Boyne Thunder Site Up, Running and Ready for 2009

I am not afraid to admit to being totally biased, but I am also totally stoked. It seems the updated Boyne Thunder web site for 2009 is now up and running, with all the details posted for this year's Poker Run. Scheduled for July 10 and 11, this event offers all the excitement, quality and beautiful scenery that you could hope for. This is Hemingway Country, people - and it truly is one of the most beautiful areas of the country. The boating season up here is short...so the people up here do their best to make the most of it. And boy do they ever.

PHOTO CREDIT: BoyneThunder.com

The poker run kicks off at Boyne City, Michigan, located at the eastern end of Lake Charlevoix. It's a quaint little town by day and (at least during Boyne Thunder weekend) a cold-beer and loud music extravaganza by night. It's probably their biggest event of the year, and the town turns out big time to welcome visitors and make them feel at home. This will be their 6th year, and they are getting very good at it.

The run leaves Boyne City, heads out across Lake Charlevoix, through Round Lake and Charlevoix and then out to Lake Michigan. From there, it's on to Beaver Island, Harbor Springs, Petoskey and then a lunch stop at Bay Harbor. The run completes with a stop at Sommerset Point on Lake Charlevoix, then the final card stop, back in Boyne City. It all ends with a big post-run feast right on the lakeshore. The party is open to participants and anyone else who wants to buy a ticket in support of the children of Camp Quality-- a summer camp and year long support program for children with cancer.

PHOTO CREDIT: The Dude took this one

While I vacationed in this general area almost every year as a child, last year was my first trip to Boyne Thunder. The wife and I headed up without our boat--mainly because I didn't have a chance to have maintenance perfomed on my trailer, which it definitely would have needed before a 900 mile round trip. My wife was glad I didn't...especially when she saw the white caps on Lake Charlevoix and heard a Coast Guard officer talking on his radio about 8-foot rollers out on Lake Michigan. "You were thinking of taking me out in this?" she said. "You're nuts."

We watched the boats head down the lake towards Charlevoix, then headed there ourselves to sightsee in Charlevoix and enjoy some cold beers. The incredible homes and boathouses on Round Lake are a sight to behold, and we even had time to take a quick trip up tp Petoskey. Then it was back to Boyne City, to watch the fast boats return and enjoy the post-run feast. I highly recommend the cherry cobbler--there's none better. And it's hard to imagine a better way to spend a weekend. Be sure to check it out; you won't ever forget it.