Catching Up, Pt 2

     June 12 - our first official summer Wednesday together and our 27th wedding anniversary. The previous Wednesday, when Drew reached into the bowl to pull out the slip of paper announcing where we'd be spending this first Wednesday of summer break, Saint Joseph, Michigan was our destination. It seemed fitting as this was the place we went for our first #wackywednesdaywanderings. We filled the gas tank, grabbed drinks for the drive and headed out of town.
     Our first summer of traveling, we decided it was worth investing in the annual parking pass for Berrien County Parks. For just $35, you can get into any park in Berrien County. With the entrance fee at Silver Beach being $12 per day, it pays for itself with the first three visits. We usually get those in before summer break even starts. We went straight to the beach when we arrived in town. We usually park in the lot to the right of the entrance as it's right across from the bathroom buildings. Families with young children might prefer the parking lot to the left as there is a nice big playground for children between the parking lot and the beach. But we're getting old so parking in close proximity to the bathrooms is always a good thing. ☺

Silver Beach viewed from bluff

Plenty of spots for Drew to sit

     I will never pass up a chance to stick my toes in the sand and water. So I walk the beach while Drew sits and takes photos. I'm always a little surprised when he shares his photos with me and has a few of me slipped in there. One thing we like about Silver Beach is the abundance of benches where Drew can sit and still have a great view of the lake. There are benches along the edge of the beach, up on the bluff overlooking the beach and lake as well as some along the channel where the boats come in and out. The beach is always kept clean and the sand is well maintained.

The beach is always clean!

     After we had spent some time on the beach and I had walked the pier, we drove up into town. If you're up for walking to town, there is also a set of steps at the end of the entrance drive as well as a ramp that goes behind Silver Beach Pizza. (We've walked to town from the beach before and it's not bad. Drew's legs just aren't up to it anymore.) One of our favorite places to eat in Saint Joseph is The Buck Burgers & Brew at 412 State St. The food is great, the staff is very friendly and if you leave hungry, it's your own fault. Check them out! After lunch, we walked the few blocks in town and visited some of the little shops. They're                                                                     always fun to browse through.

     Following our walk, we decided to drive north along the coast and see what other lake views we could find. We sometimes go to Tiscornia Park which is just north of the bridge over the channel. This time we decided to find a new spot. A little north of that is a small county park called Rocky Gap There is a nice bench area just off the parking lot. After walking down a long ramp, I arrived on the beach. There were only a few people there that day. It's not a very large beach so that was a good thing. While I had a great view of the lake and could even see the lighthouses at Silver Beach, the beach wasn't nearly as easy to walk on as some other beaches. It seemed to be more cluttered with stones and sticks than I would have anticipated. One area of the beach even left my feet coated with a purple-ish sand that seemed to attract biting flies. So we didn't spend much time there. We continued our drive up the shore.
     We realized we were close to South Haven, Michigan and decided we'd go there (which was one of the places in our bowl but it was worth coming up with another place since we were just a short drive away at that point.) Honestly, my only complaint there is the parking. As you drive to the beach, there are many spots with parking meters. However, there are no signs saying how much it is to park there. When you get into the parking lot right next to the beach, you use an ATM-style machine to pay for parking. You have to indicate what spot you're in and can't move from that spot. That means once you're there, you can't leave. So, don't plan to spend the day unless you're bringing food with you as there weren't any concessions. But, I must say the beach is beautiful, the sand is very well maintained and the pier was nicely kept. I was able to walk all the way out the pier to the lovely red lighthouse. There were benches for Drew to sit on and picnic tables are also available along the beach. It was well worth the drive but not the $10 parking fee to only be there for a short time. But to see another lighthouse and visit another beach, it was ok. Next time we'll just plan to stay longer to get our money's worth.

     By the time we finished taking some photos (and I stuck my feet in the sand and water), we decided it was time to head home. One of our favorite things to do it drive the general direction we need to go to get home and then say, "Siri, how do I get home from here?" GPS then takes us down whatever roads we need to that will get us home. We knew we needed to head east to get towards the middle of Michigan. We headed that way and then asked Siri for directions. "She" took us down some beautiful country roads where we were able to see lots of beautiful scenery. We ended up in Edwardsburg, Michigan at Maple Cafe to get some supper before heading home for the night. It's a small place but they have great food! We weren't at all sorry we stopped.
     It was a big day of travel, lots of time out in the sun, many more laughs than we can keep track of, lots of photos and tons of fun! What a special way to celebrate our 27th anniversary.