By now you should know that when the maple trees in our side
yard start to turn red at the top, fading to orange then yellow and still
keeping the green leaves secure at the bottom – it’s time for H to plan a trip
– somewhere – anywhere! Would it be
Maine this year? Boston? Pennsylvania? An interesting state park in Illinois that we just learned about
or back up to see the colors of Michigan?
Yep! Michigan and its gorgeous
coastline, deep forests and unique lighthouses and famous sand dunes won again!
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| Ludington Lighthouse |
During the wonderful summer months, Ludington State Park is
FULL to the brim with gaggles of camping families and vacationers so it is
impossible to get a site. After Labor
Day it’s different and we managed to get a good site for a couple of days! The Big Sable Lighthouse is located within
the park and the Big Sable River runs right thru the park and empties into the
great expanse of Lake Michigan.
Entering the park along the coast of Lake M is reminiscent of driving
along the peninsula of the Gulf Shores National Seashore Park in the panhandle
of Florida – blowing and drifting sand everywhere! This sand is lovely pink/beige instead of the glistening white
of the Gulf! In downtown Ludington, the
gigantic passenger/auto freighter, the SS Badger, was not traversing the 60
miles from Manitowoc Wisconsin to Ludington this day because the waves were 18
ft tall! At the end of the ½ mile long
cement breakwall the imposing 57 ft tall, steel plated North Breakwater Lighthouse
guards the Pere Marquette harbor and downtown Ludington.
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| M 22 Overlook |
When we started this journey north, the weather was cool and
damp. Heavy rains and winds came during our 1st night (hence the 18
ft waves) but on Sunday as we ventured farther north the sun was bright and
promising! On Rt 22 is a “Scenic Turnout” sign that failed to mention just how
many steps one has to climb to get to the tippy top of the wooden stairs and
thankfully secure decking on the top! I
made it – slowly, one step at a time up those 100 steps and kept reminding
myself to breathe! The view of the
skyline above the treetops, the road that lay behind us, and the many shades of
blue that is Lake Michigan was well worth the effort!
15 minutes out of Platte River Campground, a phone call
confirmed that there were only 2 available “walk in” sites in that Sleeping
Bear National Park Campground. One was
going to be ours for awhile! Site 212
was level and long enough for the truck and train. To find the park, using your left hand as the map of the “Mitten
of Michigan” - Sleeping Bear is at the last joint of your little finger!!
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| The dark water is Platte River Salmon |
As the Big Sable River runs thru Ludington State Park, the
clear waters of the Platte run thru the southern edge of the Sleeping Bear
National Dunes, not far from the roadway to the Platte River Campground and the
beautiful beach at the Lake Michigan Park at the end of the road. Between the campground road and the beach
parking lot, there are two small gravel roads that lead back to the river. At the end of one of those dusty paths is a
small dam like affair called a weir. In
the summer months the gate in the weir is kept open. The tubers and kayakers just paddle on thru on their way to the
lake. In the fall however, the gate is
closed during the salmon run when the mature Lake Michigan fish return upstream
to spawn in the same place as they were born.
Swarms of huge dark fish gather at the lakeside of the weir, fighting
the current and trying to follow their instinct and swim upstream. On this
sunny warm weekend day, the kayakers were out in full force and now had to
portage around the metal dam. Parents
were letting their small children wade in the water, chasing the frantic
fish. Little did they realize that some
of those hormone-crazed fish already had hooks and barbs stuck in their mighty
jaws from previous encounters! Had
those fish rubbed against those tender little legs with 2 of those 3-pronged
barbs still sticking out . . . . I shudder to think about it! The guard at the small office showed us a
day’s collection of hooks taken out of the fish caught in ONE day the previous
week. We toured the fish hatchery in
nearby Honor and then returned to watch in amazement as hordes of huge dark
fish in the race were lifted up by a huge rake affair and unceremoniously
flipped into large tote like boxes to be shipped off for processing. The selected fish that were allowed to pass
thru the capture process swam upstream to the weir at the hatchery and their
eggs and milt were collected before they would die. All of the fish – the ones captured and the ones allowed to pass
thru die after spawning. By harvesting
them – the pristine river would not be polluted by the mega amount of dead fish
carcasses. |
| Pointe Betsie lighthouse |
The rest of our time “Up North” included visiting other
iconic lighthouses – the 1851 Grand Traverse Bay at the tip of Leelanau
Peninsula, the 1853 Pointe Betsie which sits at the top of a massive cement
embankment, White river, Muskegon South Pier, Grand
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| Traverse Bay Lighthouse |
Haven and of course the "Big
Red" Lighthouse in Holland.
Red" Lighthouse in Holland.
While in the dunes area a MUST Do is the scenic drive thru
the heart of the Sleeping Bear National Park.
From our very first ride thru the park, back in our motorcycle days –
the views and the drive NEVER disappoint.
From the tall wooden observation platform, high up over the dunes you
can see the shrinking “Mother Bear” dune watching out over the lake for her two
cubs – the 2 Manitou islands in the distance.
Sadly time and erosion have diminished her size. Also from the high perch, you can lean on
the sturdy railing and watch the fool hearty folks quickly descend the steep
dune and then struggle to slowly creep back up the steep loose sand!
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| The little black dots are people on the dunes |
From our last campsite at the Fisherman’s Landing City Park
Campground in Muskegon, our fall venture was cut short due to the inclement
weather that arrived. We were on the
northern edge of the deluge of rain and strong winds so we missed the 6-8
inches of rain that dumped just south of us. Luckily, on our way back home we
were mostly eastbound being pushed from behind by the 20-30 mph winds!
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| Fisherman's Landing campground |
