Kewadin Shores Casino & Hotel, St. Ignace, MI

                    Friday 8/30/2013

With the Labor Day weekend upon us, we had to leave our centrally located TiKi RV Park in St. Ignace to the Kewadin Shores Casino. The casino was down the road about 4 miles, so we didn't bother hooking up the car. I just followed Joe to our next back yard.

The casino has a large parking lot with electric and water hook up sites along the perimeter of the lot. It was a good thing we had reservations, because all the sites were full by that evening.

Over yonder is the casino (the roof top is all you can see from the lot). The casino sits on the shore of Lake Huron. After we set up, we went into the casino for our free $10 a piece gambling money. (Which of course lasted maybe 20 minutes in the slots). Our site was free for the four nights we stayed at the casino, because they had some promotion going on. Joe enjoyed going over and playing craps every night.

The next day we went to the St. Ignace Farmers Market (which consisted of two farmers) and the Annual Labor Day Craft & Art Show. It was a really nice show with lots to look at.

That night, St. Ignace had fireworks out on the harbor. If we had still been at the Tiki RV Park, which is just up the hill from the downtown, we probably could have seen them from there. We forgot about them out at the casino, though you might have been able to see them if we had gone down to the shoreline. The town had bands by the harbor and movies under the stars, as well as other events for the holiday weekend.

After the craft show, we headed home. On the way we spotted Castle Rock off in the distance, and decided we would have to check it out the next day.

Another view of Castle Rock as we drove by.

On Monday/Labor Day, we were headed for the Mackinac Bridge, when we spotted an overlook turn off. This was our view from the lookout. Not real good for this picture.

I put the zoom lens on, and got a better view for myself as well as for this picture.

With the zoom, I also got a view of the top of the Mackinac Bridge.

As we left the rest stop/overlook, I saw a body of water below, so I had Joe stop again. I found out from google maps, there are two lakes in this area. One lake is called Chain Lake. Chain lake is connected to Freschette Lake by a river.

This might be the river, that connects the two lakes.

We continued our drive on the interstate that by passes the town to Bridge View Park. The parking lots of this park were full.

We had been told by the visitor center that the town was having the 56th Annual Bridge Walk on Labor Day. Joe and I talked about doing it, but Joe wasn't interested, because he thought it was going to be too hot and he reminded me he wouldn't enjoy the heights. I also found out it is a 5 1/2 mile hike across the bridge, and once you start the walk, there is no turning back. Usually after walking for a mile or so, especially if it is hot, my left foot goes numb, so I have to make many stops to get feeling back into it, which would have made the walk too long.

It turned out that the morning was cloudy, cold, with drizzling rain. We were both  happy we had decided against it, because it would have been even colder on the bridge

The bridge is closed on east side for the walkers, and the west side is open for traffic until 9:30. After 9:30, only one lane is open in the east lane for walkers. 

Once across the bridge, you catch a bus to get back across the bridge to your car. There are no restrooms on the bridge, and the walk generally takes 2 hours to do, per visitor center information

We left the bridge and headed back to the casino for Castle Rock. It cost $1 to climb to the top of Castle Rock, which we got in free, because of a coupon we had got from the visitor center. Castle Rock is open from 8AM to 9PM.                                                Looking up the stairs before we started the climb.

Once we climbed the first set of stairs, we looked up the second group of steps. My lunge exercises sure have made a big difference in my ability to do stairs and biking!

After another short flight of 10 steps we came to the bridge. There is a total of 70 steps to the top. The bridge crosses over to a sea stack, which is made from limestone and erosion. Joe told me, I was on my own from here.

Half way across the bridge, I looked down. Mighty high I was!

I made it out to the platform on Castle Rock and looked toward St. Ignace.

I looked down to the parking lot.

I was not feeling very comfortable, so I did not go to the edge of the platform, but I did get close enough to get a picture straight out over the railing.

Mackinac Island out in the distance. I could actually feel the platform sway a bit in the breeze, which continued to make me feel uncomfortable.

Close up of Mackinac Island on Lake Huron.

A close up of St Ignace downtown.

If you look hard enough, you can barely see Mackinac Bridge.

This view to the NW is of the Kewadin Shore Casino.

I left the sea stack and got back to sold ground, as others went out to it.

I really didn't enjoy being out there, but I had to get the pictures for you all. I hope you all appreciate the things I put myself through for your benefit!

At the bottom of Castle Rock, is Babe & Blue Ox. This is the third or fourth Babe & Blue OX we have posed by in our travels.