Point Betsie and Drive to Cherry Festival
I was up early, made a quick breakfast, packed up, and hit the road by 8:30 a.m. — all in the name of cherries. My next destination was Traverse City for the famous Cherry Festival, but first, a supply run was in order. I stopped at a Meijer grocery store and did the usual dance of grabbing things I needed… and plenty I didn’t. Somehow, there’s always one oddball item that finds its way into my cart. The store layout was unfamiliar, so it took longer than usual — ninety minutes wandering the aisles searching for things they didn’t even have.
After leaving Meijer, I noticed a nearby casino offering cheap gas. Seemed like a good stop, so I filled up. Funny enough, the pump display was a jumble of ads: flashy casino promotions encouraging you to come in and win big, followed immediately by sober reminders from the state about problem gambling hotlines. A strange mix.
I made it to Point Betsie Lighthouse before noon and couldn’t have asked for a better spot to spend a few hours. I walked the beach for what felt like forever, camera in hand, trying to catch every angle of the lighthouse and shoreline.
The water was crystal clear, shifting in beautiful layers of turquoise, emerald, navy, and pale blue as far as I could see. With hardly any clouds, the sky was a blank canvas, making the colors pop even more. I played around with some time exposures, setting up my tripod to capture waves crashing against the concrete walls — the rhythmic pounding, the spray in the air, the moment frozen in a single frame. There’s something calming about watching water do its thing for hours.
The lighthouse itself stood watch over it all, weathered and solid, as if it knew it had the best view in Michigan.
Back at the van after two, I threw together some lunch and made a few phone calls before heading for Traverse City. Of course, traffic had its own plans — getting into town added an extra thirty minutes. Not surprising when there’s a festival involved.
Finding a place to stay was next on the list. Cracker Barrel was my first option, so I headed there and found the designated RV parking spots tucked away from the highway — promising a relatively quiet night.
On the way in, I noticed a Best Buy and made a quick detour to pick up a CF card reader and another external hard drive. I’ve learned the hard way that you can never have too many backups.
Before calling it a night, I squeezed in a 90-minute workout and a good shower at Planet Fitness. By 8:30 p.m., I was rolling into my quiet Cracker Barrel spot, ready to rest up for a day of cherries, crowds, and more wandering tomorrow.