We headed out to the Apache Trout Grill for dinner. The wait was appreciated because it allowed us to sit by the water with a drink and enjoy the view.

The food was delicious, particularly my taste of the crab and lobster bisque. I kept my meal simple with Grilled Ahi Tuna Salad. The tuna was served more raw than my preference, but I was enjoying myself and didn’t think twice about it.

We arrived back at our room in time to watch the sunset. I spent all night pacing in the hotel room with extreme belly pain; it never occurred to me that it might be food poisoning until dinner came up around 5 am. I was finally able to sleep and did so until noon.

I would still go back to the restaurant, the food was incredible and I’m sure if my illness was caused by the tuna, it was an isolated case. Next time, I’ll make sure my seafood is fully cooked.

I expected to be awoken in the morning by an impatient maid waiting to clean my room. In other hotels, the attendants never see the “Do Not Disturb” sign – somehow – knocked to the floor. Instead, I awoke to a note under my door that explained the cleaning staff had stopped by, but respected my request for quiet and to let them know if I needed supplies. I so appreciated the uninterrupted sleep, I thanked the staff at the front desk when I asked for some extra towels. Later that day, I arrived back to a made bed and cleaned room. That’s good service.

We spent a couple of hours wandering around the charming town of Traverse City, I purchased some spices, infused oil and vinegar and saw my first medical marijuana store front.

There are so many quaint shops, historical buildings in a pretty town, I was surprised to discover that only 20% of Traverse City’s visitors reside outside Michigan.

I discovered Trattoria Stella using Foursquare, someone had recommended a basic dish that sounded simple and good. I was ecstatically surprised by the quality and philosophy of the restaurant. Listed on the menu are the farms they purchase their food from, the majority are local and they butcher their own meat. The food and service were the best on the trip.

The location was unique too, it’s housed in the the basement of a complex called The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. The commons is a large scale redevelopment, still in progress, of several historic buildings previously used as the Traverse City State Hospital and the Northern Michigan Asylum.

After dinner, we had drinks on the patio of our hotel and watched the sunset. A relaxing and enjoyable wrap-up to a trip I didn’t want to end. I’ll definitely head back to the area but next time I’ll stay longer and explore more.

While there I discovered I was near the 45th parallel, halfway between the equator and the North Pole. I knew I had to record the momentous occasion. Instead of building a cairn, I checked in on Foursquare.

It was while checking in I discovered that 2 Lads Winery was offering a special for Foursquare users. We had seen the winery on the way up, but hadn’t planned on stopping. I couldn’t resist.

We traveled past beautiful fruit farms, wineries, bed & breakfasts, all with striking water vistas.

2 Lads Winery is an impressive looking architecturally modern building set upon a hill with panoramic views of Grand Traverse Bay.

I ordered a tasting flight and was surprised. I have come to appreciate red wine in recent years, but even as a white wine drinker, I only enjoy dry wines, and avoided rieslings because they tended to be too sweet for my taste. The Fouch Vineyard riesling was the first riesling I enjoyed.

I carefully packed my purchased bottles away for the roadtrip home.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is an incredibly beautiful area beginning at Lake Michigan, stretching through dunes, forests and glacier carved lakes.

We spent most of our too-short time here on Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive which gives drivers a quick summary of the wide variation of landscape in this area. The road was the vision of Michigan lumberman, Pierce Stocking, who oversaw the scenic drive until 1976 when he passed away. Posthumously, the drive was renamed to honor him.

The self-guided tour has many “pull offs” to view the vegetation or the views. The first was a covered bridge. The most memorable interest points were the views of the dunes, Lake Michigan and Glen Lake. Although there is an official Dune Climb location further into the park, the first glimpse of extreme dune climbing occurs along Pierce Stocking Drive. It is accented with a sign that warns of a $2500 rescue fee should the adventurous wander down to Lake Michigan and not be able to get back to the top. There were plenty of adventurers going down and were winded coming back up.

Reluctantly, I left the national lakeshore and headed towards Traverse City with plans to return to the area to camp, hike and tube in the future.

After checking several Manistee hotels late into the night, we finally found one that was not booked full with fishermen hoping to win the local derby.

I awoke to another beautiful blue sky, fluffy cloud day and began the drive towards Sleeping Bear Dunes.

The first awe inspiring roadside stop was the Arcadia Scenic Lookout which is also aptly named Inspiration Point. It was my first grand coastal view of Lake Michigan’s sandy shores. The most startling surprise was the water color rivaled every Caribbean location I’ve seen. Beautiful!

Point Betsie Lighthouse is off M-22 down a road carved out from the sand. It has been beautifully restored by The Friends of Point Betsie Lighthouse, with plans to add further exhibits in the future.

Another favorite Michigan shoreline view was discovered after I walked by Betsie on the Lake Michigan side and took a dirt path in front of the rich red Fog Signal Building. I was rewarded with a long shoreline view and of a sailboat on wheels.

The first Lake Michigan view was supposed to happen around Saugatuck, but a missed sign resulted in a tour of Holland instead. I hit the highway and didn’t stop again until I reached Ludington. We drove out to the Ludington State Park to have a look around. After investigating the beach area and determining the lighthouse was a 1.8 mile hike, we decided to make the trek to catch the sunset and hope the light stayed long enough for the return 1.8 miles.

The hikes began with a walk through the very full campground the smell of fires hanging low in the air as the kids ran back and forth in summer play. The trail turned past the camp and headed along sand dunes parallel with Lake Michigan.

We climbed the first opening in vegetation to take a look at the lake view and came across a two-story driftwood fort and it’s creators. This was the fifth year they’d returned to Ludington State Park and the fifth year they had continued to add onto the structure. It looked beautiful set atop a dune with panoramic lake views.

We continued along the road, past the hike-in campsites, the woods, sand dunes and bowls until the lighthouse came into view.

Originally built in 1867, the structure had deteriorated until the Lighthouse Keepers Association was formed and restored it. The Big Sable Point Lighthouse is on the state and national registers of historic places.

The light, like tourists, was disappearing and I wandered up the side of a hill and took time to play with my camera settings in the waning light. We stayed until the sun disappeared behind Lake Michigan, and were fortunate to have just enough light to make it back to the parking lot as darkness descended.

UK’s The Telegraph recently ran an article titled Ten famous films shot in Michigan. They are as follows:

1. Up in the Air: George Clooney 2009
2. American Beauty: Kevin Spacey 1999
3. Gran Torino: Clint Eastwood 2008
4. Die Hard 2: Bruce Willis 1990
5. Beverly Hills Cop: Eddie Murphy 1984
6. Things Fall Apart: 50 Cent 2010
7. 8 Mile: Eminem 2002
8. Gulliver’s Travels: Jack Black 2010
9. Real Steel: Hugh Jackman 2010
10. Cedar Rapids: Sigourney Weaver 2011

The films weren’t necessarily shot in their entirety here, but portions were. To learn what other films have Michigan scenes, visit the Michigan Film Office’s Made in MIchigan page.

Photo Credit

I caught part of Kid Rock’s performance on the American Music Awards and was hoping to find it online. I know in the past Kid Rock hasn’t been too accepting of his content on the internet. I hope he’s coming around because this video reminded me I need to go buy his new disc TODAY.

“Even though it’s bittersweet and brings us to our knees, it makes us who we are in times like these.”

Hard times in our lives allows us to recognize and be grateful the good days. Challenges build our strength by teaching us we can overcome any adversity. Sometimes it requires an optimistic attitude to make changes and sometimes the discomfort is what pushes us to improve.

I’ve discovered I need less to be happy and have renegotiated my goals to focus on what is truly important. What have you discovered about yourself in times like these?

The ice and snow give way to a new spring bloom
In the wake that hope and faith they will be home soon
A new day dawns as the good Lord shines from above
Cuz in the rubble and rust there remains a whole lotta love.

The area has had a huge influx on tent caterpillars and according to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation the natural increased fly population helps to control the caterpillars. They are actually named friendly flies because of their propensity to land on people, animals and food.