July 16 – 22, 2023
While we were stationary in Traverse City, two great friends came to visit – Betty and Linda. Their Sunday evening arrival was perfectly timed as Bill (with the pizza) arrived at the exact same moment. We spent a delightful evening enjoying pizza, wine and great conversation.
Traverse City
A bit tired from their long drive, Betty and Linda spent part of the next day leisurely exploring Traverse City and Elk Rapids on their own. We met for dinner at Harrington’s by the Bay. Bill and I hadn’t been to this restaurant but we do like it’s two sister restaurants and it does provide views of the bay.
Mackinac Island
The following day the four of us headed for “The Island”. No trip to northern Michigan is complete without a trip to Mackinac Island. We started our adventure by picking up Betty and Linda at their hotel that morning and driving about 2 hours to Mackinaw City. The trip from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island requires a 16 – 25 minute ferry ride. We already had our tickets for the Star Line ferry so all we had to do was park the truck. Or so we thought. It turned out that the most convenient free parking lot for the ferry was full and the others were several blocks away. We could, however, pay $30 for the nearby paid lot. Ok, they got us there. So, we found a parking spot for our big truck in the paid lot and then discovered this tremendously long line waiting to board the ferry. Bummer. As we waited, a rainstorm moved in which gave us a great view of a waterspout. Luckily the spout stayed off-shore and we were only a bit damp.
Our turn to board the ferry finally arrived and we were off.
We arrived on the island to find a very crowded Main Street. Today was the last day of the Bayview Mackinac Race (a sailing race from Chicago to Mackinac Island) so there were lots of sailboats, crew, family, and spectators on the island.
Since it was already approaching lunchtime, Bill put our name in at the Seabiscuit Cafe and volunteered to wait and text me when our table was ready. Betty, Linda, and I set off to explore some of the nearby shops. There are no motorized vehicles (except for emergency vehicles) allowed on the island so we had to watch out for bicycles and horse-drawn carriages with the inherent droppings. It really is a step back in time.
After lunch, we continued to investigate the shops along Main Street on our way to explore the Grand Hotel – a timeless American treasure. The hotel has quite a history and was the site of the 1947 movie This Time for Keeps with Jimmy Durante and Esther Williams and the 1980 movie Somewhere in Time starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer. The grounds of the hotel are gorgeous as is the interior. You pay a $10 entrance fee but it’s worth it to enjoy the decor and history.
Of course, we had to have some ice cream at Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor. Sadie was a Scottish Terrier owned by Amelia Musser and her husband, Dan, who was the chairman of the Grand Hotel in 2010 when Sadie won the Westminster Dog Show.
Leaving the Grand Hotel, we walked back through town and boarded the ferry to return to Mackinaw City.
On the drive back to Traverse City, Bill elected to drive through Petovsky and Charlevoix (past some of the Mushroom Houses) so that Betty and Linda would have some idea what these locations had to offer.
Leelanau Peninsula
We had promised Betty and Linda that we would take them wine tasting so Wednesday was the day. Since they also wanted to tour a lighthouse, we selected to drive up the Leelanau Peninsula. We stopped first for lunch at Lylia’s – a small soup, salad, and sandwich shop that we like just outside Sutton’s Bay. Following lunch and some shopping in Sutton’s Bay, we proceeded to Grand Traverse Lighthouse where we did a self-guided tour.
Grand Traverse Lighthouse
Finally, it was time to get serious about the wine. Our first stop was at Good Harbor Vineyards – one of the first vineyards in northern Michigan.
Good Harbor Vineyards
The Simpson family wanted to create a high quality Michigan wine for consumers to enjoy at an affordable price. This was the plan put into place when they opened the doors of Good Harbor Vineyards back in 1980. Great wine doesn’t need to come at an extravagant cost. Bruce Simpson studied viticulture and oenology at the University of California Davis to begin his journey as a local winemaker. Once he graduated, he and his wife, Debbie, planted their vineyards and opened Good Harbor Vineyards. With their many years of research and development, they were able to create an extensive vineyard. The second-generation team of brother Sam and sister Taylor Simpson now own and operate the winery on Leelanau Peninsula.
Good Harbor
We had a great time here talking with our server and other patrons as we worked our way through the tasting.
Next on our wine tour was the Boathouse Winery.
Boathouse Winery
After years of visiting picturesque Leelanau County and enjoying its wonderful cool-climate wines, we started Boathouse Vineyards “from scratch” in 2009, building our Winery and planting 15 acres of grapevines on land 4 miles south of our Tasting Room at 115 St Mary’s Street in the Village of Lake Leelanau.
Our hope for all who visit is to create lasting memories of enjoying fine estate- grown wines at the water’s edge.
Boathouse
After a couple of complementary tastes, we elected to buy a bottle and relax on the porch while listening to some live music.
Our final stop on the tour was at Rove Estate.
Rove Estate
Over three hundred years ago, thousands of Irish were forced to flee their native land in what is historically known as the “Flight of the Wild Geese.” What most history books don’t record is that a large number of these refugees went on to establish some of the most renowned wineries across the globe. These forgotten Irish craftsman and their ancestors are reverently named “Winegeese.”
As fifth-generation farmers of Irish heritage, Creighton and McKenzie Gallagher established Rove Estate to pay homage to the Winegeese and preserve their family’s legacy. Perched at the highest point on the Leelanau Peninsula—1,165 feet—the Gallagher Estate was born from the Gallagher farmland, an integral part of Traverse City’s history for over 130 years.
As a child, Creighton spent his summer days working on the cherry farm with his father and 9 siblings. Wishing to break free from the farming lifestyle, he pursued a degree in accounting only to discover that working in a cubicle gave him an unshakable feeling of discontent. Eventually, he developed a passion and craft for wine while working at a winery on Old Mission Peninsula. Creighton returned to his roots in 2010 when he and McKenzie were offered a chance to purchase a portion of the family farm—including a 15-acre block of cherry trees that needed to be replaced. For a couple whose first date included wine-tasting and often dreamt of opening their own winery, the replacement crop was an obvious choice: grapes.
Rove Estate
Here, Betty and Linda tried a tasting flight (including the hard Cherry Cider) while Bill and I ordered a couple glasses of our favorite red. Afterward, we moved outside to the patio for some locally sourced small-plates to complement the wine.
What a fun day!!
Traverse Bay RV Resort
The next afternoon, Betty and Linda came over to the RV resort to play some mahjong. The group playing Hand and Foot in the South Clubhouse graciously allowed us to grab one of the empty tables for our tiles. Afterward we had a relaxing dinner at nearby McGee’s 72 restaurant.
The Village at Grand Traverse Commons
To close out their week, the four of us went to tour the Village at Grand Traverse Commons – formerly a state-run asylum.
The Northern Michigan Asylum was built more than six decades before the use of the first psychiatric drugs. Founding Medical Superintendent Dr. James Decker Munson believed in the moral treatment movement, which at the time was revolutionary. Central to this belief was Dr. Munson’s philosophy that “Beauty is Therapy.” If patients were surrounded by a beautiful environment, from the architecture to the campus grounds, their emotional and mental state would be uplifted.
Dr. Munson made an effort to ensure that patients felt at home rather than trapped in an unfamiliar place. Use of physical restraints was forbidden, except for the most extreme patient situations. Meals at the hospital were served in dining rooms on fine china glazed with the State Seal atop white linen tablecloths. Fresh flowers and plants decorated dining tables & resting areas. Artwork and inspirational sayings adorned the walls of the wide hallways.
The architecture of Building 50 in itself exemplified beauty & encouraged the very core belief of Dr. Munson’s founding philosophy. It was built in such a way that each patient room had a window & view to the outside. This let in an abundance of natural light & allowed every patient the opportunity to enjoy a view of the campus, even if they weren’t given the privilege to leave the building & walk the grounds alone.
History
The former asylum has since been repurposed into shops, condos, and restaurants. We stopped for a pre-dinner drink at Left Foot Charley’s where we tried some Cinnamon Girl hard cider. Then, we went to Pepe Nero’s (in the kitchen of the former asylum) for dinner. Awesome!!
Til Next Time
We had such a great visit and were sad to bid them farewell. Fortunately they promised that they will come again!!
