Northerners are Crazy

But in all the right ways. Ryan and I had a long drive yesterday around the southern tip of Lake Michigan, up the coast, then over to Hartwick Pines State Park in central Michigan. Along the way, we drove through gorgeous, lush green forest and stopped for lunch at a comfortable rest area off the highway. We took a detour to a little known spot (Google doesn’t even know about it) that we had stumbled upon in our research, Lake Michigan National Recreation Area. A little black top highway ran ribbon like through the dense trees, ending at a boardwalk leading out to the dunes and swimming area. We felt like we’d found a local gem, since Michigan plates were the only others in the parking lot.

We walked out to the swimming area, soft sand beneath our feet and overcast skies turning the lake a beautiful deep blue. A few other visitors were playing in the waves and a little boy flew a kite above the water. Eagerly, Ryan and I edged to the water, where we were met with the very chilly waves of Lake Michigan. Ryan especially, being used to the bathwater of Cuba, Missouri where his family has a lakehouse, couldn’t believe how casually the locals were swimming in what to him was frigid water. “Northerners are crazy” he said to me, but we got used to the temperature after a bit and decided the chill was well worth the refreshment and break from the road.

Brrrr!!!

We also biked a short trail in the park, to check out the beautiful forest more intimately before continuing our drive. You can see what the trail looked like in our video below.

 

Driving into central Michigan from the coast of Lake Michigan turned out to be a real treat too, with beautiful, rolling farmland surrounded by old, leafy trees. A note for future travels, Manistee Michigan looked like an adorable town with a thriving downtown area. We’ll have to go back when time allows for an ice cream or Bed & Breakfast stop. We even got lucky and saw some of the local culture, an Amish family traveling along the road in their horse drawn carriage. I’m sure they were shaking their heads as we drove by with our car laden with stuff.

We arrived in Hartwick Pines just in time for dinner and a rainstorm. It poured pretty hard for about 45 minutes, during which time Ryan and I explored the campground in our raingear and discovered a wonderful surprise – showers! And not just any showers, probably the nicest showers I’ve seen at a government-run campground ever. Between the rest stops and Hartwick Pines restroom and shower facilities, Michigan was really showing off.

Our camp at Hartwick Pines SP

Soon enough the rain let up, Ryan cooked dinner, and I set up camp to finish up day three of what has so far been a very successful, according to plan road trip. What could go wrong in the next 97 days? ;)