Breaking "Monsters"

After penning my somewhat bittersweet post yesterday morning, it was time to get cracking on another day.  We had metaphorical monsters - from epic waterslide rollercoasters to massive sand dunes to a documentary of a band that hopes to have a monster of a hit - to experience today.  Of course, the fact that the Great Wolf Lodge didn't open the water park until 10:00, when our checkout was at 11:00 a.m. was somewhat discouraging to the boys who headed down in their bathing suits at just after 9;00.  Still, we managed to beat the crowd and had no wait for any of the coasters.  We did tandem water slides, single water slides ("the fastest" and/or "the longest"), the lazy river (less lazy when you're aware of the time but still fun), and even soaked in the "adults only" hot tub, far larger than most resort pools and absolutely empty but for the four of us, before we headed upstairs for a quick change of clothes to head to the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore (which is what it is called on the official website).

It's quite understandable why Traverse City is the summer playground for Michanganers (or Michaganians; our proprietor in Bay City said either was acceptable); the Traverse Bays (one referred to as little, the other big) is tranquil, enormous, and stunning.  The little town is peppered with great restaurants and shops, and it's just a 30 minute drive to get to Lake Michigan and the dunes.  The famed Interlochen school for the arts is just about 20 minutes away, so we were even able to take a spin through the campus while Daniel said a quick hello to a school friend who is studying writing here for the summer.  All in all, it's a perfect base for a relaxing two week vacation.  Of course, we had two days, so we had to get busy :)

On our drive to Sleeping Bear, I read, as per tradition, all the entries in our Michigan books about what we were about to see and experience, so when we arrived in the parking lot of the "Climbing Dune," we were prepared for the unusual site of a lot full of cars set against a massive wall of sand that appears, at first, covered with ants.  As you get closer, of course, you realize they are people slowly making their way up the dune.  While Dana was initially annoyed that we had to pay a $10 entrance fee for the National park;lake shore, since I didn't have our annual park pass with me (must have left it at home with the passports! ;P ), I reminded him that he had just recently forked over $40 to sit on the porch of a hotel, and he happily dropped the subject.

Dana knew immediately that this was a job best accomplished barefoot, so he took off his sandals and hit the sand.  The rest of us, donned in the sneakers I had suggested were requisite for hiking, soon realized we had to follow Dana's lead, take off our sand filled shoes and socks and forge on.  The dune is a hoot, as all of the many inclines I have done on the treadmill at Orange Theory barely prepared me for walking up a steep slope of sand.  Regardless of the fitness level of the many people of all ages all around us, the effort of sinking into the sand upon each step upward clearly took its toll.  You heard children bemoaning why they had to climb any further when all the really wanted to do was roll down (which plenty did), while one incredibly young and fit couple near me kept encouraging each other that "it's much easier if you take small steps."  I suggested to Daniel that we try this tip, but we didn't find it made much of a difference.  When you make it to the "top" (there are several tops, actually, as the dune continues in a few different directions, one of which Daniel explored and reported offered "NOTHING" in terms of better views), you have a stunning view of Glen Lakes (one less deep, and, therefore, less blue, than the other) and a wonderful perspective on the climbers now struggling to accomplish what you just did.  The day was clear and sunny and the wind, thankfully, at a minimum, so we were able to enjoy our perch atop the dune for as long as we wished (which was until hunger kicked in) before making the far more fun trek down.

The park literature suggests that no first time trip to this area is complete without doing three things:  climbing the dune (check!!), exploring historic Glen Haven and taking the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.  So we headed to Glen Have for lunch at a wonderful little place called The Cherry Republic.  Since Michigan is famous for cherries and Traverse City hosts the annual cherry festival, it's only natural that some restaurant would adopt this concept - everything, from the iced tea to the burger to the grilled cheese - contains cherries in some manner or another.   While Daniel was initially skeptical that this would be the "worst meal of our vacation" (as he proclaimed he was decidedly not a fan of the cherry), he soon changed his tune and asked for a refill of his cherry cola after eating every bite of his burger and a bit of his sister's grilled cheese.  The setting is lovely, outside in a shaded garden filled with flowers.  All was perfect until we were about to leave and a Yellow Jacket from one of those nearby flower beds landed on Maddie's neck.

Those of you who know Maddie well know that she fears nothing quite so much as she fears bees.  We used to have to coax her out of the house to go swimming if she saw one anywhere in the vicinity of the pool.  So she stood as still as a statue, waiting patiently for it to fly off.  When it didn't, I grabbed a napkin and cautiously scooped it off of her and into the nearby garbage can.  Disaster averted, though Maddie continued to relive the trauma for the next 20 minutes or so. ;)

After lunch in charming Glen Haven, nestled against Lake Glen and bustling with all sorts of activity - kayaks to rent, ice cream to eat, and so forth - we hit the road for our scenic drive.  Pierce Stocking loved this place so much that he wanted everyone to be able to access the beautiful views, regardless of their health and ability to climb a dune, so he built this road and stuck his name on it.  When he wanted a pretty photo spot, he created the bridge in the photo below, which was the first one of its kind.  Now all the National Parks have some such structure bearing the National Park logo.  Pretty good thinking for a former lumberjack in Michigan.  The drive did afford spectacular views, though by our last stop - for the best vantage point of Lake Michigan (and, for some intrepid swimmers, an entry point into the lake itself) - the wind had kicked up just enough that we had to guard our eyes from the sand flying everywhere.  Safely out of the lookout point, it was far more pleasant.

After our brief stint at Interlochen on our way back "home" to Traverse City, we checked into our new digs, a lovely little resort right on the bay and headed down to the "beach" for an hour relaxing to the sounds of lake waters gently rolling against the shore (a sound I am enjoying again as I write this morning's post from our balcony overlooking this lovely bay) before readying ourselves for the night's entertainment - a documentary called Breaking a Monster about a young band called Unlocking the Truth.  Since Daniel had seen them perform on The Colbert Show, he was more interested in this film than most of the few others we might have been able to see.  Since the director would be in attendance at this showing, and it was playing at the downtown State Theater, we were all enthusiastic we were able to score tickets.  The fact that the band would also be in attendance hadn't been reported in advance, so that was an extra treat.  Rolling Stone made this doc a top pick at an earlier film festival (it is currently on the festival circuit), and it's easy to see why.  The 13 year old boys are immensely talented and also quite likable, a fact that all the industry people who manage them within the film want to capitalize on.  We got on line just after 8 for our 9:00 film, so we got great seats, sitting in the row behind Malcolm, the lead singer and guitarist of the band, his father/tour manager, the film's director and the band's music producer, Johnny K.  It was just the sort of film festival experience one hopes to have, and we enjoyed every minute of it.  An added bonus - the band played a four song set after the film, so we got to see a movie and hear a concert!  We're TCFF enthusiasts :)

Now it's 8:21, the family has awakened, and it's time to settle on our last morning's activities before heading to Ann Arbor and Detroit for our next (and last) Michigan stops.  Will we hit a panel at the festival or rent a boat and go tooling around the Bay?   Hmmm.... at the moment, the lake sure does look (and sound) inviting.

In the name of keeping our sanity, we opted to enjoy the bay from the balcony, take in a charming breakfast spot (The Blue Heron 2) in the old city and do a bit of shopping before hitting the road.  TCFF merch in hand, we're checking out of Traverse City for now, but we hope to return for a future festival, as our little taste of this one was fantastic!