Brevoort Lake is one of the campgrounds within the Hiawatha National Forest. Lovely campground, but primitive (no showers). Guess I’m becoming spoiled. I was close enough to a put-in that I could walk my kayak to the water’s edge and take off. Moe and I had a lovely paddle the day before Russ caught up with me.

And, thanks to the wildfires in Canada spreading a smoke haze over everything, the sunsets were spectacular!

While we were there, Russ decided we should do the “fudgy” thing and visit Mackinac Island (Michiganers call Mackinac tourists “fudgies” because of the many island fudge shops there—kind of like the Atlantic shore, except this isn’t saltwater fudge). Despite Moe trembling in fear throughout both ferry rides, it was totally worth it. The island is beautiful, and the gardens, of which there are many, were in full bloom.

Mackinac Island was home to one of the first fur trading posts in the area—and the beginnings of the John Jacob Astor fortune.

We climbed the steep hill to the old English fort, but balked at the entrance price, so we walked around the fort, where I saw a sign for “Arch Rock.” That sounded pretty, so we strolled down the trail there, and I got one of the most beautiful pictures of my life:

Dunno how I did that, as I am far from a great photographer.

It was a beautiful day, we all enjoyed walking around and seeing the sites, and we had a delicious lunch at one of the local restaurants, after a very odd discussion about whether Moe was a service animal (necessary to admit him to the patio seating). I finally got the hint, admitted that he was a “service animal,” and we were seated.

The ferry ride back was delightfully cool, and I got a good shot of the lighthouse just off the harbor.