We traveled the West side of Michigan for our Fall Color Tour. We towed Rudy and made our obligatory stop at Uncle John's Cider Mill just North of St. John's Michigan. Cider, pumpkin and buttermilk donuts and we continued. Up 127 to 10, across to 115 towards Cadillac and stopping for the night at Interlochen State Park. The view out our door was East on to Green Lake; near solitude. Clear skies at night, a bright moon, Jupiter rising in the East and the temperature dropping. The furnace warmed up our temperary abode. That was Sunday. On Monday, we left Rudy to its devices in the campground and headed upto Petosky and beyond, stopping and starting at every photo opportunity. From Petosky we took the "Tunnel of Trees" coastal road, county route 119, stopping at a nature preserve and a walk to the cobble stoned beach; Kathy in the foreground, Lake Michigan to her right and the forest to her left.
The scene of water and shoreline are at Torch Lake, some of the clearest water on the planet. Large fish, a half dozen or more, Muskellunge and Northern Pike swam in the shade of the dock. A sign posted the markings to tell the two types of Great Lakes Pike apart and gave the size and weight limits for catching and keeping. My experience with catching and eating Northern Pike was at Lake Tamagami in Northern Ontario, 50 years ago, on a canoe trip. One fish fed 4 boys. Two fish fed 6 boys and a man.
The scene of water and shoreline are at Torch Lake, some of the clearest water on the planet. Large fish, a half dozen or more, Muskellunge and Northern Pike swam in the shade of the dock. A sign posted the markings to tell the two types of Great Lakes Pike apart and gave the size and weight limits for catching and keeping. My experience with catching and eating Northern Pike was at Lake Tamagami in Northern Ontario, 50 years ago, on a canoe trip. One fish fed 4 boys. Two fish fed 6 boys and a man.
After a very long day of travel through forest, wilderness and seashore, dinner courtesy of Tom's ShopRite grocery store for a night campfire, and to bed. Tuesday morning I skyped with Leah, sitting in the open air, in a parking lot of Bud's Restaurant which had a electrical outlet and WiFi but wouldn't open until 8 AM. Cold as the dickens, but a heart warming talk with child #3 Down Under. Breakfast purchased to go, eaten on the picknick bench watching the sunrise over the Lake, hooked up Rudy and off to more Western Michigan county coastal roads. At Silver Lake we took the Dead End road to the Sable Point lighthouse, restored. Then more county roads to Muskeegen, bobbing and weaving over ancient sand dunes from Lake access to apple orchards vistas. Our final turn East, I-96, and heading home. A close, brief but long (698.5 miles) tour filled with memories and plenty of pictures, all within a 3 days reach. That's us, just hangin' out here and there.
