The only outing I did on Day 3 of my Michigan road trip was hiking a few miles at Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve. The trails are along the Boardman River. It was only a 20 minute drive from my Airbnb.
It’s always fun to hike somewhere you haven’t been. Afterwards I packed for my departure the following day to Marquette in the Upper Peninsula, aka the UP.
On my 2nd day in Traverse City I drove my bicycle 10 minutes from my lodging to Boardman Lake and cycled the four mile loop around the lake. If you missed Day 1, it’s here.
It’s a relaxing and pretty ride.
Then I cycled into Traverse City and the waterfront to explore a bit.
This is one of the waterfront beaches.
I’d read about a very short hike to see the “hippie” trees so I drove about 10 minutes to check it out. Here’s the beginning of the hike.
Within a few minutes I was there.
I love to see eclectic things. So colorful and unexpected.
Less than three minutes away is The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. It’s a complex of buildings filled with shopping and dining.
I had brunch at the Red Spire Brunch House, located there.
I drove back to my Airbnb and took a nap. To finish my day I went to see a movie …Where the Crawdads Sing. I’d read the book and the movie was very good.
The morning of August 31, 2022, I left home (Northern Kentucky) and drove 7 and 1/2 hours to an Airbnb in Traverse City. I had three days to explore Traverse City and the surrounding areas. I stayed with a couple who have a beautiful view of Michigan Lake from their deck. They were very helpful giving me tips to tweak my itinerary. One of my followers Phil (and I follow his beautiful blog https://philperkins.photography/ ) was very helpful with ideas of where to visit on my Michigan trip.
The following day I left early, drove to Suttons Bay, and took a few photos.
The weather was perfect.
Then I drove to Good Harbor Bay Beach.
My next stop was Glen Arbor, where I had breakfast before driving to Empire Bluff Trail.
The trail is two miles round-trip and there’s a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes.
My next stop was Mission Point Lighthouse.
On the way back to my lodging I stopped at Mari Vineyards for a glass of wine. There are lots of wineries to choose from. I drove a little over three hours total. There wasn’t much traffic and the scenery was beautiful.
I was surprised by how pretty Michigan is and how Caribbean blue the water is.
Sherry Lachelle Travels 