Days 36 – 37: Petoskey, MI

 

After a short drive south, we arrived at Hearthside Grove RV Resort in Petoskey, MI, a vacation Mecca along Lake Michigan.  Hearthside Grove is an ownership park and is top of the line with outstanding sites and landscaping.  George and Jan took us on a tour of the area including Harbor Springs, Bay View, and Charlevoix.  Harbor Springs is an exclusive, moneyed resort with grand Victorian homes, and Bay View was established by a group of Methodists in 1876-77 as a summer camp “for intellectual and scientific culture and the promotion of the cause of religion and morality.”  The chautauqua-like program continues today as the Summer Assembly.  The most remarkable views were of the “mushroom houses” in Charlevoix which seemed to be enlargements from a fairy village.  They were delightful!  We also had great views of the lake with many marinas.  Jan is a great tour guide, and we had a great tour.

On Friday morning we bicycled along the lake in Harbor Springs and enjoyed seeing the grand homes, afterwards meeting George and Jan at Stafford’s Pier Restaurant on the lake for a very enjoyable lunch.  After lunch we drove to Petoskey and bicycled on the Little Traverse Wheelway, a paved trail mostly along the lake, and then explored some shops in Petoskey.  Unfortunately, when we left the coach in the morning, we forgot the camera.