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Friday, June 27 - Monday, June 30, 2008 We arrived at the cottage and made ourselves comfortable. The small cottage is cozy and adorable; it’s the smaller ‘guest house’ on the property and it sits right behind the big house on the crystal blue water. Ryan was working late, and wouldn’t join us until later in the evening, so we made a nice dinner and relaxed.
Torch Lake is a truly remarkable lake; from more than one person we heard that it’s actually the third most beautiful lake in the world (according to National Geographic magazine). What makes this lake so spectacular is the different depths which create magnificent tones of blue. It’s deepest depth is 330ft in the middle! The water is spring fed, all natural water that’s absolutely freezing, but the clarity of it (you can see right through it to the sand on the bottom) is just too tempting to stay out of.
We hung out with Ryan late into the night and slept late into the morning. By the time we got to the Muffin Tin in nearby Alden for breakfast, they were down to their last few muffins. We walked the small town,
Short's Brewery
Jen, Rob, and Ryan at Short'sand stopped to admire their exhibit of artistic Porta-Johns. Some cities decorate cows, pigs, or horses; this town chose porta-potties - hmmm.
In the afternoon, while enjoying our bloody mary’s, we took a boat ride down the Torch River to the nearby preserve and back again. Rob and Ryan even got into the freezing water. Staying in a cottage with a full kitchen and barbeque is quite a luxury and this weekend we planned on eating well. We barbequed hamburgers for lunch, then drove to nearby Bellaire to taste almost all the beer on tap in Short’s Brewery. We should mention that Ryan is a beer brewer for Arbor Brewery in Ann Arbor, so local breweries are always on his destination list. Back at the cottage we grilled chicken for dinner, lit a campfire, and best of all….gorged ourselves on s’mores.
On Sunday, we took the boat back out for a ride through Torch Lake. Even though it was overcast and a bit chilly, Jen braved the water today with Rob, knowing it was her last chance. Unfortunately, some people still have to work during the summer, and despite our desperate pleas, Ryan had to head home in
Porch Bedroom
Our view from our porch bedroom the late afternoon. Even though that meant we would be locked out of the cottage we weren’t ashamed to admit we decided to sleep on the porch anyway. C’mon, it’s free, private, has a beautiful view, and did we mention free?
The night on the porch went surprisingly well, considering all of the bugs that also call this porch their home. The view of the early sunrise may just have been the most magnificent sunrise we’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, the camera was in the car and our sleeping bags were just too warm to get out of. Morning was over quickly, and we decided on a new town named Petoskey, not too far away, for the next two days. We’ve got an open schedule for the next four days…not too sure where we’re headed, but we have plans to spend the weekend with Rob’s parents, and his sister’s family in Glen Arbor, Mi - so we’re trying to stay somewhat close by.
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Lacey Lammle
non-member comment
Bugs?
Well Jen I never much pegged you for the camping type but here you are sleeping with the bugs on a very regular basis! I also think that it is great to get out of your comfort zone, unfortunately mine requires running water and a toilet! Just kidding I think that you guys are having the time of your lives and this is something that you will remember forever! Any plans for the 4th? I love the pictures and cannot wait to hear about the weekend with the parents! Talk to you soon. Lacey