Frankly Frankfort, MI, It's Been a Lovely Respite!

Frankfort, MI                                   Jacobsen Marina                                         August 25-28, 2016

A number of us boaters took off within minutes of each other this Thursday AM. It was overcast and bit cooler, but we all wanted to take advantage of the lesser winds and chop…That being said, it was still a rocky crossing to Frankfort. Mom and I were finally forced to go down to the salon because I was having too much trouble standing despite mom putting down her yoga mat. 

According to Wikipedia, here is the legend behind Sleeping Bear Dunes. The park is named after a Chippewa legend of the sleeping bear. According to the legend, an enormous forest fire on the western shore of Lake Michigan drove a mother bear and her two cubs into the lake for shelter, determined to reach the opposite shore. After many miles of swimming, the two cubs lagged behind. When the mother bear reached the shore, she waited on the top of a high bluff. The exhausted cubs drowned in the lake, but the mother bear stayed and waited in hopes that her cubs would finally appear. Impressed by the mother bear's determination and faith, the Great Spirit created two islands (North and South Manitou islands) to commemorate the cubs, and the winds buried the sleeping bear under the sands of the dunes where she waits to this day. The "bear" was a small tree-covered knoll at the top edge of the bluff that, from the water, had the appearance of a sleeping bear. Wind and erosion have caused the "bear" to be greatly reduced in size over the years.

Mike took these photos last year coming by Sleeping Bear Dunes after the Chicago to Mac Race 

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a United States National Lakeshore located along the northwest coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan in Leelanau and Benzie counties near Empire, Michigan. The park covers a 35-mile-long (56 km) stretch of Lake Michigan's eastern coastline, as well as North and South Manitou islands. This Northern Michigan park was established primarily because of its outstanding natural features, including forests, beaches, dune formations, and ancient glacial phenomena. The lakeshore also contains many cultural features including the 1871 South Manitou Island Lighthouse, three former stations of the Coast Guard (formerly the Life-Saving Service) and an extensive rural historic farm district. In 2011, the area won the title of "The Most Beautiful Place in America" from Good Morning America.[2] In 2014, a section of the park was named the Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness by the United States Congress.

A Close Up View of Point Betsie Lighthouse Complex last year

Sleeping Bear Dunes when we went pass this year...not nearly as pretty

Frankfort, MI Beach 

A Closer View of the Beach Area

The entrance between the two lights to get into Frankfort, MI

A different looking style light construction

Mike's photo last year under more radiant sunlight

Another style light with more dunes in the distance...sadly, the water doesn't reflect the real color!!!

The Elberta Coast Guard Station

One of the larger Coast Guard Stations we have seen..

Our view of Jacobsen's Marina and the one next to ours

Looking into Frankfort, MI and our Marina

Lily's Dog Run with this interesting Addition...

Not sure what we are looking at across the way but it appears to be an old Schoolhouse???

Thankfully, we were in early so we could enjoy the town a bit and M & D got to enjoy the pool and hot tub…They came back pretty relaxed…needless to say, dinner was onboard which is just fine with me!

Looking at Moondance from our restaurant porch

Walked down to the beach at the end of Main Street, didn't appear to be too dog friendly so we didn't bring Lily back

M & D thought another day here enjoying the hot tub and pool was in order, and I’m happy to just be… That is until mom decided I needed to see this town too! She put my cute scarf on and trotted me uptown with her. The good news is the town is very dog friendly and many of the stores we entered treated me to biscuits! I LOVE this TOWN! It is so charming and once again the people so friendly! It was nice to get back to the boat, so I could finish eating my breakfast and take a nap while M & D hit the pool for the afternoon...

Lily and I enjoyed this look down Main St in the morning

Frankfort City Hall appears to be relatively new along with the Park next door

There are memorial benches all over the town...

We are always thrilled to see the older, preserved buildings

This bank is now a Tile Shop

I'm always on the look out for Mosler Safes and NCR cash registers...part of both of our heritages in Hamilton & Dayton, OH

Lily and I thought of Penny B when we saw the brilliant blue, funky planters and plants...

How can you not love an old movie theater?!

A Picture Postcard of Americana

In between the buildings were these miniature vignettes of the water

Stormcloud Brewing Company, we were Alf, as you can see...

M & D returned to feed me and get cleaned up before they headed uptown to Stormcloud Brewing Company. They said it was a very fun place with yummy beer and food… Example of their menu & what Mom had: Market Salad: Serving the freshest seasonal greens and vegetables from local farmer markets and our own Stormgarden. Served with shaved cheeses and light lemon vinaigrette. (the lemon vinaigrette was outstanding!) Suggested Beer Pairing: Birdwalker Blonde. Loved that they had beer pairings… Mom did have the Birdwalker Blonde and said, it was delicious!

Thinking that they would be getting up early to head out before the rain and storms got too bad, we all went to bed early after watching more of Downtown Abbey…So Good!!!

Woke up before it was light to rain…YUCK! Mom put on my raincoat and we went out so I could relieve myself. By the time we returned, dad had looked at NOAA’s Marine Weather report, Windtracker and other marine weather sites and determined that it was going to be very dicey trying to make it to Ludington, MI…Dad having been on Lake Michigan when there has been a storm, he has a healthy respect for the lake. Mom and I trust dad’s opinion, so we are happy to settle in here another day… Mom says she is happy to cook today and snuggle in…

I can always catch up on my naps while they read, watch DVDs or mom does artwork or catches up on her Shutterfly books of this trip…Even these parts of the trip are to be savored…