Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
12.
Petoskey
TheroadtoPetoskeywindsthroughapastoralsettingreminiscentofEngland'slovelyLake
District, which may be why Ernest Hemingway's family chose “Windemere” (after the
largest of those lakes) as the name for their summer cottage on nearby Walloon Lake. Still,
thejewels ofPetoskeyarenotlakesbutstones—350-million-year-oldpolishedpebblesad-
ornedwithfossilizedcoralthatthelakedredgesupfromitsbottomeveryspringandwhich
beach-combersquicklypocket.ThestonesareamongthewaresonsaleintheGaslightDis-
trict, a local shopping mecca. But this historic community on Little Traverse Bay has its
spiritualsideaswell.InsummeraMethodistcampcalledBayViewsponsorsconcerts,lec-
tures, and other activities.
13.
Tunnel of Trees
Across tranquil Little Traverse Bay glitters the fashionable enclave of Harbor Springs,
where the well-to-do banish cars from their gated compound and party-hop between
mansion-size “cottages” and elegant yachts. But north of town, just off Rte. 119, it's nature
that puts on the show.
At Thorne Swift Nature Preserve—a 30-acre sanctuary of dunes, wetlands, and mixed
forests located just off Lower Shore Drive—you may see some of the rarities found on the
LowerPeninsula,includingLakeHurontansy,Pitcher'sthistle,showylady'sslipper,wide-
eyed saw-whet owls, and pileated woodpeckers.
From here the highway twists and turns for the next 14 miles through a landscape that
provides stunning views of Lake Michigan. Occasional corridors of hardwoods and hem-
locks give this stretch of the drive its name—the Tunnel of Trees. Rte. 119 ends at Cross
Village, an old Indian community settled by the Chippewa and Ottawa tribes. From Cross
Village, head north along Sturgeon Bay to Lakeview Road, then east about five miles to
Cecil Bay Road (Rte. 81). When the road ends at Cecil Bay, follow the signs west to Wil-
derness State Park.
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