Thursday, July 12, 2018 (Northport, Michigan)

Steve and I are in our own suite above the garage...away from the main part of the house. This place is huge and is almost like staying in a lodge! We tend to get up fairly early, so I quietly made my way down to the kitchen to make coffee...once it was done, I carried a couple of cups upstairs to the tower and we sat out on the deck enjoying the early morning.

We watched this yacht towing it's dingy yesterday going in the other direction...I guess it spent the night and is now heading back...(Telephoto at dawn)

We started today off with a tour of the area...our first stop was Leelanau State Park and The Grand Traverse Lighthouse.
Look at the size of that tree!

The lighthouse and grounds have been lovingly restored to a museum showcasing the life of a lighthouse keeper and family, circa 1920′s – 1930′s.

Overlooking the hazardous Manitou Passage where Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay meet, Grand Traverse Light has guided sailors around the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula since 1852. The attractive lighthouse has survived the storms of northern Michigan, raids by pirates and even a ghostly visitor or two. As one of Michigan’s oldest lighthouses, its charm and history can be enjoyed at the museum on site. (View from the water side.)

Exhibits on area lighthouses, foghorns, shipwrecks and local history are located in the Lighthouse and Fog Signal Building...

(View of lighthouse from the back )

That contraption made out of PVC pipe is an ROV...

They give demonstrations of it's manoeuvrability in the pool...

The lighthouse and exhibit in the Fog Signal Building were very interesting...we spent a lot longer there than I expected.  After driving around the Cat Heat Bay and Point area, we headed into the quaint little Village of Northport.

We got out for a walk...

We thought this was a museum...

...but it's a private residence!

The marina...

Dennis says there's about a 5 year wait to dock your boat here...

Small swimming beach...

Marina Park...

A little rest in the park...we had plenty of time before the restaurant opened for lunch...

The blue building is our destination...

And we were still early...waiting outside of the Garage Bar and Grill...

With our tummies  full, it was time for the afternoon's activity...a wine tasting tour! For some reason Dennis and Charlene thought we would like to do some winery and brew pub tours. Okay then...if we must. LOL!!! Our first winery was Leelanau Wine Cellars...

Loved the view of the lake from the tasting room...

Next stop...Mawby Vineyards and Winery...

Dennis is a member so we had our own private tasting room...love the sign!

They make sparkling wine here...not my favourite, but I did find a couple that weren't bad.

They have beautiful views here...

Beautiful spot for a picnic or a wedding...

The main tasting room...

A beautiful stone house on our way to the next winery...

Blustone Vineyards...

This was my favourite winery...almost every wine I tasted, both red and white, were delicious...

The bubbly young lady serving us is a grade 2 school teacher and a real cutie!

This colourful tour bus showed up and everyone was in a tie dyed T shirt...

On our way home we passed by this farm that had Yaks...from a distance Steve thought they were Bison...the telephoto shows how shaggy they are...

Back home...and it was time to relax up in the tower. View from the tower...

The spiral staircase...

...goes down 2 floors. Wouldn't want to be too tipsy manoeuvring up and down these! 

View from the tower...

What a fabulous first day here! Can hardly wait for day 2!