Tip of the 'Thumb' and up the Mitten

Sand dunes, grasses and native flowers along the shores of Lake Huron

The main part of Michigan is shaped like a mitten and Detroit is located more or less at the base of the thumb.  We decided that the next destination in our ‘survey’ of Michigan would be Port Crescent State Park on Lake Huron at the very tip of the thumb.  Then we would take a little jaunt up the inside of the mitten to Tawas Point State Park before heading west to the Lake Michigan side of the state.

We arrived at Port Crescent State Park in the early afternoon after a rainy but nice drive.  Much of the thumb was originally forested but now it is nearly all farmland and we passed through field after field of newly planted corn, grains and vegetables.  Along the coast of Lake Huron and around the state park the land is still a mix of hardwood and pine forests with sand dunes covered in grasses near the lake.

Picnic of smoked ribs
Maya hopes for a bone

 

By the time we found a campsite and set up, the rain had cleared and we were starving.  Fortunately, Jim had sent a care-package of his smoked ribs along with us and we had a delicious picnic lunch with very little effort on our part.  We spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening enjoying the improving weather and strolling along the lake.

The next day dawned bright and clear and we seized the moment by heading out on a nature trail.  From dunes with beach grasses and jack pines to wetlands to forests we learned about the different ecosystems in the park and experienced the rolling dunes and swales of the terrain.  By afternoon the rain had moved back in so we were really glad we had gotten our hike in early.

Maya cools off in Lake Huron after our nature hike

Next we headed to Tawas Point which was only about 50 miles across Lake Huron but since we couldn’t fly across, we had to drive about 120 miles down the thumb and then back up the mitten.  It took us closer to 3 hours and of course it was raining so that slowed us down too.

 

Tawas Point Lighthouse

 

We were going to stay in the state park but there was a big crowd because of the upcoming Tawas Point Celebration Days and with all the rain we opted for a commercial campground nearby.  As it turned out we were very glad we stayed two days at Tawas RV Park.  Usually I am not all that excited about commercial campgrounds, but this was a very quiet, secluded and friendly place. 

Thanks to Maya we met almost everyone and their dog (pretty much everyone had a dog).  Many of the people at the campground were ‘seasonal campers.’  Most lived in Michigan and spent their summers at the park.  A few were from other states, the farthest away being Florida. We were invited to the group campfire and received many suggestions on where we should visit in Michigan. 

Civil War re-enactor at Tawas Point Celebration Days

 

The next day we visited the Tawas Point Lighthouse for the ‘Celebration Days.’  There were re-enactors in costume, demonstrations and food.  We visited the lighthouse, walked along the point and ate of course.  It was a foggy, cloudy day thus not as picturesque as it could have been, but we didn’t get rained on. 

After a nice night in our RV park, we said goodbye to our newly-met friends with wishes for safe travels and invitations to return and spend the summer.  We were ready to continue on our journey this season, but it was a good feeling to be 'at home' for a few days among such nice people.

Beach Pea, a native dune plant that helps control dune erosion

 

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked:  3

Rain Days:    2    
Total Miles Hiked:   10.56  
Ave. Miles per Day:      3.52
Total Elevation Gain:     593
Ave. Elevation Gain per day:   198