Deb here. Wow, was it ever dark outside last night! The campground is nestled in the trees and we both woke up to real darkness.
Today was all about exploring the area, in particular visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We had coffee and tea and left the campground by 8:30 a.m. Our first destination was the scenic drive through the National Park, which was fairly short but really beautiful. There were several stopping points with good informative panels. One of the stopping points was a climb up sand dunes to a high point where the land dropped steeply down the other side, all sandy. Some folks were going down, but the climb back up all of that sand looked horrific. I had a bit of PTSD walking up in the sand. It reminded me of my recent hike on the Fisherman’s Trail in Portugal. So much sand!
We then drove out to the Glen Haven historic village part of the park. All very interesting, with old buildings open that had been a general store, cannery and life saving service station. Each one had volunteer interpreters who gave us a feel for the time period. We then stopped for lunch in nearby Glen Arbor at Art’s Tavern. Great sandwiches and ambiance.
By this point we were at the northernmost part of the park, so headed south and stopped at the Visitor Center to stamp our passport and buy a couple of stickers. The weather was overcast all day and by this time (early afternoon) it was starting to sprinkle, but I was bound and determined to take a quick dip in Lake Michigan. I’d missed out on a swim in Lake Superior and didn’t want this one to pass me by.
We drove to Esch Beach, also in the park, and the rain started in earnest. As everyone was leaving the beach I put my suit on and went in. Not too painful, but definitely on the cold side, so a couple of quick dives and I was out of there.
Back in the van for a drive to my dear friend Nancy Egelston Bandfield’s home, who I hadn’t seen in 30+ years. Nancy and I went to both grade school and high school together, and our families attended the same church. Nancy and her husband
David live on Lake George, MI, about 1.5 hours from the park. We arrived a bit after 4 and found that they were having a sort of family reunion, with both of their daughters there, their spouse/partners, a grandson, Nancy’s sister Trina, along with Trina’s daughter, husband and granddaughter. When I’d contacted Nancy yesterday about parking our van in their driveway she’d said to come on down, but I had no idea we’d be adding to a big group! It was all wonderful, and we had a delicious dinner and conversation with a view of lovely Lake George. Another fabulous day!
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