October 8
Our adventure will take us to visit with Dick's twin sister, Ruth, her husband, Stuart, his brother, Cliff, and his wife Nancy in Garden, Michigan where Ruth and Stu have a lovely home on Lake Michigan. This morning we began our journey, driving from Cincinnati through Indianapolis and north to South Haven, Michigan. Being anxious to see Lake Michigan, we drove to a beach where a group of men in wetsuits were surfing, using wind kites to keep them moving.
We drove on to Holland where we had dinner at Boatwerks, one of the nicest restaurants in town.
October 9
This morning we explored Windmill Island Gardens. Although it was closed for the season, it was open to the public to walk around the grounds. This was a delightful place to visit.
One of the awesome things about Holland is that the streets in the city are lined with lovely flowers.
From the historic district of Holland we drove to the park on the Lake Michigan shoreline where we enjoyed the lake and the beach and enjoyed photographing "Big Red", the famous lighthouse.
Our second night was spent in Whitehall where we drove west to the lake after dinner to see and photograph a spectacular sunset.
October 10We left Whitehall after breakfast and headed for Manistee. Always wanting to spend as much time near Lake Michigan as possible, we asked directions in Manistee as to how to drive to the lake. Following the directions of two local workmen, we drove a half hour, never finding the lake. Then we stopped to ask two women hikers which way to go and started out again for another fifteen minutes. We were totally lost and decided to try to find our way back to the highway. On this backroad, we suddenly came to a beautiful park with a lighthouse right on Lake Michigan!
Before spending the night in Petoskey, we enjoyed dinner at Northwood, a very typical restaurant in this part of Michigan.
October 11
Today we explored Boyne Mountain Resort and were pleased with the delightfully warm and pleasant weather. We even ate lunch outside at the 40 Acres restaurant in the resort complex.
Although it felt like summer, there were a few signs of autumn here. We thoroughly enjoyed walking the grounds of the resort and imagining what it would be like in the winter.
Back in Petoskey we relaxed by the bay where only few boats remained this late in the fall.
October 12
We left early to drive through the Tunnel of Trees north of Petoskey. This turned out to be a picturesque journey with some fun stops along the way.
October 13
This is our first view of Mackinac Island from lower Michigan. In a few days we will actually travel there by ferry from the town of St. Ignace.
Driving across the world famous Mackinac Bridge, linking lower Michigan to the UP (Upper Peninsula), is always an exciting experience. The Mackinac Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere with 7,400 feet of roadway suspended in the air over the straits of Mackinac. Total length of the bridge, including its approaches, is approximately five miles.
We are now on the last leg of our journey to the home of the Craigs, Stuart and Ruth, (Dick's twin sister), in Garden.
As we spent time driving west along Lake Michigan there were some spectacular scenes to photograph.
After driving across the shoreline of Lake Michigan, we finally came to the town of Garden and soon came to the long gravel road leading to Ruth and Stuart Craig's lovely home.
Views from inside and from outside the Craig's house looking toward Lake Michigan...
Here's the rocky beach between the Craig's house and Lake Michigan.
Our view of the Craig's house from the beach...
Dick's brother, Cliff, and his wife, Nancy, have arrived at the Craig's home from Indiana to spend the weekend, It was a memorable family weekend. Here Dick and Cliff are beginning to catch up on each other's lives.
Enjoying one of Ruth's delicious meals are Nancy, Andrew (their son), Cliff and Dick.
At the other end of the table are Judy, Stuart and Ruth.
October 16
Since we were having perfect weather, Ruth decided to take us to the home of a close friend who has a large garden with many kinds of vegetables , lots of apple trees and many pumpkins.
This tiny squirrel is very different from the gray squirrels that we have in Cincinnati.
On our way back to Ruth and Stuart's house, we stopped for Ruth to pick up their mail. Their mailbox is about two miles from their house.
Siblings--Ruth, Cliff and Dick
Cliff, Nancy and Andrew Rosene
Dick and Judy Rosene
Twins--Ruth and Dick--Then and Now
Nancy, Stuart, Ruth and Cliff
Ruth, Stuart, Dick and Judy
Cliff and his family left to drive back to Valparaiso, Indiana, this morning. Ruth and Judy went to the elementary school where Ruth volunteers to teach art. After lunch we all packed up and drove east to St. Ignace where we spent the night. The beginning of this trip was on the long road from their house to the highway, which was flooded after some rainy days.
October 18
This morning we boarded a ferry in St. Ignace to head for Mackinac Island to spend the day. The views from the ferry of St. Ignace with its fall color were quite beautiful. .
As our ferry approached Mackinac Island, the famous Grand Hotel loomed ahead on the hill. Mackinac Island is only three miles long and two miles wide with high cliffs fronting the shore. Transportation on the island is by horse-drawn carriage, bicycle or saddle horse. No motorized vehicles are permitted except a fire truck, an ambulance and a public utilities truck.
We were able to take front seats for a 1 1/2 hour horse-drawn carriage tour of the island, which turned out to be extremely worthwhile. Our guide was a college student who was very knowledgeable about the history and flora and fauna of the island. Although the day was a little rainy, we never had to use an umbrella or a poncho.
The island's resplendently Victorian style Grand Hotel dates from 1887. This awe-inspiring wooden structure both embraces its rich history and keeps up with the times. The hotel offers 390 guest rooms plus the longest porch in the world.
Fort Mackinac (pronounced MACK-in-awe) is a former British and American outpost, garrisoned from the late 18th century until the late 19th century. It is located on Mackinac Island. The British did not relinquish the fort until 15 years after American Independence. All fourteen buildings in the fort are restored and open to the public. They are furnished with period settings highlighting the building’s particular function or a themed exhibit.
In one of the museums, Dick and Ruth had fun portraying soldiers.
Here we became a
Revolutionary War family.
From the fort we watched our ferry arrive at the ferry terminal, and soon we were on the ferry heading past a wonderful view of the Mackinac Bridge and then back to St. Ignace.
We couldn't leave the UP without trying these meat pies or pasties for which the Upper Peninsula is famous.When Cornish miners migrated to Michigan's Upper Peninsula in the 1800's, they brought with them their beloved national dish: the pasty. Over the years pasties have become a favorite in the UP.
October 19
Saying good-by before leaving to cross the Mackinac Bridge back into lower Michigan...
October 20
After spending the night in Coldwater, Michigan, we decided to try to find the lane into Lake George where Judy's family had spent vacations every year when she was a child. We were successful and found the home, which is still in their family, where her great aunt and uncle spent their summers. Nobody was there, so we just meandered around the lake front taking pictures while Judy remembered many happy times there.
There were orchards along the lane to the lake even when Judy's family traveled there.
This lovely home was a summer cottage when Judy's family came here for summer vacations. As we walked along the lake front, memories of learning to swim, to fish and to row the rowboats came flooding back into Judy's mind. Hundreds of other memories of times with her great aunt and uncle also came to her. It was great to spend a little time there.
October 21
We had spent our last night in Indianapolis because driving in heavy rain had been too exhausting to drive another two hours yesterday. The trip home was pleasant as the rain had stopped. Our visits in the future will probably be in Chicago, which is about halfway between our homes. We are very glad we were able to make this journey.
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