Ramblings From The Road: Lower Michigan

One of the problems (or benefits, as some may see it) of traveling in secluded places is the rarity of a decent Internet connection. Janet and I have been staying in some pretty remote areas of the lower half of Michigan over the last couple of weeks and have been enjoying a technology-free time at the cost of communication. We have to wait until we get on a highway or arrive in a town in order to even get a couple bars on the cell phone.

While in lower Michigan we stayed in the Manistee National Forest which is near the western middle of the state and Wilderness State Park in the upper region. Because of the shape of the state, when folks from Michigan point out a place, they will hold up their hand with thumb extended and point to the palm in the general area they are speaking. So, for those of you who know what I am talking about, we have been mostly in the area just below the pinkie finger and more recently at the tip of the middle finger (which brings on a whole other discussion :) ).

Our favorite things so far have been, hiking in Ludington State Park, biking in Petoskey and taking the ferry to Mackinac Island where we biked around the island.   Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the island, so the only modes transportation are walking, bikes and horse drawn carriages. It makes for a very pleasurable biking experience, you just need to watch out for the road apples. One of the things that surprised us was the color of the waters in Lake Michigan. The greens, aquas and blues have a slight Caribbean feel to them. At one point while on the beach on Mackinac Island, you could almost imagine sitting on the beach in the Virgin Islands. Here are a few pics of the sights of Michigan (so far).