Tip of the Mitt

Not twenty-four hours after pulling in to Niles at the of April, it was time to hit the road again.  I had a wedding to attend in Northern Michigan.  My best friend from high school, Dan Hadley, was getting married in Petoskey, Michigan.  With nowhere to be the week following the wedding, I extended my stay in the region a few days.  Growing up I enjoyed a fair number of trips to the area, but this was my first visit to the area as an adult.  Hence, it was the first time I had the freedom to set the itinerary.

I stayed the first two nights at the Perry Hotel in downtown Petoskey.  A great, historic hotel that Dan and his bride, Rachael, picked for the reception on Saturday.  They had a wonderful ceremony at the local Presbyterian Church just a few blocks away.  In addition to enjoying the wedding festivities I found time to explore the town on foot and attend mass on Sunday morning.

Full Screen Version



After checking out of the well appointed Perry Hotel, I based my explorations the next few days from more austere accommodations in Traverse City.   Being so close to Mackinaw, I didn't want to head south without first seeing the Mighty Mac and buying some fudge to take home.  I got a little exercise in with a modest hike through Wilderness State Park also at the tip of the Lower Penninisula.  Monday, I explored the Leelanau Peninsula and Sleeping Bear Dunes, ending the day with a short, post-sunset hike to Empire Bluffs, which offered a spectacular view of the towering dunes to the north.  Tuesday, I checked out Hartwick Pines State Park, site of one of Michigan's largest and oldest virgin pine forests, before driving back to Niles.

Statistics
Miles: 1,257.2 (1,233.6 driving, 23.6 hiking)
Days:5
States:1
Total Counties:41
New Counties: 14
Pictures Taken: 178
Pictures Archived: 70
Fuel: 37.762 gallons
MPG: 32.7
Cost: $572.20

Perry Hotel

Cieslak-Hadley Wedding

Canada Goose Pond
Wilderness State Park

Mackinaw Bridge

Grand Traverse Lighthouse

Empire Bluffs

Hartwick Pines