Station/Boat Location~
USCGC BISCAYNE BAY (140'), Station St. Ignace
Date there~
05/2009 - 04/2010
Weather~
Very cold, very snowy winters. Once the yearly "Ontario Clipper" passes over, there is snow on the ground for the whole season. It can start snowing as early as September and as late as May. Plus St. Ignace is right between Lakes Huron and Michigan, so you get lake effect snow too. The summers can be quite warm and humid
Military facilities~
Nothing, except the small CG base in Sault Ste Marie aka "the Soo" (about an hour north) with a small exchange, ID card office, etc.
Medical~
Prime Remote - Mackinac Straits Hospital
Housing~
I'm pretty sure the station works the same way, but married members with kids get government owned/leased housing (if there is any available) and married members with no kids get BAH. I went inside one of the houses a few times and they were very nice, they had been recently remodeled and were quite spacious. Even had a 2-car garage.
Shopping~
In town...really nothing. A few touristy stores, a grocery store, Family Dollar and some hardware stores. An hour north or a half hour south (which is over a bridge and a $7 round trip toll) there is a Wal-Mart, KMart and a few other stores. The closest thing to any real shopping is a huge mall in Traverse City, which is about 2 1/2 hours south.
Child Care/Schools~
St Ignace Elementary School, St Ignace Middle School, LaSalle High School, Gros Cap School
Adult Schools~
Lake Superior State University in Saulte Ste Marie.
Fun Activities~
Well, if you love the outdoors, this is THE place for you. There are plenty of places to go hiking, 4-wheeling and snowmobiling. There are also several places from the Soo down to Petoskey to go tubing and sledding, and an awesome ski area in Petoksey called Nub's Nob. There is also Boyne Highlands and Boyne Mountain but they are ski resorts. Lake Michigan has a pretty nice beach, when the water is warm enough. And there are other activities all around but they are usually several hours away. But the most fun thing to do is taking the ferry from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island.
Additional Info~
This is a small town, and it does have snow for quite some time. But if you grew up in a small town yourself and you miss it, this is probably where you want to be.
Homeport MI
USCGC BISCAYNE BAY (140'), Station St. Ignace
Date there~
05/2009 - 04/2010
Weather~
Very cold, very snowy winters. Once the yearly "Ontario Clipper" passes over, there is snow on the ground for the whole season. It can start snowing as early as September and as late as May. Plus St. Ignace is right between Lakes Huron and Michigan, so you get lake effect snow too. The summers can be quite warm and humid
Military facilities~
Nothing, except the small CG base in Sault Ste Marie aka "the Soo" (about an hour north) with a small exchange, ID card office, etc.
Medical~
Prime Remote - Mackinac Straits Hospital
Housing~
I'm pretty sure the station works the same way, but married members with kids get government owned/leased housing (if there is any available) and married members with no kids get BAH. I went inside one of the houses a few times and they were very nice, they had been recently remodeled and were quite spacious. Even had a 2-car garage.
Shopping~
In town...really nothing. A few touristy stores, a grocery store, Family Dollar and some hardware stores. An hour north or a half hour south (which is over a bridge and a $7 round trip toll) there is a Wal-Mart, KMart and a few other stores. The closest thing to any real shopping is a huge mall in Traverse City, which is about 2 1/2 hours south.
Child Care/Schools~
St Ignace Elementary School, St Ignace Middle School, LaSalle High School, Gros Cap School
Adult Schools~
Lake Superior State University in Saulte Ste Marie.
Fun Activities~
Well, if you love the outdoors, this is THE place for you. There are plenty of places to go hiking, 4-wheeling and snowmobiling. There are also several places from the Soo down to Petoskey to go tubing and sledding, and an awesome ski area in Petoksey called Nub's Nob. There is also Boyne Highlands and Boyne Mountain but they are ski resorts. Lake Michigan has a pretty nice beach, when the water is warm enough. And there are other activities all around but they are usually several hours away. But the most fun thing to do is taking the ferry from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island.
Additional Info~
This is a small town, and it does have snow for quite some time. But if you grew up in a small town yourself and you miss it, this is probably where you want to be.
Homeport MI
