I have lived in Michigan all my life and done a fair amount of
traveling around this awesome state. But there are still some places
I have never visited – like Bois Blanc Island (located in Lake
Huron – near Mackinac Island). So, now that the July 4th
crowds have gone home, my Hubby says, “Let’s go to Bob-Lo”.
Bob-Lo is another name for Bois (pronounced Bwa) Blanc island. It
is French for “white woods”. It is believed that the name was
given to the island because of the numerous white-bark trees that
exist here.
I was surprised to discover what this quiet and laid-back island has
to offer.
Bois Blanc Island is about 6 miles north of Cheboygan, Michigan. We
arrive in Cheboygan at 4:15 p.m. We know there are two restaurants on the
Bois Blanc Island (Hawk’s Landing and Bob-Lo Tavern) but we don’t
know what hours/days they are open. So, we grab a couple of cold
sandwiches ”to go” from a Subway Restaurant near the car ferry
dock. There’s a lesson to be learned here – go to the island
prepared with backup plans. We will learn that one of the island's restaurants is temporarily closed because they ran out of food at the end of the
Fourth of July weekend.
Transportation to the island can be done by private boat or fly –
the airport does have a paved runway. However, the most common way is
through Plaunt Transportation (412 Water Street on the Cheboygan
River). It is the only ferry service (vehicles and passenger) to the
island. I have included a link to their web site (schedule and
rates) at the end of this post. If you are taking a vehicle over to
the island, reservations are highly recommended. In 2018, ii cost us $100
($64 for our car and $18 per person) for the round trip ride and they
don’t accept credit cards.
The Plaunt Transportation staff expertly drives the vehicles onto the
ferry which can carry up to 16 vehicles.
During full-capacity sailings, passengers have the option of staying
in their vehicle during the 45 minute crossing or utilizing either of
the two passenger cabins (one is a little larger than the other –
both have bench seating). Fortunately for us, the ferry is not at
full capacity and we are able to move about freely on the deck and
getting in/out of our car when we wanted.
One other pertinent piece of information - during our trip, the
on-board restroom was not functional. However, the Plaunt
Transportation building does have a restroom and so does the island
dock/marina.
At 5 p.m., the Kristen D pulls away from the dock and begins its six
mile trip across Lake Huron to the island. Immediately, I hear bells
clang and watch as the draw bridge on US-23 raises to let the ferry
pass through its opening.
We
see some cool things like a docked freighter along the Cheboygan
River ...
and
this large white tank ...
and
four lighthouses.
Cheboygan Front Range Light
Cheboygan Crib Light
Fourteen Foot Shoal & Poe Reef Lights
I thought the time passed quickly and soon we are approaching Bois
Blanc Island. The Kristen D rounds the stone jetty into the marina
area where we dock.
We drive our own vehicles off the ferry and begin our short weekend
on the island. In 24 hours, we will be back in Cheboygan. Detailed
maps of the island are hard to find. I have two maps to use – a
recreational trail map and the Bois Blanc Island Historical Society’s
Landmark Map.
For now, we leave the dock and turn right onto Bob-Lo Drive (aka East
Huron Drive) and go a little over a mile to the Insel Haus B&B
where we will be spending the night. We meet Shelby & Christa
(the owners) and learn a little about this 7,800 square foot house.
Our second floor guest room faces the back of the house overlooking
the woods. While a light rain shower passes over the island, we
spend the rest of the evening enjoying our quiet surroundings and
watching the deer.
Insel Haus B&B
B&B View of Freighter & Kristen B on Lake Huron
Deer grazing in backyard of B&B'
After a good night’s sleep, we have a tasty and leisurely breakfast while we wait for the morning fog to dissipate. By the time we leave the B&B, the skies are clearing. It's time to begin our tour of the island.
The island is about 34 square miles (approximately 12 miles long and
6 miles wide). There is a General Store and gas station (Hawk’s
Landing) located near the marina/dock. We filled the car up with
gas before we left Cheboygan so I didn’t notice how competitive the
gas prices are on the island versus the mainland.
Also, a word about the island roads – there aren’t any paved
roads. There are a few well maintained gravel/dirt roads. However,
most are two-track roads that can become narrow with pot holes and/or
muddy conditions. Vegetation may grow close to the edge of the road
and tree limbs may scratch vehicles. Drivers should use caution and
discretion when encountering these sections – help may not be a
phone call away. During our visit a portion of the North Lake Shore
Road was closed due to flooding.
That being said, there are still peaceful forested roads to travel
and places to explore. Looking for historic sites will give us an
opportunity to drive some of the island roads. To do this, we will
be using the Bois Blanc Island Historical Society’s Landmark Map
(shown above). The map lists 24 stops.
Here are the descriptions for each stop (although there isn’t any
copyright disclaimer, I still obtained verbal permission of the BBIHS
to include it here):
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
We begin our tour by turning left out of the B&B’s drive onto
Bob-Lo Drive and going a few miles to Stop 22 (Snake Island/Mud Lake
– this natural area is 244 acres). The high lake level creates
this “sometimes a peninsula” into an island. We don’t have a
means of getting over there, so we continue our tour of discovery.
There are several Nature Preserves on the island. These protected lands are undeveloped. Much of the land protected by the Nature Conservancy is open to the public for low-impact recreational activities such as hiking,bird-watching, and photography.
Stop 23 is the former Coast Guard Station Quarters (now a private
summer residence).
The Coast Guard Chapel (Stop 24) was one of the landmarks I wanted to
see. This former boathouse (originally located on the water at the
Coast Guard Station) was moved to this “you can’t miss it” spot
along the main road. This rare find has been converted into a chapel
with services held on Sundays during the summer months.
Coast Guard Chapel
While we are here, a gentleman riding an off-road vehicle arrives to do some maintenance work. He is very kind and opens
the doors to allow us to go inside the building. I think the blue
stained-glass windows are a nice touch in creating a chapel
appearance.
Stained Glass WIndows
At this point, we deviate from the historic tour to do a little
exploring on the east side of the island. We turn on a side road and
discover the pier/dock at Mary Lake (one of six lakes on the island).
There are two picnic tables on the dock. How fun would it be to
have a picnic here on this quiet lake.
Lake Mary picnic area & dock
We return to the main road and travel north. This is when we
discover that the North Lake Shore Road is closed due to flooding.
We retrace our route back to the B&B.
Bob-Lo Drive (aka East Huron Drive) with view of Lake Huron
A little west of the B&B is Fire Tower Road. There are supposed
to be several landmark stops along this road. Once again, we head
north. A word of caution – deer are everywhere! Within half a
mile we see three deer cross the road ahead of us.
We keep our eyes open for Stop 20 (John Dillinger’s Hideout) and
Stop 21 (Fire Tower Foundation). According to the rather sketchy
map, they are near Thompson Lake. We don’t find them.
We drive Fire Tower Road until it dead-ends at Lake Huron and North
Lake Shore Drive. Here we find Stop 17 (The Boiler). It’s a
4/10’s of a mile walk (one way) down a two-track road to the site.
Due to our limited time here on the island, we don’t go there.
Maybe next visit we'll have more time.
Also at Stop 17 there is an easy access to Lake Huron’s rocky beach
and a view of Lighthouse Point (to the east) and Mackinac Island
(straight ahead).
Rocky Beach & Lighthouse Point
View of Mackinac Island
We turn left and drive a little of the North Lake Shore Road but road
conditions begin to deteriorate. So, my Hubby puts the car into
reverse and expertly backs the car to a rare sight – a driveway -
where we can turn around and return to Forest Tower Road.
During our return drive south on Fire Tower Road, we have a second
chance to find the elusive decaying cabins at Stop 20 and the remains
of the foundation of the 90’ fire tower at Stop 21. We still can’t
find them and we don’t have any extra time to do additional
exploring. We put this on our next visit’s list of things to do.
Back at the main road, we turn west and stop at the ferry dock/marina
to see Stop 1 (Michigan Historic Sign) that describes some of the
history of Bois Blanc Island.
Side 1 and Side 2 of Sign
It’s a short drive to the small community of Pointe Aux Pins
(population 71 according to the 2000 census). There is history in
this little town. It was first platted in 1888 and was a resort
town. Today, ten of the landmark stops are in this area.
Our first landmark is Stop 6 - the Hoover Community Building (built in
1967).
Next to the Community building is the Episcopal Church of the
Transfiguration (Stop 7). This charming church was built in 1905. I love the stone entry arch to the
church.
A short distance down the road is the Pines School (Stop 8).
According to the Michigan One Room Schoolhouse Association, this
school was built in 1936. One of my passions is photographing
one-room schools. What makes this a rare find is that it is still
being used as an active school.
I’m not sure at what point the road name changes from Bob-Lo to Lime
Kiln Point Road but here we are at Stop 9 (Fire Department), Stop 10
(Post Office) and Stop 11 (Woodland Glade Township Cemetery). I
wish we had time to go down the grassy drive and walk around the
cemetery. So much history can be found reading headstones. Just
another reason to come back to the island. When we do, I will update
this blog post.
Township Fire Department
U.S. Post Office
Woodland Glade Cemetery
A
little farther down the road is the airport (Stop 13). We can see
the paved runway from the road.
We stop and talk with some locals that are enjoying a leisurely bike ride down the shady road. They tell us there
will be a tunnel of trees at the end of the road and a view of the
Mackinac Bridge. There are other landmarks down side roads but time
is not our friend today. Which brings me to another important point
– the maximum speed limit on the island is 25 mph and we are told
it is strictly enforced.
Tunnel of Trees
View of Mackinac Bridge
It
is at this point where the North Lake Shore Road begins or ends
depending on your route (assuming you can drive/bike around the island without encountering poor road conditions).
If you enjoy nature, fishing, hiking, biking, bird-watching,
photography, history, and a peaceful place to relax - then you should
consider visiting Bois Blanc Island. We enjoyed our stay but it is time to head back to the marina to catch the 5 p.m.
ferry to Cheboygan. As we near the dock, we can see the Kristen D is
arriving. I take a picture of it at the dock while we wait for the
cars to unload.
Kristen D Arriving at Bois Blanc Island
We say good-bye to Bois Blanc Island … for now.
For
information on the car/passenger ferry service, please click on the
following link:
Ferry to Bois Blanc Island
For
information on the Insel Haus B&B, please click on the following
link:
Other lodging options include camping (availability may be limited) and vacation rentals.
If you are interested in seeing more one room schools, I invite you
to view my blog site by clicking on the following link:
Until next time, I wish you safe travels!
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