Traverse City: Last Day

After some stellar weather, a front came in with much cooler temperatures, cloudy skies, high winds, and occasional drizzle.

Julia decided to make the most of the day by touring the Dennos Art Museum at Northwestern Michigan College.  She enjoyed its signature Inuit Gallery, which has a collection of 1500 works.

Callie and I got our miles in under brisk conditions along the shores of Lake Michigan.

We went to North Peak Brewery for a light lunch of beer soup, clams, and beer.

 

That night, the rain turned steady.  After a disappointing dinner at a nearby restaurant, we headed back to the Scamp and considered our options for heading home.  The original plan was to go back the way we came, except make a bigger counter-clockwise half-circle around to catch Lake Superior through the northern U.P. and northern Wisconsin.  

However, the forecast was. much better to the south--even though I dreaded driving/towing through Chicagoland's traffic.  The determining factor was an intermittent trailer brake-sticking problem that I was experiencing.  If we broke down, we preferred to break down somewhere closer to civilization.  

The forecast called for sun and warm temperatures in Ottawa, Illinois, which was near an Illinois state park that we previously enjoyed:  Starved Rock State Park.

Traverse City: Day Two

Old Mission Peninsula is a beautiful stretch of land jutting out into Lake Michigan--about twenty miles long and five miles wide. The Mission Point Lighthouse is at the end of the peninsula, along with a network of lakeshore and forest trails.

We didn't tour the inside of the lighthouse.  Admission seemed high.  Instead, we headed out to the trails.  Callie thought this was the better choice.

The map showed an intricate network of well-marked trails.  The trails themselves lacked sufficient markings, but it wasn't hard to avoid getting lost since we were on the end of a peninsula.  When the going became uncertain, we headed for the beach.

Our next stop was Brys Estate Vineyard.

Julia ordered a tasting flight of wines. We shared a cheese and sausage board.  As designated driver, I opted for an excellent cider, which is also one of their products.  Julia gave high reviews for the wines.

There was even a dog-friendly section on the grounds.

Callie's chair?

Straits State Park

While we were at Indian Lake, we made a reservation at Strait State Park near St. Ignace, Michigan and very close to the north side of the Mackinac Bridge. None of the electric sites were worthy of advanced planning, but there were a few rustic sites that faced the beach and had views of the bridge. We nabbed one available for a single night.

There wasn’t a lot of hiking here, except around the campground loops. We did drive into town and enjoy dinner out at Gangplanks up the street from one of the many ferry parking lots where tourists take the ferry ride to Mackinaw Island. We’ve been to the island before, but didn’t feel a need to return. 

Two brews from Keewanaw Brewing

We then settled back for a relaxing evening of beach walks and bridge watching. It didn’t get dark until nearly 10 pm. We are on the western edge of the Eastern Time Zone.

We enjoyed this special place. Next stop:  Traverse City.