We said our goodbyes and hope to see you soon this morning and reluctantly, left Torch Lake to head on further north towards Mackinaw City, by the “scenic route”.

This was via Charlevoix, where a community group plants flowers along every roadside and maintains them through the summer.  How pretty!

It was also where there was a sudden obstruction on our route in the form of the lifting bridge over the waterway in between the small lake and Lake Michigan.  A small pleasure cruiser was coming through and we were happy to wait and take in the view!

Our first stop was Petoskey, famed for the fossilised stones which bear the name.

Here was a cute little shopping street; quiet because it’s Sunday morning, but livening up in the hour or so we were there.

Needless to say, we couldn’t resist the invitation to drop by this little shop!

The bookshop a few doors down was pretty nice too and we enjoyed browsing some different reading suggestions.

I spotted a book about the storm we’d learned about whilst driving through the Sleeping Bear Dunes, where fallen trees still remained, some years later.

Someone spotted a book which he liked the look of and with a birthday coming up, a purchase was made. 

So all in all, a pleasant Sunday morning in Petoskey.  Where next?

We set off, noting the small lighthouse, and followed the road around the coast.

The clouds were coming in and it didn’t look too promising, but we know now how quickly the weather can change and didn’t worry too much about it.

Our next stop was Harbor Springs, another delightful small town with a collection of lively shops and cafes.  We browsed in and out of them and, finding a pretty cardigan/jacket in one, I thought I was about to spend my “Sunday Dollars”.  But thankfully I noticed a small hole in the collar just in time – a shame they didn’t have another.  They did have a very sweet Michigan cushion though, which might just inspire a road trip souvenir when we are home!

A flowery table in the sunshine and the promise of ice cream seemed a great idea, so we put our feet up and watched the world go by for a while before jumping back in the car for the next thing on our list.

Seeing this barn with a quilt on it reminded me what I had intended to look out for on the way to Charlevoix this morning!  We’d driven that road when out to dinner last night and spotted a barn quilt just before the “Welcome to Charlevoix” sign.  This morning, as we passed that sign, I knew there was something I was supposed to spot, but could I remember what?!   Never mind.

Anyhow, the next attraction was the “tunnel of trees”.  Very beautiful it was too, reminding us of home…

The Legs Inn is a landmark, recommended by our friends and judging from the car park, was a popular spot for lunch.  There was an interesting menu outside, complete with the Polish specialities the Inn is known for.

We’d imagined this as a great place to stop for lunch except, standing here right now, we couldn’t imagine how we might manage it.  It was a daft decision to eat ice cream, wasn’t it?

See the “legs” on the roof?  (The table legs, of course – I don’t know the significance of the silhouette)

So, with a change of plan we might regret later, we continued to dawdle our way to Mackinaw City, following Gill Road at one point.

It was quite clear when we were almost there!

We couldn’t resist stopping to take a look at the beautiful lake from this little beach.

Though this isn’t Lake Michigan any more.

The Mackinaw bridge crosses the strait between Lakes Michigan and Huron and is the dividing line.

So I put my feet into the (cold) Lake Huron and ticked that one off.

From here, with the aid of my zoom lens, I could see where we’ll stay tomorrow night.

But for now, we’ll enjoy the sunshine here in…

No, I have no idea how to pronounce it either.  I’ll stick with Mackinaw City.