Mackinaw City seemed to be the typical tourist trap with broad streets lined with tee shirt shops and other stores of every variety. You could Build a Bear, buy a coat of armor, or buy something for your pet. Then, of course, you could gain 10 or 20 pounds by eating the variety of popcorn, candy and fudge that was offered from about every third store that you pass. The Michigan area is home to a family of fudge makers by the name of Murdick. On one street in Mackinaw City alone there were several fudge shops, most of which displayed the Murdick name. Although difficult, as Chris is a chocoholic and has been known to binge from time to time, she and Jay held fast and continued past all the enticing, delectable sweets.
Just as much of a chocoholic as Chris is, Jay is a Coastieholic and touring the Icebreaker Mackinaw was an absolute must. Jay was very impressed with the crew-comfort layout of the vessel. The ship was built to operate solely in the Lake Michigan/Huron area and was too large to fit through the locks leading from them to the ocean. Having lived in fresh water its entire life resulted in minimal rust and the ship looked as if it had just been launched. Throughout the vessel were knowledgeable staff and videos which explained the duties of the ship and crew. To Jay’s surprise Chris was most interested in the engine room and the length and breadth of a single piston which seemed comparable to the size of her leg! She was in awe that there were 10 of them in each of six diesel engines that propelled the 290 foot long 5,000 plus ton ship. Funny that she could go from appreciating the beauty of flowers to the engineering of a ship with such ease.
This piston was nearly 3 feet long!!
The Mackinaw in bristol fashion.
There were other attractions in Mackinaw City such as a fort, golfing and a lighthouse, but the call of other areas beckoned and they submitted by embarking on several day trips. Cheboygan, located just to the east, was one destination. As Chris and Jay were preparing to leave for the day, there was an unexpected knock on the door. To their surprise, an old Coast Guard friend of Jay’s, Bill Karcagi, who served with him in isolated duty at Port Clarence, AK, in 1964, and his wife, Carol, were at the door. Jay had not seen him since their duty time together and certainly didn’t expect him to show up at his doorstep, but they had kept in touch via e-mail and he and his wife were visiting relatives in the area. They had called repeatedly but with the lack of adequate cell phone signals Jay never received the messages. So, they decided to take a chance and find us at the State Park where we were staying. The rest of the morning was spent catching up and making arrangements to meet again later in the week.
Bill and Carol with Jay.
Jay had always heard about Cheboygan as being a loyal Coast Guard town and home to the Icebreaker Mackinaw. The most interesting feature they found was the old Cheboygan County Sheriff’s residence and jail which dated from the 1880s and the Historical Museum in an adjacent building. A surprisingly knowledgeable, for his age, young high school boy guided them through the museum which housed a wide assortment of items from the past in segregated sections. He explained about the area’s logging industry and Indian culture. Jay marveled at a display containing an old movie projector and film splicer, which took him back to his high school days when he operated a similar one at the theatre his Dad managed. Other displays contained a plastic form machine, a complete old-time Doctor’s office, and a section with an assortment of old kitchen utensils and appliances – some of which were familiar to Chris.
The tour continued into the Sheriff’s residence and adjoining jail by the Director of the facility. The building contained items that Chris and Jay had never seen before, except maybe in a movie, and all were in remarkably good condition. In the kitchen was a round, top-loading ice-box that had been locally made. The dining room displayed a chime (kind of a mini xylophone) that was used to call the family to dinner and on the floor in the parlor was a black box holding Whist (or Hwist) card trays, the game that preceded the more popular modern day card game of Bridge. The jail cells contained an even greater variety of items from the County’s past but the one they got the biggest kick out of was the Permanent Wave Machine which looked like something out of a Jekyll and Hyde movie.
Chris was glad she never had to use one of these!
A guide book mentioned the twenty mile long section of Rt. 119 dubbed the Tunnel of Trees that literally enclosed the road in a dense canopy of trunks and foliage. Narrow driveways branched off periodically and disappeared in the shadowy depths beyond; the predictably marvelous homes at their terminus out of view. The road snaked along the western coastline of the mainland toward the quaint, seaside towns of Petoskey and Charlevoix, Chris and Jay’s destination for the next day. They were to meet Bill and Carol Karcagi at an art festival in Charlevoix but got side-tracked along the way.
Their first detour was in a tiny cross-roads town aptly named Cross Village. An unusual, stone building caught their eye and they had to stop to investigate. It was the Legs Inn – named for the stove legs that trim the roofline of the building. It was built, on a high bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, by a Polish immigrant in the 1930s with local stones and timber and is accented with furniture and decorative objects he fashioned from tree roots and driftwood which he carved, sanded and finished into works of art. The immaculately maintained gardens overlooking the Lake brimmed with colorful flower beds and greenery making it a very inviting location for dining or maybe even wedding!
This door was just a sampling of the unique items inside.
Their second detour was to a pie shop near Petoskey that Bill and Carol had raved about. For Jay and Chris pie had become a near staple of their diet and they eagerly stopped at these tiny, small-town shops as the creations were usually the most delectable delights their taste buds had ever experienced. The House of Pies in Oden, MI was no exception. Carol had recommended the peach-blueberry pie but Chris and Jay had difficulty passing up anything containing raspberries – so they bought both and decided to have pie for lunch! Although scrumptious, they were not expecting the richness of these majestic pastries and had difficulty finishing the modest portions they had planned to consume. They continued their journey to Charlevoix contentedly full and rode the sugar high for the rest of the day.
By the time they arrived in Charlevoix Bill and Carol had already eaten and toured the art festival but they took some time to chat on a street corner while Carol shared samples of sweets she had acquired at a nearby shop. Just what Jay and Chris needed – more sugar! But they burned it off while perusing the various crafts at the festival and decided to try the fare at the Legs Inn on their way home. Unfortunately they were disappointed in the food and didn’t know if it was because they were not accustomed to the Polish palate or if it was just done poorly. Despite this experience, overall they were completely satisfied with their stay in the area and in mid-August were ready to move south to Traverse City.
