Summer Farewell

dedicated to my friend...confidant...and lover...
(you know who you are...)

We decided at a moments notice that a romantic weekend was necessary, and together did much investigation and research to find the perfect spot. With a bit of patience, compromise, and the assistance of the internet, we successfully found it!

Working within a budget and planning for the weekend near Memorial Day, (one of the summer’s busiest), we opted for a different destination. To avoid the chaos of the typical Northern Michigan I-75 route, we headed north on Van Dyke to the very tip of the thumb. Port Austin was our goal location, and we were able to arrive in under 3 hours. We found a seemingly acceptable, reasonably priced motel on the net, called, making a reservation, not without literal reservation. We were concerned that our chosen accommodation would be the typical motel ‘dive’ frequently seen in small Northern Michigan towns.

Pleasantly surprised, we found the 1950’s style Blue Spruce Motel to be idyllic, lacking frills but perfectly clean, air conditioned, and so appropriately appointed with a porch with matching rocking chairs for late night conversation (my favorite aspect of the Blue Spruce). Our hostess, Renee, was kind and generous, happy to have us as guests while offering all kinds of helpful advice pertaining to the local flavor. This was our first visit to Port Austin, and we found the small town quaint interesting. At the very tip of the port, (about a one block stroll from our motel’s door), a mile long fishing pier extended out over the waters of Lake Huron, perfect for romantic moonlit walks, promises, and longing looks into gazing eyes….

Our three days in the thumb area were filled with excursions. We explored the history of the local cemeteries, ate in the small restaurants in town (a few left a bit to be desired..), and picnic-ed on the sandy beaches. We came upon a canoe livery and decided to take a trip...while the bulk of the ride was unimpressive via a murky river, the end result of the trip was one of the most marvelous beaches on Lake Huron.

Another excursion was to the petroglyphs, Michigan’s only known rock paintings. We were thrilled to learn of such a phenomena, and drove nearly an hour to see the site. We were somewhat disappointed to find the actual petroglyph site minimal and heavily damaged by years of abuse by local vandals. The area had been half-heartily fenced off and covered with a pavilion-style structure, but it was obvious the interest in keeping the artifact intact was lacking. We did venture out on a one mile trail in the immediate vicinity, and were pleasantly surprised to find the path followed an amazingly beautiful copper colored river; the banks lined with intricate roots and brush. This was a magical walk, complete with a bounding deer hurrying out of our way. There were many areas containing rocky ledges ideal for climbing, resting, and sweet conversation.

We were sad to leave Port Austin, but promised ourselves a return visit before the summer’s end. The route home was a coastal one, stopping frequently at roadside shops with antiques. One surprise for me was the treat of my sweetly sensitive s/o sharing a childhood memory and landmark. The ‘Mother In Law Bridge’, located in Croswell, was the perfect spot for a picnic and a walk across the famous swinging bridge, a location we were sure our children would be thrilled to visit.

We did return at the end of the summer, as promised, sharing our special find with our daughters. We both are convinced Port Austin will remain a significant place, filled with memories of our time together.

-Jet
 




d e s i d e r a t a  number three

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