I’m a planner… so of course I have already started planning every detail of my July vacation. We will be staying with Matt’s mom and are planning to drive up there so that we can have a car to get around. The drive will take about 12 hours and I’m thinking that we will drive overnight so that Emma can sleep in the car. Of course the only problem is that when we get there in the morning Emma will be full of energy while Matt and I will be dead tired!
Leading up to the vaction I've decided to blog weekely about an activitythat we are are planning on doing while in Michigan.
My first feature is the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
I wanted to do this the last time Matt and I were up in Michigan but we ran out of time. The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore “offers magnificent views over sweeping vistas of Lake Michigan from atop high dunes” The park also has a Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive through the dunes and woods that I would love to do. The drive is only a little over 7 miles but it looks like there are 12 scenic pullovers and two picnic areas. Emma LOVES picnics and I think that the views at the dunes will make for a memorable lunch.
I also want Emma to do the Junior Ranger Program. I will proudly admit that I was a junior ranger at MANY National Parks and that I still have my national park passport with stamps from each park that I visited as a kid. Because of my fond memories at the parks I think that Emma will love earning her ranger patches and I think that it is a great way for her to learn about her surroundings.
The Manitou Islands are also near the dunes and are accessible only by ferry. . South Manitou Island offers a daylong excursion into the lives of the early settlers of the region, with farmsteads, an old schoolhouse and the island cemetery. North Manitou Island is a wilderness experience, offering 15,000 acres of camping, hiking, backpacking and solitude, with the exception of a 27-acre managed village site.It would be so much fun to camp out on the Manitou Island! Maybe a bit too much work for this vacation.
Next Thursday look out for some info on the National Cherry Festival.
Oh, Julie....You won't be disappointed. I tried to learn to fly fish there. Had my first experience in a canoe and loved the hikes in the woods. I was a guest of friends who had a summer place there so there was no need for tents, but that was okay too. It was a wonderful and delightful place. Check out Manistee if you get a chance too. Wonderful areas of beaches along there too. Hope you have a wonderful vacation.
ReplyDelete