Pure Michigan

In the last few years, I’ve noticed the commercials put out by Michigan’s ‘Pure Michigan’ tourism campaign. These ads have really made me want to get to Michigan. It looked like a beautiful place! I don’t know much about the big cities, but our visits to some of the small harbor towns really proved those commercials to be legit!

Our campground was our introduction to the state, and the two little fishing ponds, and gorgeous, blue lake right there on site, immediately made us happy we chose the place we did. Dumont Lake Family Campground was offering a great deal (stay one night, and get one free – for up to two nights). We stayed six and only paid for four. They had a playground, kayaking, paddle boarding, and a small beach. I had been wanting to try paddle boarding, but I really didn’t want to do it in the ocean or any body of water that wasn’t super calm, and I certainly didn’t want to give it a whirl with a crowd on the beach to witness me bust my butt if that happened. So, this place was perfect. No one around. Lake as smooth as glass.

I started with Jayden on the board, so I stayed on my knees to paddle. When she tired of it, and I got the chance to go solo, I tried standing. I began on my knees out in deep water, and then stood up. It required more balance than I’d imagined. The next go round, I started out standing, and that proved to be much easier. Ray and Rayne began with a kayaking, and then we switched off.

Though the daily temps didn’t get above the low 70s, the girls still insisted on getting in the water a bit. They also enjoyed the sandy beach, which was pretty evident by the amount of sand tracked into the RV during our week at this campground. The little ponds were full of fish and turtles and a solitary duck that Ray named Mal. We saw several people fishing, but we were content just to watch the wildlife and savor the views.

Aside from spending time at the lake in our “backyard,” we also spent some time on the much bigger Lake Michigan. We went to Holland State Park, Muskegon State Park, Grand Haven, and South Haven. All four of these places were right on the lake and all offered views of historical lighthouses. I took photos of four different lighthouses, but they are all red and look similar, except for Big Red Lighthouse in Holland.

Muskegon South Pier Lighthouse –

Grand Haven Lighthouse –

Holland Harbor (Big Red Lighthouse) –

South Haven South Pier Lighthouse –

The beaches along Lake Michigan are pretty, and while the water was too cold and too rough (riptide) for us to get in, we had a great time walking the shoreline and exploring the area.

 

I’m so glad those Pure Michigan commercials were accurate. What we saw lived up to the image I had in my mind.