Michigan....Day 2

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October 4th 2008

Published: October 5th 2008

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GreatLakesGetaway

Photo 4

It's day two of our vacation and after spending our first day here catching up on some much needed sleep, we were ready to venture out into our surroundings. Our first stop: the mall. LOL. Lar's mom, Peggy, has been spoiling us rotten from the moment our plane touched down. This morning she treated us to new haircuts and surprise goodies from Bath & Bodyworks. (I've decided that every great vacation should include a mom doling out heaps of TLC.)

After a bit o' pampering, we grabbed a map and headed west, our goal being Holland, Michigan, a Dutch community reknowned for its windmills and tulip festival. We found our way into town and meandered through the charming brownstone buildings and downtown storefronts. I'd imagined spending the day in a large-scale version of the "It's a Small World" Disney ride...blonde maidens with braids and wooden shoes, windmills twirling in the the background. LOL. However, an unintended wrong turn changed the course of our afternoon. We found ourselves on a long-winding backroad toward the Michigan coast. Not ten minutes down the road, we were treated to what is easily the most picturesque drive I've ever taken. For miles, we were immersed

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in a canopy of trees, their branches arching over the road, forming a tunnel. October had begun to paint red and gold highlights through the vast walls of green that surrounded us. The afternoon sun filtered through the leaves, and I was left quietly in awe through much of the ride.

We consulted our map again, and agreed on our new destination: Lake Michigan. The beautiful stretch of roadway we followed took us straight into Grand Haven, Michigan. (An interesting side note: this is the town in which the movie "American Pie 2" was filmed.) We passed through our second charming downtown district of the day and before we reached the opposite end of town, I'd seen a dozen or more homes that had me running mortgage figures in my head. Oh wait...I don't live here. *sigh* We drove by the yacht club, the coast guard building, and ended this venture at Grand Haven Harbor, (and a stunning view of Lake Michigan).

As we wandered down the pier towards the lake, we witnessed a wedding party posing for portraits on the beach...bridesmaids holding their shoes as they walked through the sand. A father and mother posed their children

Pier (B&W)

for pictures in the tall seagrass atop one of the dunes. Seagulls criss-crossed the sky, touching down briefly on the boardwalk before taking off to scavenge for food on the beach. Men, young and old...grandfathers and grandsons...lined both sides of the pier with their fishing poles. We watched as a young boy, no older than nine or ten. hauled in a fishing net with the ease of a seasoned mariner. Crisp autumn air, sunshine and surf...I'd write more, but I think I will just let the pictures speak for themselves.

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