Our second day in Traverse City got off to a very leisurely start and we didn't set off on our tour until around 10.00 am. We drove to the Old Mission Peninsula, a headland that juts out into Grand Travers Bay.
Old Mission Peninsula
As it was cherry blossom season - Traverse City is the cherry capital of the country - all the cherry trees should have been in full bloom. Unfortunately, like at home, spring was later than usual. Only a few fields were blooming white and pink, but it was still nice to drive through the hilly landscape.
Old Mission - Mission Point lighthouse
At the northern end of Old Mission is the Mission Point Lighthouse (Further information about the lighthouse). Built in 1870, the lighthouse offers a fantastic view of the bay and the surrounding area. You can climb the lighthouse for USD 4 per person. A small but worthwhile investment. The owners are a very nice couple and were absolutely delighted with our little explorer. We signed a guest book with our name and country of origin and learnt that Germans were the second most foreign visitors last year after Canadians. On the way up, they had set up a small maritime museum. The view was amazing! The view over the beach and the bay was unique.
Right next to the lighthouse was a replica of one of America's first settlers' houses. Unfortunately, it was not open and we could only look in through the small windows. We could have learnt more history here, but unfortunately we weren't able to.
From this northernmost point of the Old Mission Peninsula, many hiking trails lead through the countryside. When our little treasure is older, we will go on more short hikes with him, just like we used to do in the USA. There are plenty of birds and squirrels to watch. There are also great sandy beaches on Lake Michigan, which our son only wanted to leave with a lot of pleading and begging.
Back to Traverse City
On the way back to Traverse City, we stopped at a few small beaches and harbours to enjoy the beautiful and peaceful view of Lake Michigan. As we were invited to a friend's house in the afternoon, we had a bottle of wine from our home region in our luggage as a small souvenir. We picked a few more harbingers of spring in a self-picking meadow.
We then drove further north from the Old Mission Peninsula. Our friends have a house right on Lake Michigan. We spent a wonderful afternoon and evening on the beach with lots of nature, delicious burgers, cherry pies and ice cream. The best end to the day you can imagine!
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