Our Michigan Trip with the Dogs : Part One

May 2, 2021

Over the past fifteen months, we had to cancel a trip to NYC in June because it was a Covid hot spot. We canceled a trip to Southern California because it was a covid hot spot. So we decided to once again take the dogs on another vacation in Michigan. It started on a beautiful 80-degree day in early May.

We decided to take this trail to the beach because it seemed less crowded. We got one of the last parking spots available at this relatively small state park. 

This was a great hike through the woods and over the sand dunes...

...to the beach on Lake Michigan's eastern shore.

It is such a joy to walk barefoot on the beach again with temperatures in the 80's.

Since our 6-hour trip has turned into a 10-hour trip, we have to head back to the car after spending about a half-hour relaxing on the beach.

Christy & Nola took a different path back...

...but joined Yeti & I along the way.

This was a lovely hike through the woods with Jack Pines, Hemlock, Austrian Pines, Oak, Cottonwood and Birch trees.

The weather turned incredibly as we drove north. The temperatures dropped into the 50's and it rained for hours on our drive to the cabin.

After settling in, we gave the dogs a well-deserved treat.

Then they passed out. This wonderful cabin on a dirt road into the forest will be our home for the rest of this week.

May 3, 2021

Our cabin is just south of Michigan's Upper Penisula. This is the dogs & I looking for a place to pee in the backyard.

We started this rainy day at Michigan's largest state park which is just north of our cabin on Lake Michigan.

We decided to hike the Nebo Trail.

Hiking through the tall pine trees.

As usual, the boys fell behind because we know how to enjoy our nature hikes...slow and easy.

Suddenly this trail wasn't so flat. It's all uphill from here.

Not sure if this picture turned out as well as I hoped. I'm guessing I liked the different colors.

I loved this old-school trail map.

Yeti posing next to some color on a gray day.

We stopped at The Headlands Dark Sky Park to check it out if we get a clear night sky while we are up here.

Our next stop was at McGulpin Point Lighthouse.

Our hike down to Lake Michigan is where we found these informative history panels...

...and these creepy life-size human cutouts in the forest.

Different hike, same result.

Yeti enjoying the cold Lake Michigan water.

Christy & Nola preferred the dry rocky shoreline.

We all love hiking on beaches.

A group shot using the wide-angle which distorted Yeti.

Michigan loves promoting its history of shipwrecks.

I'm a lighthouse geek, here are a few pictures of McGulpin Point Lighthouse.

We stopped in Mackinaw City for lunch but Christy wouldn't eat at this place...Weinerlicous.

When we researched places to visit on this trip, we found the Little Traverse Conservancy This incredible organization has preserved many parcels of land and made them available as public spaces. 

We drove across the Mackinac Bridge to the Upper Peninsula to hike along Lake Huron.

It was a nice hike through a moss-covered forest.

Nola still smiling despite a light rain.

We ended up on Search Bay in Lake Huron. It was so beautiful and peaceful. We spent about an hour hiking along the shoreline here.

Yeti seems to love the rocky shorelines up here.

Looking west across Search Bay

My little girl Nola having fun at the beach.

These two swans swam across the bay to check us out.

On our way back to the car, water dripping off the pine trees.

The trailhead for our hike to Search Bay.

I did a quick hike to Loon Lake. I didn't see any birds but I found this.

The trailhead for my Loon Lake hike.

May 4

It's still overcast and rainy but that didn't stop us from driving on a single-lane dirt road to O'Neal Lake to start our day.

This was a very colorful hike on a gray day. 

My usual fun with reflections photos on O'Neal Lake.

This area is covered with red pine needles that have fallen off the trees.

This might be Big Sucker Creek

After a slow drive back to paved streets, we headed south of Sturgeon Bay along Lake Michigan on North Lakeshore Drive.

Heavy fog over Lake Michigan started moving inland. 

I stopped to photograph literal street art.

I loved this decal on a guard rail.

The fog flowing inland over the dunes made for some great photos.

Since dogs are not allowed on the beach here, we drove south to Cross Village.

Christy and I were so excited when we found out about the M-119 Tunnel of Trees Scenic Byway. We also knew that spring probably wasn't the best time of year to drive the scenic byway.

But Mother Nature once again was looking out for us. The fog and the solitude made this drive a creepy 90-minute horror movie for us.

Of course, if the photograph was worth risking a horrifying death, I had to stop and take the picture. 

Holy Cross Catholic Church in Cross Village

RedPath Memorial Presbyterian Church in Cross Village

This "Village Bear" shows the Indigenous People that lived here on one side ...

...and the Europeans that live here now.

We made it alive through our Tunnel of Trees Horror Movie ...

...and drove through Traverse City up to the Mission Point Lighthouse.

Because I'm a geek for this kind of information, I always announced when we crossed the 45th Parallel. We crossed it many times on this trip, so Chrissy wasn't as excited as I was each time I announced we are closer to the North Pole or closer to the Equator.

We took the dogs for a hike down to Grand Traverse Bay.

We were going to hike along the shoreline but the mayflies were brutal, so we cut this visit short.

We said a quick goodbye to another historic lighthouse and drove south toward Traverse City.

I'm paying attention to my driving and singing along to the radio when Chrissy suddenly yells to turn around. She thought she saw Great Pyrenees on an alpaca farm. She was correct. They were all laying down up by the barn. But they sprang into protective mode when I got out to take pictures. Several of them ran to the fence line barking to let me know I shouldn't get any closer. Nola and Yeti barked right back at them.

We ate dinner here because this is Chrissy's dad's name. Plus we like to eat at local businesses when we travel. Usually, we really enjoy the places we stop at. Unfortunately, this wasn't very good.

We spent a lot of time driving today, so we stopped to hike along the beach at this state park. 

We had a wonderful end to our day at Fisherman's Island State Park.

We spent over an hour walking along Bells Bay on Lake Michigan as the sun set.

Somehow, either starting your day or ending your day on a beach makes it a good day.