2011/216: Summer Roadtrip, Michigan Part 6
On Tuesday, July 12, we followed US 31 south to Traverse City, stopping at Petoskey State Park and Fisherman’s Island State Park to look for petoskey stones. I think it was some kind of obsession LOL. You could buy them already polished, at the gift shops, but that’s not nearly as much fun as walking along the beach with your head down 😉
The first picture was at Petoskey State Park and we didn’t find anything. It was too sandy. The second picture was Fisherman’s Island State Park (not an island at all!) and how could you not find any there?! It was the best petoskey-stone-hunting-beach we found, and also the beach where Sara just about gave us all a heart attack! We were all walking along the shore, looking for rocks. Greg and the girls were way ahead of me and when I slowly caught up at one point, Greg asked me where Sara was. I look around, and she’s nowhere to be seen!!! We were the only ones in this area of the beach, but there were some woods that separated the beach from the road. I started yelling for her, hoping she could hear me over the noise of the waves, and praying that I would be able to hear her if she was in any kind of trouble. I don’t know how many times we yelled her name until she finally jumped out from behind a bush! Boy, was she lucky that I was too far away to run over to her in my flip-flops (not easy on a rocky beach like that!), I would have put a stop to any kind of fun she was going to have that day as punishment. Thankfully it all ended well and she didn’t run off into the woods and got lost…. or kidnapped!
After that little adventure, we followed US 31 to Traverse City and took SR-37 all the way to the end of the peninsula – stopping at several wineries along the way – to Old Mission Lighthouse. The special thing about this lighthouse? It’s on the 45th parallel.. half way between the North Pole and the Equator.
We made Manistee our stop for the night, taking a walk out to Manistee North Pierhead Light
The Daily Click 
Looks like absolutely gorgeous weather – just look at that sky! Kids think it’s hilarious to give us a heart attack, don’t they??
4. August, 2011 at 07:21
We did luck out with the weather for the most part. Even when it was raining (that one morning) it stopped in time for us to do what we wanted to do.
I don’t know if she was hiding on purpose, or just looking for rocks behind that bush, but we did’t think it was funny at all!
4. August, 2011 at 08:50
So I can’t remember now from all the reading I’ve done, did you actually find any petosky stones?
(by the way, you correctly identified my big pink flowers! Thanks!)
4. August, 2011 at 08:32
Yes, we did find some petoskey stones. I don’t know how many, though. I still have my bag with the stones in my camera bag, and the kids each kept theirs separate.
Glad I was able to help you out with that flower 🙂
4. August, 2011 at 08:52
what a scary few moments for you…………when I was reading, I was thinking the water. Thank god it was just an awful joke, lol. HOw many stones did you find? You certainly saw all types of lighthouses, the one looks like an old schoolhouse.
4. August, 2011 at 08:33
I knew she wasn’t in the water. It was pretty shallow, and we would have seen it if she went out too far.
Don’t know how many stones we found. The kids already washed theirs, but I still need to dig mine out of the camera bag. I have some other rocks, too, that I’m going to paint.
4. August, 2011 at 08:56
Nice perspective and framing in the 4th shot. Sara adds a nice sense of scale.
4. August, 2011 at 12:37
I didn’t even notice Sara in that shot til you pointed her out, Tracy! Good eyes! 🙂
4. August, 2011 at 13:36
Very pretty beaches and I love that old lighthouse!
4. August, 2011 at 23:57
Glad you found some petoskey stones–and Sara! Barry’s folks used to live on Old Mission Point, so we’re familiar with that area, too. I am so glad you were able to enjoy some of Michigan’s beauty (and cooler weather!)
5. August, 2011 at 14:40