Day 16 of 30 | Harbor Springs - Jody Pear Designs

Day 16 of 30 | Harbor Springs

1/26/2025

Friday, July 26, 2024: Good Morning Suttons Bay! We woke to a beautiful sunrise and a surprise visit from Matt & Keri. They stopped in before we headed to continue our journey. At 12:15 p.m., we left Suttons Bay Marina. I'm filled with emotions; sad to leave and excited to see what's next. By 2:23 p.m. we were settled into our new boat slip in Harbor Springs!

Saturday, July 27, 2024: Today we are in need of some groceries and the nearest store is not within a convenient walking distance. The marina, Walstrom Marine, offers a golf cart to their guests and while we were talking to the harbormaster, the couple who borrowed the golf cart before us pulled up. They had another stop to make and offered to drop us off on their way and pick us up when they're finished. The timing worked out perfectly and as we drove up the somewhat steep and winding road, we were relieved not to be walking.

Thursday, July 25, 2024: We were relaxing with our morning coffee on the back of the boat, enjoying the stunning views. A woman was walking along the boardwalk and glanced in our direction. She continued walking a few more feet and then stopped and backed up. She exclaimed, "Grosse Pointe Woods?! I used to live there!" She was astonished to hear we brought our boat this far. She lives in Suttons Bay now and was happy to reminisce about the east side. I'm not sure who enjoyed our talk more, the woman or us. :-)

This couple keeps their boat here all summer and he used to live in the area. He asked if we wanted to do a little sightseeing and of course we were excited at his offer. They drove over to the bluff and we just sat and chatted for a while, watching the sailboat races on Little Traverse Bay. It was breathtaking!

Our first thought was that our boat looks like a dinky toy next to the large docks that are made for much larger boats than ours. There are some gorgeous yachts here and thankfully, boats similar in size to ours. For lunch, we enjoyed eating the amazing Burrito Bowls, leftovers from Hop Lot Brewing last night. Soon after, we packed the cooler and necessities for a very lengthy dinghy ride. There was so much to see!!!

I was excited to walk the town, going into the quaint shops. With time constraints yesterday, we only made it into one shop, Gold & Jaye Jewelry. The owner, Jennifer, was expecting us. Last year, Larry surprised me with a new wedding ring that she designed and I wanted to bring it in for cleaning while we are here. Jennifer is extremely talented and captivating when she shows her creations. Naturally, I tried some on again. ;-)

There are several marinas in this area and many sailboats coming in from a race. Cruising around in the dinghy, we're getting an up close view of all the celebrations going on and the vibrant colored spinnakers make it feel so festive!

Once they dropped us back off at the marina and we unloaded our groceries, we were ready to repeat some of our dinghy adventures from yesterday and more. This time we went as far as Petoskey State Park. We pulled the dinghy up on the beach and cooled ourselves off in the water before continuing on. Heading back in the direction of the marina, we got a closer look at some of the races. Then we relaxed at Zoll Street Beach. It's a tiny beach that is dog friendly and quite busy. It was entertaining watching the dogs come in and play.

Yesterday at Staffford's Pier Restaurant, I saw many people ordering Mudslides and I couldn't stop thinking about them today so we went back, sat at the bar, and tasted them for ourselves. They were excellent; a perfect afternoon snack.

We had a simple dinner on the boat and spent the evening walking through the neighborhoods, enjoying the beautiful homes. This is one of the most picturesque places we have visited.

We visited several shops and went to Boone's Prime Time Pub for lunch. Larry golfed with our friends later in the afternoon and I had a few hours on my own. I grabbed my book, blanket, and beverage and headed to the beach. After golf, we all went to Hop Lot Brewing for dinner; another one of our favorite places.

As we continue exploring, we see boathouses with some amazing classic yachts, bars and restaurants, expansive decks with umbrellas, a small beach filled with kids playing, a Yacht Club and then a long stretch of spectacular homes, mixed in with some beautiful boats. Everywhere I turn, there's something beautiful to see! After a two-hour dinghy ride, we went back to the boat and walked into town. Someone is building our dream house on a corner lot just beyond the marina we're staying in. We're in awe....the house is stunning.

view from the back of our boat

There was no question where I wanted to have dinner. We saw the inviting waterfront restaurant earlier in the day, Staffford's Pier Restaurant. We walked there to make a reservation and surprisingly, they had availability. After exploring the town a little more, we dressed for dinner, walked back to the restaurant, and were seated in a beautiful white space with high glass ceilings, exposed to the warm outdoor breeze. Spectacular! Our drinks came and I was looking out towards the water. When I turned back to Larry, I saw that a small box had appeared on the table. The label on top was a very good clue of what was inside. I opened it to find two gorgeous white gold bands to add to the wedding ring Larry surprised me with last year; all created by Jennifer at Gold & Jaye Jewelry in Suttons Bay. I WAS STUNNED! Larry explained that he bought two bands to symbolize "double nickels." My 55th birthday is nine days away and he wanted me to have my gift now. When our waitress understood what just occurred, she too had tears in her eyes. It was magical!

We ended this amazing day with a walk along Beach Drive. Gorgeous, historical homes to our left, Little Traverse Bay to our right, a clear, dark sky above, and arched lamp posts lighting the path beneath our feet.