That's the bridge over the channel that connects Lake Charlevois to the Great Lake. A sailboat was heading towards Lake Michigan, and its mast was too tall to fit under the bridge. So the road lights turn red, stopping the car traffic going over the bridge. Then the two sections of the road start to rise until they get to their full and up-right position. After the bigger boat goes through, several smaller yachts go through the opening as well.
Once all the boat traffic clears, the bridge goes back to its horizontal position, and we can cross the bridge into downtown Charlevoix.
We followed the water channel, to the end of the pier to see Charlevoix's view of Lake Michigan.
Of course, Denisa is going to have to be in a picture of the harbor light, standing on its staircase to no where.
We didn't have any plans in Charlevoix. But you can bet that we will follow a sign on the main road that points toward "The Mushroom Houses." What?!?
That's when a google search explained that Earl Young began building these unique homes in 1919. Over his fifty year career, he completed 26 homes using native stone and unusual curved roof lines. Above is the original mushroom house, while below is the "half house"--because the wall on the left looks like it literally cut the house in two.
Most of the houses use native stones, creative angles with the fences, and curved roof lines. Many of them have been turned into vacation rentals, including this one named, "The Thatch Roof House." You can rent it for around $1,000 per night.
Or if anyone is looking for a more permanent home right on the shores of Lake Michigan, this mushroom house is on the market for just $2.75 million.
While we were driving around town looking for mushrooms, we also found these dainty sweet pea flowers.
On the drive home from Charlevoix, we saw a sign on the highway pointing to an unusual farm. So of course, we followed the signs until we found ourselves at the Lavender Hill Farm. We've visited a farm like this last year on the west coast, and once again we have managed to be here at the wrong time. Harvest happened last month, so all the fragrant purple blooms have been cut to make lavender syrup, lavender sachet, lavender cookies, lavender soap, lavender ice cream . . . well, you get the idea.
We also made a road trip going north out of our home base in Petoskey. This time we are heading onto one of Michigan's iconic scenic roads--the "Tunnel of Trees." We weren't surprised to find that it looks like, well, a tunnel made of trees. Notice that the highway is too narrow for a middle stripe, even though it is a two-way road.
We have heard that this Tunnel of Trees can be beautiful when the foliage changes to its fall colors. Too bad we were about a month early for that view! Too good that we didn't have to deal with all the leaf peeper crowds on these narrow, winding roads. One of the few places to park off that narrow road was in the metropolis of Good Hart. The post office, general store, cafe, and real estate office are all housed in the same little red building. Even though the "world famous pot pies" served at the post office sounded good, we didn't fall into that temptation. We have other food plans today.
The 20-mile trip through the trees occasionally opens up to a view of Lake Michigan on our left. But very often, we found signs like the one below on our right--indicating another nature preserve. We weren't sure how to enjoy these preserves as there were no parking spots to get off our narrow road. But this section of Michigan is certainly being preserved.
We saw the light at the end of the tunnel of trees when we finally reached Cross Village. Just like everyone else in this busy parking lot, we have come for one reason--Legs Inn. That's a curious name for an inn, and we read later that it was given that name in 1920 when the Polish immigrant owner used a row of inverted stove legs to decorate the roof line.
With a reputation for the best Polish food in the state, the inside is decorated in eclectic local wood and Native American art. We ate the "hearty polish lunch" a combination plate of Polish words that are foreign to us. We got to try a little bit of everything--golabki (cabbage roll), three perogi (polish dumplings stuffed with potato, cheese, or meat), and bigos (hunter's stew). We love to order food that needs explanation in parenthesis.
The outside seating was the most popular on this beautiful-weather day. Mark is standing just outside the dining area.
That's where the famous Legs Inn gardens can be found, with lovely colors and places to sit. After the tunnel of trees, it's nice to have an unobstructed view of Lake Michigan.
Now that we have explored more of the gems of north Michigan, it's time to head on down the road to a new location. But we won't be there for long, as we have special travel plans!
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