If you all follow us on instagram you may have seen many our adventures from this weekend, but I just had to share more on the blog today. It’s Wednesday and we need to be reminded why weekends are kind of the best, don’t we?
Living in Traverse City means that your 4th of July is always going to be hectic. There is the normal 4th of July celebrators and then there are the Cherry Festival tourists that come as well. It was possibly the busiest year in Traverse City I have seen in the 5 years we have lived here. Though I am always incredibly thankful for this crazy influx of tourists because in one weekend they can buy enough for some little shops to make it all year. However, I avoid the downtown as much as possible during those times, mostly for my own sanity. This means that since we live on the west side of Traverse at the base of Leelanau we stick to The County (local term for Leelanau County). Things are much more natural, slightly quieter, and much more like our own slice of heaven especially when Traverse City is so busy. This means we find the most remote hiking trails, we go sailing, we travel down dusty back roads, we go to a secret beach, we drink beer on Lake Michigan, and we sneak into the cherry fields to grab a handful of fresh pick cherries.
This weekend we finally got back out on the sailboat. Mike was better so we finally could get back out again. There is something about that open water and how it sounds and feels. I love a good motor boat ride, but there is nothing like sailing.
My dad was a champion sailboat racer, but we didn’t have a boat when I was growing up so I have only learned how to sail in the last 2 years. Though our boat is only 21 feet it is the perfect boat for quiet afternoons tacking across Suttons Bay. I love the feeling of moving with the wind, watching the waves, and almost being a part of the water.
Of course you cannot go sailing without a good beer or local cider. We took it upon ourselves to sail almost every evening to “properly celebrate” America. We took it easy and had a few drinks and dinner on the boat each evening. We felt this was the best way to welcome Summer in the most proper way.
When we were not sailing we spent the warm days hiking. We would find the highest places and search out the greatest views. We took in the shores of Lake Michigan in all its glory. No matter how many times you see those beaches and shore lines they never get old. They are always just as beautiful as the last time and I hope that never changes.
After long hikes we would get lost down dirt roads and I finally got brave enough to jump out of the car and wander into a cherry orchard…probably illegally, but our farmer friends can understand ;). The cherries are just reaching perfection now and goodness are they beautiful. For the last few Summers we had terrible crops here due to the drastic temperature changes in the Spring. This year we have had the perfect gradual warm up and the fruit trees and bushes couldn’t be happier and neither can we. Such a shame to have all this fruit coming in, isn’t it? 😉
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend as well. Make sure to watch our instagrams (Mike and Megan) for more photos of our adventures. We love capturing our every day adventures.
