Ludington, MI

TUE., AUG 8 thru MON., AUG 14, 2023

We traveled 225 miles south from Mackinac City to Ludington, MI which practically sits on Lake Michigan. We enjoyed Happy Hour with the Hannafords and after dinner, we walked the campground, Poncho’s Pond RV Park. It has an adult pool and hot tub (a rare treat), beautiful manicured grounds, and ample space between sites. It also has lots of kids and narrow interior roads. No place is perfect! 

The Hannafords are parked behind us and the trains are just behind them! Luckily we all like trains! Our first night here we were in our tiny homes and heard fireworks. Turns out there was a county fair nearby. We just stepped outside and enjoyed a fireworks display for about 10 minutes. Nice!

On Wed., Aug 9th, (2023) we spent the afternoon at “the beach” at Ludington State Park, located on Lake Michigan. It truly did feel like a beach experience. Gary headed into the water first then the rest of the pod followed shortly thereafter. So much fun… water temp was 75, soft sand underfoot, waves, and good friends to share it with. Doesn’t get any better! I think I’m in love with the Great Lakes! You really do feel like you’re at the Atlantic Ocean except no saltwater and manageable waves!

On Thursday, Aug 10th (2023) the pod started the day with a ride on the dunes with Jake from MacWood’s Dune Rides. Our chariot was called “Looney Dunes.” Clever! The company has been providing dune rides for over 90 years! So much fun! We enjoyed beautiful views of Lake Michigan and riding over the sand dunes. I can’t get over how much Lake Michigan looks and sounds like the ocean. 

Below is a short video that Gary shot with his GoPro:

After the dune ride, we headed to Silver Lake State Park in Mears, MI and its 2,000 acres of sand dunes, 3 miles of Lake Michigan shore front plus Little Sable Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse is 115 feet high and one of the tallest working lighthouses on Lake Michigan, visible for 19 miles. It’s been in continuous operation since 1874. It still has its original third order Fresnel lens, making it one of the few lighthouses on Lake Michigan to be able to showcase its original lens. Fun fact: Michigan has over 129 lighthouses, more than any other state in the US. Amazing!

After visiting the lighthouse (we did not climb it), we had a picnic lunch on the shores of Lake Michigan. Some of us put our feet in the water. Then we had to trek back to the truck. Gary wanted to walk over the dunes… there was a path so we were legal. I started out barefoot but that sand was hot!

Afterwards it was onto the 3-acre lavender labyrinth at Cherry Point Farm & Market. The first orchards were planted in 1871. It’s one of the oldest operating farms in the county. They sell all things cherry in addition to the lavender, herbs, flowers and other veggies they were selling. We all bought some cherry goodies to take home. The labyrinth is so large it can be seen on Google Earth. The lavender was past peak when we visited, but I loved the symmetry of it all. The labyrinth is “an ancient spiral pattern which, when walked, is thought to be a spiritual journey and symbolic of one’s path in life.” It’s meant to be a relaxing meditative walk with the center being a beautiful herb garden. The whole thing was lost on the guys. One was heard muttering to the other “you’d think they never saw herbs and flowers before.” 

A fun day capped off with a dip in the hot tub after dinner.

 On Saturday, Aug 12th (2023) the Hannafords had friends visiting from NH, Joanne and George. George is from this area so he was a great resource on suggesting places for us to visit. It was so fun to meet them and spend time together. It was sweet of C&J to include us in their get together with their friends. We had fun visiting a craft fair and dinner at the Hannafords. 

On Sunday, Aug 13th (2023) Gary washed the front of our tiny home which was splattered with dead bugs… as was the front of the truck. Eeeeuuuwww. The truck got washed, too. We rewarded ourselves with a dip in the pool and hot tub afterwards.

Monday, Aug 14th (2023) was our last day in Ludington. It was rainy but that didn’t stop us from visiting the Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse. Since we all needed fuel in our trucks prior to departing tomorrow, we headed out separately but ended up running into each other at the lighthouse. C&J were arriving as we were finishing our walk. However, we all got soaked walking the half-mile trail out… but worth it! Fun fact: the lighthouse tips 4.5 degrees due to the enlargement of the cement slab that surrounds the tower which took place in 1994 and was never corrected. Because of the particularly rough seas here, the light tower was set upon a unique 20-ft tall base, curved inward, similar to the seawall in Galveston, TX, so that waves wash up and roll back out. The tower is turned 45 degrees so that seas do not strike it square on! 

Tomorrow we move 100 miles south, but still in Michigan. We’ll be near Grand Rapids. We’ve had a great week here in Ludington. We’ve swam in beautiful Lake Michigan, enjoyed a dune buggy ride, ate our share of cherry everything, visited a few lighthouses (who knew Michigan had the most lighthouses of any state in the US!) and spent the day with C&J’s delightful friends from NH. A fun week!