Last time we tubed in Boulder Colorado it was terrifying and the water was freezing. This time, tubing in the Platte River near Honor, Mi, it was boring and the water was warm. I’d love something in between. We debated tubing vs. canoeing beforehand and the Platte River vs.Crystal River and ended up on a three hour very very slow float (it was supposed to be two hours) along a pretty narrow river that leads into Lake Michigan that was full of canoers, tubers, and kakakers. There was even one guy swimming or snorkeling, since he wore a face mask. Oh well. I do remember tubing on the Delaware River in Pennsylvania Years ago and it was a lot of fun – speedy but no sharp rocks and swirling gullies like in Boulder.
We had a picnic on windy Empire, Mi. beach – which also has a small inland lake South Bar Lake. We again chose Lake Michigan, where the beach was busier than north bar Lake but a sandy not rocky bottom and great waves and warm water. fun. Onto Laker Shakes, a gourmet market near Burdickville along Big Glen Lake that specializes in yes, milk shakes. I had some Hudsonville (michigan brand) double chocolate almond on a cone – the scoopers around here do not skimp on the scoops. This is the second ice cream stand we’ve visited in the area where the scoops are really more like three scoops. My mother would be pleased.
We had friends over for a cookout – very good homemade brats from IGA Anderson in Glen Arbor; fresh produce (tomatoes, corn, herbs, from a farm stand just north of Empire; smores at a fire we built with our neighbors on the beach. Nice.
TakeBetsywithyou 