Houghton Lake, Sleeping Bear Dunes and Lake Huron

We left home on Friday August 7th with our destination being Decatur, Indiana.

After a brief stay in Decatur, Indiana we decided to escape the hot August days back home and head north to Michigan.  We arrived at Warblers Cove Campground near West Branch Michigan on August 17th.  A visit to Houghton Lake was just a short drive from the campground.  It is the largest inland lake in the state of Michigan and is popular for fishing year round. 

We left for Indian River RV Resort and Campground on August 20th and stayed in the Indian River area for the next 10 nights.  Our day trips were to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Shoreline, Rogers City, Mackinaw City, St. Ignace, Mackinac Island, Cheboygan, and a chartered fishing trip.  A lesson learned when booking a chartered fishing trip is to ask who is in charge of the rod and reel.  We were not thrilled to just reel in the lake trout after the captain or first mate set the hook. Seeing the sunrise on Lake Huron and circling the entire Mackinac Island by boat was worth the time and money spent on the chartered trip.  The first mate, Bob Bach invited us to his home after our fishing trip.  He and his wife Terri live on Paradise Lake. They gave us fresh vegetables from their garden which we thoroughly enjoyed.  Their place on the lake was beautiful.

The legend of Sleeping Bear is long ago, along the Wisconsin shoreline, a mother bear and her two cubs were driven into Lake Michigan to escape a forest fire. The mother bear reached the shore but the cubs were too tired to continue and drowned within the sight of the shore.  The Great Spirit of Manitou created two islands to mark the spot where the cubs disappeared and then created a solitary dune to represent the place where the grief-stricken mother bear waited for her cubs. The spirit of her cubs lives on forever in the beautiful Manitou Islands. 

Walking into Lake Huron and seeing the crystal clear blue green water was fascinating.

Our evenings in the RV Park were shared with Carl and Carole Cryderman from Midland, MI and Suzanne & Wayne Webster from Cheyenne, WY. The cool nights were just the right setting for enjoying a campfire with new friends and of course gumbo.




The natural beauty of Michigan had us wanting to see more of this state.



We found a place to buy elk meat near Warblers Cove Campground.



The fishing lake at Warblers Cove Campground.

 

Beautiful blue skies over Houghton Lake in the community of Prudenville, MI.



Houghton Lake is one of the largest natural inland lakes in the United States.  Its water covers 20,044 acres.



The lake is approximately 7 1/2 miles north to south, and about 4 1/2 miles at the widest point.



 

Stepping into the cold water of Lake Huron.



Lake Huron is the second largest Great Lake by surface area and the third largest freshwater lake on the earth.



Lake Huron has a surface area of 23,000 miles with an average depth of 195 feet and the maximum depth being 750 feet.



Rogers City is the home to two salmon fishing tournaments and the world's largest open pit limestone quarry.

Rogers City Marina



Beautiful clear water



The use of the down riggers on fishing boats to send the bait down 75 to 100 feet.  We found out this is not our kind of fishing.

Our day trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Shoreline was rainy but this is Lake Michigan on a rainy day. Just imagine how beautiful this area is on a clear sunny day.



Sand dunes



Lake Michigan Overlook is 450 feet above the lake.  Wisconsin is 54 miles due west but we did not see any "cheeseheads" waving back at us. On a clear day South Manitou Island can be seen 10 miles to the northwest.



Very steep sand dune.  Warning signs all around advising visitors about the 2 hour return climb back to the top and the cost of a rescue fee if needed.



The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Shoreline

 

It is no easy task for plants and animals to survive in the dunes dealing with strong sunlight, poor soils, and constant winds.  The wind alone can dry out plants and expose the root systems as shown in this picture.

We stopped  for lunch at The Empire Inn near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park.  The Henry on the  menu is a bologna sandwich for the bargain price of only $11.00.