September 17, 2014. Michigan fun

CAMPGROUND:  Day 2 at Platte River Campground at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore

LOCATION:  Near Traverse City, MI

WEATHER:  Cool and sunny. Perfect fall day.  Highs near 60.

We shared a pancake breakfast with Tony and Jenny, and hit the road to explore the area.  After trial and error, we finally found the hiking trail we were searching for.  Before we could start, George and Tony had to perform the Walking Stick Exchange ritual.

George and Tony had accidentally picked up each other's walking stick when we were last together in British Columbia.  So this morning, each got his own back.

We then headed to a Traverse City, home of 12 microbreweries.  We had a great lunch at the Workshop Brewery, then sampled other beers at the Rare Bird Brewery.  

From there, we took a scenic drive on the Mission Peninsula.  It is very narrow, so we had views of the bays on both sides.  We stopped at an apple orchard, then a winery.

There are about 25 wineries on this slit of land.  Just beautiful countryside, with grapes growing, and trees starting to turn.

Back at the campground, it was our turn to cook. We grilled brats that we had bought at a wurst shop when we visited Frankenmuth a few days ago.  We had some German sauerkraut on the side, with sautéed vegetables.  Great evening!