Michigan
Welcome to the Great Lakes state, and also my home state. I grew up in Michigan with its humid lake-side summers, endless frigid winters, and perfect fleeting falls. In total, I’ve spent over 20 years getting to know these two peninsulas.
For so long, all I wanted was to get out of Michigan – and at age 17 I moved away. But the old trope about absence and the heart … it’s true! I missed Michigan as soon as I left, and would babble to anyone who’d listen about our sand dunes, our fudge, our dense forests, our comeback city, and our wonderful lakes.
“Our lakes are like the ocean,” I told Dan, when we first met in England. “You stand on the sand and look out, and they just don’t end.” A few months later, I convinced him to visit Michigan himself and, standing at the bottom of Sleeping Bear Dunes, he had to agree.
I moved back to Michigan in 2018 and it has been my home base to explore the world since then. When I’m not off on my travels, I love exploring Michigan and sharing my finds here on Endless Distances.
Check out Sleeping Bear Dunes!
My Michigan bucket list!
“Home of the water, Canada’s daughter / Cradled in a crescent moon grin / Michigan and again and again and again and again”
-The Accidentals
So You’re Considering Traveling in Michigan?
Our tourism board has famously coined the phrase “Pure Michigan,” and for good reason. This is a state for nature lovers (but the more cosmopolitan will find their hearts in Detroit, Grand Rapids, or even Lansing). It’s easiest to travel Michigan by car, but you can also arrive by train, or our international airport in Detroit.
Spend some time in Detroit and have your misconceptions about this city proven wrong, then head “up north” (as the locals like myself call it). Some of my favorite spots include kayaking to Turnip Rock, winding your way along Lake Michigan’s shore, and wine tasting and surfing around Traverse City. Pop over to Mackinac Island – which will make you feel like you went back in time – and then take the bridge to the Upper Peninsula, where you can dogsled in winter or explore Pictured Rocks Lakeshore in summer.
