Mackonaw Island - September 29/30

We made our second fall trip to Mackinaw Island with our friends Walt and Denise at the end of September. The weather was a bit cool and rainy but we enjoyed the trip and the hotel and we even got in a little bit of biking on Monday morning.
We made this trip last year as the Grand Hotel offers special fall packages that include a room, dinner and breakfast in the morning. We enjoyed it so much that we went again this year. It's always neat to see the island and the old fashioned way of life since there are no cars on the Island (except when pompous Vice President Pence attends a meeting there). 
We had a great room last year with a view of the bridge, but this year our room was even better. It was huge and had a sitting area as well as a balcony overlooking the barn behind the hotel. The hotel is so elegant and colorful and the atmosphere is so grandiose. Dinner and breakfast were exceptional and we had afternoon cocktails in the canopy lounge.
We had on and off rain over our stay, and the temperature was in the mid fifties, but by the time we got back to Traverse City on Monday it was sunny and eighty. Why couldn't we have had some of that weather on the Island??

A cold ferry boat ride across the Straits of Mackinaw to get to the island.

Coming into the harbor. 

Walt and Denise's room had massive oriental furniture.

Our room was bright and huge! 

A sitting area with a TV.

Here we are all dressed up for dinner. 

This was a meeting room in the hotel.

The ice cream parlor.

The Grand Hotel shuttle.

The world famous front porch of the Grand.

Enterin the fort on a cold morning.

An old cannon protectng the fort.

A view overlooking the harbor and marina. Notice all the carriages lining up on the street.

Back Home on Wheeler Road

Well, the four months of winter vacation has come to an end. We spent the weekend at the campground at Brighton Recreation Area and visited with the kids and grand kids. Everyone is well and life goes on here. Ben is involved with his travel baseball tournaments again and we took in a game on Saturday. The wind was blowing and we froze watching, but it was good to see the new level that the boys have achieved in their sport.
We saw Mike and Lisa and Natalie and Hannah and Dillon and Brendon as well as Laura, Sean, Nolan and Kara. Also Becky, Dave, Kate and Trevor. Jenny drove from Lansing to see us too. It was good seeing everyone and we look forward to a great summer here.
We drove north on Monday and got to Wheeler Road at three in the afternoon. We saw only two small patches of snow not yet melted and the temperature was in the high thirties! Quite a change from what we are used to but I'm confident warmer weather is on the way.
We had a great year so far and are looking forward to a new summer and visits from friends and family over the next eight months until we start traveling again.

Sand hill cranes at Brighton Rec

Onward toward home

We left David on Wednesday and drove north toward Roanoke Virginia. We stopped just east of the Appalachian mountains near Natural Bridge Virginia. We set up camp at a KOA camp near I-80 and from there took a ride over the mountain to Bedford to meet Howard and Joan Lambka who are Nancy's cousins. We drove to their house and had a nice visit with them. They gave us a tour of Bedfoed and we had a nice meal together. We really enjoyed seeing them after too many years have passed. We are looking forward to another visit when they come to Michigan in July.
Before we left the Johnson City area we took a ride to Jonesborough and did some exploring there with Sara and Elizabeth. A very nice colonial town and the oldest village in Tennessee.

Main street in Jonesborough.

The Chester Inn

An old cabin moved to Main Street from a mile away in the woods. Andrew Jackson lived here for a time.

Flowering dog wood on main street

The county building in Jonesborough

Driving west on I-64 through the Virginia and West Virginia mountains. This is a wonderful drive in the spring time. The redbuds and dogwoods scented the air the whole way through the mountains.

Camped in Tennessee

The rain came down for two days but it finally let up today. We have been visiting with David and Sara and yesterday Elizabeth flew in from Philly. Davids new place is quite interesting. He has a small farm with a barn and outbuildings and thirty chickens. I never realized he was such an aspiring  farmer. He is getting a big garden ready to go and has tomatoes, beans, lettuce and other plants started and lots of seeds to plant as well. He has room for two big gardens and eventually for a couple of farm animals to go with his chickens. It's going to be fun watching how this develops.
The area here quite mountainous with great vistas. We have been exploring and so far Jonesboro seems to be calling. It's the oldest town in Tennessee and has lots of shops and cafes to visit. The buildings are close to the narrow main street and incredibly colonial and scenic. Today we took a four mile hike to Laurel Falls and got a good workout.

David and Sara in front of their new home

Flowering dogwoods at one of the mountain lakes near Elizabethton

Hiking to Laurel Falls

Here are the falls. David and Elizabeth in the bottom right corner of the picture

David Crockett Birthplace State park

We've moved from Pensacola Beach twice now. The first night we were east of Huntsville Alabama at Guntersburg Lake S P and now we are at David Crocket in Tennessee.
Guntersburg Lake was a part of the Tennessee river and was a great campground with lots of water front sites and two boat launches, They were getting ready for a big bass tournament and there were dozens of boat trailers at the launches. Early morning we were woke by the fisherman zooming out into the lake on their bass boats.
Yesterday we moved northeast to Limestone Tennessee and are now about a half hour from David's new place. We are hunkered down by a rain storm but were anticipating it and got here with no problem and are hoping to stay dry until it quiets down.
There were two storm fronts in the past week that have spawned severe weather in the area. We always have to watch them this time of year.

Our last days at Fort Pickens we did some exploring at Perdido Key. Also the Pensacola Naval base which is home for the Blue Angels.

The Blue Angel Pelican

Pensacola Lighthouse

Camping at Guntersville Lake. The lodge on the hillside above the campground was part of the state park

A cabin at David Crockett birthplace state park.

Pensacola Beach, Fort Pickens National Park

We've been at Fort Pickens campground for the past week. The weather has finally been gorgeous, exactly what we like when camping. The beaches here are awesome white sand and the water is great. We've been getting lots of beach time and biking on the trails.
I haven't had any luck on the pompano while surf fishing. The only ones catching them have to walk out to the second sand bar about seventy yards out and cast to deeper water. For some reason the fish won't come any closer to shore.
The island is busier than we have seen it on past visits, probably we were earlier in the year the last two times we were here. With our senior discount and free admission to the park, this just might be a destination for us now that St Joseph Peninsula is no longer a camping option.

History of Hurricane Katrina at Biloxi. They had more wind damage her than at New Orleans

The Biloxi visitor center. We visited before we left Davis Bayou in Mississippi

BILOXI LIGHTHOUSE

More history from Biloxi's beach

Biloxi's main drag. Casino's and the Hard Rock Cafe!

We had lunch at the fillin Station in Biloxi. They are still repairing and restoring the city from Katrina.

Cooking crawfish

Just like New Orleans

Surf fishing at Fort Pickens. Pensicola Beach

Fishers on the pier

And more fishers in town

Flowers at our campsite.

Davis Bayou National Campground

We are near Biloxi, Mississippi at Davis Bayou. Part of the National Seashore here and near Dauphin Island. We took a ride to Dauphin Island yesterday and found it to be much like St George or St Joeseph rxcept no big public land except where the fort is on the eastern end.
We've had some wet weather again and finally today looks a bit dryer. The weather is much warmer now, bet we are starting to get bothered by no-seeums at the park.
This is a very nice park with biking and kayaking available as well as some interesting fishing opportunities. Only problem I don't have enough time here to buy a fishing license. We will keep this area in mind next time we are coming out west.

We took a ride from Village Creek to Big Thicket Reserve to see what they have there. Turns out to be land along the rivers that was set aside to preserve some of the native forest from being cut and exploited.

A yellow hooded warbler at Thicket NWF

Pitcher plant at the preserve. They catch flies to supplement their diet.!

Houses on stilts all along the shoreline on Dauphin Island.

This is the view through all the development. It would be nice if they could bury the cables!

The west end of Daphin Island. The east end is Fort Gaines.

The Bayou at Davis Bayou Campground.