Driving Along the Coast of Lake Michigan

 July 30 - 31 

Stopped in the visitors center before leaving Sleeping Bear NL and saw this gorgeous quilt. 

Drove north along the coastline 

Stopped in Leelanau State Park

Sculpture in front of the Grand Traverse Lighthouse

Don't know what this was that we found on the beach

Saw lots of Sand Hill Cranes

The actual recipe for making this monstrosity

Followed the signs in Charlevoix to see the Mushroom Houses built by self taught Earl Young

A sweet little bridge

Cool rocks picked up along the shore

And we found a ton of Petosky stones - fossilized coral

We drove to Mackinaw City, hoping to find a free spot to camp in the ferry lot, since we'd be taking it the next morning , but overnighting was not allowed. We drove to a 24 hour Dark Sky designated park, only to find we could not sleep there either. Across the street was a historic village that also served as overflow parking for the Dark Skies park. Thought we could get away with spending the night there but a docent came by and informed us that we were wrong. Went down a dirt road into the national forest, but all the designated camping spots were filled. I was exhausted and finally just pulled into a turnoff on the dirt road and hoped the ranger or sheriff didn't come by. We were fortunate, they did not. We definitely need to rethink our "fly by the seat of our pants" way we've been traveling when it comes to the midwest and east!

Kayaking Lake Michigan and more Sleeping Bear Dunes

July 28 - 29 Sleeping Bear Dunes

Joanne and Sunny Rae headed home and Brenda had things to do today so we were on our own on Friday, and the weather was perfect for kayaking Lake Michigan.

One of the Manitou Islands

Remains of the pier that served the town of Glen Haven

Lighthouse on South Manitou

The water was delightful after a 6 mile paddle

Cage to protect a piping plover nest

Lovely rocks

Saturday we joined back up with Brenda for a personal tour of the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive

Glen Lake

Love the clouds reflected in Lake Michigan

The warning

Yet, despite the sign...

Ended the day with ice cream in homemade waffle cones

No photos, but the family camping next to us was a single mom with her early teen daughter and young son. She pulled in behind us to get wood at a roadside spot, then again when we were registering for our campsite, and then it turned out she was in the site beside us, so we all joked that she was a stalker. Her son was sweet and friendly - asking his mom for permission to come say good morning each day. Mom is a ICU nurse in Ohio - I can't begin to imagine her last few years during COVID, made worse by the end of her marriage. She was so patient and respectful in her interactions with her kids. We had a lovely visit with her.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

 July 25-27, 2023 Sleeping Bear Dunes

Arrived at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in time to have dinner with Joanne and Brenda Appleby, and Joanne's friend Sunny Rae. When we saw Joanne in St Louise and learned she was going to be here we coordinated to surprise Brenda, who is a NP Ranger here this season. After dinner, Brenda headed to choir practice and the rest of us went for a hike the Empire Bluff Trail.

Deer on the ridge

Beautifully fragrant and horribly invasive baby's breath

Next day we saw Brenda "in her natural habitat", educating visitors at the Dune Climb. 

Brenda explaining why baby's breath is so problematic - the roots go very deep, it spreads easily, competes with native plants, and provides no food for wildlife

Since it was overcast and raining we decided it was the perfect weather to tackle the climb. It was a challenge!

(taken on a different day when the heat would have made the dune climb even more challenging)

Catching my breath

Made it!

Very wet and out of breath

We met up with Joanne and Sunny Rae and toured the historic town of Glen Haven. 

Light house glass

Decorative rope actually served purpose of protecting the bow 

The cannery turned into the Coast Guard lifesaving historic museum

The faking box where rope was woven in a specific pattern to keep it from tangling when it was attached to the projectile that was shot out of the cannon to floundering ships.

The Lyle Gun, the cannon used to shoot a the projectile to wrecked ships 

Tracks from boathouse to water for rescue boat launching

The historic Coast Guard Station

The piping plover nests along these shores and they put up protective barriers to keep the eggs, which are nestled amongst the rocks, safe. Evidently, once the juveniles have fledged the females take off and the males stay with the fledglings until they are strong enough to make long flights.

Thursday we joined the girls for a demonstration of the Lyle Gun at the Marine Museum beach

For full video, with narration, https://photos.app.goo.gl/A6roMUm5eYMR4iFm7

Spider in the sand

Spider in its hole

Demonstration of how the Coast Guard Station was moved 1 1/2 miles to its current spot to rescue it from encroaching dunes

Showing how to load the faking board

It's all about the cherries around here. This was at the the cherry themed restaurant we ate lunch at

After lunch we hiked the Pyramid Point trail to the Overlook

Saw sandhill cranes as we headed back toour camp

Dinner - cherry pie and local ice cream