Day 108 Holy Island /Lake Charlevoix MI

September 26, 2022

Well our weather will improve gradually.

We are on our way to Holy Island to our friends Virginia and Jim’s place. They graciously offered for us to stay on their lake Charlevoix summer family retreat.

Holy Island is a populated island located within Lake Charlevoix in the U.S. state of Michigan. The island is part of Eveline Township in Charlevoix County.

Just a half-mile long and 250 feet wide, the forested island is connected by a short bridge to the mainland. One road, Greenleaf Avenue, runs the length of the island, flanked on both sides by cottages. The origin of the island’s name is as fascinating as the island is beautiful. In the 1850s, Mormons who were part of a renegade Mormon colony on Lake Michigan’s Beaver Island (off the Charlevoix coast), set up an altar on the island and performed baptisms and other religious ceremonies there. By the end of the 19th century, the Mormons had gone and Holy Island was beginning its new life as a laid-back cottaging community where a fishing boat and a dock were the most important amenities.

Many of those early summer residents were, and still are, related—so a culture of gathering together for potlucks and other informal summer dinners evolved. Eventually, it didn’t matter if you were related or not. If you had a cottage on Holy Island, you were family.

On our way into the Island:

Beautiful forested way in

We loved this

Wow 1912

We won’t ring the Bell only if it doesn’t stop raining soon 😀

Once we arrived we met close friends of Virginia and Jim’s who have had a family summer home there since 1941 (and purchased from their parents) and were immediately invited to join them for cocktails. It’s very clear this is a very small and friendly community.

View from their beautiful home

Yolo fits perfectly in the driveway and we were able to plug into one of their electrical sockets to keep our freezer full of Halibut going

This is spectacular

I can see how this would be the most beautiful family/friends gathering place.

Fun places for cocktail hour

Lots of water sports opportunity

I’m sure lots of BBQ’s and chats are happening here during summer season

Jim sent us these pics so we know what it looks like without rain😀spectacular sunsets

Blue sky and the water looks so inviting

Fall colors with blue sky. We are hoping to get this here by Wednesday.

Thank you Virginia and Jim for this beautiful staycation. We are so grateful🙏

We are watching what Hurricane Ivan is up to before we proceed on our way. In the meantime we are exploring this beautiful area. More stunning pictures are to come so far we really like it here even in the rain