By this time tomorrow, I’ll be on an island.
Bois Blanc Island, MI to be precise. Located next to Mackinac Island, in the straits, betwixt the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Bois Blanc (pronounced b-wah b-lahnk) is French for ‘white woods’. I presume that the Island was named for a type of tree which was white, but I’m no Marine Biologist.
The closest thing to Freedom
(Most of) the locals (both on and off island) refer to it as ‘Bob-lo’. For the purpose of this post, I’ll stick with that.
Being on the Island is kind of like being in the middle of nowhere. Except that you’re surrounded by water and have access to the world *if* you choose. On Bob-lo there is a general store/restaurant (which has Internet and sells the daily paper every morning), cell phone service (limited and on the perimeter only), power, plumbing, a bar (with shuffleboard!), a Post Office, an airport, and a Ferry Boat.
Getting supplies to the island is cake as well. With a simple call to a grocery store on the mainland, you can place an order and have it dropped off to the next ferry boat destined for Bob-lo. Provided you have a credit card (to pay the grocer) and a couple of bucks (to pay the Ferry Skipper for carting the boxes) you’re all set.
The only things paved on the island are the main dock and the airport. All roads on the island are dirt with a speed limit of 25MPH and 1 Sheriff on the prowl. There are a handful of folks who live there year round. And things tend to get pretty busy during the summer.
The Tour de Dave preferred method of lodging is to rent one of the cottages. Although, camping is not out of the question; and a popular activity for vacationers during the summer.
I’ve been going to The Island for the better part of 2 decades and have yet to find a better vacation place. When there, it’s almost as if time fades away.
Categorised as: World Travels