View from our campsite @ Aune-Osborne CG

When we arrived at Aune-Osborne city owned CG we thought we were getting a site on the water. We did but the site only allowed backing in. That would give us a view of our rear closet.  We asked for a site that would afford us a view and fortunatly, they were able to accomodate us. Here's the views from our rig complete with a nice dog walk lawn that leads down to the river.
The bench in front of our rig and on the water is a favorite gathering place for the campers to sit and watch the ships go by.  We dragged a couple of our lawn chairs down to the water along with a bottle of wine and two glasses and joined the folks doing pretty much nothing.  Great fun - very relaxing.

Heading to the Upper Peninsula

We headed towards the UP with high wind warnings for the bridge. Fortunately they didn't materialize and we only had to dodge the highway cones as they closed 1/2 of the lanes ( one each way in sections ) for repair work. The trip over was under cloudy skies but was uneventful.

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A Round at The Mackinaw Club

You can't beat a $10 round of golf and that included a cart........What a deal!

Ted and Jan enjoyed meeting Ron and Phyllis Derksen from Palmerton, PA. They were both golfers, so Ted enjoyed two afternoon outings with them.

Last views of Mackinaw area

Lilacs...lilacs everywhere on Mackinaw Island. The original plantings were done by the French. We happened to be on the island during the islands annual Lilac Festival, which includes parades and other celebration events.

View of Fort Mackinaw from the departing Star Ferry.

The Grand Hotel.

Mackinaw Bridge's night lights as seen from our campsite.

Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island

The Grand Hotel is one of the largest and most visible landmarks on Mackinaw Island. The hotel was opened in 1887 and has the longest colonial porch in the world.

View from the Cupola Bar on the top floor of the Grand(4th floor)

Island visitors can access the grounds before 5pm....after that you must be in "Formal Dress"!!!

Using "horse power" to see the area around the Grand Hotel.....

Fort Mackinac on Mackinaw Island, MI

The fort on Mackinac Island came into existence because of British military planning. The fort and island became U. S. territory as a result of the American victory in the revolution.

At Mackinac Fort visitors are able to see historic interpreters in authentic costumes, observe 1880 American soldiers loading & firing a cannon and walk through some of Michigan's oldest buildings.

Mackinac Island Carriage Tour

We opted to take the Carriage Tour, which hit all the island's high points and the guides gave us some good background on the history.

Arch Rock located in Mackinac Island State Park, which encompasses over 80% of the island.

Michimackinac or "Great Turtle"

Scenes around Mackinaw Island.  Fudge is the island's primary industry, and about 10,000 pounds of the creamy confection are sold every day.

No motorize vehicles are allowed on the island. So you see "horse" and "bike" power. Motorized vehicles have been banned since 1898.

Mackinac Island Arrival

We took the Star Line Hydro-Jet to the island. Fast 20 min service both ways. They make over 65 round trips a day between Mackinaw City and the island.

We had a top side view on a beautiful day.

Round Island Lighthouse at the entrance to Mackinac Island's harbor. The light perched at the end of a sandy point was built in 1895 & went through a major restoration in the mid-1980s.

Hotel gardens right next to Star Line's docking area.

On The Road To Mackinaw City

View of Mackinaw Bridge peaking through the fog from I75 right before Mackinaw City exit.

View from our campsite in Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground.

Sunset 1st night in the area.

Saturday morning dawned with picture perfect weather for our trip to Mackinaw Island. The bridge as seen from our campsite.