Sunny days in Rogers
City, MI
Arriving in Rogers City
in time to make our scheduled appointment with the kindest border agent ever,
we are now legally back in the US of A.
Glad to have the option
to be on land at least when we are not cruising, we spent a few hours walking
the sunny wide streets of Rogers City, MI.
This harbor is deep and spacious with a full crew of handsome young
college men eager to grab our lines and offer welcome services. The main street
only two blocks up from the waterfront offers many options for eating out and
more than a few places to tempt our shopping genes. We enjoyed the art gallery featuring 15
Michigan based artists with an eclectic mix of mediums from painted driftwood
and license plate art objects to a variety of ceramics including jewelry plus
local photographs. We also found the Plath’s Meat Market which has lived up to its
press – they stock locally prepared sausages - there are too many options to
choose only one. (We limited ourselves to four!) They also specialize in cured
and smoked meats of almost every type. Our load home also included some cheeses
and potato salad to round out our food groups. We may never make it to a real
grocery store, but the crew on the dock offered a ride if we need to make a
run. Sadly, few loopers make it to Rogers City but it is popular entry point
for Canadians crossing from Duck Island. We were happy to meet several both
sail and power boaters who happily shared favorite anchorages.
Rogers City is indeed a
homespun and friendly place and to prove it we ended our first night with a
free concert by the Rogers City, City Band! This mixed age group produced
spirited if not always perfect, music inspired by the movies. We did notice
that the band used to be much larger in former times when we spied a photo in
the city museum.
The people here clearly love and value their history. We had
already seen signs that dotted the town explaining historic buildings, and even
the Post Office has preserved its history with a small display of its
construction. However, the city museum,
which occupies two buildings, was a surprise in this quiet small town. The main
museum is in an historic home long occupied by the presidents of the world’s
biggest limestone/calcite operation which is located here. The downstairs rooms
show the house as it was when those families lived there even with the dining
room set for dinner. Upstairs has some unexpected
displays including a soda fountain restaurant recreation, an old school
classroom and a millinery shop. A unique
feature of this place was the freedom.
We were free to walk and look at all the exhibits with no ropes or even
an attendant. The shop and rooms on the
opposite side of the street were staffed, but we were on the honor system to
visit the Bradley House – what a treat.
They also told us they have never lost or even had anything broken. Now that is surely the sign of a wonderful
town.
This gem also provided the
opportunity for some outdoor exercise as we biked down the lake path to a
greenhouse selling fresh bread and produce.
Then, we peddled up the hill to a real grocery store for the basics like
milk and chips. All in all relaxing in friendly Rogers City could not have been
better. (Steve did fit in a five hour oil change session in the engine room!) Oh,
yes, another free concert – this one we really enjoyed – took place just next
to the marina in the lake front park.
This guy was a performer
These ladies were NOT asleep!
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