“Fall, the time of crisp mornings, leaves crunching beneath your feet, and views of the landscapes changing from a lush green to fiery reds and coppers.  There is a magic of waking up to see the cool fog across the horizon as cool air brushes across your face.”  Can you hear Tim Allen’s voice while reading this?  Of course it would be followed up with a, “Pure Michigan.” He did not actually say this, but I  hear him narrating as I write.

Listen, I know what you are thinking, “Tonya, you have already talked about Michigan.”  I know, but Michigan cannot be described in two measly posts.  This state has so much to offer, and is still in my opinion, one of the most underrated states.  The landscape changes according to the region you are visiting.  This week, we are camping and exploring Northern Michigan.

In typical Graddy fashion, two days before our arrival, Benzie county was under a Gale Wind Warning.  Lake Michigan was angry and had up to 20 foot swells, closing the lighthouse piers in Frankfort.  Lets not forget to mention that a lot of the county also lost power due to the downed trees and power lines.  Awesome!

We have big plans for the weekend and a lot of stops to make, but our first one is to establish a home base.  We are staying at Betsie River Campsite located in Frankfort, Michigan  for our long weekend.  We have stayed here before when we first started camping about 6 or seven years ago.  It has changed a bit, as they now have several primitive cabins.  We will be staying in The Sunflower.

If you are looking for a campground bustling with activities and action.  Betsie River Campsite is not for you.  If you are looking for a no frills super quiet campground you have come to the right place.  There are a variety of kamper cabins(this is their spelling not mine), a couple vintage glampers, and a well rounded mix of other spots, however, there are no 50 amp sites.

Our kamper cabin had a bunk bed/trundle bed hybrid.  The bottom bunk was a full so we were all good.  There was also a small table and a heater for the cold fall nights.  You have to bring bed linens, so make sure you do not leave home without it.  The bathhouse is also more than adequate and clean, which is important.

If you are a bike lover, you can also rent a bike for the bargain price of $15 bucks a day!  We did this years ago, but this weekend there were none available. Bummer.

UPDATE!

There were bikes available at Betsie River Campsite!  They had them in the barn out of the elements!  Lesson learned about assuming since the rack was empty they are out.  Always ask.

The only other thing that was a slight inconvenience at our home base was the firewood.  Wood was $5 bucks a bucket, or 5 logs.  Here is the part I did not like.  It was self-serve, so you had to go behind the barn to the log pile and gather the wood yourself.  I don’t know if this was just an end of the season thing or if this is an all year long process.  It didn’t hurt me too bad,  as I supervised my husband as he traipsed across the log pile.

With home base established, we dove right in.  Our first stop was Sleepy Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  First, we went to the visitor’s center  located in Empire.  You will need to stop here to pay your entrance fees and get maps and Sleepy Bear Dunes swag if needed.  The staff here can also provide you with any information you need for the park.

We were going to do the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.  This is a 7 mile drive through the park with several viewpoints, stops, and trails along the way.  Prior to our visit, this drive was closed due to storm damage, but we were lucky it opened when we arrived. 

We stopped along the drive and spontaneously decided to walk Cottonwood Hiking Trail.  Korey declared it to be only about a half of a mile.  Well either he is a liar or what he was seeing was a mirage.  This trail is supposed to be a 1.4 mile loop, however we did not get that memo and it ended up being about 2 miles after we backtracked.  Did I also mention that we were not prepared for this hike?

We were those dumbasses that we talk about.  We brought no water, I had no hiking shoes and was in flip flops.  This kind of worked out in the end though because 99% of the trail was sand, so I just went barefoot.  There were quite a few hills so if you do not like hiking in the sand, or hills, this may not be for you.  In the end, the payoff is awesome!  You end up looking down on the infamous Dune Climb and Glen Lake. 

After we survived the sand trail, we did stop off at a couple more places along the way.  The Dune Climb is always impressive to see, it is also even more impressive to see the people trying to tame this beast.  When my kids were little we came here and on the way DOWN my son proclaimed that he had lost his shoes along the climb somewhere.  Aren’t kids fun?

Sadly, we did not get to climb any more dunes or trails due to the winds increasing.  The dunes were still open, but we did not enjoy being sandblasted.  I kept trying to stay positive thinking of the natural exfoliation that was occurring, but in the end we decided to forgo the experience and head back to camp.  

Evenings were the best.  We ended up watching the sun go down at Frankfort Beach and the waves pummel one of the piers.  I could get used to this.

Day 2 of our Michigan adventure started in full swing!  We ventured into Frankfort and went to the Farmer’s Market.  Here there were booths of crafts, produce, honey, and other specialties.  While pursuing the merchandise we hear a “Hey!  I’ve got the goods over here!”  Wondering what goods this man is pushing we ventured to his booth.  He was selling mushrooms and other spice blends.  Not being a mushroom expert of any kind, we ended up buying a spice blend off of him.  Who the hell knows what we bought? I put it in my vegetable soup today.  It may be some type of crazy hallucinogenic, or I could end up buying 52 bags of Funyuns, who knows what the night will bring.

Crystal Mountain was our next stop.  This is a resort in Thompsonville, Michigan that has it all.  There is lodging, shopping, restaurants and outdoor adventure!  This weekend there is a mountain bike race, so this place was hopping!   Since it is leaf peeping season, what better way to view the foliage and the race by jumping on their ski lift.  For $15 bucks per person you can ride to the top of the mountain, take in epic views, and see the bikers at the top.

For preface, let me say we have never been on a ski lift before, and the death grip we had on the bar that was saving us from falling to our deaths probably permanently has our fingerprints embedded into it.  After you realize that you are not the one that is going to bring the lift down, the views are amazing.  You get to see the panoramic views of the fall fire colors taking over the mountain.

We would love to come back in the winter and try our hand at skiing as well.  All the hills I saw looked like death smiling back at me, but there had to be a beginner course somewhere on site.

Before leaving we did some shopping.  Michigan being known for their cherries, I picked up some chocolate covered cherries from the Cherry Hut.  Their packaging is kinda scary with a creepy smiling face on it, but I was brave enough to buy it.  I would like to say that I have spent my life saying I do not like cherries, however, I am a huge liar.  With the exception of the 4 pieces that I force fed my husband I ate the whole damn bag.

Next we hopped on the M-22 and headed north.   If you do not know the M-22 was once voted America’s Best Scenic Autumn Drive, and believe me, it sure is!  This highway is a 116 mile stretch that follows along lake Michigan.  We were going to take this to Fishtown, however, we blazed right by that and continued all the way to Northport.

Let me start by saying, I LOVE NORTHPORT!  The scenic beauty of this place makes you disbelieve you are in the upper Midwest.  We stopped off at the park along Grand Traverse Bay to have lunch. There are plenty of grills, picnic tables, and spectacular views, perfect for a roadside picnic.  The visitors center is also within walking distance.

If you have time you will also want to check out Leelanau State Park while you are here. We had no time to go this time  around, but we have visited it before.  The Grand Traverse Lighthouse is also here which makes it even more desirable.

Since we are on a time constraint, after we went to a few shops in town, we turned around so we could stop at Leland/Fishtown on the way back to camp.  This was the last weekend that Fishtown was open for the season and I was hoping to find some bargains.  Korey was hoping to make it out not financially ruined.

Leland or Fishtown is a small village that is a two for one.  Part of the town looks like any other cute small town in Michigan with charming storefronts and restaurants.  Then you go around the corner and it looks like New England.  There are wood shanties along the water that sell everything from merchandise to smoked fish. There is also the famous Leland Harbor, one of the most beautiful harbors in Michigan. It is hard to take it all in.  My first trip here I think I spent most of my time picking my jaw off the ground.  In season you can also book charters from here as well.

What a busy day! After this adventure we headed back to base camp for some good ole Ballpark Hotdogs roasted over our campfire. Yum!  We lucked out with spectacular weather while we were here.  We finished up our night with a walk along the shore at Frankfort Beach for one last sunset.

Michigan has taught me a lot over the years of visiting.  The Great Lakes have taught me that you don’t have to go to the ocean to see spectacular beaches and sunsets.  When you name your town “The Village of….” It makes for a better experience and sets a tone of Hallmark Movie quality.  I have learned that fish flies are from the devil.  I would never survive scaling sand dunes in the desert. My wood shoe size is a 6 for anyone wanting to find the perfect gift for my birthday.  And finally, that  the commercials and Tim Allen are right, there is a beauty of Michigan that is unmatched, it is unforgettable, and it is Pure Michigan.