We can’t resist spending a night and taking a hike in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Our annual park pass gets us in, and it’s not far off our route. The D.H. Day campground is really pleasant except for one thing we couldn’t have predicted: squirrel bombardiers. The squirrels are harvesting acorns, and they seem to take some glee in knocking them down onto our camper. The thuds continue sporadically all night, with a spectacular finale with dozens of hits in the early morning. I can’t resist climbing onto the camper and throwing some acorns back at a squirrel, who just stays put and laughs at my poor aim: idgee-idge-idge-ge-ge-ge-ge–e-e-e-e-e-e-e.

The Dune Climb is a trail from the inland lakes over the dunes to Lake Michigan. It starts with a great view of Glen Lake.

Glen Lake

A dune or two beyond that, you get a peek at Lake Michigan.

First view of Lake Michigan

The final reward is a perfect sandy beach.

Lake Michigan Beach

Multi-hued waves crash with the Manitou islands in the background.

Lake Michigan Shore

From here we head for my artist uncle’s house in the woods. One of my favorite places, unlike any other.