Whitelake

We finally made it to Whitelake, Michigan. Many of Liz's relatives come up during the summer to there four family cottages. Whitelake is a big boating community.

This is Liz's parent's cottage. It's hard to see through all the foliage, but its a great two story house right on the lake. This whole area is crawling with wild life. Infact, when Liz and I pulled up in the driveway, there were several deer frozen in our headlights.

The stairway down to the house from the driveway descends 20 to 25 feet, so there's an electronic trolley that you can take from the driveway to the house. I guess bypassing the stairs could be considered lazy, but it's great if you've packed like you're going on a month long road trip.

We decided to take out the small fishing boat for a quick trip around Whitelake. Liz's stepfather, Garvie, asked me if I knew how to drive the boat and I assured him, yes, yes, I know how to drive the boat... Ten minutes later we're floating 50 feet from the shore. I'm feverishly pushing buttons and pulling levers trying to start the boat, as Liz's mother and stepfather watch silently from the upstairs window. Finally, we had to paddle ourselves back to shore for a quick boating lesson.

I took the first shift boating. Liz was nice enough to take this wonderful picture of me imitating a fat Hatian boating to freedom. This may, infact, be the worst picture I've ever been in.

When we were far enough out, Liz decided that she wanted to drive. We precariously switched positions on the boat, which was an adventure in itself. Liz took the wheel (well, I guess its more of a lever) and sped us around the lake.

The next day we decided to take a walk along the shore of Lake Michigan. I was floored when I first saw it. That is one BIG lake, it really does look like the ocean.

Liz and I took a walk down the beach, but the whole way was covered with dead fish. Every few years, for a week or two, the fish beach themselves for no apparent reason.

These little stumps sticking out of the sand are actually old beach walls used for preventing beach erosion. Liz tells me that 10 or 15 years ago they rose 6 feet above the shore in some areas. Now they are almost completely covered. I guess they're doing their job.

This concrete pier lines the channel that connects Whitelake to Lake Michigan. Some very nice boats come through this channel.

Practically the whole time we were at Whitelake, the weather was overcast and rainy. This made Lake Michigan very choppy. The waves kept trying to jump the walls and get us.

As we were coming back up the pier, Liz showed me the Whitelake lighthouse. The lighthouse can't be more that two stories high. Even the trees around it are taller than it is.

This is how we spent a lot of our time in Michigan. Liz had told me how relaxing the cottage was, but I don't think she intended us to be rained out the whole time.

After a few days in Michigan, we packed up and got ready to head to Chicago. We made sure to get our customary, last minute group photos. This is Liz and her mother in front of Whitelake.

This is Liz's mother and stepfather, Garvie, in front of the cottage.

Finally, we headed out toward Chicago. We decided to make this the last stop on our trip since we'd been gone for almost an entire month.