This was our first trip to the Upper Peninsula and our first time using Vrbo to find housing. My teenage daughter wanted to celebrate her 16th birthday exploring the UP wilderness and actually found the Rock River Retreat on Vrbo. Having never done this before I was a little cautious going into this. Lisa made all the reservations and paperwork a breeze. We received timely communications and were able to complete the reservation process with no incidents.
The Rock River Retreat is a beautiful older home in the hamlet of Eben Junction, Michigan. It's not in the "middle of nowhere" but you can see it from there. The home itself is spotlessly clean and well maintained and the starter supplies are more than sufficient to get you going. If you do need something, the Chatham Co-op store is 10 minutes down the road and has a very nice selection for a small rural grocery store. Our own house it out in the country so we are familiar with rural living but the peace and serenity that surrounds you on the beautifully maintained 18 acres seemed to melt the every day stress away. That being said, there are some caveats to country living. The house is on well water and will have a bit of a sulfur odor to it. It's harmless and the water is fine for cooking, bathing and drinking but if you are not used to it, you might want to bring a couple of gallon jugs of drinking water. The other thing to be aware of is the lack of cell service/internet. Some may view this as an inconvenience but we viewed it as a feature of the house! Our daughter and her best friend were forced to put down their phones and talk to us and each other. There are board games in the closet to keep you busy and there are plenty of spots in the house and property to curl up with a good book. The only time I missed my phone was when there was some weather moving in and I couldn't check on the local forcast. We did find that the "weather stick" was surprisingly accurate! (You'll have to stay here to figure out just exactly what I'm talking about! LOL!) We spent a couple days exploring the Munising area and made one trip to Marquette. There is so much to do, we will have to come back several more times to work through our bucket list. Lisa and Tom were great hosts, checking with us over the weekend to make sure our stay was a pleasant and peaceful one. It was nice to just sit back and relax and enjoy the peace and beauty of the Rock River Retreat!