July 3, 2018
Today we left Petoskey and drove south on Highway 31 through Charlevoix, Traverse City and on to Empire MI. Along the way we passed many Cherry Orchards. I’m not sure when Cherry season starts, but today the roadside stands were abandoned. We also passed several large corn fields. We were always told that the corn should be”knee high by the fourth of July”. The corn we saw was not nearly knee-high!
We checked into the Indigo Bluffs RV Resort near Empire, MI. We were escorted to a lovely RV site, with a stamped concrete Pad. The private, shades, site was complete with chairs and a fire pit.
Near Empire, MI is the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It was a hill region fringed with shoreline sand dunes. With our Park Pass in tow, we entered the park and drove the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. The drive was a 7 mile route with views of Sleeping Bear Dunes, Glen Lake, and Lake Michigan. The route provides access to the high dunes of the Sleeping Bear Plateau. We passed Rugged Bluffs that rose as high as 450 feet above the lake. There were several scenic stops along the route. The last stop, the Dune Climb, was the best. After a short walk uphill, we were at the top of the dunes looking down toward the lake. There were lots of people exploring the area. We watched as people climbed from the lake up to the top, where we were standing. It is a strenuous climb and a posted sign expressed that once you descend the dune, it could take 2 hours to climb back up the dune. I told Ken I would wait and watch him if he wanted to climb! Watching the people climb, reminded me of pictures I have seen of the folks climbing the Chilkoot Trail!
Returning to the RV Park, we passed through the small towns of Glen Arbor and Empire. It is so wonderful to see the patriotism displayed in the small towns. Red, White, and Blue all around!
