Beaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan and part of the Beaver Island archipelago. Once home to a uniquely American religious monarchy, the island is now a popular tourist and vacation destination. You can get there by your own boat or you can take a ferry from Charlevoix, MI. We wanted to stay here as it is a good spot to go to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in only a few short hours. We anchored in the St. James Harbor which has clear water so you can see the bottom. It is also a bit of a commercial harbor so there was lots of activity all around. The ferry from the mainland docks here and there are several marinas as well as a pretty public beach.
We took the dink over to a sandy spot and headed off to find a museum. While walking done the sidewalks towards the museum, we noticed a compass on the corners of the sidewalks. I guess it is nice to always know which direction you are going!
The Marine Museum was close by and we enjoyed learning about the fishing history of Beaver Island. Lots of Irishmen and their families came over here to fish. Nice little museum. We wanted to go to the Old Mormon Print Shop where the first Michigan paper was printed, but they were closed. Time to eat.
The restaurants on Beaver Island realize many visitors come without their cars. All you have to do is call them and they will pick you up and when you are done return you to wherever you want. Great service! We enjoyed white fish fresh off the boat and a great meal at Stony Acre Grill. Good thing we had a ride as it was several miles from our dink spot. Our ride back to the boat and a nice evening sunset topped our day off. Tomorrow we will get up early and leave for the UP above Wisconsin and the town of Fayette.
Unfortunately, when we woke up in the morning the boat was covered in bugs. I do not mean a FEW bugs, I mean MILLIONS! I kid you not. Look at the picture below. That is the entrance to our cabin. YUK. It was like walking on a black carpet. And worse…they were still flying all around us. Ewww! We quickly picked up anchor and got the heck out. I had to wash the boat down while we were underway. Black water….just gross. Luckily once you start to move they go away and our trip across the lake was short and uneventful and we were happy to stay in Fayette, which was bug-free.
The Traveling Squirrel 