onward and northward....

 First some fun facts I learned on this trip: (1) Contrary to what European tour guides would have you believe, it is not necessary to be up and out by 7am to have a successful trip. (2) There are many Biggby Coffee shops in Michigan. (3) There are many. many, many trees in Michigan.  

But on to day two.  After spending our first night in Gaylord, we headed north toward Mackinaw City.  Well, north-ish. We took a left off I-75 toward Boyne City and Charlevoix, crossing the south arm of Lake Charlevoix on the Ironton Ferry, a five minute ride. Then on to Petoskey and eventually Mackinaw City.  This was a wonderful scenic drive with beautiful views of Lake Michigan and various bays.  In Mackinaw City we checked into the Clearwater Lakeshore Motel.  I will not name all the motels we stayed at along the way but this one deserves mention.  Our excellent second floor room had a balcony with a beautiful view of the bridge and Mackinac Island. And, to complete the experience, bonfires were lit on the beach in the evening, and chairs provided. While we enjoyed chatting with another traveling couple and watching the stars come out, a nice man came along and handed out toasting forks and all the fixings for S'mores. A delightful, delicious treat.  I was intrigued to notice that the marshmallows were flatter that usual, and rectangular, just the right size to fit on a graham cracker.  

One of our stops along the way on day two was at a lakeside campground my GPP remembered from his youth.  We took a drive through the woods on a one lane dirt track. Lumpy, bumpy and slow but dark, mysterious and fun.

This is the view from our balcony, slightly enlarged.