October 2021, three days, weekday - weekend
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| View of Pigeon River Bridge in the distance goes to Andreae Cabin and Nature Preserve parking lot |
We decided to combine our HopPassports with a northern Michigan color and hiking tour. Although we visited a bit past peak colors, this was still a great trip! I am sharing info about some of the places we visited. See my two posts before this one for lodging information.
Hiking, trails, parks, rivers, colors...
We recently learned about Nature Megaphone in Boyd B. Banwell Nature Preserve in Afton, Michigan. This is a structure designed to magnify the sounds of nature. Unfortunately, it was raining lightly when we visited, and there was not much activity in the forest. It was still very cool! The rain in the video above sounds louder than it actually was. There is a bird chirping about 14 seconds in that is also magnified. We did not see any birds during our entire hike, and I am not sure how far away this bird was. I suggest playing the video on full screen with the volume up.
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| Nature Megaphone |
The structure is about 5½' tall at the widest point. I am 5'2" tall, and I could easily stand up inside. The hike from Agnes S. Andreae Nature Preserve parking lot at the end of Riverwoods Trail was under 2 miles round-trip, and it was pretty easy. The only hill was on the way back up to the parking lot after crossing the river, and there are a couple of small hills, if you take the longer path along the river.
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View from inside Nature Megaphone above Trail map in parking lot below |
The hike from Boyd B. Banwell Family Nature Preserve parking lot on M-68 is a longer hike. We would have hiked from this area, if the weather had been better, because the roads back to Agnes S. Andreae Nature Preserve are dirt.
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Downtown Cheboygan above Thunder Bay River looking toward Rotary Island Mill Park in Alpena below |
In Alpena and Cheboygan, there are riverwalk trails along Thunder Bay River and Cheboygan River, parks, locks in Cheboygan, preserves, and more. In Alpena, you can get to Lake Huron walking most of the way along the river, and in Cheboygan the route has more sidewalk/town walking.
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| Tawas Bay |
The bay was beautiful the day we drove by Tawas Bay! There are great trails in Tawas Bay that we biked when we camped at the state park here a few years ago.
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Entrance door into Alocona Brew Haus below |
Breweries and dining
Our favorite brewery this trip was Alcona Brew Haus in Harrisville, MI. I was impressed with the building preservation from the moment we entered. We got a building tour from the owner, and I took way more photos than I am able to post here. I am sharing a couple more below.
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| Remodeled original entrance above Notice the original refurbished floorboards - beautiful! Both photos (above and below) Alocona Brew Haus |
The service and beers in Alcona Brew Haus matched the impressive decor. The location also has outside seating. Along with our beers, we filled a howler to-go from this brewery. We had it the following weekend, and it was still fresh.
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| Highway Brewing in West Branch, Michigan |
We also visited Highway Brewing Company in West Branch, Austin Brothers Beer Company in Alpena, Biere De Mac Brew Works and Rusted Spoke Brewing Company in Mackinaw City, and Cheboygan Brewing Company.
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| Austin Brothers Beer Company in Alpena, Michigan |
It was less than a mile walk from our hotel in Alpena to Austin Brothers, and about the same from our hotel in Cheboygan to Cheboygan Brewing. Both of these locations were quite full when we visited. The beers and service were both great.
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| Cheboygan Brewing Company in Michigan |
The only brewery we did not like this visit was Rusted Spoke. This was mostly due to the bartender's attitude, and her not wanting to honor our half price beer in the HopPassport for only one beer. The passport is good for the first two drinks at half off. She knew we were using our HopPassport before we placed the order, because I had asked her if I could use it for a different beverage, like a Bloody Mary. I had watched her make one for a different patron, and it looked amazing. She said no. I did not feel like having a beer, so we said we just wanted the one beer then. We knew we would lose the second promotion, which did not matter to us. We have done this before at other breweries without a problem. Before she brought the bill, we had already felt like we were being snubbed because we are not locals like the other patrons seated at the bar. She did end up honoring the discount, although she did not initially want to do so.
If you are choosing just one brewery in Mackinaw City, I suggest Biere De Mac instead. Biere De Mac is just outside of town, and their beers are great.
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| Inside Lighthouse Restaurant in Rogers City, Michigan |
We had a fabulous dining experience at Lighthouse Restaurant in Rogers City. The building does not look like much on the outside, and we were not really sure what to expect when we arrived. The inside of the restaurant is decorated with local photos, the service was excellent, and the food was good. Our meals also included slaw, which is not pictured in the photos below.
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| Lighthouse Restaurant in Rogers City, Michigan |
We used a coupon at this location ($10 off $20), and our server was glad to honor it. The owner came out to talk with us when she saw my husband looking at the photos on the walls. What impressed me the most, was when our server asked about our satisfaction with the meals, and then I heard her return to the kitchen to tell the cook that all was good. Wow, it has been a long time since we have dined out, and I felt like everyone in the restaurant genuinely cared about our satisfaction. We were glad we made this stop!
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Rotary Island Mill Park in Alpena above Pigeon River on our walk to Nature Megaphone below |
Here are a couple more photos from our trip. Let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to share this info for others!
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