I woke up in Traverse City with an aim to explore the wineries in the area. I thought I would cycle around one of the peninsulas–which is why I brought my bike in the first place–but the day was rainy and the distances between wineries too far to make cycling enjoyable. Traverse City sits at the bottom of a V made up of two peninsulas jutting into Lake Michigan that have wineries along both. I got advice from the woman at the front desk to head toward Mission Point because there is a lighthouse at the top and the wineries along that peninsula are closer together–in the event I wanted to cycle in the rain.
It was clear very quickly that I was getting a head start on the wineries–a lot of places were not open. My first stop at Peninsula Cellars offered up a variety of ciders, which delighted me. However, they offered flights rather than tastings, which was a lot more alcohol than I had planned to drink. I settled into the garden with some reading material and my cell phone as I knew I needed some time to metabolize before I started driving again.
Once I felt I could responsibly drive, I headed up toward the Mission Point Lighthouse. The early drizzle was now turning to a heavier rain, but I wanted to dip my toes into Lake Michigan. So I wandered along the rainy beach. Soaked, I headed back down the peninsula. At this point, I needed some protein in my system, so I skipped a few wineries and finally landed on one that offered more cider and a whitefish dip and pretzel chips. I was able to catch up on email as I drank my way through more cider.
At this point, I looked into heading up to Harbor Springs for a bit before heading toward a friend in Holland, who was expecting me for dinner. If I wanted to get to Harbor Springs, I would have to cut across the middle of the mitten on interstates to get back rather than explore the Lake Michigan shore. I decided to take the slower route and make an effort to get back to the top of the mitten another year. I am not sure that was the right decision, as the rain did not let up all day, so it was difficult to find any beautiful views. I stopped for a snack at Frankfort, and the break in rain allowed me to walk along the shore a bit before heading further south toward Holland.
I arrived in Holland on time to meet a childhood friend and his wife for dinner at their favorite pub. My friend and I talked non-stop, catching up on the trip, their family, and their deep love for their adopted town. I did not think they had the time to hang out with me on my final day, but I was wrong. So I’ll explore the ins and outs of Holland for my next day’s report.