Tunnel of Trees

Roger and I started off our afternoon with a trip to the Odwa (Ottawa) Indian Casino in Petoskey.  They have a wonderful buffet and we were able to sample their Sunday brunch.  One of Roger's choices was a piece of prime rib that was about 1" thick and practically hanging over the  sides of the plate.  After our relaxing meal we headed over to the slot machines and since we never gamble, we had no idea how to work the cards they gave us to use.  We had to read the directions on the little cards they gave us so that we could use the money that they gave us on the cards.  I immediately blew the $5 I was given and didn't win a dime.  Roger played his $5 on the same machine I used and won $10.  he cashed in his money and we left, our Sunday brunch ended up costing us $3.  Not bad!

We took off for our trip to Harbor Springs, which is only 9 miles from Petoskey on Little Traverse Bay of  Lake Michigan.

Sailboat in Harbor Springs

Tug Boat & Speed Boat in Harbor Springs

After we left Harbor Springs we embarked on our 20 mile trek to Cross Village along Michigan's Tunnel of Trees.  The trip consists of 137 curves along the shore of Lake Michigan. It was a spectacular day for the drive, the views along the way were beautiful.

White Trillium in the Trillium Woods

One of the nice things along the way is that some of the curves are marked if they have natural or historical significance.  The Trillium Woods is one of those spots.  In Northern Michigan, late April through mid-May is trillium season. These protected wild orchids are a wild flower.  The woods explode with a carpet of trillium and create an incredible landscape that exists only for these few weeks. When the first trillium bloom, there is an excitement in Northern Michigan as within a few days, the woods will contain thousands and thousands of these spectacular flowers. 

 After about 12.5 miles, we came upon the town of Good Hart.  The downtown consists of three businesses; the Good Hart General Store that was built in the 1930's and is complete with deli, bakery, the original post office and a resident hound dog.  We picked up one of their "world famous pot pies" that we'll enjoy in the future; a gift store; and Good Hart Soul Tea Room.

The end of the drive is at Cross Village.  The village was once a thriving fishing and lumber town and is one of the oldest settlements in Michigan.  One of it's famous destinations is Legs Inn. 

Legs Inn bio

Legs Inn

Next door to Legs Inn is a replica of  the Odawa tribal setting.  As late as 1787, as many as 20 tribes populated the region and met here around tribal council fires.

Odawa tribal setting

There is also a beautiful Presbyterian church in Cross Village which dates back to the early 1800's.

Presbyterian Church in Cross Village

On our return trip, we were able to pick up on some of the sights that we missed on the way to Cross Village.  The Tunnel of Trees is a very beautiful drive and well worth the time, but I'm glad that we were able to drive it before all of the tourists get into town.