BENNY THE BEARDFISHER

 I left Pictured Rocks and headed south to Germfask, Michigan to meet Benny the Beardfisher, another troll made by Thomas Dambo.  Benny lives near the river in a campground that is privately owned.  They charge a small fee to walk the short distance to Benny.  It is a very nice campground and if you’re planning on visiting this area, I would recommend it.

I took my sketchbook and walked up to see him.  It started raining a short time after I got there, but not enough to deter me or anyone else.  He did get a lot of visitors.  Everyone seemed delighted.

I left Benny to his fishing, and headed south.  I wanted to get as far as the bridge to the lower half of Michigan.  Apparently, everyone was leaving the UP for home, this Sunday afternoon in the rain.  I got to within 4 miles of the bridge when the traffic came to a complete stop and didn’t move for ten minutes.  I spent that time trying to find a hotel in St. Ignace, the cell service was very weak, but this was the best I’d seen it all day.  I finally got Waze to redirect me off the main freeway, and head me into town on the side roads, along with a whole lot of other travelers.  It backed up too, but I was able finally to get around that mess and make my way down towards my hotel.  I spotted a restaurant on the way and stopped for some lunch/dinner.  I sketched while sitting at the bar and waiting for my Rueben sandwich.