2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petoskey, MI

From 2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petosky

Tuesday July 13th we headed on a day trip toward Petoskey, Michigan.   On the way we took a short detour after we saw a sign for the McGulpins Point Lighthouse. 

From 2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petosky

This lighthouse went into service in 1869, but was only used for 37 years.  It became redundant when a lighthouse was built in Mackinaw City that provided a better light for both the west and east entrances to the Straits of Mackinac.  The local county bought the property a few years back and began restoration.  The iron top was rebuilt and installed just a year again in April 2009.  I read that many lighthouses still owned by the Federal Government are being decommissioned and will be sold over the next few years.  Wouldn’t it be neat to buy and live in one?  (But perhaps not that far north)

From 2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petosky

Before we had left, we had chosen a route that was marked scenic.  Since this road is along Lake Michigan, we thought we would have great views of the lake.

The route is known as “The Tunnel of Trees”,  It is a beautiful drive through a heavy canopy of trees. 

From 2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petosky

The road is winding, narrow and a bit of a challenge to drive.  We only had some occasional views of the lake.

Along the way, we spotted this group of people practicing polo.  Wish it had been a real match.  We would have stopped to watch having never seen one before.

From 2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petosky

From 2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petosky

We also drove past a golf course that is quite a distance from anywhere.  It was appropriately named The Wilderness Golf Course. 

The lovely town of Harbor Springs was our next stop.  We enjoyed lunch, a stroll through the town, and going into some of the shops.

From 2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petosky

The town was very clean and all the buildings were so well maintained.  We asked one shop keeper if there was a town ordinance about how frequently they needed to paint.  She said no it was just the pride of the town and shop owners.

From 2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petosky

Almost all shops had beautiful window boxes of flowers.

From 2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petosky

From 2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petosky

There were lovely homes

From 2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petosky

and this one is the town museum.

From 2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petosky

In Petoskey, we stopped at a park and enjoyed the beautiful view.

From 2010-07 Harbor Springs and Petosky

After a short drive through Petoskey, we headed back to the RV.  This time by a more direct route