Day 21: Active Boys at Sleeping Bear Dunes

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was our destination today. We started with a 3-mile hike through the forest and sand dunes, ending at a beautiful spot on Lake Michigan. The question was “shoes or no shoes,” but the hot sand quickly ended that debate, so we opted to hike in very sandy shoes.

There was a “ghost forest” where the sand dunes had smoothered a forest and then moved on leaving just the trunks of trees.

After the hike, Rob found the perfect lunch spot at the beach, where Kelly searched more for a Petoskey Stones, the boys dug in the sand, and Rob relaxed. We all wish we’d brought our swimsuits; lake Michigan was calling to us. A girl on the blanket next to us found a tennis sized Petoskey Stone, and her mom said it was the largest they have ever found in 25 years of looking. We all got to hold it, but never found one of our own.

Once home the boys wanted to go on the lake inflatables again and begged Rob to join them. Nicholas even played in the park’s evening dodgeball event from 8-9pm. Cooper’s age group was from 9-10pm, so we skipped that. We struggle balancing letting them stay up late, giving us solo time for planning, and not starting the next day too late.

The kids kept reminding us how awesome this campground is.

More RV projects! The last two times we have opened the slide, a new screw has appeared on the floor. We went searching tonight and found where one goes, but also found an “extra” sink collar and a screw. We haven’t figured out where this is supposed to go, but the leading theory is that this is something extra that was just left in the RV when it was built.