Despite the cold and rain

J and I went up to Hagar Shores on Saturday. He drove and I rode my bike since he had to be back to work the next day and I was planning on continuing up the lake shore with a stop in Saugatuck and Manistee to camp at Orchard Beach. As soon as we got to Hagar Shores and lugged our chairs and picnic down the dune to the beach, the wind picked up the sky darkened and it started to spritz. We didn't want to get caught in a downpour, so we lugged it all back up the hill again and ate in the car. It wasn't the most auspicious start to our time away, but it was still fun because we are just fun together. We rode up to Van Buren State Park just north of South Haven and pitched our tent and then headed down to check out the beach. The sun was shining beautifully and the wind and the waves were so soothing I fell asleep in my beach chair. J woke me and said we should head up to the tent since the sun was starting to go down and it was getting chilly. We fixed hobo pies on my miniature grill and after we ate, we headed back down to the beach for a very romantic moonlight walk. I imagine the sands of Lake Michigan have seen a whole lot of loving. The waves and the wind make the perfect setting for romance.

We headed into South Haven in the morning to find a little cafe to share breakfast, but since it was a Sunday morning, nothing was open yet and J had to get on the road in order to be back in time for work. It was tough to let him go, we'd had such a lovely time together. As soon as he left, I hit the trails. I must have hiked a hundred miles and covered every inch of the trails at Van Buren and the length of the beach many times. I had to keep moving in order to keep from feeling lonely for Jay. It was so beautiful, but by the next day all that beautiful weather was only a distant memory. The temperature dropped 20 degrees and it rained all night. I thought it would rain itself out, but it just kept right on raining till late the next morning. I was content to stay in my tent and munch trail mix and read. I pretty much abandoned the idea of continuing up the lake shore after checking with the park office for a weather report. The farther north you went the colder it got and there was no guarantee it wasn't rainy there too.

I rode into South Haven each day and while I was there, I discovered a couple of really wonderful stores. One of them was a relatively new book store called Black River Books owned and managed by a retired couple from Saugatuck. The owner's first name was Dick and we had a pleasant conversation while I shopped. He even allowed me to plug in my camera battery for a recharge. He was familiar with Fort Wayne and even knew Sam and Julia from Hyde Bros. I got to tell him how I met Jay there. He was lonely too, since his wife was out of town and due back in a couple of days. The other store was a lovely little jewelry store called the Perfect Setting. For some strange reason I forgot to take a picture of it. The building was miniature and really cute, but it was so small that I can't imagine going to work there every day without becoming claustrophobic. A lot of their merchandise was hand made by the proprietor and his daughter and they'd been there in business for 22 years. Despite the rain and the cold and the fact that all I did was dip my toes in Lake Michigan it was still a lovely trip and I hope to make it back to Michigan soon.