Southwestern Michigan

Weather wise it wasn't a bad day after all. The morning drizzle had cleared up by 10am and it began to warm up. I decided to get in the van and head north into Michigan for a day trip along the Southwestern Shore. I hadn't been there for several years and have considered the shore cleaner and more pristine than Indiana's. I got on US highway 12 and drove all the way to Holland and back, staying as close to the shore as I could.

US Highway 12 here is part of the Great Lakes Circle Tour. Red Arrow Highway and Blue Star highway alternately are part of this official tour, taking drivers along pretty hillside views. Michigan here is hillier than Indiana. The shoreline is also more developed and focused on upscale renters or owners.

One thing I did take note of where the many cyclists. Young and old slender and fat, they were on the bike paths pedaling. The streets were clean and there was very little litter anywhere. Why can't Indiana take heed of Michigan?!

I was on, I later discovered, Michigan's advertised "Sunset Coast:" those lake shore towns along Michigan's western shores, from New Buffalo at the state line up to Machinaw.

I didn't plan this trip. I figured I'd walk along St Joseph where I took Kevin and later Erin to a few summers ago. We all enjoyed the clean beaches and the pleasant town. We ate at the Three Stooges restaurant off the main highway, where Kevin ordered the one-pound "Mo Burger with Curly fries" an order so big even he couldn't eat it all. But this time I skipped all the diners and held out my appetite for when I was back in CP.

Instead of stopping in St Joe's however, my van lurched forward and kept driving, past Benton Harbor, stopping in South Haven for an hour where Sadie and I walked down to the lighthouse and back (Michigan has over 100 working lighthouses, more than any other state) and strolled the main street shops.

After South Haven, with its quaint charm (I liked it better than New Buffalo which was too ritzy for me) I drove even further along the shore, making Saugatuck my final destination. The high dunes there from a travel brochure lured to me check it out.

There were a few other nice, upscale towns along the Red Arrow or Blue Star highway: Douglas, Saugatuck, twin towns along the Kalamazoo Harbor were both art colonies surrounded by impressive yachts and Victorian homes.

President Ford, himself a Michiganer, had a family vacation home north of Holland, MI that is still in the family. But when I got to that part of town I was turned off by the many NO DOGS ON BEACH signs. Most parks with views of the lake required $5 entry, another turn-off. This part of the coast was definitely not for the poor or disadvantaged. And most everyone was White.

I explored the Saugatuck Dunes State Park for two hours, walking with Sadie along wide, dark paths. The thick canopy did not allow much sunlight in as we trekked to the shoreline. But once again the dubious signs: NO DOGS BEYOND THIS POINT and we weren't even close to the shore yet. After a quick "illegal" pose with the shore in the background, we beat feet back to the van. Another trail further south offered us similar views of the lake with the same off-limits for Sadie. When I reached the limits of where she could be, though, I was astounded that as far as "beach" goes, there was very little of it. The dune grass reached almost to the waterline.

The trees here looked older and taller than those in the Indiana Dunes. The prevailing winds come off from the north, so perhaps the trees here

don't get the strong winds or currents that bend them southward. I liked the Saugatunks.

I drove back south via the same route, passing the same towns as I did driving north. But now the shops were closed and the roadside restaurants bustling with customers. The fruit stands were shuttered, the blueberry orchards deserted. Bars and diners, however, were busy.

A quick but intense storm at 4:30pm rolled over the lake as I reached Pier Cove. I stopped here to admire the ominous green-grey hues of the clouds and the dark green of the lake. People were gathered here. I didn't stay long when I saw what looked like the beginings of a water spout. I got back to the van just before the deluge, whereas the others were already wet from their delay.

The wind blew hard and I feared getting toppled by a felled tree. But ten or so minutes later the storm subsided and a few more minutes the rain had stopped. An hour later the sun was out again glistening its sinking rays over the water, and I barely managed to see the sun set as I made it, with seconds to spare, back to New Buffalo.

It was dark as I reached Indiana again. Gasoline was back down to normal prices, some even selling for as "cheaply" as $2.68, right next to fireworks barns that I've seen all over the state lines. What is it with Indiana and cheap fireworks?