Why Michigan

Why Michigan? With all the fabulous places we’ve gone on vacation, Michigan has never been at the top of my list. 

So, why did we go there for vacation?

Well, for two reasons. #1) Indiana is on the way so we spent our first night at my sister’s house and then we met up with our daughter who took great care of our little boy while we were gone. We are always thankful for a free and reliable dog sitter! We were also able to spend time with our daughter on our way back. #2) Michigan is a state we had never been to and I needed to color it in on my map (yes, I have a map, on the wall, in my craft room). We have 15 more states to go!

 

So, what did I think of Michigan?


Not my #1 vacation spot, that’s for sure. We started the week in Gaylord, Michigan and took the ferry to Mackinac Island. This was the highlight of our trip because we had heard about Mackinac for years and had never been. It was cold that morning on the boat ride but the weather while we were there was amazing. We didn’t really find any hiking to do, but we did take 207 stairs to the top of Arch Rock. Instead of bike riding (which Mike hates) or a carriage ride, we walked our way around the island. We had a quick lunch, took in views of the Grand Hotel, bought a small piece of fudge, and headed back to the ferry late afternoon. It was an enjoyable day trip! 

The next day we drove two hours to Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Lakeshore. I love the sand dunes, but Mikes hates the sand dunes. Because he loves me and because I convinced him it wasn’t as bad as it looked, he met me at the top of the dune. We didn’t do the entire trail because again, Mike hates the sand. I had a lot more fun in the sand than he did!

The next part of our trip was to the Upper Peninsula where we took on the “Best Hike in Michigan.” Yes, I have a checklist for that also — “The Most Scenic Hike in Every State.” Our first stop on the 11-mile hike was Mosquito Falls and yes, you guessed it, there were mosquitoes. For the first time in all our hiking experiences, we saw several people hiking who were wearing mosquito netting. We hiked about 3 miles in the wooded area with the mosquitoes, 5 miles along the shoreline where they were not as bad, and then another 3 miles back in woods to loop back to the parking lot. There were two waterfalls along the hike, a really nice beach area, and amazing views along the lakeshore. A good hike!

 

So, what did I notice about Michigan?

  1. It seems like everyone we talked to was from Chicago. 
  2. The weather was warmer than we expected, but perfect for a summer trip. 
  3. The mosquitos were terrible on our hike and at our camper (we were parked near a wooded area). 
  4. It gets dark really late and daylight comes early. It was still daylight when we went to bed. 
  5. A Pasty is not a dessert (as I had thought) but some kind of weird meat thing. We didn’t try them because they just didn’t sound good. 

All in all, it was a nice vacation. God had created a beautiful world for us to enjoy — mosquitoes and all. I am always thankful anytime I get to go on vacation with my husband and it’s always an enjoyable adventure wherever we go.  



A stone is heavy and the said weighty, But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them. ~Proverbs 27:3

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