After a work outing in Saugatuck ended a bit early, I took advantage of the extra time by spending some time wandering through the north end of Saugatuck Dunes State Park, working my way to Lake Michigan and then walking along the water line back to the central path. It was a spectacular day in the mid-80’s, a slight breeze, and warm water. Over the course of 90 minutes walking the trails, I only passed a handful of people (and one dog).
– even in July. After freezing in the water at the other beaches we visited, we decided it was time to try some warmer water. Just south of the scenic drive, there is an inland lake called North Bar Lake that connects to Lake Michigan. It’s an easy drive with parking available, so we headed there in the early morning. This is a shot of North Bar Lake from one of the overlooks on the scenic drive (gives you an idea how it connects to the big lake).
Aly’s [oft, over, constantly] stated goal for this trip was to find Petoskey stones that she could bring home and polish up to perfection. We began that quest at Glen Haven Beach, which is at the end of a kind of ghost town historic village, near the maritime museum. It was a beautiful morning for a swim and to play in the sand, and a great spot. Although we didn’t find any Petoskey stones at this beach, we did find plenty of other rocks that Aly thought were keepers and thus started our giant bag of rocks in the back of the car.
