Day Sixty Three - Saint Ignace, Michigan to Petoskey State Park, Michigan

A beautiful morning to ride, just a little foggy as we started out to the Mackinac Bridge. Bikes are not allowed on the bridge except for a few annual events. We looked on line last evening for instructions so we would know where to go and what the process would be. It turned out to be very simple.  We went in the bridge authority office, told them we would like to cross the bridge, and they radioed for someone to pick us up.  We paid the $8 fee and within ten minutes, a man was there in a bridge authority, four door pickup.  He helped us load the tandem and trailer in the back of his pickup, and took us across. It was so foggy on the lake we couldn't see the water or views from this very impressive suspension bridge. The man taking us across did give us a little interesting information about the bridge maintenance.

Once across the bridge we stopped in Mackinaw City at the bike shop for a new bike computer.  Ronnie installed it immediately and we were on our way to Petoskey State Park.  Our route was on various tree lined back roads, some with a canopy of trees covering the path. We stopped at Cross Village for lunch.  This area has several local art galleries and the legendary Legs Inn.  A restaurant and Inn built in the early 1900's by a man from Poland that visited the area, loved it and stayed. The Polish food was outstanding. The gardens overlooking Lake Michigan and a unique building are worth seeing even if you don't eat or stay there.  

One of the lakeside towns we went through was Harbor Springs.  This was a beautiful place that would be fun to spend time. The homes along the lake were phenomenal with neatly manicured lawns filled with magnificent flowers. The people we met were very proud of their community, friendly, and all around happy people. 

The Harbor Trailway bike path started in Harbor Springs ending in Petoskey. The Petoskey State Park was halfway. We were fortunate to get one of the last two camp sites they had available that evening. We met and visited with a very nice couple from the Lansing, Michigan area that were camping across from us. The wonderful people we meet is one of the best parts of this journey. 

The State Park is a beautiful place with lots of trees, hiking trails, and a very nice beach famous for Petoskey Stones. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petoskey_stone

Loading up to cross Mackinac Bridge

Harbor Springs Marina