October 1, 2010

Old Mission Peninsula sticks out 18 miles into the Grand Traverse Bay. It is the Napa Valley of the mid west with several thousand acres of vineyards and orchards, and the home of seven wineries. Since it lies on the 45th parallel, the climate is ideal for growing varietal grapes and other fruits. The photo is of Chateau Grand Traverse, one of the largest. We knew there were some vineyards on the peninsula, but had no idea of their magnitude.

Our original destination was the end of the peninsula to see the Old Mission Lighthouse. The lighthouse was constructed in 1870. Over the years it has had eight keepers. In 1933 the lighthouse was decommissioned and sat vacant until 1947 until the town bought it for $1001. In order to prevent vandalism, employees of the town lived in the lighthouse until 2008 when it was opened to the public.

Lake Michigan was very calm this morning. Water covered the entire point yesterday, and today it is dry.

On our way back to Traverse City, we spotted this barn. It looks like they had a big sale on paint at the local Home Depot! Or the Easter Bunny was trying out new colors!!

The Cherry Republic has opened a store in Traverse City, but it is just that, a store. You have to travel to Glen Arbor, MI to the Great Hall of the Republic to “live the experience”. It consists of three buildings… the café, the winery, and the Great Hall which houses the store.

The café offers up a lot of good items on its menu, all flavored with cherries. Today Cheryl had a chicken salad sandwich flavored with cherries, and I had a Cheeseburger. The burger meat was mixed with cherry juice. This made the burger very moist and flavorful.

The grounds are covered with flowers and signs. Once a year, the Republic holds its annual Cherry Pit Spitting Contest. This year the winner, Rick “Pellet Gun” Krause of Arizona, was able to launch a pit 51’ 3”. It’s time to start practicing for next year!!

Tomorrow we will be traveling down the Lake Michigan coast and will stay in Ludington, MI