Sleeping Bear Dunes

The padres finally allowed my friend Sarah and I to make the 3 hour trek up to Empire, MI- and I'm so glad they did. Last summer, Good Morning America named it the most beautiful place in America and It was also featured on the smithsonian channel's "Aerial America: Michigan." I can see exactly why now.

First, we followed the road all the way north to hit Glen Haven beach. When we got there, there were only a few people, the water was crystal clear, and polished rocks lined the beach.

We left our shoes at the end of the boardwalk and made our way down the beach. Along the way, we came across a Coast Guard museum that had a lot of interesting information and artifacts from sunken ships.

 

After, we grabbed a bite to eat in town at a family owned restaurant and then headed up to our favorite part of the trip- Empire bluff. I think we could have spent all night up there; I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

And finally, we made our way down to a hidden beach in empire that had the most beautiful lighthouse , bonfire pits, and (again) crystal clear 70 degree water. 

 I've been to 7 different countries and this little gem three hours away still makes my top 10 most beautiful places I've ever been to in my life. We didn't get to hike the actual sleeping bear dune since they warned us it's a 3-4 hour round trip walk, but it would have been nice to see had we had the time. 

Its amazing to see nature in its rawest untouched form. The streets of Paris are beautiful, Chicago is breathtaking, and the castles in Prague and Austria are works of art, but nothing beats seeing something that has remained unchanged for thousands of years. God and time are still my favorite architects. 

Grand Haven

Over the years, I've walked this pier more times than I've gotten A's on math tests and each time still holds a unique memory. Sometimes theres guitarists playing at the end, sometimes there are couples hand in hand along the edge, sometimes the waves are so high they act as though they're dragging the lighthouse back in with it. In any setting, the pier, the beach, and the whole town have been good friends to me in my seventeen and a half years.

Silver Lake

We climbed the dunes, took a dune ride, and went to the top of Little Sable Point lighthouse. Our guide said he had never seen Lake Michigan this calm in his 40 years, but it seems to have made for a great picture :) This is my first lighthouse I've gone inside and for the first time, I was a little reluctant to step closer to the edge in some of these pictures. I've never been afraid of heights before, but theres a first for everything! I've been to Silver Lake State Park twice before and it still holds the spot as my favorite place in Michigan. That could change if I make it to Sleeping Bear Dunes this summer though. :)

Saugatuck

We happened to stumble across this beautiful private beach when the waves were over 3 feet high. I could have stayed in the water for hours on end, but my friends eventually somehow dragged me out. I had not been to Saugatuck since I was little, but its a very cute unique little town :) You definitely need awhile to hit all the shops, but they were all worth it since no two were even remotely similar.