M and K at the docks in Betsie Bay.
A Week of Fun Up North
We drove several hours north and west to Frankfort for our family vacation on the shores of Lake Michigan. Laurie drove up separately and met us to make it a Band of Five. We stayed for a week this time – our previous record was 5 nights. Our room was upgraded from our prior place, too: two bedrooms, two baths, and a front-row view of the beach, pier, and lighthouse.
We made the beach our priority, as usual, but used the extended time to our advantage to try some new things, and revisit some classics from past years.
I do not know what's going on in this picture. Perhaps they had too much ice cream?
On Sunday, we spent a lot of time reacquainting ourselves with the beach right outside the pier. Same for Monday – we are single-handedly keeping the sunscreen people in business.
Tuesday, we went to the Sleeping Bear Dunes Climb with our friends we’ve met up with in Frankfort for many years. It was pretty windy but we all made it (eventually) to the top. Or rather, one of the various tops to which you can choose to climb – there is more than one. We all got to the first top, the one you think is the top when you’re standing on the ground, and can’t see the others.
M and K at the dunes.
After the dunes, we all went to the beach. M wanted to jump off the pier into the water. The pier is about 10 feet tall, and the water next to the pier is about 8 feet deep. I told everyone that I was going to jump too, so that I wouldn’t be able to chicken out. M casually jumped in, and eventually we jumped together. I jumped a few more times so I could say I did it.
M (left) and I jump off the pier in a "face my fears" moment.
On Wednesday, to celebrate K’s 11th birthday, the five of us kayaked the Upper Platte River. I shared a kayak with Laurie, and J and K shared a second. M had his own, and led the group. He was showing off, going under tree branches and demonstrating the ease at which he could easily lose us if he wanted to. He pointed out the shallow areas so we could avoid them. Sometimes we steered well enough to avoid them, sometimes not.
And no Wednesday would be complete without (you guessed it) going to the beach.
We decided Wednesday evening that Thursday would be the day that M and I would try some stand-up paddleboards. Basically, they’re surfboards with paddles. M was able to stand up on his and paddle around for a while, and I was able to stand up for almost a second before falling in the water. This is clearly a sport for the young. K and Laurie tried their hands at it, and M showed them the ropes. (Note: The water was really, really cold that day. Even the locals agreed that it was much colder than normal. After we were back inside and warmed up, I found the lake temperatures on the web: 48-50 degrees. Brrr!)
M and I paddleboard. He's standing, of course, as I keep my center of gravity as low as possible.
M, just standing around on a stand-up paddleboard. Note the tether from the board to M's ankle - this prevents the paddleboarder from being separated from the board if he falls off. The paddles float, or mine might be at the bottom of the lake with the sunglasses I lost when I fell in the second time.
M and K paddleboard.
Three of the day's four paddleboarders pose with one of the boards. It is 10' 4" long. Not pictured: The fourth paddler, Laurie.
Fortunately, falling off the paddleboards, which I did twice, was not too bad for some reason. I guess I was less worried about the water temperature than I was about whether I would be able to climb back onto the board.
Friday, we watched a storm work its way over the lake from Wisconsin. The waves and wind got stronger as the day went on. So we crossed “go to beach” off our to-do list, climbed in the car, and went for a drive to some local shops. We visited the summer place of a sculptor, Gary Kulak, drove slowly through the driveway of the Crystal Lake Alpaca Farm (we didn’t get out because it started to rain), and spent some time in a shop that prints and sells Gwen Frostic graphics. The shop uses old printing machines, and the store smells faintly of ink, which was a good smell.
The printing press room at the Gwen Frostic store. The shelves in the back hold hundreds of the plates that are used for printing.
Our new favorite place to eat in Frankfort is the Stormcloud Brewing Company. They had fantastic little pizzas that we kept ordering, along with pretzel sticks with cheese, bagels and cheese, and lots of other goodies.
At Stormcloud Brewing, after stuffing our faces with pizza.
The Photographic Stylings of M
To wrap up this post, here are some pictures from M's new camera that capture the week very well.
The lighthouse at the end of the pier.
Storm clouds rolling in.
This sign, at the park where our kayak excursion ended, informs the reader that this is not the national park (which is adjacent), and that Lake Township's sign budget is low.
Each night brought a different configuration of clouds, resulting in a different, colorful sunset each night.
My favorite sunset picture of the many we brought home with us.
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