Cherry Capitol of the World

August 21 – 29, 2020

After completing the repairs and upgrades in northern Indiana, we headed north to Traverse Bay RV Resort in Traverse City, Michigan. Having heard a lot of good things about this resort, we wanted to check it out. Due to accidents and slow downs along our route, we arrived after the office had closed. However, they had called in-route to inquire about our arrival time and had a packet with directions to our site prepared and waiting outside the office door. We quickly backed into our site and set up for an eight day stay.

The resort is divided into four sections. The North and South Loops are for Class A motor coaches while the Center Section is designated for motor coach and fifth wheels. The remaining section is for tiny house/park model estates. The concrete sites are nicely landscaped and individually owned. Most of the sites have a small shed. Amenities include a pool and hot tub, tennis/pickleball court, dog parks, and clubhouse. Unfortunately due to Covid all events and activities were cancelled for the summer. Luckily, we were able to play some pickle ball a couple of mornings during our stay.

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Charlevoix

We definitely wanted to spend some time exploring this beautiful area of Michigan so, for our first outing we drove north to Charlevoix. The town is situated between Lake Michigan and the west end of Lake Charlevoix. Settled by fishermen in the 1850’s, the town was named after Pierre Francois Xavier de Charlevoix a French explorer who traveled the Great Lakes and reportedly spent a night on nearby Fisherman’s Island during a bad storm. We stopped at Fisherman’s Island State Park on our way. The park is located on the main land about six miles southwest of Charlevoix while Fisherman’s Island is approximately 900 feet away in Lake Michigan.

We debated about paying the $9 entrance fee as we didn’t know if we would be able to park. Luckily we found a spot and had the opportunity to walk along the shore which is known as a great spot to find Petoskey stones – a pebble shaped fossil composed of fossilized rugnose coral. When wet or polished, these stones show a distinctive six-sided mottled pattern. After discovering that the shore was covered with stones and that finding one particular type might be difficult, we decided it would be easier to find one in town.

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In Charlevoix we walked along the marina and out toward the Pier Lighthouse before walking up to view some of the “Mushroom Houses”.

The Mushroom Houses, also known as Hobbitland, elf space, gnome houses, and Smurfsville were built by Earl A. Young. A 1908 graduate of Charlevoix High School, Young spent one year at the University of Michigan studying architecture before working for more than 60 years in real estate. He built a number of homes in the Charlevoix area, each reflecting his unusual style. One newspaper described his style in this way:

Sometimes the rooflines sweep so close to the ground that side windows are cut into them. The homes feature large fireplaces, generous use of stonework, and creative landscaping which helps the houses blend and snuggle into the hillsides.

Ludington Daily News, October 13, 1971

From the Mushroom Houses we walked back down the hill so that I could check out some of the shops along Bridge Street. We were both impressed with the beauty of this lakeside town. From Charlevoix we headed back to Traverse Bay via Elk Rapids where we stopped for some cajun food at Pearl’s New Orleans Kitchen – great cajun food!

Traverse City

On another day we decided to explore Traverse City. We spent some time checking out the various shops along Front Street including Cherry Republic where they sell everything cherry including Cherry Soda Pop and of course chocolate covered cherries. On our walk, we passed the State Theatre, one of the homes of the annual Traverse City Film Festival. The festival was created in 2005 to help save “one of America’s indigenous art forms – the cinema“. Unfortunately, the festival had to be cancelled this year.

Around 3 p.m. we decided to stop for an early dinner. Our first two choices didn’t open until 4 so we ended up sitting at a table outside the Flying Noodle – Italian Pasta House. Did we ever luck out! The pasta, sauces, and bread were delicious and all made in-house. We would have gone back again and again if we would have had time.

Time to Move On

We really enjoyed visiting this part of Michigan and loved our time at Traverse Bay RV Resort. I predict we will be back sometime in the future.