Lake Michigan Road Trip Day 2 & 3

One thing Dick and I most enjoy doing while taking road trips is getting off the interstates and finding hidden nuggets we might not see otherwise.

Our first surprise was the town of Charlevoix, MI, right on Lake Michigan.

The streets lined with the most lush hanging flower baskets was our first introduction.

Right after parking, we realized the draw bridge we had just crossed was opening to allow a couple large sailboats to pass.  They were on their way to the entrance of Lake Michigan.

Deciding to take a stroll down one of the side streets, we discovered the neatest little park.  I left Dick there and took my camera to get a closer look at the bright red lighthouse.

Charlevoix has been added to our do-over list for another trip.

Our next stop was Grand Haven.

We saw the remains of the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival from the previous weekend where thousands attended.  Grand Haven was the first city designated by an act of Congress to be Coast Guard City, USA

There were still several large boats at the dock representing a completely different lifestyle than we are accustomed.

Our next stop was Silver Lake and this opened a fun door to a special nugget.

Here we saw the Sand Dunes of Silver Lake.  This beautiful lake does not flow into Lake Michigan which can only be reached by crossing the dunes.

These party barges were ready to shuttle beach goers to the dunes for a day in the sand.

Remember my saying we like to take the roads less traveled?  We found this scenic road that paralleled Lake Michigan and saw a very worn sign about a lighthouse.  We followed the signs down this very, very narrow road and look what we found at the end.

The Petite Pointe Sable (meaning little point of sand) Lighthouse.  It juts into Lake Michigan and was completed in 1874.

Increased shipping on the lake started after the Civil War, largely due to the expanding lumber industry.  As a result, this isolated point became the site of several shipwrecks.  One of these was the beaching of the schooner Pride.  In 1872 the US Congress approved funding for the erection of a lighthouse.  Because the location had no road access, the building was delayed.

 In the 1900's, the lighthouse was painted white because it was decided that was the official color of a lighthouse.  However, a few years ago, it was decided to remove the paint and restore the original brickwork.  I approve of that decision.  We decided it is the prettiest we've seen.

From here, we continued to frustrate our GPS navigator and remained on back scenic roads.  Again, we were rewarded.

We found the Cherry Point Market located in Shelby, MI.

While looking around at the scones, and other appealing pastries, plus all the homemade delicacies in jars, I met the owner, Barbara Bull.  She was so delightful.  She is prolific author, and as she told me, she writes during the hard winters when the farm is resting.

I did purchase her book "A Point in Time" where she shares many tidbits of information regarding her life on Cherry Point and little stories associated with this remarkable place.

Again, a return trip is on our list.

After ending up on a gravel road between fields, we did eventually please the GPS and got back on the interstate that would take us to our family in Granger, IN.

Before getting there we found a large produce market advertising sweet cherries.  We couldn't pass them up and are so glad we stopped.  They were the sweetest cherries we have ever eaten.  Another repeat stop.

Yes, we will never run out of things to do and see in this part of the country.