Vacation Time!!!! Day 4

7-13-14
Day 4

 The alarm seemed to go off just as soon as I got to sleep this morning. In reality I had gotten more sleep last night than the previous night but my butt was dragging a bit due to the non stop fun and all the activities we were doing. I again woke up at five to meet Bill to go fishing. Stepping outside revealed it was not "dark" again this morning. In fact it was even brighter this morning than yesterday. Probably due to the full moon that was just stunning.
 We had left the boat in the barn so it just took a few minutes to tie it down and head to South Bar lake. We were on the water by 5:30 and although it was still technically dark we could see just fine. I am thinking I could get used to life up north in the summers with the days that don't end and views of the moon like this one!

 We had hoped for calmer winds today but we were starting to get the feeling that along the beach the wind is always blowing off Lake Michigan. We stayed close to the west shore this morning to keep from getting pushed by the wind as much as possible. With the cold front passing last night the fishing was a bit slower than the day before but we caught quite a few bluegills but none the size of the ones we were catching yesterday. Darn fickle fish.
 We fished till about 8 when we decided we better head in so as not to be late. We had another busy day planned today with a bike ride to Sleeping Baer Dunes and  Glenn Arbor on the books. We paddled back to the beach to get out and both of us had a severe case of stiff knees as we crawled out of the boat. Had the water been warmer I think Bill would have preferred to just roll out of the boat and crawl to shore! Once we were up on the sidewalk I looked up and saw two love birds sitting on the wall looking out over the lake as the enjoyed their coffee.

 I took a quick pic and sent it to their phones and just waited. It was not too long before I saw Amy look down at her phone and then slowly turn her head around to see me waving back at them. My, how technology has changed our lives today. You drive 8 hours north only to have your pic sent to you from across the parking lot as you enjoy your morning coffee.
 Back at the Cottonwood we carbed up on yummy homemade bread and blueberry muffins to help prepare us for the upcoming bike ride. I was having a bit of discomfort in my chest from where a pulled a muscle while kayaking on Friday. We managed to get stuck on a submerged log and while pushing us off it I pulled a chest muscle. Little did I know how much that was going to come into play today.
 Jerry and Amy had brought their bikes with them so they were getting all ready to head out after breakfast

while we had to drive into town to get our rentals. We all had a good laugh over Jerry's padded biking pants. The razing we gave him was all to disguise our jealousy for not having our own padded riding pants!
 Once we all got saddled up on our rented mounts we headed off up the Heritage Trail towards Sleeping Bear Dunes. We can't say enough good things about the trail. It is really, really nice and we can't wait for them to get it completed all the way to Traverse City. Hopefully it is done when we go back next year. Along the ride Amy snapped a great selfie with us all in it!

 Not to be outdone I had to try my hand at action video while we made our way down the trail

 The more we rode and the steeper the hills got the more the muscle issue in my chest was starting to really bother me. Each time I would take a really deep breath it felt like I was being stabbed in the chest! I was a fess with a brace on my left wrist from cracking my bone to a stabbing pain in my chest. Being a man and not wanting to seem like the weak leak I continued on, taking very quick shallow breaths.
 We arrived at the Sleeping Bear Dunes parking area and were greeted with the sight of one large pile of sand!!!

 A two dimensional pic just can't show how steep and tall the dunes really are. I don't think any of us did any real research on the dune trail as we all thought you just climbed up to the top that we could see from the parking lot and bam, there is lake Michigan. Well..... That is not the case! Had I just looked at the map that hung over the table that Holly served breakfast on every morning back at the Cottonwood I would have clearly seen it is quite a trek to the lake from the parking area. So with blissful ignorance Cindy and I take off up the dunes with Libby and Bill. Jerry and Amy stayed behind and took a few action shots along our climb

 Still clueless about the fact the lake was over a mile away we raced to the top wanting to be the first to see the lake

only to discover that one, you need to be able to take really deep breathes without having stabbing pains while climbing the dunes and two, that the lake is not over the first dune but is in fact another hour hike further west!!!
 We climbed a bluff a little ways down the trail that let us see Lake Michigan and Manitou island to the northwest and it gave us a great view of Lil Glenn and Glenn Lakes to the southeast.

 Bill and the girls with Lil Glenn Lake in the distance. Look how small the people coming up the trail look in the lower right corner of the pic. What story would be complete with a pic of me with my beautiful lil lady?

 Let's just say the walk back down was much easier than the hike up!!!

 The sand was really soft and you would sink half way up to your knees in most places. No wonder it is constantly shifting from the winds blowing across it. We made it back to Jerry and Amy and the bikes without me stroking out on everyone from taking such short breaths. The whole time I was just hoping I did not hyperventilate from my screwed up breathing pattern.
 While they waited on us Jerry and Amy ran into a friend theirs who has a house on Lil Glenn lake and was out for a bike ride. They also talked with a park ranger who told them about the life saving station museum to our north. So off we went in search of the museum on our way to Glenn Arbor.  
   The museum is actually at a little "town" called Glenn Haven. The town originally sat on the northwest part of Sleeping Bear Dune's beach but it was being buried with sand so they moved it to the southwest part of Sleeping Bear Bay. The life saving station was used to rescue boats that got into trouble out in the bay or the straights between SBD and Manitou island. According to the info there were a lot of ship wrecks there in the early days. They had a large row boat inside a boat house that sat on a special railroad type track that lead to the bay. When they needed to go help out a boat that was in distress they would open the doors to the boat house and roll the large row boat to the water where they would launch it. They also had a "cannon" type launcher that would launch a projectile with a 1200' rope tied to it out to boats in need. If they got lucky and got the rope close to the boat they could grab the rope, tie it off to the boat and get pulled in. While there we ventured down to the beach area. What a beautiful beach and if you did not know better, or get in the water, you would have thought you were at Cape Hatterus! Cindy and I had to at least get out feet wet, no matter how darn cold the water was!!!

 Guees which feet are mine!

 

 

The water in Sleeping Bear Bay was clear and blue and view across it was beautiful. Just a lil on the chilly side, like maybe mid 50's if you took the temp in a very shallow place!!! But there were people out swimming in it so either they liked cold water or they were training for the local Polar Bear plunge in July!!!

 We got back on the road and pedaled on into Glenn Arbor for lunch. After our trip up to Empire last year a friend of Cindy's who comes up to this area a lot told her we stopped 10 miles too soon and that we should have gone up to Glenn Arbor. Well, he was right. We found ourselves there everyday of our trip! Such a neat little town. Today we decided to eat lunch at the Boondocks restaurant on the corner of M22. We got lucky and they had a one table left outside on the deck! We all got a cold beverage with our lunch and enjoyed the wonderful weather.

 

 After lunch we strolled around the town and found the sister store to the shirt shop we had been at in Traverse City the day before. Again they had really cool shirts for very reasonable prices. Of course we had to buy some more and I got a sweatshirt for my daughter while Cindy got a shirt for her daughter and grandson. Like Sleeping Bear Dunes the town is a bit deceiving in size. It has a four way stop instead of a stop light and just driving through it on the main streets it seems quite small but once you start walking around you find it has several side streets with many shops little shops lining them. By the time 3 in the afternoon rolled around Bill and I were starting to feel the effects of getting up at 5 am every morning to fish

 

It just took a few minutes in a comfy chair for Bill to doze off LOL! We got him back on his feet and headed off to do some wine tasting on the edge of town. The wine there was a bit more on the dry side and being on bikes gave us a good excuse not to buy any. Before long it was time to head back to Empire as we wanted to make sure we got back in time to make it to the bluffs for the sunset tonight. We were hopeful that with the sunny skies we have had all day we would be treated to a beautiful sunset tonight.

  The ride back was defiantly more up hill than the ride to Glenn Arbor. There were a few places that were pretty steep and I was really struggling. I was fine as long as I did not have to completely fill my lungs. Once I got to where I needed to take a deep breathe I was really in pain. Such a fess! I wound up bringing up the rear of the pack on the steep hills but would take the lead again once I got my blood oxygen level back in the safe range and the fear of passing out had passed LOL!

  We made it back to Empire after a fun ride and returned our rentals. Back at the Cottonwood we had time for quick showers before it was time to, yep, you guessed it, eat again!!! I swear we consumed a lot of calories on this trip! We decided to give Joe's Friendly tavern in Empire a try tonight. Luckily we beat the rush and they sat us as soon as we walked in. Being a Sunday night I am not sure how big the rush might have been but we beat it anyway. We laughed so much over dinner I thought I was going to die with the stabbing pain in my chest! Who knew having such a good time could be this painful???

 After a yummy snack it was time to head back to the bluffs for the sunset we had been waiting the whole trip for. This time the hike to the bluffs was at a much more leisurely pace and we were not all winded when the lake came into view. There were several other people already there when we got there but they soon trickled out and we pretty much had our area to ourselves as posed for one last group shot

 

 Poor Jerry, we gave him such a hard time while he was trying to take our pic using his camera on a small table top tripod that he sat on the bench in front of us. He was pressing the button then running back through the sand to take his position next to Amy. The first attempt he clipped the bench and knocked the camera over. The second try was a failure as we had no idea when the camera was going to take the pic. The third try Amy was taking her glasses off. Well, you get the idea. Finally a young couple came walking up and she offered to take the pic for us. Good thing as Jerry was starting to look winded LOL!

 While we all waited for the Kodak moment I snapped one of Jerry and Amy

and of Bill and Libby waiting on the sunset

 and one of Cindy taking a selfie of herself

Before long it was time for the moment we had been waiting on since watching the sunset from this same spot a year before.

 

 All too quickly the sun slipped down below the horizon and was gone for another day. It is just such a beautiful place to watch the sun set. As Cindy and I watched the sun go to bed we talked about how cool it would be to be sailing out there and watching it from the helm of our boat. Maybe someday.

 Heading back to the cars we had hopes of sitting by a fire on the beach again but it seems Sunday night must be the night all the locals go hang out at the beach as all the fire rings were taken. We tried hovering around one in hopes they might get the hint but to no avail. We were all wore out and tomorrow was going to be a long day with the drive home so we gave up and headed back to the Cottonwood for some much needed sleep. On the drive from the beach we caught sight of the moon rising up over the hills to the east. It looked huge as it was still really low in the sky and we could scale it visually in respect to trees. I know Cindy, like me, was dreading the fact that this was our last night here. It is just such a wonderful area that makes you feel like you are stepping back in time to a simpler era. With no McDonalds and no WalMart it almost makes you wonder how we ever survived without places like that now that we have had them. But once you get away from them you learn to slow down, relax, and do a little better job of planning ahead.

 Sleep came easy once we climbed into bed. There is just something nice about being wore out when you go to bed. It makes for a short transition between being awake and being asleep. I was asleep in 3 short steps. All it took was spooning with my lady as I pulled her close, I gave Cindy one last kiss good night before I closed my eyes, and then it was lights out!