Exploring Michigan

As many of you know, I plan to use my Gather earnings, plus some money we've set aside, to take the kids on a 10 day camping trip. I've taken them camping several times in the past, but it was always with family, and the trip consisted of just going camping.

This time around, I'm striking off on my own, and heading up north. I want the kids to see new things, places they've never been, and really get to know Michigan. When I was a child, we camped every summer- likely due to lack of funds for anything more expensive, but I loved it.

We would borrow my grandparents trailer, and haul it all over the place to camp. This summer, I plan to pack the kids up soon after school lets out, and take them all over northern Michigan.

Here are some of the points of interest I would like to show them while we are camping.

Grand Traverse Bay - The bay is an inlet off Lake Michigan, in the northern area of the lower peninsula of Michigan. I've actually never been to Traverse City before, so I'm as excited about this for myself, as I am for the kids.

Sleeping Bear Dunes- These dunes are on the shoes of Lake Michigan, and are only a short drive away from Traverse City. Like TC, I've never been to these dunes. They are quite a draw on the Lake, though. This will also give us a day at the beach.

Cherry Bowl Drive In- This is an old fashioned drive in theater. They show two movies every night, and none are rated higher than PG-13. It's very family oriented, and has a small play ground, and a concession stand. This is also in the Traverse City area.

That is what I plan to do while we are camping in Traverse City.

Our next stop will be St. Ignace, which is the first city you hit in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, just on the other side of the Mackinac Bridge. Here are some of the things I am contemplating, but I know I won't have time for all of it.

Soo Locks- The Soo Locks are a canel that allows ships to pass from Lake Superior to the lower great lakes in Michigan. They are shut down in the winter due to ice, but still manage to pass over 10,000 ships through them each year. They're cool to see, but the town of Sault Saint Marie (pronounces Sue Saint Marie) is also a bit of a tourist town. Sault Saint Marie is located on the tip of the UP, just a bridge gap from Canada.

Tahquamenon Falls- Located near Sault Saint Marie, these falls are a gorgeous natural area featuring the upper and lower falls. There are paths through out the park to hike along side the river. The falls have sometimes been called the Root Beer falls, due to the brownish color the water takes on due to mineral deposits.

Castle Rock- Castle Rock is a natural limestone 'stack' which has been formed from wind and rain eroding away at it, to form a large 'castle', which stands nearly 200 feet above Lake Huron. At the base is a small tourist shop, and statues of Paul Bunyon, and his blue ox, Babe. It's only $.50 to climb to the top, so it's a nice frugal stop along the way. This is located just outside of St. Ignace, which is where we'll be camping.

Mackinac Island- This one is the stop I want the most, but is also the most likely to be nixed. Located in Lake Huron, between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan, Mackinac Island is a tourist haven. It's filled with gorgeous woods, tourist shops, fantastic fudge, an old fort, and best of all- no motorized vehicles. Well, there are actually 2 or 3 in the form of fire trucks, and an ambulance. But aside from that, no motorized vehicles are allowed.

Mystery Spot- I've never been to a Mystery Spot, and it's near St. Ignace, so this is another one we can do.

Indian Village- This is little more than an Indian themed gift shop, but I remember going as a child, and it's right near St. Ignace, so we'll stop there one of the days.

Weird Michigan Wax Museum- Until this morning, I didn't know this was there, but it sounds fun, if a bit creepy. I've never been to a wax museum, nor have the kids. They've always kind of freaked me out, to be honest. Not sure if we'll make it to this one, or not.

Several of the things I want to do can be accomplished in a single day- the mystery spot, Castle Rock, the Indian Village, and the wax museum can all be during a single day. Tahquamenon Falls, and the Soo Locks would take a day trip, since they're 45 minutes away from the camp ground. Mackinac Island would take a full day, as well, since it's an island, and we'd be walking while on it. So, I'm not sure what will win out in terms of day trips- the Soo Locks & the falls, or Mackinac Island. The island would be more expensive, but is the stop I really want to make.

I was only planning 3 nights in Mackinac, but that area is more tourist heavy, with things to do, so we might extend it to 4 nights. We'll see!

There isn't much of anything we would do on the last leg of the trip, which would be Stanwood. In fact, there's really nothing at all to do, except relax at the camp ground. That's the cheap part of the trip. I'll wait and see what happens, though. I'm still researching other areas of Michigan to camp at, so the kids and I can see some cool areas of Michigan.