After two days of driving, we’d intentionally planned for a lazy start to our Monday, which worked well given the morning rainfall. The skies had cleared by 11:00, and we were on the road an hour later, making the short drive north to the Silver Lake State Park for Mac Wood’s Dune Rides.
Loaded on the dune “scooter.”
We loaded into a single row on our dune “scooter,” with Gee Gee and I on the outside, and Amanda and the kids in the middle. The driver Robert led us through the 40-minute, 7-mile tour that included a handful of stops to provide fun trivia nuggets about the sand dunes. We got out of the scooter at a vantage point overlooking Silver Lake to briefly explore the dunes and snap a few photos.
The ride featured a few fun hills, and all three of the kids gave the ride a rave review once completed. Gee Gee, Emmie and I walked to the Whippy Dip ice cream shop next door while Amanda supervised the other kids on the newly-constructed Noah’s Ark playground.
Emmie and I had green apple ice cream cones… even though temps were in the low 60s, the ice cream melted fast!
Noah and Eilidh, inside the Noah’s Ark playground.
After finishing her ice cream, Emmie joined the other kids, and two new friends, on the Noah’s Ark playground. The playground, and a few picnic tables, were on the Mac Wood’s property.
Next up on our agenda was a five-minute drive to the Little Sable Point Lighthouse, which sits along Lake Michigan and dates to 1874. Eilidh was deemed too short to climb the lighthouse’s 130 stairs, but the rest of us bought tickets to make the trip to the top, and we all enjoyed our first beach time of the trip.
Amanda spotted Eilidh and me playing in the sand, from one of the lighthouse windows.
Noah, Amanda, and Emmie at the top of the lighthouse.
I snagged a photo of Amanda, the kids, and Gee Gee from the top of the lighthouse.
Our itinerary called for a quiet afternoon at the cabin before Amanda and I would go on a date night to celebrate our 13th anniversary. With rain in the forecast for the end of the week, we called an audible and decided to extend our day with activities at nearby Craig’s Cruisers Family Fun Centers.
We split up so each adult accompanied a kid for a ride on the Go Karts: Amanda took Eilidh, Gee Gee drove Emmie, and Noah rode in my go kart. After a few rounds of driving, we played a few games inside at the arcade before returning outside to experience the center’s Zip Line.
Eilidh was buckled in and ready for her go-kart ride!
Amanda and I celebrated 13 years of marriage with a game of skee ball.
Amanda and Noah rode together in the zip line, which took riders to a point above the mini-amusement park, and back down.
We attempted to add another activity to our day with a stop at Lewis Farms & Petting Zoo in nearby New Era, Michigan. The attendant, however, suggested we wouldn’t have enough time to justify the $10 per person cost with just an hour left before closing. So, we perused the gift shop for a moment, and Amanda picked up a sour cream donut, which she gave a rave review.
Dinner was at Brown Bear, a wood-paneled tavern and grill located in the sleepy town of Shelby. It was one of the better-rated restaurants in the area, noted for its hamburgers. We started our meal with deep-fried asparagus and cheese sticks, the prior something we’d seen on a handful of area menus. The cheese sticks were loved by all, but the asparagus received a mixed bag of reviews. Eilidh may have eaten the most among our group.
Pre-meal selfie!
Amanda gave her entree the highest mark, with her Black and Blue burger filled with flavor and among the best renditions of a blue cheeseburger she’d ever eaten. I went with an olive burger for the second night in a row. It was certainly more substantial than the equivalent from Mr. Quick, but overall unremarkable. We were way too full for dessert at the restaurant but decided to take a piece of salted caramel cheesecake and “ginormous chocolate cake” back to our cabin for later in the evening.
The half-pound burger topped with chopped green olives.
After dinner, we drove a few extra minutes to reach the Lake Michigan beach closest to our home. High water levels at the lake left little sand to play, but the kids enjoyed the spot nonetheless. We dipped our feet in the water and explored the shoreline before going home for the evening to settle in for the night.
Gee Gee was ready to eat the entire slice of “gigantic chocolate cake.” We ended up splitting it into four pieces and still had four or more servings in the refrigerator.
So happy to see all of you having fun together. Looks like a great day.