Earlier this month, Benedict and I hustled up north to enjoy a day trip to Beaver Island. It was not the first idea for an activity that we came up with, but it was the one that we finally landed on as making the most sense. Friday afternoon, after getting school and work done, we hustled out the door and drove to a hotel about an hour from the dock. It was a late night, paired with an early morning. He was awake just after me, and we made it out the door, through Tim Horton’s, and to the dock in plenty of time.

There was a terrific sunrise as we bought our tickets, parked, and unloaded our bikes. The parking lot was about a block away, so we had a short drive to drop everything off. There was enough time to enjoy the cool morning as the first hints of fall started to appear.

Boarding was about 20 minutes before departure. The crowd was light, and we had plenty of time to check out the boat. The drawbridge over the channel opens every half hour, so right before the bells started ringing, the ferry pulled away from the dock and made its way out onto the lake.

The ferry moved quicker than I expected, given its size and displacement. It briskly passed through the channel, with onlookers at the condos, fishing pier, and just out for a walk waving, taking pictures, and enjoying our passage. Before too long, we were out on Lake Michigan.

Once underway, things settled down. The couple of passengers found seating and enjoyed the journey. The ferry ride was 2.5 hours in total, and there are several charter air services that make the hop in about 15 minutes. Numerous times, they passed overhead, and I questioned if we had made the right choice.

I caught up on podcasts, and we ate some snacks at our seats on the upper deck. They were mesh-lined and partially pitched back, which was quite comfortable. The full table was also a nice addition. There was a beach hazards warning for rough waters, and we felt them. The captain did a nice job tacking into the wind, which minimized the overall discomfort.

Sure enough, before too long, we pulled into Saint James Harbor on the northern end of the island. It was relatively quiet, with few other boats around. The Island and Lower Peninsula were visible for almost the entire journey, but that we had to travel to the far north end of the island is what added to the trip time.

As the ferry maneuvered in, a crowd gathered at the docks. Many were promoting the Irish festival which was being held that weekend, and the rest were ready to head back to the mainland. We disembarked, and by time we were on the dock, our bikes were out and ready for pickup.

Our plan was to bike to the lighthouse at the far end of the island, about a 10-mile trip. The information available online about the island is scant. I was expecting, like Mackinac Island, for there to be at least one paved trail that circuited the island. So we started our ride through town and before too long, we were at a paved trail. Great start!

Maps were also discovered to be inaccurate. We ended up at the trail’s terminus which was an RV park. After some backtracking, it was quickly discovered that the “bike trail” we were pitched on was packed gravel and mud. After a mile and a half, it was clear we were not going to make it with this plan.

We doubled back into town and grabbed lunch at the Wild Strawberry Café. It was windy, but we still enjoyed our lunch out on the porch.

Thankfully, when looking at Maps, I discovered there was an eBike rental stand next to the café. After texting with them, we finished our lunch and walked over. Sure enough, we were able to rent the bikes, and got insight as to where the paved roads actually were. We picked the road that the map indicated ran along the shore, and headed out.

This was our first time riding eBikes, and while the seat was terribly hard, the rest was pretty cool. Benedict had a few near misses as he adjusted to the power, but as we got deeper into the Island, and traffic thinned, we had full control of the roads.

While the map indicated the road hugged the shoreline, the dense forrest prevented us from actually seeing it. We did see the airport on our 12-mile ride, but the rest was mostly just about riding eBikes.

With our time on the island running out, we decided to head back into town to check out the toy museum. Like most attractions on our list, we arrived to find it was closed for the season, without any notice findable online.

While we didn’t make it to the planned southern lighthouse, we did stop to see the stout lighthouse at the mouth of Saint James Harbor. It was not tall enough to clear the surrounding trees, but it was, a lighthouse.

We turned back in our eBikes, grabbed dinner at an Irish pub, and then checked out a few shops. We had ice cream, and went back to the docks to wait for the ferry to return and bring us home. All the hotels on the island require a two-night minimum stay, so we had to make our ferry. As we sat on a bench overlooking the docks, Benedict spontaneously uttered, “This was awesome.”

Right on schedule, it came into the harbor and docked. Everyone unloaded and we boarded. Many of the couples who came over with us on the morning ferry were joining us for the trip home. We exchanged stories, trip histories, and had a nice conversation. Benedict spent his time watching the loading process over the stern.

The company was very efficient with their systems, and we pulled out of the harbor in plenty of time. The forecast indicated that there was a 50% chance of a small amount of rain, but the weather held off the entire day. The sun even peaked out on the return journey.

Benedict and I watched a movie on my iPad for the return journey. The weather overall had calmed, and the waves were much less significant.

Our arrival back to Charlevoix was right around dinner time on a Saturday evening, and the town was bustling. Just like this morning, but now with more people awake, plenty of people stopped, waved, and took pictures of our arrival.

Once clear of the drawbridge, the ferry made a sweeping 270° turn and shockingly made it right into the dock. They must do this a lot.

Benedict watched the unloading from both the observation windows of the lower deck and the stern of the upper deck. It was a beautiful evening.

Just as we experienced on Beaver Island, our bikes were ready for us when we got off the ship. We waved goodbye to the people we’d met, rode our bikes back to the van, and loaded up.

After a stop for gas and drinks, we made the long drive home, arriving deep into the night.