Thumb trip - day 4

We started with a stop at a roadside park near Port Austin. There was a cool hand pump for a water fountain and foot washing station!



It was cloudy but very calm, peaceful, and beautiful. We had the beach to ourselves, like usual:



Then we went to Port Crescent State Park, which is also close to Port Austin. It has awesome dunes and trails! But we mostly played on the beach. Of course.









So calm! So sandy here!






Then we went to Sleeper State Park, near Caseville. We looked around the campground and day use area. But the girls were beached out, so I'm the only one who went on the beach. Again, the blues were incredible, but not captured by camera at all.






We spent most of the afternoon with my friend who lives in the middle of the thumb, near Bad Axe. We had lunch, hung out with her kids, and then went to a fourth state park (Sanilac Petroglyphs). But I left my phone/camera at her house so no pics! She'll email me hers and I'll do a separate post later.

We got home by 7pm. We stopped for one last ice cream cone on our drive back!



Despite the looming laundry pile, we are happy to be home and to get to sleep in our own beds tonight! And even happier to see Chris tomorrow!

It was a wonderful trip. I was really impressed with our state parks, roadside parks, and state harbors! They were all so well kept up, and I had no idea we had so much beauty within two hours of our home!!


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Thumb trip - day 3

I couldn't get the wifi to work in our motel last night, so I waited til we got home to post pics.

Yesterday we traveled from Port Huron to the very top of the thumb, to Port Austin.

We started at a wonderful state park near Port Huron, Lakeport State Park. We played on the beach for almost two hours!






















Then we went to the city of Lexington. What a great little city! We visited the library bc I read it was gorgeous. The girls liked the kids area the best. I liked the seed library the best!



Pretty stained glass in the library:



Then we had lunch right at the harbor/marina, on the waterfront. Right next door was a great park, beach, and super long breakwater. The girls played tetherball forever.



I walked the breakwater. Pictures do not do any justice to the beautiful blue water!



The kids are over there somewhere:



After I tore them away from tetherball, we drove further north. A random roadside park:



We walked down the stairs to the beach and hung out for a long time:






Then on to Port Sanilac, to see the lighthouse:



It's a privately owned lighthouse, so we couldn't go inside.






Then on to Harbor Beach. The lighthouse is only accessible by boat taxi, so we just walked a pier to get as close as we could:





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Then our daily ice cream snack. We walked around the farmers market in Harbor Beach while licking our cones.



We stopped at several county parks, they are awesome in Huron Co!! This one had a lighthouse we wanted to visit:















We made it to Port Austin, found a motel room, and the kids jumped right into the pool:






After dinner, we walked to the harbor to watch the sunset. It's one of the few places on the "Sunrise Side" of MI to see a sunset over Lake Huron!!






I can't keep these kids out of the water!






After the sun set, we walked the whole breakwater. There was a balance beam for over half of it!



We walked around the harbor and marina, and played on the playground after dark. We all crashed hard back in the motel room!


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Thumb trip - day 2

Today was spent entirely in Port Huron. We got stuck at lots of drawbridges because of boat week (the Port Huron to Mac sailboat race is Saturday, and there's lots of boat traffic):



First stop was the lightship! It's a floating lighthouse that was in use 9 miles north of PH until 1970:



The light:



In the engine room:



In the ward room:



At the stern:



At the bow, with the original bell:



Peeking into the air vents:



We had an awesome tour guide who shared tons of info. I won't bore you with all of my pictures, but we learned so much!!

Next we went to the oldest lighthouse in Michigan, Fort Gratiot Light, built in 1829:



A freighter went by during our tour:



We climbed to the top:



Another freighter came from the other direction while we were up there. We had great views of the Blue Water Bridges to Canada, too:



The obligatory handstands against the lighthouse:



















We had lunch at the Maritime Center on the river, and yet another freighter came by:



We took a boat tour of Port Huron and Sarnia. Lots of sailboats in downtown Port Huron:



Girls on the boat:



It was very windy, out of the north, and it was pretty cold. The captain was apologetic that the water wasn't the usual brilliant blue. It was all churned up with sand.



Freighter repair shop in Sarnia:






Under the Blue Water Bridges:



By the lighthouse:






We passed our lightship and exchanged horn honks!



Our tour boat:



Back to the Maritime Center for fun:






Ice cream on the river:



No longer impressed with freighters:



We were on the lighthouse beach for a longggg time. These girls love to search for rocks, beach glass, flowers, bugs, etc!



Lots of sailboats came out:



I sat down by a sheltered clump of beach grass. Then I laid down to watch the clouds:



Such a pretty view from my blanket:



A tug/barge came so close!






Leaving the lighthouse park:



Then we went out for a Chinese buffet dinner. Apparently we haven't taken them to one before...they were so amazed that they could pick ANYTHING to eat! Haha!

Back to our hotel, a pretty view of the river, and another night of swimming.



Tomorrow we go up to the tip of the thumb!


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