Run.the.Mitten

“Traveling—it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta Every year as the cold settles in over Michigan the lakeshore towns magically hibernate for the winter. But even in this sleepy winter state, these towns have enough variety for a fun winter day trip. An early March warm snap brought out spring fever and we headed out on an adventure. Heading out for an afternoon of fun, we visited the site of Father Marquette’s death along the south side of the channel. And we took a short walk out to the lake, because one can’t go to a shore town without getting a view of Lake Michigan. We caught a glimpse of the Ludington Light lighthouse—it’s not a self-respecting lakeshore town without one. Next stop was Starving Artist Brewing that we’d heard of ad nauseam. It’s almost like you have to be in the know to find this brewery. Follow google maps and look for the barrels out by the road. This was the most unique brewery experience I’ve ha

The saying goes ‘The journey, Not the destination matters...’ On our way up north, Petoskey was part of the journey. And the journey was awesome. This was the first time I’d been to Petoskey. But I’ll definitely have to go back. We wound our way through the countryside on our way up and stopped in at Walloon Lake Winery . There really is a Walloon Lake—it looks something like an Old English U. The winery itself is a 60-year-old, small family owed winery. Their North Arm Noir won Best Dry Red Wine at the Michigan Wine Competition, which is one of reasons why we went here. The tasting room is in a lovely barn-style building with fresh sunflowers on the table. We had great time sampling the wines with a pretty informative wine steward. The small tasting room allowed us to chat with the other wine enthusiasts. I love meeting fellow travelers. In the end, we picked up a bottle of red, a white and the Cherry Lane fruit wine, which I recommend if you like tart cherry wine.

What’s the first thought that comes to mind about St. Ignace? Mackinaw’s poorer sister? The other side of the bridge? The place where Mackinaw employees live? In reality it’s more like a slower paced, less tourist-congested Mackinaw City. St. Ignace still has restaurants, tourist shops and perhaps most importantly ferries to Mackinac Island. All with less traffic and less people. We stayed at the Straits State Park Campground . There are campsites right along the straits, some with a bridge view. The park also boasts trails and lookouts for picturesque photo ops. My stepfather woke up early to take the dog for a morning walk along one of the trails. Not a bad view to wake up to. After a campground picnic—who doesn’t love eggs and bacon—we drove up to Castle Rock . First, we meandered around the shop of knickknacks and t-shirts, before paying ($1/person) to climb up Castle Rock. (Side Note: If you’re going to Mackinac Island pick up a Mackinac Money bag , th

If you want to walk across Mackinac Bridge, every year on Labor Day is the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk . According to the stats anywhere between 10,000 and 80,000 people walk the bridge each year. So, the key to a successful and stress-free Labor Day in Mackinaw City is planning. Staying the night at Straits State Park Campground in St. Ignace, we woke up at quarter to five with a loud crack of thunder. It was raining. But participating in the Mackinac Bridge Walk is on my mother’s bucket list, so we braved the foreboding weather and got packed up. My stepfather dropped us off at Marquette State Park and drove over the bridge to Mackinaw City before the bridge closed at 6:30. After the runners (400 participants chosen by lottery), the Governor’s speech and the national anthem—not necessarily in that order—we were off on our five-mile walk across the bridge. I admit I was skeptical, but the walk was completely worth it. We walked quickly—no running allowed—and finished in abo

My rules for a Day Trip are simple: Must be able to travel to/from and have fun at the destination within one day. (This is a given.) One should have a plan, but one must be flexible. If it peaks your interest, don’t just drive by   Photography Credit: Kalon Arts and Yoga Company via Facebook Our Saturday Day Trip to Silver Lake took place in two parts. In the morning, my mother and I headed up to Little Sable Lighthouse for morning yoga on the beach. I was very excited for this as beach yoga has been on my bucket list forever. It was a little chilly, but the practice was at the very reasonable time of 9 a.m. and the sun was out. We posed next to the shadow of the lighthouse while the wave lapped on the shore and monarchs flew overhead. We even saw a bald eagle flying over the lake. I recommend the practice; it was a very all level inclusive class sponsored by Kalon Arts and Yoga Company. (Check out their Facebook after practice for photos.)   Whi