Day 91. 2nd year. August 21 On to Charlevoix, MI. Miles 33. Total 3850

 Left Beaver Island on a slightly overcast morning to head southeast back to Michigan's mainland and the town of Charlevoix.

As we left Beaver Island and its beaches and forests, we head out into .5-1.0 foot waves and fair winds.

One hour later, the sun tried to break through the high cloud cover and our view of Beaver Island faded and the headlands of the Michigan coast come into view- with its forested cliffs much like Mackinac Island.

Passing Little Traverse Bay, out destination Charlevoix, comes into view.  As we get closer to shore the distinctive sand dune beaches and red lighthouse guide us into the harbor.

Most of the cities on the east side of Lake Michigan were settled close to the many inland lakes.  To provide access to the lakes, channels were dug to allow commerce to travel and boaters access to their safe harbors and towns.

Here is the channel into Charlevoix.

At the end of the channel, we had to ask the bridge to lift so we could enter Round Lake which is at the center of Charlevoix.

We traveled through Round Lake and into the much bigger lake, Lake Charlevoix, to anchor in a protected cove called Oyster Bay.  The cove has many homes along the shore, with beaches and even a club with cabanas!

Below is a picture of another boat that is anchored in the cove, a 110 foot boat!

Once settled  at the anchorage, we launched the dinghy to explore Charlevoix.  We found the town dock right next to a beautiful waterfront park.  

The city is quite quaint with older looking store fronts and restaurants, and lots of flowers along the main street. We dropped into a few stores and art galleries. Had to pass up the statue that Bill wanted for $3200, but did pick up some fossilized rock from the local beaches.  You know how Bill loves rocks!

Brought out the trusty map of the city so we could walk the streets and find the  28 Mushroom Houses designed by Earl Young that are scattered in the residential areas.  It was amazing to see the homes with their distinctive undulating roofs and low stone walls,  as well as the large stone chimneys.

But first Bill had to pose in the sign board for the local tour of the Mushroom houses.

Here are some pictures of the Mushroom Houses

 

As we walked we also saw a number of elegant homes and cottages.  You can tell that this is a wealthy area by the number of elaborate homes, many dating back to the early 1900's.

We took our tired legs back to the dinghy and motored to the boat.  As we entered the cove we found two other loopers had joined us in the anchorage.  Was good to see them again.  Note: The meeting and remeeting of Loopers is affectionately called Loop Frogging.

For you history buffs -Charlevoix is named after a French explorer who "discoverd "this area.  The town was settled in the mid 1800's and was known for fishing and lumbering.  The channel connecting Lake Michigan to Lake Charlevoix was dredged in 1869 to allow the lumber milled on the lake to be transported more readily.

In the 1880s developers built resorts in the area to lure tourists from Chicago.  The tourists used the new railroad line and steamship lines to flock to Charlevoix for the fishing and beaches.  This tourism is still active today.