2015 TRAVELS : PURE MICHIGAN

Indiana Amish

We drove north along the eastern side of Indiana, flat lands with fields of soya beans and field corn.
Moved into Michigan to the Waterloo State Park and spent the weekend with a lovely couple we first met in 2009 at Lake Mead, we had always said we would visit them if we came to Michigan. They lived just 18 miles from the campsite but were spending the weekend there. We had a superb time, they took us to see their house and surrounding countryside, it was very secluded and set in 12 acres and built by Ron - just wonderful! We enjoyed a great meal with them, they gave us Pasties, a traditional Michigan dish, similar to our Cornish pasties but jam packed with a filling of ground chuck beef, potatoes and rutabaga - delicious. Then around the campfire we had S'mores - two crackers with a piece of Hersheys chocolate and a toasted marshmallow - yummy!

We moved on, promising to visit again next May and headed north to Grand Haven and our first view of the Great Lakes - Lake Michigan - 307 miles long and 118 miles wide, it looked just like the seaside with sandy beaches, pier and lighthouse. We camped further north at Muskegon State park and watched the big ships, yachts and ferry go through the canal into Muskegon Lake.

our good friends and their wonderful house

Grand Haven Lighthouse

Muskegon State Park

We then spent three days at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore, a hilly region fringed with massive shoreline sand dunes and dotted with clear lakes. Offshore sit North and South Manitou Islands.
I loved the Anishinaabek Indian Legend - Long ago, in the land that is now Wisconsin, a mother bear and her two cubs were driven into Lake Michigan by a raging forest fire. They swam and swam, but soon the cubs tired and lagged far behind. Mother bear finally reached the opposite shore and climbed to the top of the bluff to watch and wait for her offspring. But the cubs drowned. Today "Sleeping Bear", a solitary dune in Michigan overlooking Lake Michigan, marks the spot where mother bear waited.

Arcadia scenic viewpoint of Lake Michigan

Point Betsie Lighthouse

Roy paddling in Lake Michigan - warm!

We did the Pierce Stocking scenic drive, a 7.5 mile loop road to the top of the dunes with fantastic 450ft high views of Lake Michigan, a hiking trail into the dunes and views of the now eroded Sleeping Bear Dune. They also had a Dune climb which we passed on, looked a lot of effort for a very short yomp down!
We've had daily nordic walks before breakfast, well I have the poles, Roy just walks fast and he also goes off on his bike. I have refused to go on mine until he fixes the gears!
We are now at Cheboygan, Norhtern Michigan, about to move into Canada.

Weather up to now has been great, sunny with temperatures from 24oC to 34oC.