2012 Summer Michigan Vacation

Last year at this time, my wife Sue and I decided to explore the "West Coast" of Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, to check out what all was there to enjoy. The trip was short, but we found plenty of things to see and do. Fast forward to Summer 2012 and a visit to Michigan was booked again, including a trip to Mackinac Island.

The trip was to include a day drive from Waterloo, IA to Traverse City, MI on Friday, July 20th, where we'd stay for two nights, and explore the City as 

well as the wineries and sights in the Northwest Region of the state. Sunday afternoon we would head north to Mackinaw City, our base for two nights while we visited Mackinac Island on Monday (July 23rd). On the 24th, we would begin our travels back toward Iowa with an overnight stay at the North Star Mohican Casino (between Green Bay and Wausau, WI), and then back to Waterloo thru Dubuque on Wednesday, July 25th. 

Day 1

On the road at 6am (starting time for any Smith Vacation), traveling East to Dubuque, then South to the Quad Cities to avoid as much of I-80 as possible. No way to avoid the Chicago/South Lake Michigan traffic. As usual, WAAAY congested, and some insane drivers as we passed into Indiana. To settle the nerves, we decided to take a break in New Buffalo, MI with a lunch at the Stray Dog Bar and Grille. But what has now become a semi-tradition with the Smith vacations, we arrived to find the Stray Dog closed... Due to Fire! Yes, when we pulled up to the restaurant, the building was surrounded by temporary fencing, and several police and fire officials on scene.
Hoping this wasn't a harbinger of how the trip was going to turn out, we headed on, and found the Silver Beach Pizza Co. restaurant.  Located on the edge of a park along the beaches of Lake Michigan, a couple cold beers, and a small pizza while watching the families enjoy a beautiful Summer Day revitalized us to press on.

After a traffic backup, a detour, and 11 hours on the road, we pulled into the parking lot at the Travelodge of Traverse City. After checking in, it was time to check out our 1st casino stop of the trip - Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel. Our usual luck prevailed, and we left down $25.... Having gambled our dinner money away, it was time to find an ice cream shop to at least have dessert! Day 1 is in the books.

Day 2 

The focus of Day 2 was the Art in the Park festival in Petoskey. Petoskey, MI is located about an hour north of Traverse City, along the eastern shores of Lake Michigan. Our drive, in some off and on rain sprinkles, took us along the coast of Lake Michigan, and the city of Charlevoix. Even at 7:30am, Charleviox was already filled with people, admiring what appeared to be a custom car rally along main street. From Charlevoix to Petoskey, was a fabulous bike trail, passing thru park areas, beach fronts, and wooded landscapes. Those of you who enjoy biking trails throughout the countryside, Western Michigan and particularly the Traverse City to the Petoskey area is one to check out. 

Since we left Traverse City early, we decided to scope out a breakfast stop in Petoskey before the Art Festival opened. Found a little shoppe - Roast and Toast,  to grab some coffee and sweet roll.

Downtown Petoskey has alot of specialty shops and with a great waterfront park. Nestled on the edge of the downtown shops and the residential homes is Pennsylvania Park, where the art vendors were assembled for the Festival. Everything from framed art, and photos to jewelry and pottery was on display. It was an overcast morning, and mid-60's so it was a great morning to check them all out. 

After some jewelry purchases, we loaded up to head back down toward Traverse City. The rains started moving in... Good excuse to try our 2nd casino stop of the trip - Odawa Casino and Resort. Another $10 invested into the local community!

From Petoskey, we headed back down to Traverse City, and up the western side of Grand Traverse Bay near Suttons Bay. It was time to check out some local wineries. 1st stop was the L. Mawby Winery. This particular winery focused on sparkling wines. The "fan favorite" here was "Sex" - a Brut rose sparkling wine... The story goes that several people, after tasting it, said it was "better than sex", so they decide to rename it just that - Sex!



From L. Mawby, we traveled a few miles to the Forty Five North Winery. Located in Leelanau County, this winery is on the 45th parallel, the same as the Bourdeau region of France. Shortly after our tasting was finished, two bridesmaids groups arrived in limos.... Time to move on! 

Not far away, in Leland, Michigan, is a place called "Fishtown". Located along the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, this little village has a quaint harbor, as well as several shops, restaurants and galleries... even "Rick's Tavern" at The Cove restaurant, dockside to the Carp River. After some photo taking and some souvenir shopping it was time to hit the road back to Traverse City. 

Dinner plans for saturday night was The Mackinaw Brewing Co. Located in downtown Travese City, it is one of 2 breweries serving hand-crafted brews and a wide variety of food. After a couple beers and a tasty sandwich, it was time to head back to the Travelodge... Day 2 was officially in the books.

Day 3

Day three's goal was to check out the Mission Peninsula North of Traverse City, and then to wander the roads north thru Harbor Springs, checking out and wineries and any interesting sites along the way, before winding up at our hotel in Mackinaw City. With our usual early start (7am), our plans called for finding a little cafe for breakfast. Our drive started up the Mission Peninsula coast line of the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay, then inland, to the Old Mission Lighthouse. Of course, only a couple possible places that might serve some sort of breakfast, weren't open. So we opted for exploring the Old Mission Lighthouse, and the coastline around it. The water level in Grand Traverse Bay was extremely low, allowing you to walk 1/4 mile out from the lighthouse. We came upon a gentleman sitting on the bench overlooking the Bay. He explained he's the volunteer Lighthouse caretaker for the week. His role is to do grounds maintenance, answer questions by visitors, and oversee the grounds, after the park closes. Sounds like an interesting experience!

By now, it was 11am, and time for our 1st wine tasting stop of the day at Chateau Grand Traverse . This winery also manages an Inn for those looking for accomodations perched high on a hill overlooking vineyards, orchards, and spectacular views of Grand Traverse Bay. With Sue's tasting done (I had alot of driving to do that day), and a bottle of wine purchased, it was time to start working our way back to Traverse City, and North to the Harbor Springs area. There were some amazing homes, condos and resorts in this area along Lake Michigan.

Our next winery stop of the day was a neat place - Harbor Springs Vineyards and Winery. 

This place started as a family farm, that was opened to families to visit and enjoy the farm experience. From that, a farm market was opened, selling all organically grown/raised farm products. The farm evolved further to include a restaurant that served meals made from product grown on the farm. The farms next step  was to start a winery! The server we had was from Virginia, and had applied to be part of this farming experience. He plans to graduate this year, and intends to return to the Virginia area, where he hopes to, with his parents, build and run a similar farm there. Here's a few photos from this experience!

From here, we hit the "Tunnel of Trees" (Michigan Hiway M-119). This route hugs the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan through a dense forest. On one side you get glimpses of old summer cabin homes tucked back in the forest and on the other side you get brief glimpses of the Lake Michigan shoreline. This is a very narrow and twisty road and is literally one of those roads that you always see photos in travel magazines that make you crave to drive down. You look ahead of you down the narrow tunnel of trees road and cannot help but wonder what will be around the next curve.

And sure enough, suddenly, as we exit the Tunnel of Trees, the Legs Inn appears. Legs Inn is a "monument to nature." Built on a high bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, it is unique and mysterious as seen in its architecture and decor. The fantasy-like atmosphere of this medieval looking stone, timber and driftwood landmark was created by one man, Polish immigrant, Stanley Smolak. He fell in love with Northern Michigan and its people, many of them Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and decided to settle in Cross Village in 1921. We had to stop and check it out... and have our 1st "Polish" Bloody Mary - Potato Vodka, extra spicy, and swizzle stick loaded with stick sausage, olives, and a dill pickle!

Time for the final leg (no pun intended) of the trip up to Mackinaw City, and our hotel - Holiday Inn Express, and of course our usual "Sunday Night pizza" at the Mackinaw City Pizza Palace. Day 3 is in the books. Day 4 - Mackinac Island!

Day 4

The morning started out with our ferry ride to Mackinac Island. We chose the 8:00am ferry, as it is one of two rides that diverts from the direct route, and makes a pass under the Mackinac Bridge. It was a gorgeous morning, with clear skies. Monday Morning was also the day where the the Chicago Yacht Club's 104th Race to Mackinac sail boat race. The boats started at 3pm on Friday, and sail round the clock until they reach Mackinac Island. As we passed under the bridge, you could see several sail boats from the competition. We learned that over 350 sail boats participated, and from the looks of the the Mackinac Island Harbor after noon, they all made it (and were celebrating BIG TIME)!

As was anticipated, the Island's main street is quite the site. Being early, it wasn't totally filled with people, so you could see the homes, shops, and resorts, in all their splendor. Horse drawn carts delivering supplies for the day were all over. Really interesting! Since it was to be a hot day we opted for the carriage tour of the Island rather than the bike rental. As we would see during our tour, having to climb some pretty intimidating hills (had to stop and let the horse rest on the way up), it was a good choice!


We exited the carriage tour when we arrived at Fort Mackinac. Amazing views from the walls of the Fort, and some really interesting displays of the life at the Fort when it was operating. The photos shows the demonstration of the firing of one of the original cannons (no, no cannon ball was fired, just the process for cleaning, loading and firing).






From the Fort we walked to the arguably the main attraction of the island - The Grand Hotel, and its sprawling porch overlooking the town and the Mackinac Strait. The facility and the grounds are stunning. Of course to enjoy all of it, you either need to have a hotel reservation (upwards of $400 per night), or pay $10/person to wander the hotel lobby, the front porch, and the hotel grounds. We opted for the latter.... The porch has amazing views, and the breeze was comofrtable. Definitely a place you would hang out alot, if staying there (Note the Coca Cola vendor on the 3 wheeled bike).

It was nearing noon, so time for lunch and a few refreshments. The walk down the hill reaffirmed our choice not to rent bikes, as we passed several who were already walking their rentals on the climb up the hill. One of guides on the carriage tour recommended Goodfellows for a good place to grab a lunch. It had covered outdoor seating along one of the downtown side streets. Most enjoyable having some cold beers and a sandwich, while watching the sites and sounds of the downtown.

It was time to do the unavoidable - shopping. Couldn't leave the Island without some "Island wear"... By now, it was getting hot, and crowded... So after a few stores, and a t-shirt and sweatshirt in our possession, we set out walking along Main (Huron) Street, past the Harbor, and the other Inns and bed and breakfasts on the Island. I mentioned earlier about the sailboats heading into the Harbor. By now it was packed. Although you can't see it in the photo, many of the yachts were now floating parties. Definitely a good time being had by all!

After another cold beer at a roadside restaurant, in front of the Mission Point Resort, it was time to head back to the Ferry Launch, and head back to Mackinaw City. The Island was an amazing attraction, and a must see for everyone.

The heat and the sun definitely wore us out. So after picking up some famous Mackinac fudge to bring home, we headed back to the hotel to crash. Day 4 is in the books!

Day 5

Day 5 began the journey back to Waterloo, traveling through the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin, and stopping at the North Star Mohican Casino Resort near Bowler, WI. This Northern route back to Iowa is a wonderful drive. You start with a trip over the Mackinac Bridge (a must for everone), followed by a drive thru the Upper Peninsula (UP), enjoying the beauty of the North Shore of Lake Michigan and the limitless acres of forests








We opted to take a slight detour North up to the shores of Lake Superior, and the town of Marquette, MI. Like many of the cities on the Great Lakes, Marquette has created a fabulous green space along their harbor, with downtown shops and restaurants overlooking the harbor area, and trails that provide a scenic bike ride (or walk) along the Lake up to (and thru) Presque Isle Park. We stopped to enjoy Bloody Marys at the L'Attitude Cafe. The cafe is right across from the harbor , and provides a great view of the Lake.



From Marquette, we headed Southwest into Wisconsin, to our overnight destination - North Star Casino Resort, near Bowler, WI. This was a first for Sue and I, staying in a casino resort (other than in Las Vegas). This resort is between Wausau and Green Bay, with the closest town about 10 miles away. So whatever you need or want, it'd better be at the casino!

After checking in, we joined their rewards program, which, with the overnite package, and the fact we were "seniors" (over 50), we were able to each get $20 in free play. So we burned up the slot machines for a couple hours. It was definitely "Senior Day" there. We had to be the "youngest" Seniors in the place!

Of Course I happened to sit next to an 88 year old lady who told me I was good luck for her (she it a $75 win after I sat down). She told us "we had to do the buffet with their fried chick and fabulous stuffed peppers". We decided quit while we were ahead, and take her advice. We sat down to eat (and of course have a couple "cold ones") with all the other seniors before calling it a night. The good news was Sue had parlayed here $20 into $130, and I was still up $10. All in all a nice relaxing Day 5.

Day 6

The final day of our trip arrived, with a drive from Bowler, WI back to Waterloo. Nothing special planned the day, other than just "getting home". We started off with breakfast at the Casino. Being earlybirds, we and two others had the place to ourselves. Huge plates of food... definitely a good start for the day.

I couldn't leave the casino without one more trip to the machines, and matching Sue's luck. Sure enough, the magic casino fairy blessed me with another $120, ending up $130 for the stay, and Sue up $100. Definitely a nice way to end the vacation.

We arrived home to the 104 degree temperatures about 3pm, in time to rescue Chester (our dog) from the kennel. It was a wonderful get away. If your're ever looking for an area in the Midwest that will surprise you with its scenery and entertain you with its offerings, check out Western and Northern Michigan, and of course Mackinac Island. You'll be glad you did!

If you are interested in seeing more photos from our 2012 Michigan Trip, click here