The real camping adventure now begins as we will be spending the next 70 days in our little Lilly Pod! No more stays in the plushness of brick and mortar houses until we fly home for a brief visit to Florida on August 25th.
Our first stop was PJ Hoffmaster State park along the shores of Lake Michigan just 45 minutes north of Grand Rapids. It was a beautiful park nestled among the pine trees and sand dunes that form the coastline of lake Michigan. We hiked the dune climb stairway which is 193 steps up to the top of the dune to view the lake. We celebrated Father’s day with a visit from Gretchen, Matt and Charlie! We all enjoyed hiking and biking this 1,200 acre park that covers three miles of Lake Michigan shoreline.
After three nights at PJ Hoffmaster we headed up the coast of Lake Michigan to Ludington State Park which is known as the most popular state park in Michigan. This 5300 acre park is surrounded by water on three sides making it a great place for Michiganders to enjoy their summer and it was clear when we arrived that school is out in Michigan as the park was at capacity with families everywhere. The water was a bit chilly for these Floridians (58 degrees water temp) but those Michigan kids were having a great time rafting on the river and swimming at the beach. We did dip our toes in the water as we kayaked around Lost Lake and Hamlin Lake on the east side of the park.
This little deer was right along the shore as we went kayaking by!
The park is also home to the Big Sable lighthouse which is 112 feet tall. The lighthouse sits at the northern end of the park and is only accessible to the public by walking or biking the 1.5 mile trail through the dunes. The temperatures were in the low 60’s so that made for a very comfortable leisurely hike out to the lighthouse and we climbed to the top and the views of Lake Michigan and the surrounding area were amazing. At the end of the day we biked back out to the lighthouse to catch the magnificent sunset.
During a brief rainstorm, we drove into the quaint harbor town of Ludington and toured he Maritime Museum which provided us with lots of knowledge about the maritime heritage of western Michigan and had the original light from the Big Sable lighthouse that we toured earlier. The museum is housed in a former U. S. Coast Guard Station that is a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.
At dusk the wildlife, particularly the deer, were abundant and we were fortunate to see another mama deer with her baby fawn. And this was our first time seeing and smelling a porcupine. Now we are headed to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan or the U.P. as the locals call it. We are hoping for very little winds as we pull Lilly across the mighty Mackinaw bridge!
Join us on our journey - Greg and Linda's Sabbatical! 