We dropped off the girls in Lansing and then made a leisurely drive up north. No one threw up. No fighting. No requests for "kids songs" (Nathan's favorite part). We even stopped for some coffee and hot chocolate. Wait in line? Who cares! We chatted. Time flew by. By early afternoon we were in Traverse City. Our first stop was the old Psych hospital that has been turned into are area with offices, shops, and restaurants. We had lunch reservations at Trattoria Stella. Everything was awesome! The service was terrific and everything we ate was so far above average I think we stopped talking to soak it all in.
It was a beautiful afternoon so we parked in the downtown and walked around, checked out some stores, and found the "Hearts Wall." Found some souvenir shirts for the girls and grabbed take out for later.
At this point we just wanted to check into our hotel and be "home" for the night so we got unpacked and walked along the beach right outside our door. Such a pretty sunset! I love how the sky transitions to blue to golden over the course of such a short time!
The sunrise was just as pretty as the sunset the night before! After sleeping in (hello, king-sized bed!) we headed off for a substantial breakfast before driving out to Sleeping Bear Dunes. We ate at a little French hole-in-the-wall called Chez Peres (later that weekend we'd stop back to their patisserie for croissants).
So, about the dunes. Nathan and I had never been so we thought we'd climb up one dune and see the lake. Note to future Julie: when the U.S. Park Service hands you a brochure at the gate, read it before you get out of the car. I ended up reading it later, that night, in the hotel which was only helpful to plan our next visit. We did end up having a really fun time (after the first hill) but unfortunately we did not make it all the way to the lake. Turns out there are about 9 dunes between the parking lot and the lake. Next time! It would be fun to take the girls here when they are older and can carry their own supplies. Here are the highlights of our dunes climb.
Since we'd burned about 10 trillion calories climbing up and down sand dunes, we decided a treat was in order. Not far away was Moomers ice cream so we trekked there and ate about 15 trillion calories of delicious. We got butter pecan! Nathan thought it was the best ice cream he's ever eaten (hence why he's not so happy that I make him stop for a picture. LOL)
We were so worn out from our hiking and eating! We got a late lunch/early dinner and headed back to the hotel room. Despite shaking out our clothes and shoes, we were still covered with sand so next tasks were to shower and take some Advil.
The next morning was foggy and drizzly. We'd planned on brunch so we slept in a bit and then ate one of the best meals ever at Apache Trout Grill. Seriously, if you have a chance to eat brunch there, do it! The meal was pricey but, oh my, so delicious! I ate a lot of mac and cheese and I can testify that it was probably the best I've ever eaten. In honor of it and a super yummy peach crape, below are their pictures (but first, bonus footage of the fishermen next to the restaurant.)
We decided to drive up the shore to Petoskey to shop. When we finally got hungry later, we ate at one of our favorite restaurants (Twisted Olive). Thankfully the clouds parted and it ended up being a beautiful sunny day.
Of course we had to stop by the World's Biggest Cherry Pie on the way back to Traverse City!
Last stop that day was Mission Point Lighthouse. There are lots of little peninsulas like this in Michigan so we made one last drive to see the lighthouse. It wasn't quite sundown but the scenery was so beautiful. Lots of vineyards and rolling hills!
The next morning we were off to Lansing to pick up our girls. It was so nice to be away, but also very nice to see these smiling faces waiting for us!
