Unsalted – Lake Michigan

We returned to the cool clear waters of Lake Michigan for some beach time.

Last year I went solo and explored half a dozen beach towns in Western Michigan. This year I returned with the hubby to my favorite – South Haven, MI.

The plan was to explore South Haven on bicycle – easy enough as this area caters to cyclists. There’s bike lanes on the roads, bike racks galore to tie up to, and a 4-mile trail from Van Buren State Park (where we camped) to the downtown area.

The primary mission was to visit as many beaches as we could reach on two wheels.

We explored South Haven’s downtown as well. Cute and picturesque, it was something I overlooked last year. First stop – a bike store for a quick handlebar adjustment.

Then on to the shopping district. Bought some tee shirts, did a wine tasting and loaded the saddlebags with local vintage, and lunched at the excellent Black River Tavern.

Black River harbors a string of marinas filled with pleasure boats. Fun to watch them exit the channel into Lake Michigan. Some are hot dog show-offs with roaring engines, others putt-putt cautiously into the open water. A drawbridge opened to let a couple of sailboats through as I took this photo – almost got stranded on the wrong side!

We found plenty of public beaches to explore. Many were dog-friendly, so Coco got to splash around in the unsalted water. One afternoon I lolled a long time on the state park beach – brought back memories of the Jersey Shore. Ah, the smell of sunscreen, the squeal of gulls … and no jellyfish!

The best find on our bicycle tour was De Grandchamp Blueberry Farm. It was u-pick-it season, and we grabbed handfuls of warm, sweet fruit right off the bush. The farm had a store full of goodies and a swell ice cream stand. First prize goes to their Blueberry Milkshake. I went back twice!

Of course, you can’t visit any of these Lake Michigan towns without an obligatory walk to the lighthouse. It’s the trademark of each little city.

One more beach left to visit at Deerlick Creek and then our week at Lake Michigan was over.

We traveled home the slow way, through Indiana’s cornfields, as every major road we needed to take was closed for construction that weekend.

A fine trip! Already thinking about returning…