Quick Traverse City Trip!

 Last weekend, Gil and I headed up north to Traverse City with our friends, Jon & Tina. We got up there super late on Friday and headed to a cute little place called Brew for some martinis. On Saturday, we headed to the Leelanau Peninsula for some wine tasting.

We made a quick, impromptu stop by Sleeping Bear Dunes. It was windy and cold and rained on and off all day. But still so beautiful, of course!

We were gonna stop by the Cheese Shanty in Leland for lunch, but didn't really think about where we'd eat our sandwiches. Way too cold and rainy to eat outside! We ended up eating in Glen Arbor instead.

Leland

Raining across the lake

Tina making the trek in heels...haha trooper!

 Sunday we watched the Lions lose in overtime at the Jolly pumpkin on Old Mission Peninsula. We also hit two of the wineries beforehand, 2 Lads and Chateau Chantal. Love 2 Lads, one of my favorite views! We drove back home after the game was done.

And when we got home, there was some produce waiting to be picked in the garden! Fun, quick weekend! Oh, how I love Northern Michigan!!

Day 1: Sleeping Bear Dunes

Last year we stayed at Grand Beach Resort during our Traverse City trip. It was okay. One of the perks is that it's right on the water with a nice little beach. The room was so-so and we didn't get a waterview because we booked too late. So this year we decided to save a little money in TC since we were staying on Mackinac Island (which is a little pricey) and stayed at the Hampton Inn instead. Downside, it is not on the water but it is directly across from the public beach. The room was nicer than at Grand Beach, although pretty small.

Our first day we headed over to Sleeping Bear Dunes. We spent the day hiking around. Last year we did the Alligator Trail and this year we did the Bay View hiking trail. We had lunch in Glen Arbor and then headed over to the dune climb and the scenic drive.

We got out to do a dune hiking trail during the scenic drive, which was pretty strenuous. When we got done, we were pretty sure we had gone two or three miles but it turned out to be only 1.5. Our legs were burning from walking in the sand and from going up hills.

That night, we headed to Jolly Pumpkin on Old Mission Peninsula for dinner. I really like that place! I had an awesome dish of summer squash "linguine" with charred tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and a side of asparagus. It was delish!

Day 2: Sleeping Bear Dunes

On Monday we spent the day at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. It was Gorgeous! We started out the day by driving the Scenic Road and stopping to take pictures along the way. There were some amazing lookouts along the way. It was soo windy- as evidenced by my hairdo.

The water was sooo blue. The views were unbelievable.
















I was worried that we were going to have a couple of rainy days but the weather was amazing the whole week.

We hiked the Alligator Hill Trail all day and then went to a cute beach in Glen Haven.

The water was crystal clear. Our friends Matt and Erin were with us at the beach and there was a small mishap when Matt's wedding ring slipped off in the water. Luckily because the water was so clear that he was able to find it.

For dinner, we went to the North Peak Brewing Company in TC. Check it out if you like local breweries like we do!