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August 24, 2012  Day 105     Charlevoix, MI    Total miles to date:  1975.7

This was our second day in Charlevoix. We made one trip to the grocery store together and then Joyce made a second trip while Bill cleaned the outside of the boat. Not a bad deal! You can tell we are getting ready for our company who arrive tomorrow. Joyce worked on the inside after returning from the store.

Charlevoix is a very busy harbor. There is a ferry boat and a tour boat docked here.  To leave Lake Michigan, you enter Pine River and that takes you into Round lake and then Lake Charlevoix lies just beyond this. We started talking to one guy who is a licensed captain. He delivers boats to people and also acts as captain of their boats.  He remembered delivering our boat in 1989 when it was new! Small world!

Mushroom House

Mushroom House

Another!

After the rain showers stopped we were able to get out and walk around the city.  Our main goal was to see the well known “Mushroom Houses” designed and built by Earl Young as early as 1938 and continuing into the 1970’s. His signature rooflines, chimney tops that look like frosting on a cake, cedar shake roofs, and stone fireplaces make these dwellings quite charming and are a must see when in Charlevoix.  We are sure the residents of these homes are used to having cameras pointed at them.




Beaver Island ferry leaving Charlevoix

We then walked along Lake Michigan and followed Pine River back into the entrance of the harbor. A ferry boat was just coming under the open bridge on its way to Beaver Island. We are glad we did not have to pass him yesterday in this narrow entrance.



Our marina has a nice fountain
that is usually full of children running through it
 

We walked along Bridge Street in the main shopping area. There are many nice shops from clothing to art galleries to specialty food shops. Charlevoix does have many tourists, but the shops are more upscale. You will not find a myriad of t-shirt shops here.  (But yes, there is fudge.) We came back to the boat and had pizza and continued with a few more boat chores.  Bill also chatted with our neighboring Looper from Sweden for a while.

We will depart early Saturday morning and travel 40 miles to Traverse City and pick up Bill’s brother, Chuck and our sister-in-law Becky. We are so happy that they will join us going down the coast of Michigan and across to Chicago. They drove from Louisiana to St. Louis to visit her family; are flying to Traverse City, and will take the train from Chicago back to St. Louis. That is quite the trip!