It's been suggested that we take a day trip up Mission Peninsula. It's a short ride... maybe 30 miles each way and the ride north on the western side takes us past some real nice houses -- not gaudy elaborate like so many you see along the coasts in Florida. These are just pretty houses with neat yards.
Mission Point State Park and the lighthouse there marks the end of the lovely ride up Michigan Highway 37 along East Traverse Bay. We passed cherry orchards, farms, lovely neighborhoods and vineyards.
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| Old Mission Lighthouse was operational from 1870 until 1933. |
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| A better view of the Old Mission Lighthouse Notice the single cloud looks a bit like a star. |
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| Wayne took the pictures as he hates getting his feet sandy. |
The Top Quarter
The imaginary line right through this area marks the 45 parallel. What that means is that when we step out onto the shore of Old Mission peninsula, we're standing north of the halfway mark between the North Pole and the Equator. That means we're in the top quarter of the whole world! Wow!
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| Lexie (R) and Ozzie (L) are in halfway between the North Pole and the Equator! |
The return down the peninsula was less beautiful but we did pass some nice orchards, vineyards and even a field or two of what looked like "hops", but I'm not absolutely sure and there was no one to ask.
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| One of the nicest vineyard and bay views |
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| A typical house in this area |
We'll move along tomorrow morning, making our way to the Upper Peninsula and explore some more of the top quarter of the world. Come along if you like.
Getting right on up there in the world aren't you! I love those big old houses - they look like home even though my home never looked like that.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a place we would like. Don't know where you are headed in the UP, but if you get a chance to stop near Mackinac Island, do it. A bit further north, we stayed at a sweet little park called Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie. If you are super adventurous, with lots of time, a popular trip is the Lake Superior circle tour. We figure it would best be done with about a month of time. The only bummer this time of year is the bugs. A less time consuming but beautiful trip is all the way north to Copper Harbor. McClain State Park near there was one of the best parks we have ever been to. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteWe were just looking at Traverse City & Michigan on google yesterday! While we won't make it up there on this leg of our travels, we hope to the next time we take off. Look forward to your pics!
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