As we spend our last day in Michigan it is yet again raining. Paddle Boy almost inflated JoJo last night because there was no rain in the forecast and we are at a campsite with close access to tranquil Lake Fannie Hooe. But he agreed to limit his morning slumber, to pump up JoJo soContinue reading “Copper Harbor Michigan”
Author Archives: Lisa Stenger-Smith
Pictured Rocks Seashore
Pictured Rocks gets its name from the streaks of mineral stain that color the cliffs. Groundwater seeps out of the cracks and runs down the rock face giving it that gorgeous colorful pattern. Iron (red and orange), copper (blue and green), manganese (brown and black), and limonite (white) are among the most common color-producing minerals.Continue reading “Pictured Rocks Seashore”
Mackinac Island and City, Michigan
Mackinac Island/City, MI Mackinac Island is a picturesque Victorian community dedicated to the tourists who are on a severe car-diet because none are allowed on the island. Biking or walking is the major get around mode and paved trails run throughout allowing one to go to all kinds of historic military buildings, gorgeous Victorian homesContinue reading “Mackinac Island and City, Michigan”
Traverse City MI
Cherry Festing is an annual event – big here in Traverse City and we were lucky to have the TART Bike Trail Entrance right from our campground for access to the city in 25 minutes. Evidently Traverse City has a top bike trail system in the state, and we found that to be the case,Continue reading “Traverse City MI”
DH Day Sleeping Bear Dunes NP
The highlight is the Sleeping Bear Dunes Heritage Bike trail that runs for 20 miles from Empire to Northward to the Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore. Right from the campground, you can hop on your bike and ride two miles to have a smaller dune climb experience by doing the Sleeping Bear Point Trail that takesContinue reading “DH Day Sleeping Bear Dunes NP”
Platte River Sleeping Bear Dunes
Platte River Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park, MI. The Platte River campsites are big, wooded and private; the new 25 ft extension pole cell signal booster mounted on Vinny proved itself without a doubt making website access possible. The best thing is the hiking trails that start right at the campground from several Loops andContinue reading “Platte River Sleeping Bear Dunes”
Michigan Mitten Central -Higgins Lake
Mitten Central, The UP MI (Upper Peninsula Michigan) that’s where South Higgins Lake state beach with a mile of shoreline is located and has incredibly aqua, clear warm water. Perfect for John to have his second standup, paddleboard board experience. He only dumped into the luscious warm water once when his body carried the momentumContinue reading “Michigan Mitten Central -Higgins Lake”
California – Strawberry, Fallen Leaf and Lake Tahoe with the Radlers
California Strawberries, not just a fruit but a festival. The Debbie broken hip/shoulder of 2022 Strawberry music festival brought me back to California to use our rain check tickets in 2023. It was the most beautiful weather imaginable. And we had the most amazing camp spot with a view of the smaller Forest Amphitheater. TheContinue reading “California – Strawberry, Fallen Leaf and Lake Tahoe with the Radlers”
Blue Ridge and Skyline Parkway
It’s all in the Isoprene that scatters blue light in the air. Isoprene is generated from decaying trees that are abundant in the area and hence the namesake for the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Smoky Mountain National Park. It was designed to connect Great Smoky NP and Shenandoah NP and it does except whenContinue reading “Blue Ridge and Skyline Parkway”
Great Smoky Mountains
It is our second rainy weather camp experience in Vinny, but this is supposed to last a few days, not optimal for us fair weather hiking types, but we have compensated by doing about 16 miles of day hiking in the last three days prior to this rain event, and our quads say they needContinue reading “Great Smoky Mountains”
Travels with Vinny VanGo 