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Sunday, April 26, 2026

A hike to the lake

We had very nice weather for several days last week, so Bob and I went out for a hike to Lake Michigan. This was a hike on a dune which had lots and lots of stairs! But it was beautiful and the view of the lake when we got there was worth it.


It was a beautiful, sunny day.




The park has nice paths, and lots of stairs.






Here we are at the top of the dune - the walk goes across the narrow top with a fairly steep incline on both sides.







There were nice benches in several places to stop and rest.






Beautiful trees along the way, and even some new leaves starting to pop out.






We made it!  Look at this view, overlooking Lake Michigan.








All those stairs we climbed up, now we had to go back down.








Along the way, Bob spotted this stone, engraved with 'love' on one of the fence posts.






We saw wildflowers too, including these pretty little ones called "Dutchmans Breeches".






As we neared the end of the trail, Bob spotted another stone.  This one says 'courageous'.









After we finished, we stopped at a popular sandwich shop and split a grilled cheese and fries.  What a great way to spend a sunny morning!

28 comments:

Linda's Relaxing Lair said...

Dear Mari, your grilled cheese and fries that you shared looks delicious.
Your photos are absolutely stunning. What a beautiful place for a walk.
I like the encouraging stones as well.
Here in Montreal we are getting gorgeous weather and I have been out walking and taking photos as well.
Thank you so much for sharing.

Jenny the Pirate said...

OK I was all the way there with you until you split the GC and fries. NO WAY am I doing all that walking and not getting my own sandwich and French fries. Just not even negotiable. Hahahahaha only slightly kidding. You two are living, breathing examples of love and courage! xoxo 🏴‍☠️

Miss Merry said...

What a beautiful place to walk!

acorn hollow said...

What a lovely way to spend a beautiful day.
Cathy

Ginny Hartzler said...

The view of the blue water is so pretty. And I'm glad to see that the stairs have railings. The Dutchman's Breeches are so cool! I have never seen a real one.

Deb J. in Utah said...

Wow, that looks amazing! I am looking forward to visiting you sometime after retirement and seeing this beautiful part of the country! Have a great week!

Linda said...

That looked like a really nice day, Mari. Wishing you a beautiful Monday.

Susan said...

Looks like you had a nice hiking adventure! I bet it is pretty when the leaves grow back. I bet your lunch was great!

R's Rue said...

Looks like a great day.

Joyful in His Presence said...

What a beautiful area to walk...love the paths and stairs that are provided. And that view! Oh my goodness! Thank you for sharing your adventure with us, Friend. xx

Prims By The Water said...

That hike up the dune was well worth it. Spectacular pics of Lake Michigan. Glad you were able to show it to us. We took our kids to Sleeping Bear one time to climb the dunes there when they were little. They had fun. Janice

Lori said...

That looks like a gorgeous place to walk. The view at the top is spectacular. Your grilled cheese looks really good too but I'm not sure I'd share.

Terri D said...

That is an amazing view of the lake, indeed! Worth every step. I would be so thankful for the benches along the way!! Thanks for sharing your hike with us, and that grilled cheese looks yummy! I would ask for dill pickles on it, though! LOL xo

Martha Jane Orlando said...

What a splendid place for a walk, Mari. I loved that view of the lake, too, and I'm also a huge fan of grilled cheese sandwiches. Thanks for sharing your lovely day with us!

💐 Debby/My Shasta Home said...

It does look like a fun day with your husband. Isn't that nice? Spending a day out in beautiful nature and finishing it all up, with a shared grilled cheese sandwich! Life is good!

Kim Carberry said...

That looks and sounds like a wonderful hike. Perfect weather for it. Fantastic photos!

Catherine said...

What a nice walk and nice view! And the sandwich looks inviting! Have a nice week. ( I am waiting for my husband ‘s retirement to be able to walk and take breaks!)

photowannabe said...

Oh Boy ... what a glorious view and what a reward for climbing all those stairs. My knees would be crying by the time I made it back down again.
Love those Dutchman britches. So dainty and lovely.
Umm, yumm, I love grilled cheese sandwiches. The perfect ending to a beautiful day.
Sue

Lowcarb team member said...

A lovely hike and beautiful photographs.
I do like those stones ... love and courage.

All the best Jan

carrie@northwoods scrapbook said...

Hello my dear Mari! Playing catch up on our trip back from Hawaii. What a beautiful trail and I LOVED that view! It's so nice to see some sunny nicer days in our upcoming forecast. And the we came home from our trip to see the bay fully open and green grass! True signs of Spring. Blessings on your week ahead. May is almost here. yay!!

www.nancyaruegg.com said...

That view WAS worth the climbing of stairs, but I'm glad there were places to rest along the way. Thank you for taking us with you, Mari, via your photos!

Judy said...

Oh I do miss seeing Lake Michigan. This park looks like something we would love to visit, thanks for sharing your hike with us, your photos are pretty and the grilled cheese looks yummy!

Chatty Crone said...

Seriously - you are so lucky - blessed to live where you do. Wonderful.

16 blessings'mom said...

That looks like a beautiful hike, I am impressed, can't imagine doing all those stairs! The view at the top though, wow!

Jeanette said...

What a great place to take a walk! The view of Lake Michigan is gorgeous!

Jean said...

You go, girl!!! Doing all those steps!! Reminds me a lot of the time we hiked up Mount Tabor in Portland. Except your view at the top was a lot better. There it was a view of the city and a reservoir.

Kim said...

Oh my that's a lot of stairs!! The view was really worth it though. It reminds me of the hike up to Teddy Roosevelt's resting place. Tons of stairs, but the view at the top, of the water, is incredible! Lots of benches there, too...thank goodness!! Haha!!

Great-Granny Grandma said...

You take such great pictures. This looks like a lovely place with a spectacular view at the top, but I don't think I would be able to manage all those stairs. You and Bob are very blessed to be in such great shape.
I've never seen Dutchman's britches before, but I can see how those little wildflowers got their name. They really do look like britches.