Day Five
Once again I left the hotel on time and drove straight to the Sleeping Bear Point Trailhead. This was the easier dune trail, and I was glad I chose it. It is roughly a three-mile hike going up and down a few 40 to 50-foot-high sand dunes. I’m in good shape, and this kind of length of a hike is no problem except that the dunes are deep, fine sand, which easily doubles the effort required to walk. Roughly at the halfway point I met a retired couple, and we talked for a bit. His name was Steve, and he had a 35mm camera, and after he heard my story about the trip, he asked, “Do you have any photos of yourself on this trip?” I said, “That’s not necessary.” His wife, Janie, said, “If you have a card, we can email the photos to you.” He staged a handful of shots, and I went on my way. The last quarter mile of the hike was through a wooded area without the sand, so it was an easy hike.
Me at Sleeping Bear Point
Fishtown in Leland, MI, where I got a double espresso at Leland Brew. It was a quality pour into my cup I bought in St. Augustine. Fishtown consists of about eight shacks that house some stores and a fish market; there was not much to see. I went up the hill and bought a lightweight hoodie to replace the one I just tore a hole in at Sleeping Bear. When I tried it on, I put my espresso cup down and forgot it. I didn’t realize it was gone until I was eating lunch an hour and a half later. One cup down.
At this point I abandoned the plan I had made and just drove up the coast, stopping at state parks and anything else that caught my eye. My goal was to make it to Trillium Woods Coffee before they closed. It is on route M119 (called the tunnel of trees). This was a great drive along the eastern coast of Lake Michigan. It is narrow and has lots of curves with a forty-five-mile-per-hour speed limit. It was great fun and a perfect road to test the limits of my car (Audi TTS). I could have easily averaged over forty-five miles per hour, but the minivan in front of me never exceeded thirty-five miles per hour. I arrived at the coffee shop eleven minutes after they closed; once again, no coffee for me.
Fishtown Leland, MI
Leland Brew Leland, MI
9/14/2025
Gaylord, MI to St. Ignace
310 Miles
I just stayed on the coast road, stopping at one state park after another to take full advantage of my park passport. I swam in Lake Michigan at Sturgeon Bay Beach. My last stop was a rocky beach near the McGulpin Point Lighthouse, which is about a mile west of the Mackinac Bridge. I met a couple from downstate that were celebrating their fiftieth anniversary. We talked and joked for about forty-five minutes.
Grand Traverse Lighthouse Northport, MI
Mackinac Bridge
McGulpin Point Lighthouse
