Little Vacation Up North

For my birthday weekend, Jake and I were able to get a way and head up north for some fun and relaxation. First, we headed the Leelanau Peninsula where we camped for a couple days at Leelanau State Park. We lucked out with our campsite which overlooked Lake Michigan. It also came with a beautiful view of the sunset. We enjoyed making breakfast and lunch together and of course - smores. Who doesn't love smores??

Jake - Master Breakfast Maker

Jessica - Master Smore Eater

There was a lighthouse there which had some interesting things to see & some nice paths for hiking. We toured the lakeshore before leaving our post for some more fun.
We thought we would try out the local wineries and maybe pick up a bottle or 2 of our favorites.

Jake inside Chateau Leelanau wine tasting room.

View from Willow Vineyards & Winery.

This one has a most beautiful color, don't you think?
We visited 45 North Winery which is a new winery on the pennisula. We enjoyed several tastings along with some cheese & crackers. From there, it was onto Silver Leaf winery. Silver Leaf was a lovely little winery tucked back in the trees. A nice little wine dog was there to meet us when we arrived.

Aww, what a nice wine doggie. So friendly.

View from the deck overlooking the vineyard.
Here is Leelanau Cellars. This winery had a particularily gorgeous view of the bay.

By the end of our day, we were hungry! We scouted Suttons Bay for some dinner. We found some then off to pack up our site for our next adventure.
Our favorite winery/vineyard was Chateau Fontaine, a wonderful little French winery with lovely hosts. We picked up the best cherry wine you will every taste, but you might have to check it out for yourself for the entire story of why!
Overall, we were able to visit 15 wineries, learned alot about grapes, and other stuff I can't remember right now. We brought a few of our favorites back, so let us know when you're in the mood.

On our way back to the State Park we noticed a deer munching on some grass near the road. Apparently the deer are very used to people. The deer didn't seem to care we were there.

After packing up, we left the park, grabbed some donuts from the local bakery in Northport and made our way over to Sleeping Bear Dunes for some hiking.

A nice 3 mile morning hike amid the dunes.

After our hike, we drove through the scenic portion of the dunes where we were given a small guide book that tells about the dunes and features of how it all began. The drive had several pull over points for photos and resting, ect. One of these stops along the route was the 450 ft dune where you could walk out on a deck and overlook the lake. Jake, amongst other folks there, had something different in mind. When we arrived at the overlook, there was a sign warning of the how steep the dune was, and that it was extremely strenuous. Here's a couple of shots to get some perspective on the subject. It was pretty much straight down all the way.

As you can see, there were several people on all fours trying to make their way back up the dune. Jake was feeling froggy so he gave me his sandals, wallet, and hat and said,"Time me."

I grabbed my watch and off he went. It took him 3 full minutes to make his way to the lake. He seemed to disappear at the bottom. He let me know he made it by jumping around like a wild man. When I saw this I knew it was him:) He jumped in the lake to cool off, rested for a bit and started to climb his way back up. He must have previous experience in dune climbing because it took him all of 15 minutes to climb up 450 ft in 90 degree heat. Others had been there the better part of an hour.
Here he is making his triumph way to the top!

When we arrived back at the parking lot we gave Jake a nice rinse and then off to get some well deserved lunch.
On the way back into Traverse City we found a small quilt shop named "Liberty Quilts." I was able to grab a little birthday fabric before dinner.
Then we stopped at the cottage where we were able to relax for the rest of our extended weekend. We enjoyed the water and ice cream as usual. A great ending to a great vacation.