Sometimes I just need some rest in the quiet. There is a nice walking trail just outside the city of Lansing where you can escape the noise and cars. The colors never disappoint, and the park rarely has too many people.
Managed to catch Architects of Air at the Riverfront Park in Lansing, MI on a bike ride. Pretty neat. The Luminarium was built by one guy, who now employs a staff. They tour around the world and inflate this strange bounce house style artwork.
“What motivates me to design is the fact that I continue to be struck by the beauty of light and colour found in the luminaria. These structures nurture an awareness of a pure phenomenon that gently cuts through everyday conditioned perceptions and awakens a sense of wonder in people”
– Alan Parkinson
Summers in Michigan are amazing enough that the 9 months of bad weather is worth it… almost. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has both drive in and remote camping sites if you are up for about a mile hike into the woods. I have done this trip both ways, but this particular visit is the hike-in camping.
We came for the Perseid Meteor Shower. We had some business to attend during the day and arrived pretty late at night. We were able to make the hike in and set up camp just before the sun set. We had a bite to eat before it was too dark.
As we made our way from the tent down to the lake to watch the meteors, we were stalked by a mountain lion! It gave a little growl, but we kept going. There are not so many options for dealing with cats that outweigh you, on a trail, in the dark. We decided the best bet was to keep walking, slowly, to open space rather than turn around and go back through the woods. Cats tend to prefer to stay hidden and you can’t run and you can’t bend down to grab a stick or open a tent… So we kept on to the beach with the occasional hint of his continued presence. Wow oh wow are lions silent hunters. We made it onto the beach and went near the water line, as far from the trees as was reasonable. After a bit, we could see the cat leave the safety of the trees to come a little closer. But a flash of his eyes and he was gone.
We sat in the sand and watched the stars. We had a clear sky just above us for a while despite so many clouds. When it was too overcast to see anything, we made our way back to camp. If our friend was still with us, we did not hear him.
AND NO ONE BELIEVED US. It was another year or more before the first trail camera caught a mountain lion in the area.
The next day was lion free. The weather was perfect. And we hiked around the back trails near Lake Michigan.
We made our way down to the beach as the clouds rolled in.
There was a little nautical museum to visit that tells the story of the area.
There was no storm, only a bit of wind, so we continued our adventure.
This history of this place is interesting. Michigan has a bit of its own fairytale and folk lore. If you visit, you can get a sense of why. The weather is so harsh and extreme for much of the year, that tranquil days seem to be days of waiting for the storm. The story that gives Sleeping Bear dunes its name can be found here. It originates with the indigenous people that inhabited this area. Read at your own risk though. It is pretty sad.
What happened here is one of those stories you don’t tell because people won’t believe it anyway. I will save this memory for myself.
I will say it is hands down the most magical place I have been in the US. I’m not sure how to explain it, there is something in this place that tells your soul to smile and be still. The old gods of the Pueblo and Hopi people must still be living here to watch over their people.
While no one really knows why this place was suddenly abandoned, even the petroglyphs seem to be telling a story of happiness.
An unplanned stop on the roadtrip turned out to be one of my favorite finds. We saw a sign that read “cliff dwellers” and we had to go.
Cautionary camping tales…
I let my daughter wander a bit while I took some photos. Ummm… don’t do that. I found her chasing this bright orange fuzzy ant thing. Fortunately she did not touch it before I got there. Bright colors are a bad sign in nature, so I told her to stay clear. I Googled later. This GIANT insect of doom and destruction is called a “Cow Killer” ant. It is not an ant at all. It is a wingless wasp which is named after its powerful sting. So yeah. Pretty guy. Big nope.
PigTailz 