Southern Michigan - Hoffmaster, Point Betsie and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Our first couple of nights in the state of Michigan found us at P. J. Hoffmaster State Park. It’s a very pretty park, but comparing to Texas, well, there’s a world of difference. Your site boundaries are painted on the pavement.  Basically you can park wherever within that site and not worry about staying on the pavement – because there isn’t any!  Oh well!  It’s very pretty. Tall, tall trees. A short walk to the dunes of Lake Michigan.

A little sea fog when we first got here. Waiting on a cool front!

The fog is beautiful on the dunes.

See the tick marks on the road marking your campsite?

No grass here and they let you park pretty much wherever.

Lakeshore walking

Ron pondering the beauty here.

Just awesomely beautiful!

We went and visited the White River Light Station Museum in Whitehall.  After the Civil War, Michigan’s lumbering industry was in full swing.  This area served as a major area for shipping lumber.  The lumber demands prompted approval for a channel and lighthouse at the meeting of White Lake and Lake Michigan.  The channel was dug in 1870, lighthouse completed in 1875. 

Remember the song Gordon Lightfoot sang about the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald?

There's the channel that was built. Pretty windy so we weren't able to walk the entire way.

White River Light Station

Our next destination was Betsie River Campsites, near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  We kept wondering – what are all these people fishing for and lined up combat style in the Betsie River?  Well, the king salmon were running!  Oh how fun to watch them jump and swim over the dam!  These are big, beautiful salmon.  Last year when we were in Alaska, the salmon we found for the most part had already spawned and were at the end of their life cycle.  These aren’t anywhere close to that part of their life!

They were big and dark salmon.

So amazing to watch them jump over the dam!

Shoreline snagging for the salmon.

Catching them one after the other.

They just kept jumping!

We also made a quick stop at Point Betsie Lighthouse.  The wind is blowing like a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico here!

Oil House

Crashing waves!

One of the places we wanted to check out was Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  It’s a cloudy, windy and cool day – in the 50’s – just right to go check it out.  It’s not too far from our campsite here at Betsie River Campsites.  There are many blue lakes, lots of big sand dunes and lush, deep forests that are just starting to show us their fall colors.

I want to share with you the legend of Sleeping Bear.  Once, long ago, across the great lake in Wisconsin, there was terrible hunger and many people and animals died.  A bear and her two little cubs, desperate for food, left that place to swim the long distance to the other side of the lake.  After a while the cubs became very tired, and so the bear said: “Try hard, the land is not very far.” But gradually the cubs weakened. Exhausted, one cub sank into the water when they were within sight of land and soon after the other also drowned.  The bear’s heart was broken, but she could do nothing.  She waded ashore and climbed the bluff to lie down looking out on the water where her cubs had died.  However both of them surfaced as two little islands. And so the bear still lies there now – looking after her children.

 

The first covered bridge I have seen with a National Park insignia on it.

Glen Lake

Alligator hill

Beautiful dunes

Manitou Island in the distance

Bar Lake

Rumored that Jackie Gleason bought this barn many years ago to preserve it.

We visited Glen Haven that played a roll in Northern Michigan’s economic eras – lumbering, agriculture and tourism.  This was a stop for ships to take on fuel wood. It also provided lodging, food and services to travelers along Lake Michigan. David Henry Day helped introduce fruit orchards, sustainable forestry and brought tourism to the area.

Blacksmith Shop

Giving a demonstration in the Blacksmith Shop

The hotel and restaurant

We also drove to Port Oneida, but they were closed. It was settled by German and Prussian immigrants. 

The US Life-Saving Service museum is awesome!  In 1871 Congress created the US Life-Saving Service. Stations were built on North and South Manitou islands and Sleeping Bear Point. From 1871 to 1915 courageous surfmen and keepers rescued over 178,000 people from shipwrecks.  In 1915 the USLSS merged with the US Revenue Cutter Service, from the US Coast Guard.

This housed the light keeper family and the crew of about 8 of the life savers.

Love the flag pole!

They would shoot this rope out to the stranded boat. Over it might I add.

Check out the cork life preservers.

The beach cart that they would haul out to the site of the emergency.

OK - This life preserver was a one size fits all and carried the stranded folks back to safety. Imagine being a lady with lots of petticoats on and trying to fit in this. LOL!

The dorm. A cot and a closet for each.

Replica of a wheel house.

That’s enough for now.  Next up is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and hopefully some beautiful fall foliage.