August 13, 2024 Platte River

August 12, 2024 Platte River, Mi

 Today we left Traverse City and drove to Sleeping Bear Dunes.  We climbed the multi-tiered Dune until we could see Lake Michigan.  The hike took us about two hours.  Climbing a sand dune in full sun was tiring but overall it was a great experience.  We drove down a park road with many nice overlooks.  One stop was at the other side of the dune we climbed.  It was very steep down to the water.  Those brave enough to descend the dune had to crawl on their hands and knees to get back up.  It is such a difficult climb that a sign states that those that need to be rescued will be charged $3,000.  Our lunch stop was in the cute little town of Glen Arbor.  We shopped and ate at Cherry Republic.  The menu had many cherry flavored meals.  On the way to the Platte River Campground we stopped at a visitor center and saw many interestimg exhibits.

August 11, 2024 Traverse City

 Today we woke up to a steady rain.  It was our day to transition from cyclers to tourists.  We met our friends, Gail and Rich Roeske for breakfast.  Gail is our yoga teacher in The Villages.  She gave us a walking tour of Traverse City which included several stores that featured many cherry based products.  Traverse City is considered the cherry capital of the world. We then took a 4 mile walk around nearby Boardman Lake. Later we checked into the Bayshore Hotel which is on the West Bay water front.Tomorrow is back to camping, this time at Platte River Campground.