I'm finally getting around to a post about our Michigan trip. Rebecca kept up pretty well with updates on her blog while we were traveling, but I left my laptop at home. Once we got back, I kept forgetting to get the photos from Rebecca's computer so I could blog, and once I got the photos, I was a bit overwhelmed with the 1800 PHOTOS she took. This was after she apparently deleted several 100. As much as my family likes looking at photos, I knew I was going to have to be very selective for my blog post.
So I decided to do my "Michigan Top Ten." These are the things I enjoyed the most in roughly chronological order.
#1 Michigan Lake Overlook at Sleeping Bear Dunes
This was probably my very favorite spot (and also just voted most beautiful spot in America by Good Morning America viewers). This view was just totally incredible. It was 450 feet down to the water, and Lake Michigan just looks like a piece of liquid textured fabric (I'm sorry, that's the best description I could come up with). We saw this view first one afternoon, and then Rebecca and I decided to return early the next morning. Turns out the scenic drive was closed until 9 am, but the gate was wide open, so Rebecca and I went anyway and enjoyed an hour or so of total solitude (well, not solitude exactly since there were two of us). I had brought my Bible and journal along, and it was just a really special time.
#2 Running Down the Dune
After enjoying our sunrise, we decided to return for sunset. The boys and Terry and I ran down the dune to the water, and it was such a blast running down that long hill of sand. Nathan and Caleb climbed back up (Caleb actually did it twice), but Noah, Terry and I took a walk down the beach where Rebecca picked us up in the van.
We met the folks in the boat pictured here with Nathan (who is about 1/4 way up the dune).
They like to come by water, climb up the hill and then run back down, which I think is a little more appealing.
#3 Canoeing the Platte River
My friend Sally had told us to be sure and canoe the Platte, so we brought our canoe with us. When we couldn't get a spot in Sleeping Bear Dunes (apparently, folks line up BEFORE 6 AM for sights), we went over to camp at Platte River State Forest. Our spot was huge and was right on the river. We used it as both a launching point and a destination. The Platte River empties right into Lake Michigan, which is something you don't see on the Buffalo River in Arkansas.
#4 Cherry Pie
Sorry - I don't have a photo of this. Michigan is famous for cherries and blueberries. We bought some blueberries and fresh apricots (never had them before) at a roadside farm. Cherry season was supposedly over, but one day when we were traveling, we started seeing signs for cherry pie every few minutes. We weren't even hungry, but after you see about 10 signs in a row, you are going crazy thinking "I have to have some of that pie!" We stopped, bought a whole crumb-topped cherry pie, and ate it for our dessert at camp that night. Wow! Best cherry pie I've ever had in my life. If you ever get a chance, don't pass it up!
#5 Mackinaw Island
We enjoyed a beautiful day on Mackinac Island. We arrived early one morning with our bikes (we were two bikes short, so we rented a tandem bike for Noah and me), and we rode around the entire island - only seeing a few people. It was just gorgeous. The kids were singing as we rode, and everyone was in a good mood for once. We kept seeing these rocks stacks, so we stopped to build one of our own. We saw lots of cool things on Mackinac like the Grand Hotel, Arched Rock and Ft. Mackinac, but this is my favorite memory of the day. I felt like we were leaving our mark on Michigan.
#6 Shopping with Rebecca
While in Mackinaw City, the boys went to see Captain America one evening while Rebecca and I went shopping. While I guess it would be more fun to have a ton of money to spend, we enjoy taking photos of craft and gift ideas and goofing around.
After we got tired of shopping, we walked down the shore to watch the sunset.
#7 Chapel Basin Hike
I've only taken one other hike that has views to rival the ones we saw on this one - and that's the Stairway to Heaven on Oahu. This hike was over ten miles, but about five miles of it was along cliffs overlooking Lake Superior. It was a windy day (but blue skies), and Lake Superior was really rocking. It was so pretty and also a bit scary. Nathan described it as "fiercely beautiful."
#8 Canoeing at Mosquito Beach
After seeing Lake Superior on our hike, I was very skeptical that our canoe or any small boat could survive in that water. But the next day, the wind was gone, and the water was as calm and clear as glass. We canoed around these beautiful rocks and looked down on some very beautiful water. The only thing that kept me from jumping in (besides not having my swimsuit on), was the fact that I was scared to get the camera wet.
#9 Collecting Rocks on the Beach
I think I prefer the beaches of the Great Lakes to the beaches on the ocean. I definitely prefer the water - as they say "No salt, no sharks, no worries." Honestly, since the Great Lakes are used so much for shipping, I had not thought they would be so clean and clear. The water was just gorgeous, and I didn't even think it was too cold - just refreshing - though I'm sure the water is at its warmest in August. And though there aren't seashells, there are so many pretty rocks. They just shimmer in the sunlight, and I loved collecting them - partly because during the trip I was reading the devotional "Hind's Feet on High Places" (more about that in a later post), and the main character collects stones she finds along the way.
#10 Crisp Point Lighthouse
It was fitting that we went here right at the end of the trip. This was an out-of-the-way lighthouse that I had read about on the internet. It took 18 miles down a dirt road to get here. When we arrived, it was empty, but the door was wide open for guests (where there was just a guest book to sign and no fee to pay). We ran to the top and enjoyed some incredible views. It felt like our own private showing of sunset.
