Iceeu2~I am so glad you enjoyed yourselves in N. Michigan! I am lucky enough to live in Petoskey year round (though I don't feel too lucky come those blustery February days!!!) and yet I still love Mackinac Island and the Tunnel of Trees! My daughter was up from Oklahoma City for a week, and we spent the night on the Island for the first time (several day trips in the past, but never overnight) and I found the place absolutely magical when the last boat to the mainland goes back! I don't think I will ever get tired of going there! Hope you'll come back to see "us" soon!

Oh we plan to come back! Just not soon enough! Probably will be September, 2005, when we come again for any length of time.
We were talking just this weekend about how much we really enjoyed ourselves. I am still fascinated by how nice everyone was. Just this weekend we had a late lunch at one of our favorite chain restaurants in Atlanta. Even tho the food was good and the service was ok....we had a not so happy waitress. I commented to my husband that we are not in Michigan anymore! Plus, there was high smog alert in Atlanta on Saturday and temperatures of 96 degrees with humidity probably matching the temps!
Sorry about the soap box!
We did love our vacation in Northern Michigan.

topping for gerolamy.
Have fun!

Dear iceeu2, thank you for a wonderful and comprehensive trip report. Thank you Keith too. I printed this before our trip to northern Michigan last week and heeded many of your suggestions.

We spent a week at a cottage on Crooked Lake, Petoskey. Great, central location for making side trips and day trips and very relaxing location. Kayaked and canoed on the lake. Some day I'd like to make the 8-hour boat trip to Lake Huron.

We visited Charlevoix and enjoyed a great oak-planked whitefish at Staffords along the channel; wonderful pan-fried lake perch at Teddy Griffins; took Shepler's ferry to Mackinac and did the 8-mile bicycle ride around the island; wonderful afternoon at Petoskey State Park.

Also did the Soo Locks and Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore.

Northern Michigan is a special, healing place.

We have started planning a trip to NY, Toronto, the Grand Hotel then down the peninsula to South Bend and back to Philadelphia. iceeu2's report was so inspiring. I saved many of the restaurants and towns she mentioned and wrote up a list of things not to miss. I am really excited. The area sounds just beautiful and I have 11 months to wait!! Thank you so much for the great report.

Well, geeeeeeez, aren't you guys so nice. We leave Saturday morning for Big Sky, Montana and Yellowstone. As a matter of fact, I pulled out my Mackinaw Island and UP North sweatshirts to take with me!
Glad you enjoyed your trip...it is just so beautiful, isn't it?