Day 161 - Exploring St. Ignace

I hate to complain about the weather on a day when all Americans should be grateful for everything we do have and our way of life considering how cruelly it was all threatened on this day in 2001.  That said, the wind had roared all night and temperatures had dropped into the low 40’s, not at all good when you are on a boat.  At least it wasn’t raining!  I had to pull out a warm jacket to walk to the marina office and tell them we were staying another day, then walk into town.  After spending all of yesterday on the boat, we both felt the need to get off for a while.

Main Street runs parallel to the water and has several small inns, the ferry boat docks, small shops and restaurants.  One of the friendly shop owners gave us the town highlights and special discounts for the day.  We made it to the Fort de Baude Museum which features the history of the area, settled for thousands of years by Native Americans, most recently the Ojibwa.  Father Jacques Marquette, the French missionary and explorer, who founded a Jesuit mission here in 1671 and gave the town its name, after St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus.

 

We stopped for a bite to eat, and to warm up, at Bentley’s BnL Café, a local family run diner where everything is homemade.  Inside was a real blast from the past, including an old-fashioned juke box.  I had the chili and the Captain had barbecued ribs.  The hot food hit the spot!

 

A Farmer’s Market was setting up next to the marina when we got back.  Considering how cold and windy it was, we doubted there would be many vendors or shoppers.  We decided to have dinner on the boat again rather than go back out.  The wind was starting to die down and we were hopeful about getting out on the lake in the morning.  After dinner we watched a movie in our snug cabin.  I wondered if this was the end of summer or just a foreshadowing of the fall weather to come later.