Michigan Weather

Once again the thunderstorms came in early this morning, with strong winds and driving rain. We had thought to check out some local sights, but really didn't want to get outside in the 20+ mph wind, with 30+ gusts.  Instead, we opted to take a leisurely drive from Grand Rapids to Holland, MI, on the Lake Michigan shore.

We drove into GR and then west out of town.  At one intersection, we noted the skyways for winter pedestrian travel.  Wow, it must be cold here!

We drove through the towns of Wyoming, Hudsonville, and Zeeland before we got to Holland.  Our destination of the Holland State Park led us to the shore of Lake Michigan, and a few miles south got us to Saugatuck State Park.  Both are beautiful parks with grass campsites and electrical outlets at each site. We had made that leg of the trip so quickly that we headed north along the shore to Grand Haven, MI.  Highway 31 took us through some of the most beautiful hardwood forests in the state.

The beach and pier at Grand Haven called us to stop for a walk on the sandy shore, but instead we watched a para-surfing (?) competition for about an hour. The winds and waves were perfect for the sport, and it was fascinating to watch!

What athletes! The competition had started some 4 hours previously, and the "sailors" were still catching huge air and working the ropes to position themselves on the highest waves. Remarkable! The wind and waves were so strong onshore that a lone traditional surfer was unable to make it outside the breaker line!

A short stop at the Coffee Grounds in downtown Grand Haven gave us enough caffein to continue our journey!

Still not satisfied, we headed north once again to Muskegon. An interesting city, Muskegon is a shoreline town struggling to attract tourists.  The number one thing to see is the yacht harbor, as near as we could tell, and it was a beauty.

We took highway 46 back east toward Cedar Springs.  The road led through apple orchard country around Casnovia and Kent City, where the apple trees are set a good distance back from the road to discourage pilfering! The fruit is ripening, and the harvest will happen within days as wooden bins are scattered about the orchards, ready to receive the various varieties of apples.

Highway 46 led us directly to one of the two freeway exits leading to Cedar Springs.  At the interchange, we stopped at a Meijers Store, which is a WalMart type store, only with higher prices.  Five plastic bags and $100 later, we left to head "home".  One thing we did see in the store that we've not seen before is:

The picture is upside down for a reason…….

Just behind our campsite, this barn slowly falls into itself.  A commentary on the farming industry?

One hundred forty eight miles after we had left this morning, we settled in for a snug evening inside Nessie.  The prediction is for improving weather tomorrow, but still cool.  We'll see what happens!