Lake Time on the Shores of Lake Michigan and a Few of Minnesota's 10,000 Lakes

Lake Time:

Have fun ... Find the sun ... Read on

Kayak ... Relax

Corn hole ... Take it slow

Take a hike ... Ride a bike

Speed boat ... Gentle float ... Pontoon

Bring a friend ... Jump in

Play a game ... Campfire flame

Make a s'more .... Love life more!

Summertime in the Midwest is synonymous with Lake Time. It is Mother Nature's reward for braving another long, cold winter. And even more important this year, Lake Time provides a way to safely gather outside with family and friends.

Even though we can't claim to have braved a Midwest winter in a number of years, it is always nice to embrace Lake Time with our family and friends when RVentures bring us back ''home''.

After we left the Durand, Michigan area, we headed west towards the shore of Lake Michigan. On our way, we passed through Grand Rapids, Michigan where we discovered the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. In light of the current conditions, we are hesitant about visiting indoor museums. This works out OK for Doug, who is not exactly the art or history museum kind of guy ... but it is sometimes a bummer for me. But so far, we have been successful in seeking out and finding beautiful outdoor attractions. The Meijer Gardens fit my desire for an interesting walk in the park. We were greeted with ...

flower-lined paths,

... unique sculptures,

... joyful waterfalls,

... and someone who was willing to
just listen to all that I had to say!

Later that day, we reach the shores of Lake Michigan and explored the lakeside towns of Muskegon and Ludington. 

Pick any town on Lake Michigan,
and you can most likely take a
walk out to a lighthouse.

The pizza and beer were spot on
for Doug's first microbrewery
visit since the pandemic began.

The SS Badger ferry rested in the Ludington
port, waiting to take passengers and vehicles
across Lake Michigan to Wisconsin in the morning.

We had decided to stealthily park on the streets of Ludington for the night ... otherwise known as boondocking. Unfortunately for us, the friendly policeman who knocked on our door at midnight didn't seem to agree with our plan.

Not sure if the young officer will ever get
over the shock of seeing two ''old folks''
hanging out in a van in their pajamas!

Lesson learned: never assume the local overnight parking ordinances are up-to-date on Google and therefore, always have a ''Plan B''. It worked out for us that there was a Walmart three miles away, so we were able to stay there for the rest of the night.

Our journey up the Lake Michigan coast continued the next day. Originally we had planned to visit Sleeping Bear Dunes, but the rain reminded us that we always need to stay ''flexible'' with our travel plans.

No sitting outside at
this Traverse City Brewery,

... but the Grand Traverse Cherry Pie
was a tasty replacement.

That night we decided not to risk another midnight visitor, so we settled in at a free casino RV parking area in Petosky, Michigan. The next day, the sun was shining and the winds were calm as we crossed the Mackinac Bridge and started driving along one of our favorite stretches of highway. US 2 runs along the northern shore of Lake Michigan and provides great views as well as spectacular pull offs where we enjoyed our classic ''Yooper'' lunch ... a pasty.

A chance message to a friend who lives in Gladstone, Michigan became our next Lake Time experience. Our van fit nicely in their driveway, and their two girls were delighted to have a ''playhouse on wheels'' to hang out in. They were quite sure that their parents would gladly trade their house on the shore of Lake Michigan for our van ... I'm thinking not. 

We enjoyed another beautiful Upper Peninsula day at Fuller County Park ... once again camping right on the shore of Lake Michigan. After three days of boondocking, we were looking forward to a real shower, but unfortunately, due to the current pandemic, the showers in the park were closed. Time to jump into the cold lake or hurry on to Minneapolis!

We decided on the quick trip across Wisconsin which brought us back the next day to the City of Lakes ... Minneapolis. There we enjoyed bike rides on the trails that surround the city lakes and took advantage of refueling with a few ...

... backyard barbecue lunches
hosted by our sons and our
cute grand-puppies,

... Peter tha Pug,
always cute in person or on Instagram
#peterthapug

... and Pippy Ann Longbody,
likewise adorable in person or on Instagram
#pippy_ann_longbody

Our time in Minneapolis always goes too fast, but we were grateful to be able to spend time with ...

... friends who are like sisters,

... and sisters who are the
best of friends!

With plans made to visit Glacier National Park in two weeks, it was time to start our journey west. Lake Itasca State Park is often rated as the #1 state park in Minnesota, and during our three days there, we found out why.

Beautiful hiking and biking trails surround the lake, and the park has two well-maintained campgrounds. But a trip to the northern tip of the lake reveals the significance of this gem of a park. Flowing out past this rock lined stream, the mighty Mississippi River begins its 2,552 mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico.

As a kid, I visited this spot with my family and recall slipping on the rocks while my dad was filming the whole un-graceful event (on movie film reels that were all the rage in those days). That ''movie'' became the most requested by my siblings who would enjoy a good laugh at my expense. This time around, I was hopeful that I could successfully make it across and join the ranks of the ''I successfully walked across the Mississippi River'' champions. Sadly, the rocks have gotten even more slick through the years, and I was only able to get halfway across. I will just have to look like a champion as I pose for a picture.

Our travels nicely matched up with the Lake Carlos State Park camping vacation that some friends from Rochester take every year. This is the ultimate Lake Time experience complete with ...

... speed boats and tubers flying through the air,

... lakeside games,

... and time to relax with that special someone.

One last Lake Time experience awaited us before we left the land of 10,000 lakes.  This was another one of those ultimate boondocking experiences as we snuggled in alongside our friends' new lakeside home.

Knowing that we bring our own kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom with us, we were able to have a CDC-approved socially distanced visit ...

... complete with masks for the two
engineering geeks as they examined the things
that only engineering geeks find interesting!

So many wonderful memories of our summer Lake Time in the Midwest! And it was just what we needed this year as Lake Time gave us an opportunity to come together with family and friends even as we need to stay six feet apart. 

Thank you, family and friends, for all the special Lake Time moments that we will hold close in our hearts as we venture into a new territory (for us) and explore the western United States.

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