OK, OK - - we’re home! Northern Michigan is known for it’s gorgeous vistas and beautiful lakes – NOT for having much wifi! That and we were busy!! Our last posting to the blog was not done until we returned home, so be sure to go back and read it also! Now, where were we??? Oh, yes - - the races!!
Sunday was our day to move from the Waterways so our little caravan moved on – actually up and over to park down the road from Mel and Donna’s log home on Carp Lake. The 2nd leg of the boat race was to begin at noon so we climbed into their van and hustled on down to the town of Indian River where H found us a good spot right in town and on a curve of the river to watch the boats race by! The day was getting sunny and warm so it was a good thing there was a gentle breeze coming up the river. And the spray from a close passing boat didn’t hurt either!! We were CLOSE!! This day’s race was 42 miles long and again started in Burt Lake. They went west thru Crooked River and Alanson, turning around in Crooked Lake, which is at the very end of the Inland Water Route. Back thru the Crooked River, across Burt Lake, thru the Indian River to a turnaround in Mullett Lake - returning once more thru Indian River and finishing up back in Burt Lake. The challenge of the 2-day course resides in the combination of lake and river waters. Drivers are required to maneuver their crafts around winding curves, thru rough-waved waters, all while watching for other boaters and docks, along with sand bars and broken stumps hidden beneath the surface of the water. There are 6 classes with drivers from ages 9 up to seniors; boats ranging from 10ft to 12ft, weighing from 290 lbs (for the 9 yr olds) to 505 lbs, and outboard engines from 15 cu in to Merc 55s. Speeds ranged from 45mph to 68 mph! There was even a class for inflatables and they had 2 orange bodies on board, steering or leaning to keep the boat level – or level as possible!!
After the race, Donna fed us well, as always! Before the sun was setting, we bid our friends goodbye again and headed south as far as Petoskey where we parked overnight for free in the well lighted, secure parking area of casino there. We “donated” our $1 to the penny slots and then went out to get a good night’s rest.
Monday started out in rain and a little fog but we finished the next leg of our journey in the sunshine to wait in line to get the next to the last non-electric camp spot available in the Platte River National Park Campground, just south of the Sleeping Bear National Dunes. This time we put the kayaks in the water up by the bridge and were both surprised at how much longer the ride was by boat than by car! We slid thru the clear waters on a swift currant most of the time and even paddled out onto the clear blue expanse of Lake Michigan. Of course that also meant we had to paddle back up stream a ways - against the strong currant to the boat ramp to take our trusty orange crafts out of the water!!
Tuesday, it was time to go exploring the neighborhood of Empire, the town just to the north. We found the beach and park complete with a petite white lighthouse. We saw signs that read Empire Bluff Trail and H agreed, after much persuading, to hike it to the overlook. He thought the sign said 1.5 miles each way but was actually the total of the round trip. To hear him whine and grump - - it was 11.5 miles each way!! The up and down hill hike was well worth the view - looking down thru the windswept trees at Sleeping Bear and the Lake Michigan shoreline. A drive further north thru Glen Arbor and around the lake there was completed with a stop at a local vegetable market that was an old blue Dodge pickup truck, parked by the side of the road, with a self serve money bucket in the bed, next to a pile of fresh picked sweet corn. Delicious!
No trip to that area can be done without a stop over at Silver Lake Dunes and a camping night at the city park in Hart. Of course, Wednesday afternoon was spent on the dunes! Thursday morning we headed down Rt 31 to US 96 and home. And you know the rest - - laundry, wash vehicles, empty trailer, weed the garden, pick tomatoes, etc, etc! Now – go read the blog that precedes this one!
