Coastal Michigan Lighthouses

Crystal Lake near Frankfort, Michigan

Woke up at the R&R Motel in Frankfort, Michigan. How could we not stay in this town? Caroline is, after all, from Frankfurt. The first stop was to race up the 6 miles to the Point Betsie Lighthouse for sunrise, but the view over Crystal Lake was so compelling that we pulled over to walk down the lakeshore.

Lake Michigan near Frankfort, Michigan

With the sun yet to strike Lake Michigan, the hues of turquoise water meeting the still-gray sky were powerful enough to distract me from our objective. Regarding the birds, I can’t be certain as I write this, but it appears those birds are magnificent frigatebirds that technically shouldn’t have been in this area, but it’s not impossible that they were here either.

Point Betsie Lighthouse near Frankfort, Michigan on Lake Michigan

Under clearing blue skies, the day is starting off perfectly. Catching these first rays of sunlight on the Point Betsie Lighthouse has it appearing that our timing couldn’t have been better.

Frankfort North Pier Lighthouse in Frankfort, Michigan

Back in town, we stopped at the Crescent Bakery for breakfast, which is within easy walking distance of the Frankfort North Pier Lighthouse. If the day were to stop right here, neither Caroline nor I would have anything to complain about, but as is the story of our travels, we were hardly done.

Betsie Lake in Frankfort, Michigan

With our sights set on the Elkhart, Indiana, area for later today, we only have a brief 235 miles of driving, so going slow is absolutely in the cards. Good thing because just getting out of Frankfort is proving difficult; look at the scenery here at Betsie Lake, and you should understand the dilemma.

Betsie Lake in Frankfort, Michigan

No, Caroline, we are not going to spend the whole day with me trying to photograph the most perfect grass growing out of a shallow lake, reflected in those waters, with some fall colors showing up in the background; I’ve almost got it…

Inspiration Point in Arcadia, Michigan

Jeez, had we gotten stuck there at Betsie Lake, we’d never have made it down here to Inspiration Point in Arcadia, where we found…you knew this was coming, INSPIRATION!

Somewhere on Route 22 in western Michigan

I’m checking myself as to what is truly inspiring: a platform above the lake or this giant legless bigfoot (obviously footless, too) that is made of hay bales.

Somewhere on Route 22 in western Michigan

For my 60th birthday, I’ll compile a dozen of my favorite red barns found across the United States to roll out a 2023 calendar, but this would mean I’d have to bump my calendar of favorite abandoned homes for 2023; good thing I have time to figure this out.

Fish Tale Cafe in Onekama, Michigan

Okay, that last paragraph was a fish tale, as I have no plans for my 60th, aside from growing older, but we are seriously at the Fish Tale Cafe in Onekama, Michigan.

Fish Tale Cafe in Onekama, Michigan

Who would have ever guessed that I’d be able to claim I ate the biggest burger I’d had up to this point in my life here at the Fish Tale Cafe? Which already implies I’m making this up, but look for yourself. Do you think I shared this with Caroline? She’s a vegetarian and is having a grilled cheese and bowl of veggie soup across from me. With all this driving and raw nature, I need to keep my protein levels high.

Manistee, Michigan

Here we are in Manistee, a truly beautiful town, and all I’m posting is this stairwell. Well, it’s like this: I took a couple of dozen photos of my favorite corners but not one of them is worthy to represent here, but these lines, colors, and lighting have aesthetic qualities that I find appealing.

Manistee, Michigan

There were also these leaves in town, so Manistee also has natural beauty and not just architectural relevance.

Manistee, Michigan

Still in Manistee and now hanging out with some monarch butterflies, as one can only handle so many leaves and lighthouses.

St Joseph North Pier Inner Lighthouse in St. Joseph, Michigan

Oops, spoke too soon as here we are further down the road and angling for a shot of the St Joseph North Pier Inner Lighthouse as seen from Silver Beach.

Caroline Wise at Lion Park Beach in St. Joseph, Michigan

I don’t want to say this is a frisky look from my wife, but I don’t know how else to characterize it. The pelican she’s riding was found at Lions Park Beach which was also where we found someone’s cellphone, which we took to a local police station. As for Mr. Springy Pelican, he came back to Arizona with us.

Lion Park Beach in St. Joseph, Michigan

This morning, the color scheme was turquoise and gray; this evening, it is silver and blue, topped with a fat layer of orange. I’d guess that in a few months, everything will be bathed in winter white and gray, cold and ice, and those things that made this visit so enchanting will be dormant until spring rolls back around.

Lion Park Beach in St. Joseph, Michigan

And here I thought that truly spectacular sunsets were restricted to the desert southwest; I was wrong.

Lion Park Beach in St. Joseph, Michigan

And what the heck is this deviltry? I’d have to guess that it’s the evil of California emitting the flames of hell, which helps explain why so many people in the middle of America hate that state. Come to think about it, Arnold Schwarzenegger is the current governor; maybe he’s over there filming a new sequel to the Terminator series?

Lion Park Beach in St. Joseph, Michigan

After all the sunset action that two people could handle, we left Lake Michigan and headed for Indiana, grabbing a room on the state line in South Bend. Our goal was to sleep in Elkhart, but for one reason or another, we weren’t able to find a place.

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