The first weekend in October, we went to Michigan to see friends and family and go up to Mackinaw. We stayed the first several days in Howell which put us in the center of Uncle Manley, Bob and Valerie Keesee, and Steve and Debbie Moore. We got to see Manley Saturday morning, the Keesee’s for Saturday dinner, and the Moore’s for church and Sunday afternoon. It was great to see each one!

We stayed at Taylor Beach in Howell. It’s more of a full time summer vacation spot but had a couple of openings for transient visitors. Our first spot was not level so we moved to one that was up closer to the office. That spot was very good with very friendly neighbors. The center of the campground looks like it would be very active and noisy during the summer.

Monday, we left for Mackinaw Mill Creek campground. It was a long uneventful drive up with slightly cloudy weather. It was actually warmer weather up north than down near Lansing. Our spot was across the campground road to Lake Huron. Mackinac Island was directly north of us and very visible across the straight with the bridge visible to the west.

We made a fire at the beach one evening and enjoyed clear skies for a couple of hours. We had a clear view of the Big Mack bridge with the big dipper. A front moved in and clouds obscured the moon and stars so we called it a night.

The ferry service had a shuttle to the campground and we were able to put our bikes on their trailer to get the first ride over to the island on Tuesday. The ferry took a detour under the bridge before turning east toward the island. High winds over the bridge was limiting truck traffic to 20 mph and I timed trucks taking 20+ minutes to cross the bridge.

The island, of course, does not have any motorized vehicles. Carriages, walking, and bicycles are the main forms of transportation. Main street had many shops still open- they close down for the winter at the end of October.

A state highway, M185 which is a paved bike and carriage road, circles the island and is 8.3 miles around. The water was so clear and blue- the color reminded us of the Bahamas! But the temperature reminded us we were in Michigan! We had bought warm hats and gloves in town before we started around the island.

We completed the circuit and after lunch, road through the center of the island, around the fort and the top of Arch Rock and Sugar Loaf.

We certainly tired ourselves out with riding around and over the island (20+ miles).

We drove over to Wilderness State Park and found a point on Lake Michigan. The weather was much cooler with a stiff breeze so we didn’t spend a lot of time there.

The leaves were just about peak color for our drive south. This is from the campground the morning we left.

Halfway home, we stayed at a Harvest Host winery and got some ciders.

Again, we drove directly to Round Lake to meet our new friends for a weekend of camp fires and good conversation.