From Ludington we went to the Traverse City area. We stayed
two nights at a Boondockers Welcome site that was excellent: shaded, flat
(mostly), quiet, and firewood was available for free, as was water. The spot
was called Old Mission Delight, and it was. We took in a couple wineries on the
mission peninsula and did some laundry while we ate at one of our favorite
breakfast places, The Omlettte Shop.
From T.C. we went to a Harvest Host winery/brewery, Burt Lake Brewerhy near
Indian River. They had great parking and some interesting beverage offerings:
wine from their own grapes, their own beer brews, and hard cider. The next
night we went around the corner a mile or two and stayed in Burt Lake State
Park for three nights. The first night was on a site with a view of the lake,
but we had to move to another site in the woods for our last two days. It was
OK, but I missed looking at the lake from the patio.
From Burt Lake we went to another Boondocker’s location near
Onaway, Michigan because it was on-the-way to where we were going. Bonz Beach
Farm and Sugar House was a real treat. It had several beautiful, shaded sites
with power if needed; we hooked up so we didn’t have to bug our neighbors with
our LOUD generator. The owner gave us a tour of the sugar house where they turn
the sap of 4,200 maple trees into maple syrup. Fascinating. We learned it takes
10 gallons of sap to make one quart of syrup. The process involves a lot of
boiling and an elaborate still to make the sap into syrup. Naturally, we took
some home with us as well as some of the produce they grow on the farm in the
clearings between the maple trees.
After the farm, we went a short way east to Lake Huron and
P.H. Hoeft State Park. This was not our favorite park. It sits back from the
shore of the lake, but it was a hike of about ½ mile to get to the beach from
our campsite – too far for either of us in our condition (Karen’s back and my
hip.) Hoeft is a more rustic state park than many with gravel roads and dirt sites
that are none too level. We took a day-trip a few miles down the road to Rogers
City to do laundry and visit a bakery we were told about. Mmmm-mmm. We ate our
treats at a park overlooking the lake while our laundry was finishing up. Then
we went inland a ways to Ocqueoc (Ahk-we-ock) Falls. It’s basically a miniature
version of the famous Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan’s upper peninsula. Crystal
clear, cold water cascades over ledges on its way to the lake. Lots of kids
were playing in it; we just watched. Brrr.
Now we are just outside Mackinaw City in a private campground. I thought we were getting full hook-up, but it's water and electric only. We haven't had full service since we left Zeeland three weeks ago. We are self-contained, so we can do rustic, but our small trailer has small tanks which means we can only spend three days maximum unless we severely ration our water use. Then we have to dump sewer and refill fresh water. Fortunately, Michigan State parks have dump stations to accommodate that. Here at the private campground, we can hook up to city water and electric, but we still have to dump the sewer when we leave.
Our site is at Tee-Pee Campground on the shore of the Straits of Mackinaw. At night we can see the lights of Mighty Mac, the five-mile bridge connecting the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan. We won’t be going to the island this year – been there; done that. Maybe next year. We like to hit Mackinaw City for the unique shops and the big discount clothing store. We usually can’t resist having afternoon “tea” in one of the places overlooking the water. When we leave here, it’s back into Internet wasteland for three days at Aloha State Park (strange name for a town in Michigan), then we trek back to Montague for our last week in Michigan before heading west.
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