Remember when blogs used to be about your travels and you wrote them from internet cafes before smart phones and only your mom and maybe 3 other people read them and you somehow included photos from an actual digital camera? If you don't remember or never had one, here was mine from 2011 for shits and giggles.
.
I actually haven't looked at this since well, 2011. It was a nice trip down memory lane from a very different era of my life. Today I want to do a similar style blog post just for fun. Get ready for way to many photos. My little family just went on a pretty long vacation and covered lots of ground and had A BLAST. I'd love to share a bit with you! (ok, mainly for my mom, because she still is probably the only one who reads all these and comments).
.
.
We started in Cleveland where Ben has family and spent a humid week doing city life. A major highlight was when we rode the historic Cuyahoga Valley railroad to Akron and then biked back to a little town south of Cleveland called Peninsula in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The bike ride was so fun! It was my daughter's first time riding in a kid trailer, excuse me I mean her "cart".
.
.
A trip to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens with cousins was another highlight. The kid garden is so much fun! An outdoor play paradise complete with a mud kitchen and lots of flowers of course.
.
.
This west coast girl was confounded by the vastness of the Great Lakes as I can only associate such large bodies of water with the ocean. But just look at this picnic spot on Lake Eerie! We had a great time with family and Amalia enjoyed spending time with her grandparents and uncle.
.
.
Obligatory Cleveland tourist pic!
.
.
Next we picked up the rental car and hit the road to Michigan. We passed through Brighton, MI and I had the honor of visiting IRL (In Real Life!) the Artisan's Bench, the most lovely shop that carries a small collection of Lumenrose Jewelry. It was really a pleasure to meet Brittany, the store manager, and to peruse their tasteful wares. I was convinced going in that I would walk out with new jewelry for my personal collection--I would totally do my own jewelry shopping there as they carry work from the very best silversmiths in my opinion. However, I restrained myself. I did discover a new-to-me jeweler whose work was secretly my favorite- Oxbow Charlie. Check out her IG here.
.
.
Onward to visit Ben's aunt outside of Lansing where we wish we could have stayed longer. We did have really good ice cream, the first of many on the trip. Side note: why can't every public park or beach have a concession stand with ice cream like they do in Michigan? I'm not talking about generic ice cream sandwiches, but like a dozen flavors you can choose from, scooped right into a freshly made waffle cone.
.
So began the camping portion of our trip. We brought a suitcase full of our gear, and I did pretty good on camping meal planning, and my daughter was stoked to sleep in a tent. She has camped a handful of times before and loves to be helpful with setting everything up.
.
.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National lakeshore was our first park visit. What a place! This photo doesn't convey in the slightest that we are on an enormous cliff of a 450 foot tall dune where it's about a 40 degree angle straight down to the shoreline. Again, this may as well be the ocean!
.
.
We knew we wanted to do a little canoe trip and our mellow journey on the Platt River did not disappoint. We rented a "crystal" canoe- one that is clear so you can see what you're traveling over. The water itself was so clear that having the see-through canoe almost made it feel like we were sitting in the water itself.
.
.
Keepin' it real...
Pee Island...
.
.
We had a super touristy (and fun!) day on Mackinac Island, an island in Lake Huron between Michigan's Lower and Upper Peninsulas. Again we rented bikes and rode the perimeter of the island with Amalia in tow. We stopped in the famed Grand Hotel (see below) and with my Asian mom visor and fanny pack I fit right in with the guests paying $700-1000 per night...
.
.
Also, I saw the most beautiful trash can ever there.
.
.
We got into our camping groove.
.
.
We saw lovely lighthouses. Here is Au Sable Lighthouse in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore outside Grand Marais, MI where kind hikers pointed out the wild blueberry patch. We couldn't have asked for a better lakeside treat.
.
.
.
One of our very favorite days of all was spent on the West Bay of Grand Marais on Lake Superior. Ben and I woke at 1:30am to SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS!!!!! OMG it was so cool. There weren't any colors, but the sky was certainly dancing with light. It was cute to be up with fellow campground neighbors huddled along Lake Superior looking up and admiring. On top of that, the following day will forever be a sparkling memory of an unexpectedly perfect morning along a clear, calm shoreline complete with a playground, a jog and a swim (for me and Ben) and a child running wild and free.
.
.
Then right after that we had the most disappointing meal of the trip at The Breakwall Restaurant (I do not recommend....a $48 bill for about 2 cups of salad).
.
More beautiful water. Miner's Castle Overlook in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior, or a tropical island?:
.
.
From here we headed to the Keweenah Peninsula, stopping along the way to get a pasty from Muldoon's in Munising. It weighed about 2 pounds. Excellent road trip meal.
.
.
We made a second beach stop for the day in Marquette. This is what we can't stop talking about upon our return to Arizona: how many beaches there are EVERYWHERE. And they all have calm shorelines, soft sand or pebbles, and clear water.We had a good run of twice a day swims. I am 1000% sold on the Great Lakes. Sorry-not-sorry to my former ocean-loving self.
So the remainder of our trip is essentially a series of beach visits.
.
.
.
.
Toward the end of our trip we spent 3 days in Hancock, MI with a family friend. Mark graciously hosted us and was an excellent tour guide having lived there in the Keweenah Peninsula for 40 years. Here we are at an overlook in Copper Harbor, the most northern area of Michigan, after a full day of touristing with Mark, where you see lakes and more lakes and what you don't see is the big meltdown from a very tired 3 year old. Traveling with a young kid has its challenges, but overall it was great. There were only two instances when I was ready to hop out of the car and hitchhike to escape the screams.
.
.
Also featured that day was a 2 pound muffin from The Jampot, a bakery in the Keweenah run by monks at their abbey. I will ALWAYS stop for bakeries and this one was certainly unique and didn't disappoint. Their thimbleberry truffles were excellent btw.
.
.
.
We said farewell to Michigan and spent our last 24 hours were in Duluth, MN. Ben booked us a special spot to say that last night. Endion Station Inn. It is a 120-year old train station converted into 5 guest rooms just a short distance from the water. Amalia is very excited by trains and ships and large moving craft so there was a big to-do when this huge ship came through the lift bridge just down the way. In Amalia's words it was "like a party" with folks all cheering as the ship came into Duluth Harbor.
.
.
.
It really was a great way to end a fantastic trip.
.
What a wonderful opportunity we had to see this gorgeous region. I can’t help but think about all the indigenous people who lived in (and still do!!) and cared for these lands that we freely travel through and think of as “ours” or “this country’s”. I want to acknowledge the history of forced removal of indigenous people, exploitation and broken treaties that all of these “united” states are founded on. These thoughts were really present for me with each place we visited. I haven’t spent time in a landscape so rich with greenery and water and it felt utterly abundant during this summer season. The Ottawa, Chippewa, Ojibwa and Potawatomi are just a few of the tribes in this area. Here is a list of the federally recognized tribes in Michigan and here is a much more comprehensive list of indigenous nations in this general region and their websites.
What a wonderful opportunity we had to see this gorgeous region. I can’t help but think about all the indigenous people who lived in (and still do!!) and cared for these lands that we freely travel through and think of as “ours” or “this country’s”. I want to acknowledge the history of forced removal of indigenous people, exploitation and broken treaties that all of these “united” states are founded on. These thoughts were really present for me with each place we visited. I haven’t spent time in a landscape so rich with greenery and water and it felt utterly abundant during this summer season. The Ottawa, Chippewa, Ojibwa and Potawatomi are just a few of the tribes in this area. Here is a list of the federally recognized tribes in Michigan and here is a much more comprehensive list of indigenous nations in this general region and their websites.
.
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading my "travel blog" :). Back to jewelry soon. I have some new things cooking and I will share more in the coming weeks.
.
Here was our welcome sky on our first morning back home. Grateful beyond words for the special memories we'll have and for our safe travels.
.
.
4 comments
Thats the biggest muffin i’ve ever seen. Looks like a lovely trip- i would love to see those lakes too! Thanks for sharing 😊
Enjoyed reading your old fashioned blog. It makes me so happy that you had such a good time on your trip. You really got a taste for the Michigan we love. Well written and I loved the pictures!
Of course I read to the end, opened every link, and looked at every picture of your little family multiple times! Soo beautifully shared and your Californian mama needs to experience those Midwest oceans! Xoxoxox
Of course I read to the end, opened every link, and looked at every picture of your little family multiple times! Soo beautifully shared and your Californian mama needs to experience those Midwest oceans! Xoxoxox