A Fall Weekend in Michigan
This past weekend was marvelous weather for the beginning of January. We had temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s, and mostly sunny skies on Saturday. We did our usual sleep in, had some coffee, and enjoyed a leisurely morning. It was so nice, we wanted to go out and see the Fall colors before the colors went away.
We headed north on Red Arrow Highway looking for something photogenic. There are many small public places along the way that have beach access. The highway hugs the Lake Michigan coastline. We first stopped at a little park with trees and dunes, and a long march to the beach. Katelyn had a chance to climb some trees and run around a bit, and Heather and I were able to get some good pictures of the beach. It was nice to see Katelyn enjoy herself. Heather really seemed relaxed too.
We also did some random driving around the countryside, and came across a patch of large seedpods. I wish I knew what the plant’s name is.
The big highlight for Katelyn was visiting Jollay Orchard outside of Coloma. This is their time of the year to have a mini-festival for the kids. Face painting, hay rides, petting zoo, an inflatable caterpillar the kids can climb through, a hay pile, and the like. Good family fun on a small scale.
We got out of church on Sunday, and decided to get out again! This time we went south on Red Arrow Highway. However, beyond the places we had visited a couple of weeks ago, we just did not see any place where we could stop off and explore. The area on the highway is a lot more developed than it is north of St. Joseph.
However, once we reached Michigan City, Heather had the idea to visit the lighthouse and pier. The lighthouse is essentially the same as the one here in St. Joseph, but the pier is longer. The temperature was really nice, but very windy. That might have been why the place was mostly deserted, and we had it mostly to ourselves. Katelyn was totally fearless when walking, and I was on paranoia hyperdrive, worried that a wind gust would blow her right in the drink. She loved being out there because she could explore and do something different.
buck on 11.06.08 @ 09:30 PM EST [link] [No Comments]