Lake Michigan Summer

About 1.5 years since saying au revoir in France, David's parents were able to come visit us for the first time! 

Besides showing them around where we live, we wanted to explore a bit more of America together.

We decided on a trip around Lake Michigan (and I mean alllllll the way around). That fit our criteria of not being too far from home but still being something new. David had never been to Michigan, so he is now one state closer to his goal of seeing all 50.

The first leg of our trip involved driving north and crossing the U.P. The most exciting part was crossing Mackinac Bridge, which connects the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan. The bridge is about 5 miles long. I was happy to not be the one driving!

We stayed in Cheboygan, Michigan- a tiny town about 15 minutes away from the bridge. I planned the trip pretty last minute, so this was the closest I could get to our intended destination of Mackinac Island. 

After a 6 hour drive, we walked to the lighthouse on Lake Huron and enjoyed stretching our legs. It would have been a more relaxing experience sans mosquitoes, but what can you do?

The next day, we rode the ferry to Mackinac Island. The morning’s rain cleared up just as we boarded the boat and we had sun all day.

We decided to start our day with a carriage tour. There are no cars allowed on the island- only horse-drawn carriages and bikes. 

Thanks to our hard-working horses, we saw most corners of the island, from Main Street to Arch Rock, and lots of wooded walking trails.

The tour ended at Fort Mackinac, a Revolutionary War-era fortress. We learned some more about the history of the island- it saw some action during the War of 1812- but were most impressed by the views.

After a late lunch and some fudge-purchasing, we spend the rest of the afternoon browsing shops, admiring cute houses and churches, and walking along the water. 

Our last stop was the famous Grand Hotel. If we ever come back to Mackinac, it will be to stay there! They keep things old school and requite a dress code after 6p.m.

We retuned to the mainland sunburned (ok that was just me) tired, and happy.

Our Michigan adventures were not over- the next day we drove 4 hours south to experience Lake Michigan’s sand dunes. We took a dune buggy ride, which was fun and definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

Later that afternoon, the brave among us (David and his mom) swam in the lake at the beach next to the dunes. The water was 58 degrees, and I was quite content to stay on the sand and read.

For the next few nights, we stayed in a small beach town called Grand Haven. Highlights included walking along the pier, touring Coast Guard ships, and seeing the sunset. 

Our last stop before heading home was to Holland. True to its name, Holland is home to a fully-operational Dutch windmill. They are extremely proud of this (maybe too proud?) and talked about it AT LENGTH on the tour. I learned more than I ever cared to know about how to mill flour the old-fashioned way.

I did enjoy the cute garden. We stopped at the beach in Holland to say our goodbyes to Lake Michigan before making the drive back to good old Menomonee Falls.

It was such a great week- who knew that all of these beautiful places were right next door?


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