Roadtripping: Exploring Michigan

A.D. and I have a weird little habit:  We collect the state magnets for each state we travel and keep them on the refrigerator.  It functions as a bit of fun as well as a reminder of where we need to travel and reminds us of the good times we have on the road when the doldrums of the daily grind might feel constrictive.  Sometimes, I forget or can’t find them on the road and order through eBay, which is how I ended up with a Michigan magnet, even though we hadn’t yet traveled there.

It has sat in a lonely corner of the fridge for a couple of years now and has been a constant reminder that we needed to go to Michigan to allow it to come into the travel fold.  In our trip planning for what I seem to want to call the Chicago-Milwaukee Loop, we were just going to miss Michigan, again.

And then A.D. decided that since we didn’t have a long way to travel between Chesterton, IN and Rosemont, IL, we could take a little tour up the eastern coast of Lake Michigan.

Elated, I jumped at the change to take this adventure and geared up.

New Buffalo, Michigan

We started with no real destination or purpose in mind, just knowing that we wanted to meander up the coast via the smaller thoroughfares and see what happened.  We determined that we needed breakfast first, so we stopped in a little town of New Buffalo, MI and ate at Rosie’s.  It was a lovely little town and we walked around while waiting for a table.  It’s often a good sign when people are lined up, waiting to get into a place, especially when other options in town.

Silver Beach and St. Joseph, Michigan

After filling up, we moved on up the Red Arrow Highway to Silver Beach County Park in St. Joseph, MI.  This was a lovely little lake town with a fantastic beach with family fun at Silver Beach, the Margaret Upton Arboretum, and a pier with lighthouse.  The stroll around the arboretum and down to the pier is relaxing and free.  It’s a great stop.

Grand Haven, Michigan

Back in the car, we continued up the coast and ended up in Grand Haven, MI and ate some dinner at the Old Boys Brewhouse, just over the bridge in Spring Lake, MI.  The brewhouse was nice, with indoor and outdoor seating and entertainment and a very tasty braised corned beef Reuben for dinner.

It’s really a good day when you can enjoy a roadtrip with good food, lots of art and good conversation to explore parts unknown for the cost of a couple of meals and gas.

Get out there and explore!