Michigan: 

Continue on to Warren Dunes State Park to meet up with friends I met in Myrtle Beach, Connie and Chuck.   Get there to find only a half dozen campers - and can't find Connie and Chuck!  Uh oh!  Send a quick text to see where they are - oops still at daughter's house - arriving tomorrow.

Well now I have time to kill so I track down the dune route to the beach.  Cross a nice bridge.

 Uh Oh, looks like it turns ahead

Steeper than it looks in the picture!

 Tucson says "I can't believe we made it up that hill!

Are we there yet?

Time to sit and relax on the Beach

My friends arrive the next afernoon and do the hike again with Connie only this time we take the trail that meanders through the woods and gradually climbs and comes back down.  Did the return trip via the dune because it's much more fun going down the Dune

Drove to St. Joseph's (St. Joe's) for Pizza with Connie and Chuck  at the Silver Beach Pizza.  It is in an old train depot, though Amtrak still has an office at the end.  Trains go by as you are eating.

  

Good food & Good friends

Its a rainy day but I stop at the Windmill Island Garden Park anyway.   Someone forgot to tell the it's APRIL showers that bring May flowers!
 
 The 250 year old working Dutch windmill "De Zwaan" (meaning graceful bird). The windmill, is 125 feet from the ground to the top of the blades. In 1964, the City of Holland purchased the windmill from a retired miller in the Netherlands.

  It is fully operational and they produce and package flour

 Yes there is a stairmaster

150,000 tulips are planted on the island each year.  So come tip toe through the tulips with me (and Tucson)!

The Amsterdam street organ plays every 15 minutes

 or Clog hop through

Time to continue north! Following route 31 north along the Michigan coast it becomes tiresome as a highway so when I see a sign for Great Circle Loop I take it.  Not all who wander are lost.

 Look Mom!  A swimming pool!

 A scenic overlook!

And today's stairmaster

 Tucson wouldn't do the metal grate stairs so I went up alone.  

When I got to the top I saw an eagle take flight but wasn't camera ready

Where's Waldo?

Signs, signs everywhere a sign!  Good thing I'm good at ignoring them

Road ends?  I LOVE dead ends!

 and it's a stair master to boot!

Onward to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

D.H. Day campground first come first served for space rustic sites for $14/night.  Hope they have a 

space for us!

 

 Didn't think it would be a problem!

 

 Historic cabin on backside of campground

 and a nice boardwalk to the Beach

and Tucson checks out the water

Tucson just misses stepping on lady bugs at the edge of the water

 Of course the big thing to do here is the Dune Climb.  Fortunately I got there just as two bus loads of kids were leaving. 

 Tucson couldn't come so I just hiked up and then far enough to get the view of  Lake Michigan

 and Glenn Lake the other way

 A quick tour through Glen Haven, a lumbering village restored to the way it was around 1900

Unfortunately nothing was open yet.

 The cannery now houses a boat museum

 Not open yet, but got this shot through the window

Time to move on, we take a drive on the 7-mile drive Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive loop through the Beech-Maple forest and sand dunes and take a dune hike along the Cottonwood Trail.

Now a lot of people know that I've felt my mother helping to guide me over these past couple of years.  Whenever I'm going through an especially tough time or if need help with an issue I am struggling with  I ask Mom a question and inevitably I find a dime.  This was no exception I found a dime in the sand amongst all these immense dunes.

 How long had it been here?  How many people walked past this?   I almost didn't take this turn because I thought it would add to much time to the hike and started to turn around, but then suddenly decided what the heck when will I ever have the chance again?  

Thanks Mom

Last, but not least on the Scenic Loop is the Lake Michigan Overlook

Tucson meets some butterflies

 Tucson takes the sign to heart

 The view of that hill from the other side of the sign

Mom!  What's taking you so long??

There was or had been something under the deck that Tucson was very interested in finding or meeting

One last stop in Michigan - Pictured Rocks National Seashore

But first we have to drive over the Mackinac Bridge

 Suddenly I have a hankering for a hot dog

Pull into Hurrican River campground and take one of the 14 open spots

 Tucson says it's time to Chill

We're in time for a sunset.  There is still ice in Lake Superior here.

View from where Hurricane River flows into Superior

There is a trail to Sable Point Lighthouse from the Campground but dogs are allowed on the trail.  Since I am the only one here and it's a chilly morning, we sneak out at 6:30 to walk the trail.

 Some Bunny is up at this hour too

 The sun is peeking out over the horizon

 There it is!

 Of course nothing is open yet, but I get a picture through one of the windows

As you know, no morning is complete without a stairmaster routine

 We head out to find Mosquito and Chapel Falls as I swear I saw a bulletin that said dogs were allowed to the Falls but not the beaches. 

 We get there and the sign says no pets but there are only two other cars in the lot so I take Tucson anyway.

 Didn't run into a single soul on the hike to Chapel Falls so off to Mosquito Falls we go

Tucson takes a well deserved water break

 Next stop is Miners Falls.  Again Tucson is not allowed and this time there are several cars in the lot so he gets left behind.  It's only a 1.2 mile round trip hike.

At the end of the same road is Miner's Castle a rock formation at the edge of Lake Superior.  In season there are boat tours and you can see the Pictured rocks.

There are a TON of waterfalls in the area and not enough time to see them all.  Last but not least are Munising Falls.  Tucson is allowed on the trail which is mostly stairmaster