Freighter House

Waking to a drizzly day, we decided to investigate going to Drummond Island. Looking for things to do on the way, people had mentioned something called the freighter house. Google maps showed the location, so we headed east.

Passing a gravel driveway, there did appear to be something boat like down there.

Walking down a path beside the property, we had surely found the freighter house.  It is the front end of a freighter placed on the shore.

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They have a great view of modern frieghters transiting from Lake Superior down to Lake Huron.

The house sits on a concrete slab, about two feet above the waterline.  Unfortunately, the place looked abandoned and was starting to fall into disrepair. This has the potential to be a terrific B&B or museum.

Heading back into town, we stopped at the State Harbor to see what facilities they had. There is good parking and a public restroom. Showers and washing machines are reserved for boaters, of which there were two.  In the off season, these harbors would be a great place to boondock if it was allowed.

A lone sailboat motored into the harbor during our visit.

Flags snapped in the harbor under breezy and damp conditions. All of the docks and facilities were nicely maintained.

Moving into town we found a little museum by the ferry dock. The docent was very pleasant, happy to talk about the town, and encouraged us to visit Drummond Island.

An old ship's radio, most recently licensed in 1940, illustrates what was required before solid state electronics. The output is listed as 50 watts.

The museum had models and photographs of the ships that served this village and Drummond Island.  The US Mail service once operate steamships like this one.

Leaving from the dock next to the museum, the Drummond Island Ferry prices and schedule are posted for all to see.

Beth checked the Michigan Vacation Guide and we decided to leave Drummond Island for another time when the weather might be more conducive to spending time outside.

Drummond Island Ferry Docking

Looking across the St Mary's River we could just make out the lighthouse on Drummond Island through the drizzle and haze.

On the way out of town we stopped at a roadside picnic area that had a great view of the channel.

De Tour Village had a bulletin board of things to do in the area. Here's a link to their tourism web site.

Red and green buoys mark a safe channel for pulling off the road.

Always looking for places to launch the kayak, Beth routed us to Caribou Lake for lunch. Another small roadside parking area allowed a nice view of the lake while we ate lunch inside, out of the rain.

Rain doesn't bother water birds much. A cormorant slowly swam by our window checking out what we were having for lunch.

Driving west for an hour brought us to Little Brevort Lake state forest campground. You can see the big orange pipe where we dropped our payment and form after picking a campsite. No credit cards are accepted, so remember to put old fashioned checks on your packing list to pay the $15/night fee.

Like De Tour State Forest, this campground was less than half full on an August Saturday night. Our site could have accommodated four camper vans.

Right across the road was the fresh water source.  I walked over to turn it off, since whoever used it last left it running. Learned that it is plumbed from a natural spring, so doesn't have a valve!

The state forest has some hiking trails from the campground, but we didn't explore in the rain.

Here's what Little Brevort Lake looks like from the picnic area across the road from our campsite. No motors are allowed on the lake, so it was peaceful and the only sounds were those of nature.