Start: Cadillac, IN
Finish: St. Ignace, MI
Miles: 268
States: Pure Michigan
As I previously mentioned, the U.P. was stingy with their internet even when they claimed to offer it at the places I stayed but here we are. Day 4 opened with nice weather which had my hopes up until I looked at the radar and saw a lovely gale making its way southeast. The first stop was Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and I attempted to get there and hike a bit before it started storming.
The pinpoint on the east side of the storm is the exact moment I pulled into the Sleeping Bear parking lot. I waited about half an hour in a downpour only because it was entertaining watching people sprint down the Dune Climb in the rain while dodging lightning strikes.
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| View from the top of the Dune Climb |
From there I drove back south to kill time and hopefully come back when the storm passed or at least once the lightning quit. I ended up at the Point Betsie Lighthouse which was closed until further notice. My first guess was Corona but it appeared that the lakeside front of the property may have been eroding at an alarming rate. There were metal barriers in place to prevent more erosion but I apparently didn't take a picture so here is the beach on the other side of the street.
Slowly making my way back north I came across Crystal Downs Country Club. Nothing may seem special about this but it is rated as the 10th best golf course in the US and 18th best in the world. Why not try to get a round in you ask? Because it's completely private and the only way you get on the course is by befriending a rich asshole who is a member. The course is set in the middle of resort community and I drove around/through it a couple of times to get a look. Here is a shot from the first tee box that I may have walked up to. Anything for the people. Reviews say it has the best front 9 of any course on Earth.
And a stock photo of the 17th green.
It was time to head back to Sleeping Bear and of course it started raining again once I pulled in to the lot. I gave it another 30 minutes and was about to head out when the rain finally let up. Immediately people began jumping out of their vehicles to head up the Dune Climb and I joined them. The parking lot is down below in the previous picture.
I, like most others, didn't realize how for of a hike it actually was from the lot to Lake Michigan so I made it about halfway and decided to head back. The main path from the lot wasn't much to look at as pictured above but the lakeshore covers 35 miles and more than 32,000 acres. The weather left much to be desired.
Stock photo of actually making it to Lake Michigan. I heard somebody mention that the park has actually lifted people by helicopter off this dune because they couldn't make it back up haha.
By the time I made it back to my car it was already late in the day so I was officially off to the U.P. To get there, I had to cross the Mackinac Bridge which I've always wanted to do so since I saw Mike Rowe climb up the suspension cables on an episode of Dirty Jobs.
Once in the U.P. it was a short drive to St. Ignace where I stayed for the night. Unbeknownst to me, my motel was about 30 yards from Lake Huron which I have never seen before so I walked on over to check it off as the last great lake I had to experience. To cap they night off, I went into town and got myself a nice ice cream shake.
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