So much to tell! Each day is packed to the brim with activity.
Tonight is our last night in Michigan. We are currently beside the fire at our campsite facing Lake Superior. As my dad said on the phone yesterday, "Michigan is a hidden gem."

We came to the Upper Peninsula late on Saturday, as we got distracted and took some unbelievable, winding scenic drives while heading up there.

We stopped at the end of the Leelanau Peninsula which extends about thirty miles from the Lower Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Michigan. There was a beautiful beach, with rocks artfully stacked on top of each other in the water. We had to participate and each stack a stone of our own. There was also an old, cool lighthouse (there are lots of those here!), where a wedding was finishing up.

Because of our meandering, we went over the Mackinac Bridge to the UP after dark. This bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere with a total length of 26,372 feet. It seemed to go on and on - and we quickly learned that the bridge is closed down to cars every Labor Day for an Annual Bridge Walk - an estimated 30,000 people participated this past Monday! 

We ended up pitching our tent in total darkness and headed to Subway for dinner.

On Sunday, we visited Mackinac Island, in Lake Huron. We took a ferry to get there, not sure what to expect.

We had been hearing about how touristy it is there, so weren't sure if we would like it, but we were pleasantly surprised. Fudge, bed and breakfasts, and souvenirs are definitely popular, but there's a lot more to it.

One of the coolest things about the place is that motorized vehicles (except emergency vehicles, snowmobiles, and service vehicles) have been banned there since 1898. Everyone travels by bike, horse, or foot. Also, 80 percent of the island is preserved as Mackinac Island State Park. I'm quite intrigued by what it's like to be a local there - there are about 450 permanent residents, with thousands coming in to work the summer tourist season.

This is Sugar Loaf, a limestone formation created by erosion by the post-glacial melting waters of Lake Algonquin, which existed during the last ice age. It's amazing to think of the glaciers that existed to create the basins that contain the Great Lakes today. Glacial sands deposited on landings high above the shore led to magnificent dunes like the Sleeping Bear Dunes I posted about the other day. The evidence of the amazing forces of ice, wind, water, and time is strong here - and so beautiful. I don't quite understand it - but stand in awe of it.

It's a lovely place, they've got there.