Fisherman, Mushrooms, and a Castle

Juxtaposed between nature and industry, Fisherman's Island State Park, just outside of Charlevoix, MI was our base for two nights.

A swan glides behind a sandbar protecting it from the waves and freighters on Lake Michigan.

At $15/night, a campsite with a view of the lake was a bargain. We're loving the solar panels and new batteries that enable camping without the need for electrical connections.

Look left on the beach and everything is natural.

Look right and you see the towers for a quarry and cement plant. Sounds of work in the quarry can be heard close to the park entrance, so try to get a site further in if available.

Plans for the day were to circle the two lakes that connect to Lake Michigan in Charlevoix.

In Charlevoix, access to Lake Michigan and the protected inner harbor are through this Double Leaf Bascule Bridge over the Pine River that first opened in 1949.

The Pine River entrance is marked by this red lighthouse and green marker.

Beth's sister Judy mentioned we might like looking for the "Mushroom Houses" scattered around Charlevoix.

Earl Young designed and built 31 houses in the area using natural stone and curved lines.

The houses are worth seeing and would make any Hobbit proud to call them home.

Even the smallest houses have great personality.

An old motel was being completely redone in stone and is being named "Hotel Earl" in Young's honor.

Before leaving town, we spotted one of the local black squirrels.

Driving around Lake Charlevoix we stopped at Young State Park to fix lunch.

A full-service State Park, there were sites on the lake, but none as nice as the ones back at Fisherman's Island.

Our next stop was Castle Farms where we paid for a guided tour of the castle and grounds.

Originally built in 1918 as a dairy farm by Albert Loeb, the President of Sears, it incorporated cutting edge technology for the time and was a major employer in the area.

Wooden ceilings in the circular rooms had a unique cross hatch board design to add strength and create a beautiful pattern.

Advertised as one of the largest garden railways in the country, a  "G" scale outdoor railroad wraps around, through, and over one of the gardens. It wasn't a scale reproduction of any particular railroad, but had lots of small trains operating that would capture the attention of children.

Quilting is a hobby of the current owner and she made this one depicting some of the history of her family and the castle.

The dairy office contained some original furnishings...

...including these cattle books from 1921.

This lawn between the buildings is where concerts were held among the ruins of the castle in the 1970's through the early 1990's.

The tour was interesting and the castle had been beautifully rebuilt, but it isn't really a castle nor is it on a scale with buildings like Biltmore House or Meadowbrook Hall.

Back in town, we wandered along the lakefront checking out the visiting boats and impressive homes.

We treated each other to dinner in town where the Bridge Street Taproom offered views of the drawbridge and marina on Lake Charlevoix.

We made it back to the campground at Fisherman's Island in time to walk the beach.

St Marys Cement towers over the pines behind the beach.

Beth searched the shoreline for Petoskey Stones without any luck.

Sunset broke through the clouds just before hitting the waves on Lake Michigan.