Michigan Aug 2012 Day 6

We took off round 9am that morning, looking forward to explore the West coat of Michigan. During our stay the last two days, many people came over to our camp site with suggestions of sites to see on the West coast. The plan was to follow Hwy 31 South along the coast to Traverse City, then go up North into the 2 peninsulas, and them make our way down to the town of Arcadia, where we were planning to camp again.

We had a relaxed and scenic ride down to Traverse City, but did not stop for pictures. I need to work out a plan to take pictures from the bike wile moving (a GoPro helmet cam will work, if you are looking for gift ideas). At Traverse City we went West up the first peninsula to Old Mission State park to have a look at the light house up there. It was a out-and-back route. Apparently, Madonna (the singer, if you don't know who I,m talking about) bought her dad a wine farm on that route, but the farm's name now escapes me.

Here is a pic of the light house. Inside there's a gift shop. I must mention that entrance to the park and visiting the light house is all FREE. If you so wish, you can still blow your well earned dollars at the gift shop.

Here is Denise going into the gift shop. She did the fiscally responsible thing, and did not buy anything.

This looks like a US Marine Corp recruiting picture to me? The flag and the cammo pants just give it that feel.

At the same location is the Hessler Log Home.

Some history of the log home.

An interesting thing about our location is that we were very close to the 45th parallel, the half way point between the Equator and the North Pole.

After we left there, we had to take the same road back down the peninsula to Traverse City, and then we went North on the second peninsula on Hwy 22 Northport. Again it was a nice scenic circular route follow the lake shores. Enjoyed the ride so much, we never stopped for pictures. In Northport we stopped for gas, and took a short break. Dominique was getting tired on the back of the bike. You judge for yourself (picture below)

Our next place to visit, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, was not to far away, so I told her to hang in there. Long break coming up at the dunes.
Now the Sleeping Bear Dunes were a place we heard a lot of, and according to everybody we spoke to, it's a Must See when in Michigan. Something that should be on your bucket list. Apparently it was voted the most scenic spot in the US. So lets go see what all the hoopla is about.

You have to pay $5 per person when you enter the park, or $10 per car. If I have to pay just to see something, it better be good. There are 11 lookout points in the park that you can stop at. At the entrance gate they give you a brochure with a description of all the lookouts. Being on bike, the park officer told us that lookouts 3, 9 and 11 are the ones not to be missed.
The ride to the lookouts are amazing. Single lane road with the trees forming a canopy covering the road side to side.

This picture is just before you enter the park. Taken by Dominique from the back of the bike.

We stop at lookout 3, and walk to the viewing platform. Big dunes, covered in vegetation. Mostly grass and a few trees. We look at each other with disappointment. Whoop ti Fen Do, is that what all the fuss is about? I thought to myself, maybe we've seen so many beautiful places on this trip, that we are getting spoiled and can not appreciate stunning views as we should. I also thought, tourist trap.

We get on the bikes and ride straight to lookout #9. Find parking and walk to where everybody is looking at the dunes. Then we see this.

Bloody awesome!! eh? The pictures does not do justice to the greatness of the views. I did my best, but you get the idea. From the top of the dune to Lake Michigan at the bottom, it's about 500 feet. You can see the people walking down the side of the dune down to the lake. Big warning signs about sand slides.

In this picture below, you can just see little dots on the water. Dominique said: "Look at the ducks on the water.

In this picture my camera is on full telephoto zoom. Taken from the same location, but zoomed in on the "ducks" below in the water.

It's actually people swimming. Just look at how clear the water is. Makes you think of the Caribbean, doesn't it? Definitely the most scenic spot in Michigan. And I am so glad I had the opportunity to see it. If you ever find yourself in Michigan. Take the time and go see Sleeping Bear Dunes.

It was getting late in the afternoon, and the weather was threatening with rain. We still had about 80km to go before we get to Arcadia. The next 80km down Hwy 22 was absolute "Riding Nirvana". The tarmac was in great condition, and it was fast and twisty. Good thing we did not encounter any cops, because we were flying. Gave the outer edges of our tires a good workout.

Arriving in Arcadia, we had some trouble finding the camp grounds. And once we got to it, nobody felt good about the setup. Looked a bit "zeff". Being tired and hungry, with rain threatening, we made an executive decision, and found a motel.

Great clean place, with a firm bed and a shower. Just what we needed.

That evening we went to the "Rigger's Bar & Grill" for an awesome dinner. Great local restaurant. We can surely recommend.