Michigan – vantravelusa2

Gordy and I entered the USA through Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. Our plans called for spending three nights in Michigan before arriving at Gordy’s house in Ohio. We had no reservations and were playing things as they came.

Sault Sainte Marie :

Sault Saint Marie is the oldest city in Michigan. The city sits on the St. Marys River which joins two of the great lakes (Superior and Huron). The river has a 21 foot drop between the two lakes and this created some pretty bad rapids for any boat travel. At first, travelers would portage from lake to lake. Then, in 1855, a series of locks were built to allow continuous passage between lakes. In due time, the locks were updated for modern shipping and are now the busiest locks in the world.

We stopped to take a look at the locks and to set plans for Michigan. Our planning took place at Soo Brewing Company.

After a couple beers and a bite to eat, our plan became “let’s just head south”.

Wilderness State Park:

While driving through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we chose Wilderness State Park (from a map) as our first stop. After crossing the Mackinac Bridge, we headed to the park. The park is located on Lake Michigan, just west of the city of Mackinac. One can imagine the strategic importance of Mackinac back in the day, providing control of water movement from one great lake onto the next. Lot’s of back and forth between nations took place here.

The bridge is 5 miles long and is the world’s fifth longest suspension bridge in the world, pretty impressive. The bridge crosses the Straights of Mackinac (narrow waterway connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron) and connects the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan. The birdge opened to traffic in 1957.

Upon arrival at Wilderness State Park, we were immediately impressed with the location, setting and park services. Given it was mid-September, we were able to grab a spot that fronted Lake Michigan. This is a park where I say “Just Go!”

Notice the vegetation in the water, we found out that lake Michigan was 4 feet higher than normal at the time of our visit. That’s a lot of water!

Restroom / shower facilities, very modern

To curb our appetite and thirst, we headed to Biere De Mac Brew Works. We found really great food and brews.

I loved how the taps are set up in “bridge formation”

Traverse City

Gordy had never been to Traverse City, so we decided that was our next destination. Traverse City started from a Lumber Mill in the 1850’s and is now a year round destination for outdoor activities.

Just outside of Traverse City, we stopped at Short’s Brewing Company to get the lay of the land.

We then drove into downtown Traverse City and stopped at Workshop Brewing.

I had parked on the street near the brewery in what I thought was a legal parking spot. A traffic enforcement officer was moving from vehicle to vehicle, writing tickets. When she stopped at mine, I quickly approached and politely asked if I was parked illegally and she noted that I was. I mentioned that I must have missed the no parking sign and she pointed out that the sign was at the beginning of the street. I asked if I could move to a legal spot and she said sure. She then pointed to a city parking lot and said that given it was a Friday, anyone could park in the lot through the weekend if wanted. I thanked her and moved the van two blocks to its new home.

Given the green light for parking the van, we now had a place to camp for the night. As such, we decided to explore the downtown.

I had spent some time at Dill’s in the early 70’s. Sorry to see it go.

Also spent some time at Union Street Station in the 70’s. Glad some things do not change.

Beers and shots of Patron at Union Station

Our last stop before calling it a night was back at Workshop Brewery for beers and music.

When we headed to the city parking lot for the night, the van was the only vehicle in the lot. The next morning, I got up and was wondering to myself where I could get some coffee and breakfast. Gordy was still sleeping and I thought I would surprise him by bringing some back.

When I opened the van door, I was in for a complete surprise coming from many different directions. It turns out that the city park area next to the parking lot is used for a farmers market on Saturday mornings. The lot was completely packed in with vehicles. We were surrounded! A pretty sound sleep, I guess!

Now the really great surprise was the food truck parked at one end of the parking lot. Breakfast burritos and coffee with very few steps.

Gordy and I had a good laugh over breakfast!

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park:

Those are people at the top of the dunes!

Our next stop was Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. This is another “Just Go“. What a beautiful area. The park sits of a 35 mile stretch of Lake Michigan coastline and also includes the North and South Manitou Islands.

We only gave the park a drive through. A person could easily spend a week or more. We stopped at the Maritime Museum which highlights history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, U.S. Coast Guard, and Great Lakes shipping.

The 7.4 mile Pierce Stocking Scenic Loop Drive is a must, as the pics highlight. Many people were cycling the loop.

Lake Michigan Recreation Area:

From Sleeping Bear, we drove to Lake Michigan Recreation Area. A stop here for the night brought back memories. Gordy and I use to take our kids here when they were young and we would just turn them loose.

Lake Michigan Recreation Area is located on the Lake Michigan shoreline between Manistee and Ludington. The area has multiple campgrounds with easy access to beaches and sand dunes.

We stopped in Manistee for a brew and then set up camp for the night.