Further up the peninsula we tried the Brys Estate Winery, which had also been well reviewed. It was busy as well, but the wait time was short, and the tasting process was innovative - like nothing we'd experienced before. For $10 each, there were five tasting stations, each at a different part of the facility, and at each you could select a tasting of any one of their wines. Very nice. We began at a little counter in front of barrels where wine was aging in French oak.
Another of the five stations was in the Wooden Cask Room.
Unfortunately, we weren't impressed by the wines. Some were perfectly fine and would be excellent for drinking on a hot summer day, but there were none we tried that were as good as many low-cost wines from the West Coast. It's certainly possible that we simply haven't encountered the best of Michigan wines, or that we're accustomed to the style of the wines back in California. And I certainly am happy that other parts of the country are growing grapes and hope they all continue to improve. But California, Oregon, and Washington state are still king, queen, and jack.
Further up the eastern coast of Lake Michigan is the charming town of Petoskey, and we are staying in a KOA (Kampgrounds of America) park there. Just around the corner from our campground is an excellent grocery store, and in its parking lot we spied a rusted out (but presumably still drivable) truck. We pulled in next to it because our own sorry little pickup truck hasn't been looking or running so good lately and we thought the comparison would make us feel better about it.
Petoskey, a very pretty village, has wonderful downtown stores, including an exceptional shop where we picked up some great cheeses and pates.
Around twenty miles away is the possibly even lovelier seaside town of Harbor Springs.
Harbor Spring's downtown streets feature a bunch of real estate offices, and we've never observed such a wide range of housing prices - from the multi-million dollar level of Santa Cruz beachside properties to decent-looking homes for less than $200,000.
Just down the road from our campground is another RV park, the Hearthside Grove Motorcoach Resort. We'd been hearing about this place from some of the upper crust motorhome crowd in Traverse City. So we drove up to the gate, which was closed. I used the intercom, telling the guy that we were motorhome owners and were interested in checking out their park for future use. The gate opened.
It was Shangri-la. Lush landscaping everywhere, and we drove in our ratty old truck past Prevost and Newell motorcoaches worth seven figures, in numbers we'd never come close to seeing before. We soon realized that this resort was even a step up from our fancy park in Traverse City, and that our modest motorhome - which we love and respect - didn't belong there. It was all a bit intimidating. I wanted to drive our dirty pickup truck to the park office and ask about the cost of renting a space or buying a site here, but Nancy threatened me with bodily harm if I embarrassed her by doing that.
There's a lot to like about Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It looks prosperous and beautiful, and the people we've met have been warm, attractive, and super friendly. But the winters are fierce, of course. Some of the population lives here year round, but many are seasonal. That is, they spend April to September here in their house or recreational vehicle, then head south to a second home or a different campground where the winters are more liveable. If it weren't for the climactic challenges to old bones, I'd add this area to the list of possible landing spots.
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