Petoskey, MI

31st July – 4th Aug: Days 114 – 118

Nick managed the drive over the 5 mile long Mackinac Bridge without too many vertiginous histrionics, and so we left the UP and headed south west to the shores of Lake Michigan on the Lower Penisula. The UP inhabitants call themselves Yoopers, and the the dwellers of the lower half of the state’ Trolls’. Because they live under the bridge. I don’t think the lower folk like this nickname. Our drive today was a not-too-exhausting 45 miles.

Everyone that we have met, who knows this area of Michigan, has waxed lyrical about the charms of Petoskey. It is a busy and affluent little lakeside town with lots of nice shops and eateries. The money here is obvious in the cars, the boats in the marina, the well preserved late 19th C weatherboard homes and the equally well preserved ‘ladies who lunch’. (For my Kiwi readers think leaving rural Northland and arriving in Devonport.) There is a great cycle trail, a State Park with a long sandy beach and Petoskey rock.

Petoskey rock? What’s that? I hear you ask. Let me tell you a story.

About 500 million years ago, when land was sea, the only ‘lunching’ in the area was being done by invertebrates and this area was populated by corals. Sh*t happened, and the corrals died and were turned to stone. Now hunks of  fossilised coral are gleaned from local beaches, polished up and sold to tourists. So their sacrifice was not in vain.  The end.

It really is a pretty and unusual stone and I bought a piece about the size of a chicken egg as a momento. Every great road-trip needs a Pet(oskey) Rock.

Our campsite was only a few hundred metres from the cycle trail, and an easy 3 mile pedal to town, 2 mile pedal to the State Park beach and 1 mile pedal to a craft brewery. A near perfect location.  We had one gloriously hot day and headed to the beach. Lake Michigan is much warmer than Superior and we eventually had our inaugural Great Lake Swim. With the brisk on shore breeze creating quite impressive little waves it felt a lot like the Med. Until you get a faceful of fresh water, that is. Just odd.

We had a day in Petoskey by bike. Walked the streets, had amazing sandwiches from a deli where the bread was so thick and light and fluffy that it was like eating a cloud, perused the boats in the marina, and admired the beautiful lakeside homes. Another day we cycled the 6 miles to the next town, Harbour Springs. This is a smaller, quieter but prettier version of Petoskey. We spent a few hours walking the streets, admiring the boats and homes but were less impressed with the sandwiches.  The Petoskey Brewing Company, of course, also had a visit from us.

Every where is busy now. Summer holidays are in full flow and the population is in full ‘recreating’ mode. We are having to book our sites a few weeks in advance to get in where we want to be, and this has slightly changed the ‘seat-of-the-pants’ flavour of the trip. We are still only meeting American travellers and holiday makers, with even this part of the states with all its amazing lakes not seemingly a destination for fellow foreigners.