It was time to say goodbye to our friends at the Seabiscuit Café on Mackinac Island.
We purchased a bottle of their delicious private label wine (“Seabiscuit Ranch Superfecta Meritage”) and had John Nash sign it for us!
Then we boarded the ferry and headed back to the mainland, where we picked up our car and drove it across the beautiful Mackinac Bridge toward the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Crossing the Mackinac Island Bridge
The U.P. (or Upper Peninsula) is bordered on three sides by Great Lakes – Superior, Michigan and Huron. It has gorgeous remote beaches and forests, along with quaint small towns. The place has a flavor all its own — Although not as isolated as in the days before the great bridge linked the two pieces of Michigan and made travel between them easier, it still has an appealing remote northern feel to it and a strong regional identity.
Along the coast of Lake Michigan (Michigan – U.P.)
And once again, here is proof that you can find used books nearly everywhere you go…
Honest Injun’s Tourist Trap – Somewhere along Rte. 2 – Upper Peninsula of Michigan
And here are a couple of the books that we purchased there!
And here is another book shop we found on the upper peninsula near
Moran, Michigan called First Edition, Too…
First Edition, Too – a used and rare book shop in Moran, Michigan (U.P.)
It looked like the kind of place we just love. Unfortunately, it was closed and we couldn’t get an answer at the adjoining house. From information garnered on-line, the owner has been a bookseller for 35 years. The shop specializes in Michigan and Great Lakes history but also carries a full line of general stock.
Definitely our kind of place! Sorry we missed out, but there will be another trip up this way in our future.
Old Scrolls Blog 
I hope you won’t drink the wine with all the scribbles on the label. As a collector, it worth more with the wine inside just as a signed binding is not worth much without the text blocl. It has been suggested that my binding collection could be much bigger if I filed the covers in folders in a filing cabinet and pitch the text block.
As for wine, I have three recommendations. All in $9 price range. Apothic Red, OZV zinfandel and Milestone Zinfandel. These are a result of buying many bottles and sampling them. To beat them, I would have to spend about $20 for a bottle of Earthquake zin. Alas, it is either books or wine! Great Blog, more books!!!
John,
We have not opened the bottle (Seabiscuit wine) — it is stored in our cellar! I agree with you on the drinkability of the reds you named (and we love our reds) –we have HAD ALL THREE and enjoy them regularly. They are great values. My new special favorite, though, is McManis Petite Sirah (California, of course). Gorgeous flavors!! And average price is around $10. Even though we live in Finger Lakes wine country here, we don’t have the climate for reds. There are some stand-up award-winning whites, though — lovely Rieslings, gewurtz, and ice wines (if one is into that kind of thing). Absolutely LOVE California reds.
And as to your final comment, you are right — hahaha — less blog, more books. Plan to get to work on that, I’m in a scouting mood…
Cathy