The charms of Lake
Charlevoix
Inching our way south
along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, we slid into the narrow channel,
through the bridge to Round Lake, and on to Lake Charlevoix. The town of
Charlevoix sits at this junction of big and small lakes with beaches on two
sides. We anchored southeast of the town
proper but a scenic bike ride along the lakeshore back into the heart of
things. We chose this more secluded spot
since the marinas in Round Lake were full as well as the anchorage during the
week long Venetian Festival underway on the waterfront park. We did peddle back
for the concert featuring Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels – think “CC Ryder”.
As Steve observed after many of these outdoor concerts, the music volume is in
direct relation to its quality. Louder is usually not so great. The warm up
act, however, featured six women, of not so youthful age, with a fine backup
band who sang blues and rock standards with gusto – we could actually
understand the words and enjoy the band riffs.
Our ride into town passed
through the exclusive Belvedere Club established in 1878. The public street
bisects this summer home enclave on the edge of town which is heavily posted
with no trespassing signs “please”, so we did not violate any laws other than
voyeurism – peeking at the stately Victorians clustered along the bluff fronted
with sweeping lawns. A gracious, private, and elite way of life harkening back
to the early 20th century is still alive and well in this corner of
Northern Michigan.
In contrast to the
quiet streets of the Belvedere Club, the main street of Charlevoix was packed
with shoppers and families enjoying the carnival rides, street food, and music.
The weather was perfect for strolling the waterfront park and people
watching. The sites included a cruise
ship that pulled into the town dock for the evening’s concert. While there were
not as many art galleries as in Harbor Springs, we did get a chuckle out of the
gallery displaying the mix media of Stephen Palmer – he makes fish out of
crutches and found objects. If only there was more wall space on this boat!
Before leaving
Charlevoix, we made a stop at the Farmer’s Market. While we had stocked up on
the basics at the grocery store, the market provided fresh picked lettuce,
salmon, whitefish dip, lamp chops, and best of all cherries and a cherry pie.
Oh, yes, a couple scones for Steve’s mid-morning snack – white chocolate and
raspberry – thankfully he saved me a bite.
Staying on Lake
Charlevoix, we headed southerly to the tip of the lake and anchored off Boyne
City. This little town was a perfect cruiser stop – we didn’t even need our
bikes to enjoy the treats here. They
have an extensive water front park area with a free shoppers dock making it
easy to get ashore. (In Charlevoix we put the dink next to the boat ramp thanks
to the helpful ramp attendant who also provided directions to local shops and
sites.) Boyne City also has a Chamber office on the edge of the park and they
provided advice on the happenings in town.
They even offered to get us a ride to the production at the high school
if we wanted to partake. After
fortifying ourselves with Moomers ice cream, we checked out the shops – just
looking – but we found another interesting artist making “lamps” from salvaged
copper or brass piping and gauges. My description of these “pieces” falls short
of the impact, but no matter how unique, sadly, they wouldn’t work on the boat.
(They don’t even provide much light either.) The free dancing in the street
music was refreshingly worth another trip to shore. Almost every night there is
something happening in this little town in one or another of the public spaces
– or like the dancing in the streets, they just blocked off a block and kicked
up their heels (or paws) in the middle of the street – honestly one lady was
dancing with her very talented golden lab. Dare I also mention the beautiful
mild weather with rain holding off until after dark making for perfect sleeping
temps? We soldier onJ
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