… continuing on Lake Michigan
Including Petoskey Stones!
Leaving St. Ignace the morning of July 26, we went by one of the two buoys with bells that we’ve seen so far. A bell mounted on the buoy is rung by wave action, and the ringing provides an additional warning to mariners in fog or the dark. You could hear one ringing at night when we were in St. Ignace.
We travelled under the beautiful, four-mile long and 135-feet high Mackinac Bridge which spans the Strait of Mackinac. The cruise ship, “Pearl Mist,” that we’ve seen dock in Clayton before had just gone under the bridge (bottom right). Also caught a glance of the freighter, “American Mariner,” (not pictured) that we’ve seen on the St. Lawrence in the past.
Because the Little Traverse Yacht Club’s 2024 “Ugotta Regatta” was going on this weekend, we were fortunate to be able to get a slip anywhere in the area. Petoskey City Marina is a large and beautiful one, but many boats were here for the regatta, both to participate and to watch, so space was very limited. The pictures below show the breakwater (left) across from where we docked and some of the sailboats in the regatta. (There are t-shirts for sale in town that allow you to let the world know that you jumped off the Petoskey breakwater.)
Our dock was at the end of a long pier (top right below) that many people walked to enjoy the sunset, board a ferry, or just watch the kids jump off the breakwater. The view from our boat was magnificent, but the dogs didn’t appreciate the lengthy walk to the nearest grass or the ferry horns! The view of the clock tower below is looking back toward marina from nearby Bayfront Park leading to downtown.
Below is the view from the pier looking toward the clock tower and off to left side of shoreline.
The walk to downtown is well-marked and leads through a tunnel with a piano in it. Most of the times that we walked through the tunnel, someone was playing the piano, once with electronic accompaniment. To Dennis’s great delight, a West Marine store was within walking distance!
I remember vacationing in this area (Mackinac Island, Traverse City, Petoskey, Charlevoix) as a kid, so it’s nice to return as an adult. One thing that sticks out in my memory is the phenomenon of Petoskey Stones. The stones are said to actually be pieces of a live coral colony that lived in the saltwater seas covering Michigan 350 million years ago. The dark centers were the mouths of the coral while the lines about the eyes were the tentacles. God’s amazing craftsmanship! The stones, unique to the Great lakes, are found on the beaches of northern Michigan, chiefly in the Petoskey area – thus the name.
Hoping to make our way further down the coast of Michigan tomorrow, bright and early.