Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

 On our third day at Traverse City State Park, we got up early and drove forty-five minutes south to Sleeping Bear Dunes.  A National Parks pass or daily admission is required here.  I nonchalantly placed my recently acquired senior lifetime pass on the dashboard upon our arrival at the Alligator Hill trailhead parking lot.  

We've been to Sleeping Bear Dunes once before with the kids.  Justin  could still walk a few steps back then, but wasn't able to climb a hill. I carried him piggyback to what I thought was the top of the dunes.  As it turned out, that was a false summit. Looking at the mile or so of up and down dunes ahead, I admitted defeat and headed back down with Justin hanging on to my neck.  

This time, I wasn't interested in climbing sand dunes, so we opted for the Alligator Hill Trail, which climbs through forests to some of the nicest views from the plateau above Lake Michigan.

First, we took the Easy Loop up to the Islands Lookout.

Next was the purple in and out trail to Big Glen Lookout.

Then it was downhill to Marker 3 (intermediate) and Marker 4 (advanced).  We followed the advanced trail through beautiful forest.  I'm not sure how they rate the trail.  We didn't find the advanced to be much more difficult than the easy trail, especially since most of the easy trail was uphill, and the advanced trail was downhill--at least the way we took it.

Before leaving the national lakeshore, Julia felt compelled to climb a dune.  I stayed with Callie because it was too hot to leave her in the truck.

Not a problem for Julia

We went to nearby Cherryland Brewing after our hike for burgers and beer.

Mine:  Reserve Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout

I'm not a big fan of cherry beer or bourbon barrel stout, but the two together were well-balanced.  Very enjoyable on a beautiful day outside.

Traverse City: Day Two

Old Mission Peninsula is a beautiful stretch of land jutting out into Lake Michigan--about twenty miles long and five miles wide. The Mission Point Lighthouse is at the end of the peninsula, along with a network of lakeshore and forest trails.

We didn't tour the inside of the lighthouse.  Admission seemed high.  Instead, we headed out to the trails.  Callie thought this was the better choice.

The map showed an intricate network of well-marked trails.  The trails themselves lacked sufficient markings, but it wasn't hard to avoid getting lost since we were on the end of a peninsula.  When the going became uncertain, we headed for the beach.

Our next stop was Brys Estate Vineyard.

Julia ordered a tasting flight of wines. We shared a cheese and sausage board.  As designated driver, I opted for an excellent cider, which is also one of their products.  Julia gave high reviews for the wines.

There was even a dog-friendly section on the grounds.

Callie's chair?

Traverse City: Day One

 Julia and I visited Traverse City more than ten years ago with the kids on a family vacation. We really liked it then but thought that it would be fun to experience the city as retirees without the family this time. While the trip to Traverse City was a camping experience with solitude, campfires and nature, our stay at Traverse City State Park was an urban experience with tight, crowded camping that was not ideal. 

The young couple across from us created some excitement when they let their large trailer slide off of the little plastic tongue holder being used, which resulted in a large crash. A handful of us elders stood around offering advice and tools, which did get the trailer upright. Immediately after that, the young man drove his $100,000 truck into a sturdy post, punching a hole in his front bumper, all in front of his two wide-eyed young boys. Dad was having a bad day.

We went off in search of a beer at one of Traverse City’s many breweries. First stop was Right Brain.

Mine was a nitro milk stout and mighty fine.

I wanted this tshirt, but they didn’t have one in my size (and Julia says this color looks horrible on me anyway).

We went to dinner downtown at Taproot, a ciderhouse with live entertainment. We had french onion soup and shared a pizza. The guitar player was fun and took the edge off the travel day.

Callie stayed behind in her crate to spare herself this embarrassment.

Straits State Park

While we were at Indian Lake, we made a reservation at Strait State Park near St. Ignace, Michigan and very close to the north side of the Mackinac Bridge. None of the electric sites were worthy of advanced planning, but there were a few rustic sites that faced the beach and had views of the bridge. We nabbed one available for a single night.

There wasn’t a lot of hiking here, except around the campground loops. We did drive into town and enjoy dinner out at Gangplanks up the street from one of the many ferry parking lots where tourists take the ferry ride to Mackinaw Island. We’ve been to the island before, but didn’t feel a need to return. 

Two brews from Keewanaw Brewing

We then settled back for a relaxing evening of beach walks and bridge watching. It didn’t get dark until nearly 10 pm. We are on the western edge of the Eastern Time Zone.

We enjoyed this special place. Next stop:  Traverse City.

Indian Lake State Park

We didn’t have an itinerary for this trip, except that we planned to eventually spend some time at Traverse City on the lower peninsula. After Wells State Park, we looked ahead about 90 minutes and found Indian Lake State Park. It seemed like an interesting spot on the map,  We were not disappointed. 

Just on the other side of that rail fence were stairs leading direct down to the lake.

There wasn’t any beach to hang out, but we managed to find a comfortable spot to relax.

On the next morning, we drove into Manistique and walked the trail along Lake Michigan. There was  a long pier that went out to the lighthouse. We like lighthouses.

Sometimes, it’s the places that you’ve never heard about that turn into places to return again and again.

Callie-approved campsite

Day 2 at Wells

The mosquitoes descended upon us last night and drove me into the Scamp at dusk. The morning sunrise was quiet and windless. The skies were hazy with smoke from the Canadian fires.

For breakfast, I prepared Krusties blueberry pancakes, which I will not do again. The blueberry “chips” left a film on the tops of our mouths, which made me guess that the blueberries may have been developed in a lab instead of on a bush. 

After breakfast, we took a long walk on the shore. A pleasant offshore breeze kept the mosquitoes down.

Wells is a very nice Michigan state park and uncrowded on a Monday morning. One can venture into the woods.

Or play a game of horseshoes.

We would stay here again (on a weekday).