Harbor Springs, MI to Petoskey, MI

Petoskey, while larger than Harbor Springs, is still a small quaint town with a charming downtown area and lovely walking paths.

Petoskey is “famous” for its Petoskey rock, which happens to be the Michigan state stone since 1965. The Petoskey stone is a fossilized coral rock that was formed over 350 million years ago in the warm Michigan waters. It is covered in a hexagonal shapes which have a dark center with radiating thin lines. It is difficult to find as their unique coral texture is not visible when the stone is dry. Therefore, the easiest way to find a Petoskey stone is at a rocky beach where the waves wet the rocks to reveal their unique patterns. On this warm sunny day, many were at the beach hunting for the elusive Petoskey stone. So…when in Rome. 😉

No luck finding the Petoskey stone, but here is one “in the rough”.

And one after being polished.

Another unique Petoskey activity is jumping of the pier break wall. While not illegal, it is highly not advised due to the boats and currents in the area. On this summer day, not many were heeding the advice but instead taking the plunge. Apparently, it is one of the top 30 things that all Michiganders need to do before they die. The local souvenir shops are more than happy to celebrate your daring feat by selling you one of the 1,000’s of t-shirts proclaiming your accomplishment of surviving your jump. We saved money on the t-shirt by not jumping. 😁

As Lake Michigan’s temper kept us tied up for a few extra days, we took advantage of the free marina bikes and rode the bike path to Harbor Springs. The bike path was nicely marked and paralleled the Little Traverse Bay’s lake shore.

About 2 miles from Petoskey, we came across Stafford’s Bay View Inn. It is a charming, family-run Victorian hotel on the shores of Little Traverse Bay. The Inn also just happens to serve lunch and, as it is noon, our bikes take a detour.

After lunch, we take a walk along the rocky shores of Little Traverse Bay behind the inn. We pass by Bay View Memorial Garden. Founded in 1993, is is the repository of the ashes of cremation of Bay View members and friends. The ashes are placed directly in the soil without containers and markers and they become part of the life of the garden. A rare and solemn place that was quite an unexpected encounter on our post lunch stroll.