadium in the nation.

We walked everywhere, Washington Street for coffee and chocolates at Donkers, on 3rd Street went twice for breakfast at SweetWater....went for custard at Culver's, pasties at Jean's Pasties, drinks at Verdanos and Aztec and an elegant dinner to close the trip at Elizabeth Chop House. What a treat! 

Small town, short distances, beautiful scenery all around, we will be back!

The Ships!

We were fortunate enough to be in town when El Galeon, The Pride of Baltimore II and When and If were visiting Marquette. We had the opportunity to tour the ships and talked to the crew. I love ships, love the water and love to hear their journeys. 

These ships were returning from a summer racing tour throughout the Great Lakes. Many of the crew members are students, but many are permanent employees. Due to their size they need a large crew who get these jobs because they love the water, the adventure and the uncertainty. Not all people are cut out to these jobs, those that do are fully inclined to long hours and know the risk it takes, but love doing it.

While the ships were there, many locals and tourists visited the ships, took many pictures and enjoy their beauty for three days, We were one of them, went twice to the lower harbor to see them. The second time, run into a professional photographer taking pictures with drones, it happens to be a midget person who attracts people without wanting to. The next day, we saw his pictures posted on the ships Facebook page. 

The Locks

We drove for a couple of hours to visit Sault Sainte Mary, a town on the border with Canada. This town is know by the locks that connect Lake Huron with Lake Michigan. 

Locks have been used all over the world for the same purpose, but there is always the mind that wants to visually see the connection, whether is by watching the boats or ships cruising the locks or better yet being a passenger in one of them. The thrills reassures you the clever engineering humans have done to keep the world connected over water, land or sea. 

We ended the day with a late lunch at a seafood place overlooking the locks and resumed driving to,our next destination Munising.

Magical Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island it's a playground and fairytale. Located in Lake Huron at the end of the Straits of Mackinaw between Michigan's Lower and Upper Peninsula. It's only accessible by ferry or plane. No motorized vehicles allowed, transit on the island is by foot, horse, carriage and bicycle.

      

No matter in what direction you walk in the island, you are surrounded by bicycles, horses and carriages. It's a step back in time for some, or a daydream for others but no matter what the case I it's magical and the memories will last a lifetime. 

                       

 

We enjoyed a carriage tour for almost two hours. Our tour guide was a student from Purdue University pursuing to be a medical veterinarian. He kept our tour interesting and fun with his great sense of humor. The island has so much to offer and people truly get island fever.

The Grand Hotel is the big landmark of the island. It has golf, jockey, tennis, croquet, bocci-ball, beach, horseback riding, bicycling, carriage tours and more. 390 rooms and no two are the same. It's luxury and history at their finest. The service is superb. There is an admission fee for non hotel guests.

                               

      

   

        

Petosky and Bay Harbor

The Petosky area is where daydreams turn into lifelong memories. A breathtaking place on Lake Michigan's glistening bay with stunning natural beauty, Victorian houses and beautiful parks along the bay.

                    

    

Petoskey is known for its Victorian architecture and Michigan's state stone, the Petoskey Stone. The picture-perfect downtown is great for watching boats in the harbor. There are no strip malls there, just shops and upscale restaurants. The luxury community of Bay Harbor is bordered with spectacular views and top of the line amenities. It is home to charming retail shops, inviting restaurants and a marina. 

Luxury at it finest can be illustrated by this home....you can use your imagination for the interior of the home...

                             

    

We ended the evening watching the sunset....

Life offers many "Moments", some we create, some are created for us and it's up to us to enjoy them. Watching the sunset is an exhilarating and beautiful moment for anyone to enjoy.

Mackinaw or Mackinac?

After a big power outage at Delta which caused many flight cancellations around the world, we finally made it to Pellston, the closest airport to Mackinaw. We traveled from Southern California where the traffic was intense at all hours of the day and the speed limit is never achieved due to the number of cars on the highway at anytime. Needless to say, we were looking forward to the second phase of our trip to enjoy some sightseeing of the wonders of Michigan and take advantage of the slow pace of living in the Upper Pensinsula of Michigan.

Our first stop was at Mackinaw City which is the gateway between the lower Peninsula and the upper Peninsula which is our final destination. We crossed the Mackinaw bridge which is five miles long.

                           

   

As we walked the streets of Mackinaw City, I couldn't help to wonder what was the proper spelling for the city...some signs read Mackinaw, others read Mackinac. Is this another of the wonders of Michigan? Its own residents don't know and each person has a preference. 

  

 

                         

                                 

In conclusion, Mackinaw City retains the "aw" spelling while the bridge, straits and island steadfastly cling to the "ac" spelling. No matter how it is spelled, however, it is always pronounced Mackinaw! The French Pronounced it "aw" but spelled it "ac". The British heard it pronounced "aw" so they spelled it that way. Whichever way it is spelled, it is always pronounced "aw".

                         

    

The city is surrounded by lighthouses, historical buildings, a beautiful downtown and connected to the UP by the Mackinaw bridge which is 5 miles long and considered the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world. 

                                    

  

It's the home of one of the nicest and unique Starbucks building, a three story log cabin very appropriate for the town. The second and third floor offered additional seating overlooking the bay. The seats are bar stools standing on a bike post with pedals of different heights. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture.

 

                    

                                                             

We also landed at the best restaurant in town, Darrows, where everything is homemade including the bread and it's the home of the best pies, a very Michigan tradition. 

Next, Petosky and Bay Harbor....stay tuned!

Getting ready...

The time is getting closer!!! We have been planning this trip for about six months and can't hardly wait to start the exploring of this beautiful and magic area of Michigan with so much natural beauty to be soothed and healed after putting our senses in order.

We will have the pleasure to travel with our dear friends Gene and Dianne. My husband was born and raised in Marquette, the major city in the Upper Pensinusla, he grew up in the UP and is always telling stories about his upbringing and college years. This is the land of the Yoopers, a play on words for the UPers and very proud of their nickname. I love the beauty and splendor of the area, it's peacefulness and natural beauty fill my soul every time I visit it, even through pictures.

For those not familiar with the UP, it's an abbreviation for Upper Penninsula. Here is a brief introduction:

The Upper Peninsula is a forested region in Michigan bordering 3 of the Great Lakes and extending outward from Wisconsin. It’s connected to Michigan’s Lower Peninsula by the roughly 5-miles-long Mackinac Bridge, which spans the Straits of Mackinac. Sandwiched between the 2 peninsulas is Mackinac Island, a car-free vacation destination closely associated with the iconic 1887 Grand Hotel and Victorian-era Fort Mackinac.