Michigan's West Coast

After spending our Tuesday on the East side of the State, we made plans to visit the West coast on Wednesday.  I love spending time on the shores of Lake Michigan and there are so many beautiful places along the coast to visit.  Our plans for the day were to visit both some new places as well as some old familiar areas.  Vanessa joined us again and we're always glad when she does.  

Once again we were on the road before 9am headed toward our first stop in Muskegon.  While Maddie and I have been to Muskegon before, our first stop was the Muskegon State Park, which was a new spot for all of us.  Not only was this a visit to a State Park we had never visited, this was also listed as the most beautiful spot in Muskegon County...so I was doubly excited to visit.

We arrived at the Park, drove as far as we could to a parking lot along the shore and headed out for a walk along the pier to the Lake.  Maddie was pretty happy to get to the water for a big drink.  Peaches was busily sniffing and exploring the whole area.

The sun was shining and the temperature was rising, but it was still comfortable when we arrived and life is just better when there is a Great Lake near by and we were excited for the day ahead.  

After our walk along the pier, we headed back toward the Jeep to explore the park more.  We drove through the park, got my State park book stamped, did a little more exploring, found a geocache and then were back in the Jeep to head out to our next stop.  I can certainly understand why this would be considered the most beautiful spot in the county.  The Lake views and wooded areas were both beautiful. 

It was peaceful and uncrowded while we were there and we all enjoyed our time at the Park.  But Maddie was ready for a break, so after a quick stop to take a picture at the State Park sign, we started the slow, meandering 30 minute drive toward the dog beach. 

       

I was anxiously anticipating our arrival at the dog beach at Kruse Park in North Muskegon.  It is one of the few off-leash dog beaches in the lower Peninsula and has been a favorite location of ours for many years.  I have many special memories here with Jake and Imke, and this was the first beach Maddie ever visited with me 10 years ago.  I remember that trip well and just how terrified she was of the waves.  While she's still not a big fan of waves and has never been a swimmer, she has come a long way and is always excited when we get near the water.  We hadn't been here in a few years, and this was going to be Peaches first visit.  I was excited to make some new memories with them both.

Due to the high water levels in the Great Lakes, we weren't able to park in my normal parking spot at the far end of the beach, and instead had to park in the parking lot for the Park itself.  I was disappointed to see that the boardwalk and steps down to the beach were in disrepair and that we had to pay to park now, but we found the least difficult route we could to climb down the dunes so we could get to the water.

As we reached the bottom of the dune, we were greeted by some pretty happy dogs and I immediately dropped Peaches leash to ensure a pleasant experience for everyone.  She was immediately best friends with these new buddies.  I had a brief moment of panic realizing that Peaches had never been to the dog beach or spent any significant time off leash in new areas...so I wasn't 100% sure how well she would listen and how she would act.  But she did amazing!  She came when called even mid-chase with the other dogs and stayed close by when I asked her to do that.  She absolutely loved running on the beach and making new friends and I know now that we can go back and I don't have to worry at all about her.  I really look forward to taking her there again.  

Maddie was happy to be on the beach too and just enjoyed lying in the sand, sitting with Vanessa, and soaking in the sun.  Definitely a different experience than I 've had with her here, but I was just glad to see she was happy.  After some fun at the beach(and meeting an adorable GSP puppy!), it was time for us to continue on our journey along the coast, so up the dunes we went and loaded up the Jeep to head toward our next stop.  

Our next stop was the PJ Hoffmaster State Park.  I have been here several years ago, but since it was right along our travels, we made a quick stop to do a short hike, find a geocache, get my book stamped, and use the restrooms before getting a quick shot at the State Park sign and then continuing on our way toward Grand Haven.

By the time we reached Grand Haven it was late afternoon and Vanessa and I were definitely ready for lunch.  Luckily we drove past Arturo's Tacos on our way toward the beach and both of us love tacos.  So we ran in and picked up lunch to go and headed toward the beach to eat.

The Grand Haven State Park is not a place I ever want to spend much time.  The camping area is always packed and is a treeless cement slab in the middle of the beach.  The rest of the park is a crowded beach.  If the weather is nice, this beach is full of people and is just not a place I love to visit.  We sat in the parking lot in the air conditioned comfort of my Jeep with a view of the beach and that was enough exploring there for us!  But we needed to visit the park so we could get our picture at the sign, and we were successful in doing just that.

I am always amazed at the difference in the number of people at the Grand Haven City beach, less than a mile down from the State Park.  This is definitely more my kind of beach!

We left Grand Haven heading toward Connor Bayou, one of the many dog-friendly Ottawa county parks.  While the most beautiful spot in Ottawa County is listed as Rosy Mounds park, that location is not dog friendly, and so I decided we'd find an alternate location where we could take the dogs.   I was not disappointed.

Ottawa County actually has a lot of really dog friendly options, but this particular location right along the Grand River was amazing and beautiful.  We checked out the hiking trails and the kayak launch for some good views of the river and really enjoyed our time here.  This is definitely an area I would return to explore more.  The humidity and heat were both high, but Maddie still did a great job keeping up with us for a good amount of exploring.  Plus we found one of the coolest geocaches I have ever found!  Overall it had been a very successful day of adventures.

On our way home, we made a quick stop at Lookout Park in Grand Rapids, which is listed as the most beautiful spot in Kent County.  It is a small park with city views and a group yoga class was going on at the park when we arrived.  We made a quick walk around the park so we could check it off our list, and then we were back in the Jeep to head home.

But we had to make one more detour for a stop in Lowell for an ice cream party to celebrate Vanessa's birthday which had been earlier in the week.  It was a great excuse to try a new ice cream place and we weren't disappointed!

We had officially finished our day full of adventure after a long and busy day, and a great time was had by all!  While this was our last big adventure of my vacation week, we were glad to have made the trip and can't wait until we can get back on the road for more fun lake adventures again!

Harsen's Island

Earlier this week we made a day trip to Harsen's Island.  Honestly, before last weekend I had never even heard of Harsen's Island, but thanks to my goal of visiting the most beautiful place in each county, I am learning about a lot of places and things I have never heard of before.  After learning a little about the location of the island, I was excited for our visit.  Before leaving for new adventures, I always try to research the place we'll be going and make a plan of attack for the day.  But after a google search and searching the chamber of commerce website for the area, I wasn't having much luck finding anything to do.  I did notice a natural area on the map and hoped we'd be able to get out for a hike.  For the most part, we were heading out without much of a plan...other than getting to the island, but I was ready for an adventure!

We were on the road before 8:30am to pick up Vanessa who was joining us for our trip for the day.  Traffic wasn't bad as we headed southeast toward the Detroit area and we made good time, which I was thankful for since I hate driving into traffic.  Harsen's Island is located in the St. Clair River at the North end of Lake St. Clair and, in order to reach the island, you must take a car ferry across the river.  The ferry runs continuously throughout the day and we arrived just in time to load up for the short ferry ride to the Island.  

We reached the island and made a quick stop at a park across the street from the ferry to get out and stretch our legs and to allow the girls a quick sniff.  After a quick stop, we put Vanessa in charge of navigation and we were off to explore.

The island is a combination of marshy areas and residences(which are surrounded by water) and since it's in the middle of the river, it is a great place to watch for freighters.  I was excited to see this freighter pass us.  The area is unique in my experience here in Michigan and I was fascinated by everything we were seeing.

Most of the island is managed by the DNR and is a popular place for fishing and other water sports.  It is also popular as a vacation spot, but I was pleasantly surprised because it was very peaceful and quiet while we were there.  

We made it to the end of the road where there was a turn around so we stopped to let the girls out to explore a bit and take some pictures.  Of course both of the girls had to get into the water.  It was such a beautiful day with a nice breeze and I was thoroughly enjoying our time on the island.  

Everywhere we went, we were amazed at the marshy, swampy island landscape and, as is the case with the Great Lakes, the water levels were clearly high here too.  We found a couple of parking lots around the island, but they were all flooded and, if there were any trails, we never found any.  But we didn't mind, we were having a great time.  

There are several smaller islands that surround Harsen's Island that are strictly residential and only reachable by bridges.  We reached one of those bridges and I would have loved to cross, but we respected the signs.  

By this point, we had driven the entire island and were ready for lunch, so we headed back to find somewhere to grab a bite to eat.  But not before I got a quick picture of these beautiful swans. 

After discovering that two of the restaurants on the island were closed on the day we were there, we drove back to the tiny little area called San Souci.  I guess this would be considered the downtown area of the island.  

The San Souci Market had a variety of prepared foods, sandwiches, and hot foods, so we parked and went inside to pick up our lunch.  I grabbed a deli sandwich and some pre-packaged potato salad and headed back to the car. 

We sat outside under the shade of a tree just off of the road with the girls happily watching us eat.  I'm still amazed at how peaceful and quiet it was here, just across from the store with a view of the river and Canada.  

We finished our lunch and our time on the island was drawing to a close, but I had to get a picture of the girls before leaving. They even waited nicely...

At least temporarily!  Oh Peaches, she just can't resist a good roll in the grass.  And even though we hadn't done any hiking and they had spent most of the time in the Jeep, I think the girls enjoyed the trip too!

As we headed back to the ferry and started our journey away from Harsen's Island, I was so glad we had decided to visit.   We had a really great time exploring this unique little island.  I could picture myself returning there some day to sit and watch the freighters float by all day.

We had a second stop planned for the day at the Seven Ponds Nature Area in Dryden in Lapeer County, but arrived to find it was not dog friendly.  So we made a brief stop in Dryden to take a hike along the Polly Ann trail instead and to do a little geocaching along the way.  I got no pictures from this stop...but trust me it was an adventure-as was evidenced by the number of burrs we came home covered with.  

We headed home from Dryden after a really good day of exploring new areas and ready for more vacation fun the next day.  

Vacation fun in Stanton and Ithaca

Good Morning and happy Friday!  As I sit here this morning, I'm enjoying the quiet rumblings and darkening skies of an impending thunderstorm and I'm thankful for some much needed rain.  Based on the weather forecast, we're in for rain most of the day and through the night, and I'm alright with that since we REALLY need it.  Plus rainy days like today force me to slow down, relax, and have a quiet day at home-something else which is much needed.  So the girls and I have settled in and while they nap, I decided to share a bit of what we've been up to this week.

This week I've been on vacation...my first week off for the year and a much needed break from my daily routine. While I would have loved to spend the last week enjoying the peace and quiet of the UP and some quality time on the Lake Superior shores, it just made more sense for us to stay home.   I had plenty of things to do around the house, but also knew I'd be able to find time for some fun adventures closer to home as well. 

 

After Piper was adopted on Saturday and the girls had spent several hours home without me, I knew I had to get them out for an adventure on Sunday.  After a slow start to the morning, I did a little research and determined our course for the day.  It was time to get out and make some progress toward visiting the most beautiful spot in each Michigan county.  I was determined to see some new places without traveling too far, so I pulled out the Michigan map and the list of most beautiful places in each county and decided to head North toward Gratiot county, I also noticed that the location we needed to visit in Montcalm county wasn't much farther away and our plans for the day were set.

I headed west out of town to reach M-66 through Ionia and eventually reached the country roads and farmlands of Montcalm county.  It was a nice day for a drive and I enjoyed our travels.  We finally reached Stanton and after a short drive outside of town, we reached Clifford Lake.  The only public access to the lake is a small boat launch area and that is where we stopped. 

The girls were happy to be out of the Jeep and able to explore a bit, but other than the short walk from my parking spot to the dock, there wasn't much else to do here.  There were fisherman along the banks of the lake on either side of the dock and several families loading or unloading their boats for the day.  As I looked out at the lake lined with private docks and homes, it reminded me of so many other small inland lakes all over the State.  After a short stay, we got in the car to drive around the lake to see if we could find another place to stop for a better view.

I made a quick stop to turn around in the parking lot of a small local restaurant located on the lake. Because it had a nice view, I took a quick picture there before heading off to continue driving around the area.  While driving around, my thoughts turned to why this particular spot was chosen for this list.  I saw several other boat launch signs for small lakes throughout the area on my drive here and I'm not sure what makes this lake more scenic than those.  The thing about this list is that it is very subjective, what is beauty in the eyes of one person may not be to someone else.  But for me, the whole point behind the list is just to encourage people to get out and to visit new places, to find beauty all around them, and appreciate the journey.  And that is just what I plan to do.

  

For me, the beauty of this tree in a field not far from the lake shore was far prettier than the views of the lake and I'm glad I was there to see it's beauty.  So as I continue my journey to the other counties that I have yet to visit, I plan to keep in mind that there is beauty in everything in nature, you just have to be open minded and willing to look beyond first impressions.  

As I headed away from the lake and out of the town of Stanton, I stopped to take a few pictures of some other things that caught my eye.  

After a nice drive through the farmlands of Montcalm and Gratiot Counties, our next stop of the day was in Ithaca.  While I have driven past Ithaca on the highway hundreds of times, I don't recall ever driving into town.  I'm very glad that changed with this trip.  

Ithaca is a cute little town and so the girls and I parked and took a walk around to see more.  

The fire department building caught my eye and I had to get a few pictures of it.  It is a beautiful old building and a historic site as well.  I really loved the weathervane at the peak too.  

Of course I also had to stop and get a picture of the girls with this bell.  I don't know the history behind it, but Peaches was happy to jump right up there for a picture.  

Since it was a hot day, we couldn't spend much time exploring before heading back to the Gratiot County Courthouse building, which is listed as the most beautiful spot in Gratiot County.  

This building was built at the turn of the century(1902) and has some really beautiful details.  The stone work on the building reminded me a lot of the Michigan State Capitol Building, although some of it is in disrepair.  I hope they can find a way to restore it and keep the beautiful old building for generations to come.

Since I love old buildings like this, I was happy to visit and we spent some time exploring the grounds around the building and enjoying the architecture.  The girls even posed for a nice picture for me.  

As I walked around the building, I was thankful that this list includes not only beaches and beautiful nature areas, but also historic buildings, farms, rural and urban areas.  The variety is something that will keep it fun and interesting as we continue our travels throughout the State.  

In addition to visiting each site on the list, I have a goal to find a geocache at or near each location as well so that by the end of our journey, I will have not only traveled to each county, but also have a found a geocache in each one too.  It's just a little added challenge to keep things fun and interesting.  

We had had a busy afternoon of fun and seeing new things, but it was time to head home.  I was glad that we had visited some new places and was looking forward to more fun as we continued our vacation week.  

A Good Weekend

 Good Evening and Happy Sunday!  We had something really big happen this weekend: Piper was adopted!

Tonight as I sit down to write, it is very quiet in my house.  After just over 4 1/2 months of having Piper here as a foster, it is really strange to not have her here anymore. I can move without a shadow, can make trips to the bathroom alone, and have no one demanding snacks from me.   While she rarely barked, she was a bundle of energy constantly on the move.  Once we got her anxiety better controlled with drugs and exercise, a lot of her personality reminded me of my Imke.  So it's easy to understand why I loved that little stinker!

If we don't count Peaches, who we all know ended up here forever due to her cancer, Piper is my 2nd longest foster...beaten out only by Reyna who spent nearly 7 months with me(and somewhat ironically was probably my easiest foster ever).  I really believe Piper was my most challenging foster to date, but just because she was a challenge doesn't mean I loved her any less.  In fact, watching her progress over all of those months from neurotic mess to a happy, crazy, normal GSP was one of the most rewarding foster experiences I've ever had.  And I've had a lot of foster successes. 

Piper was ready for a new family of her own, there was nothing more I could have done to prepare her.  She turned on the charm for her meeting and showed what a good little girl she can be.  Her new family was looking for a very high energy, active dog to join their active lifestyle and that is exactly what they got with Piper.  So she will go on to learn to love a new family and to be loved by a new family who will watch her grow old, but a small piece of my heart will always be with her.  And life goes on..

Since I had to go to the Detroit area for Piper's adoption, I was excited I was also able to get a chance to finally see my daughter.  With everything going on with Covid, I haven't seen Nicol in months and while I talk to her all of the time, it is necessary for a mom to be able to SEE her child, even if we had to practice social distancing and I couldn't give her a big old hug!  We met in a park and chatted for a bit and it wasn't a long visit, but I saw her and my heart is happy.  

I spent about 6 hours away from home and away from the girls, the longest I've been away from them since I started working from home back in March.  I wasn't sure how they'd handle it, but they did great and it was nice to come home to two happy girls with their stubby little wagging tails.  After a busy day running around, it was nice to just relax and spend a quiet evening at home with them

I'm on vacation this week and have plans for some fun local adventures, a couple day trips, and some  quiet days at home.  It's the first full week of vacation I've had this year and it will be a much needed break.  After vacation day one's success of getting Piper adopted, we headed out for some fun today, but that is a story for another day.   For the rest of the night, I'm going to sit back, snuggle up with Maddie, and mindlessly watch some Food Network!  But stay tuned for some vacation updates over the next few days.