Michigan

Michigan Road-Trip: First, let me publicly say thank you and kudos to the Herb Thyme Market crew; they made this road trip possible--they were the ones who managed the store in our absence! They did an amazing job with just a small amount of training! Most of our clientele were not even aware we were out-of-town...which is how it should be. I fretted over taking some time away from the store; the business has been in operation seven years(I work 6 days a week--with an occasional two day weekend) Stepping back from the day-to-day operations seemed a little scary at first; the crew assured me that they could make this work! THEY ROCK! Saturday 18 July: We opted to close the store at 2pm (this usually doesn't work...we always seem to have last-minute customers, and I won't say "no".) But, this day--it's as if things on a larger scale were falling into place. The only thing that became a "monkey-wrench" initially...we rented a SUV, with plans of camping our way up and around through Michigan. We needed something large enough to move all our gear...but not so large that it would be an environmental disaster! I moved most of the camping gear to the business on Monday; leaving the last minute clothes stuff, until Saturday. When the SUV arrived here for us to load up...I just about fell over at the size! "This is too small!" I burst out. "There's NO WAY we are going to get EVERYTHING in this vehicle!" was my next comment. I had to step back for a moment--thought of "I knew this was going to smoothly" shot through my head. My friend Pat, took a look at our gear...sized it up with the size of the vehicle and said, "I'm a good packer, let's see how much we can put into the nooks and crannies". And so onward we went--cramming things into cubby holes and crannies. It was like working a giant puzzle! Believe it or not...we got EVERYTHING packed in!!! (Pat, you truly do have "squirrel medicine!") I pulled it around to the front of the business; we closed out our books for the day...Michelle said a prayer for our safe travels...and we were off! Sunday 19 July: Wilderness State Park: This is on the very most northern part of lower Michigan--on Lake Michigan. The campground was very busy--lots and LOTS of children on bicycles! You need to creep around the campsites, due to dashing children oozing out of the trees, from under rocks--out of the sand...they were EVERYWHERE! I had made reservations months earlier--only to find out I have made reservations for Wilderness State Park-Porcupine which is in Upper Michigan clear over on the most western part of the state! So, they assigned us a new site (unfortunately, we lost the money paid for the night at the Porcupine State Park). As we approached the campsite, I was concerned about the lack of space between most of the campsites; I had never camped where everyone was so "up in each others business!" I didn't want to take the site initially, due to the fact there was barely enough room to set up camp! After getting out of the vehicle and walking around a bit, I changed my mind. We were less than 20 yards (literally!) from the beach! We were able to enjoy the most AMAZING sunset, right from our campsite; a hop, skip and a jump from the lake front! I have some awesome pictures!!! It had been so cool for several weeks prior to our trip, that the mosquitoes were not out and about; it was nice not to worry about wearing insect repellent to bed! Monday 20 July: Things to remember about camping: buy ice everyday; rise early to take a shower before all the hot water is gone AND you can't get into one; buy firewood (this is such a rip-off!) Don't travel with it though...emerald ash borer is very prevalent! You would not believe the devastation it has caused in the UP! Heat water before cooking for washing dishes; bring tarps and rain-gear; bring mosquito repellent; bring axe, fire-starter logs & matches; bring "pee-can"--getting up in the middle of the night can be a little more than just disorienting! Jackets--it's about 10+ degrees (minimum) cooler this far north. We had the opportunity to see wild-turkeys (no...not the human partying type!) along side the road on two occasions so far. Mackinac Bridge: If you have never seen this bridge, you are in for a REAL treat! I had managed to do a little reading on the construction of the bridge--pretty amazing! I have a friend that travels to the UP every year and has NOT as of yet, crossed the Mackinac Bridge--they travel to the UP via Wisconsin! (I made sure to bring her something from this area...figure if she won't come to the bridge--I'll bring a replica of the bridge to her!) You move slowly to cross--they were doing construction and what appeared to be bridge painting. As you approach the crest, looking out on Lake Michigan on one side and Lake Huron on the other--you feel as though you are on top of the world! Watching the ships and barges out on the Lakes...they seemed so tiny now. Tried to take pictures as we were crossing--anxious to see how they turned out! Road Signs: We soon discovered the "road-sign" mecca! These consisted of the watch for "deer-crossing" signs--"bear-crossing" signs--"snow-mobile" signs--"moose-crossing" signs--"watch for rock slides"--"watch for ice on bridge" and the "turkey-crossing" signs! By the time you "watch" for everything, it becomes impossible to enjoy the view because you are too busy "watching" for whatever might be crossing or sliding! Marquette MI: I have a guide, listing all of the health food stores that are members of the NPA (National Products Association); I made sure to bring this along, knowing we were going to take the time to visit several places. One such store was Marquette Food Co-Op--this store has kind of a "hippy" feel to it (which was really kind of cool!) This is where we decided to pick-up a few thing for out lunch, which we ate in the small park ajacent to the store. If you are ever in Marquette, be sure to visit the Co-Op! Van Riper State Park: The campers at the parks, are now starting to thin out--which is good...it's quieter and more spacious! This park is located outside of Marquette--closer to Champion in the UP of Michigan. Now that we are getting closer to the middle of the week, the State Parks are becoming quiter (or was this due to people just not traveling this year?) We also had a reservation here; we had a nice site--we noticed the campers were spaced into every-other site...which was nice to not have people "in your business!" After setting up camp for the night, I worked on starting a fire and putting together dinner. We dined on Organic Potatoes, Organic Broccoli florets, Organic baby Patty Pan squash, Organic Carrots and Organic Onion--which were cooked in the coals. The chicken was grilled right over the campfire. There's something about camping and cooking out...I just love it! Must be something "Native" in my blood! We didn't get so lucky about the mosquitoes this time...I got "tagged" twice on the elbow, once I stepped away from the campfire! Took this as the opportunity to hit the sack--realizing how late it really was...and the fact that it was still "light" out! This took a little getting use to--staying "light" later into the evening...throws the body-clock off a little! Tuesday 21 July: Onward to Copper Harbor--the very northern most point in the UP of Michigan! (To be continued!)