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OMG! You seriously live in michigan?! And you like it here? LOL!!! //
warning, brace for thread derail, 
sorry guys!
Michigan has hit hard times, and if you want to have a GREAT vacation, while being patriotic and helping out a state in dire straights, come to Michigan and have a one-of-a-kind unforgettable vacation LIKE NO OTHER.
Whatever you love, Michigan has it.
Me? love Michigan???
YES, YES, i adore the sunset coast of Michigan, and truly am not lying, anyone reading this, with money to travel, should look into vacationing there. It's hard to beat, imo. Sorry, no really 'big' cities at all,
except at very bottom of coast, but, instead, the coast is fairly unmolested, you can EASILY have a beach to yourself, with no one in sight as far as you can see in either direction, (dogs adore this place)
and a waterline to the sunset. Looks like the ocean, waves, noisy waves even, one can sruf there in places, and dotted with lighthouses, seashells, sand, (but no jellyfish, no crabs, no sharks, no salt to sting your cut)
but yeah, there IS an undertow there.
this is The Dunes, and some beaches look like this:
and when you turn your back to the water, you can find areas where you see
only unmolested marshes, or woods, or sand hills------ not a strip mall selling tee-shirts.
This type of beach can be hard to find for some ppl who
do love such raw beauty.
and it is not "muggy-hot" very often on the beach, but, it can be, but one
can find lots and lots of days with
very pleasant temperatures, too.
some beaches are flat, like this:
One
can also find "party beaches" full of young ppl, or "family beaches" full of children, and lined with shoppes on the beach, and marinas full of yachts. Many kinds of beaches on that giant giant coastline.
then there's the dunes, so high we used to hangglide off of the tops of them, out over the water. Only fit ppl can get to the top, and it takes way longer than you'd think.
There is St Joe, and a few minutes further, Chicago, for ppl who want the bigger city, and i love both of those places too.
And instead of big cites (which ARE fun, whooot! i love 'em,
but, sometimes, nature is fun to spend time with) the sunset coast of MI is dotted with a few small, tiny towns, many of them sort of artsy-fartsy and quaint, full of marinas and fishing piers and museums and art stores, shoppes selling locally made items of all sorts, tiny pubs full of characters, and restaurants owned by same family for generations now.
What's not to love? WHAT A SUNSET, EH? the sun melts right down into the water....wow.
what a show!
An everchanging breathtaking bit of awe inspiring scenery...as far as one can see.
AND NO,--- one can NOT see the other side of Lake Michigan! All my old Cape Cod pals who come to visit me here, are always stunned, "But, but, it's a LAKE! where is
the other side? This looks like
the ocean!! what!?"
and within a super short drive or bike ride, or even a walk from the beach---- one can literally GET LOST (we've done it) in
giant expansive woodlands, like Manistee, how breathtaking is Manistee?
Wow, some of my most fun times have been groups of us all canoing together in Manistee, which, on a weekend, can be chockful of partying canoers, all having huge fun together.
and then there is the U.P., the Upper Peninsula, with it's gentle hills, waterfalls, the town of Marquette, that one island where there are no cars at all, Mackinaw,
as well as that entire top 1/3 of "The Mitten" that is Michigan, wow and wow, it's easy to find places where you feel you are THE first person to walk there ever.
AND YES, THERE ARE BEARS!!!
But, one can also find cabins to rent, and have a small lake to yourself almost. Outdoor ppl, skiers, fishers, hunters, hikers, snowmobilers, photographers, ppl raising kids, or dogs, all think it is heaven.
Maybe it's cuz i am a huge nature lover, but, i think Lake Michigan is a hard place to top.
what's not to love?
oh, and i lived in California for years, spent my youth there, and loved it there too!! It's often a little congested and expen$ive though, but, yes, some lovely stuff there. OH, i had some fun years there!!!
probably making every mistake in the world, too!
)
to the max, and i am in Manistee all the time, and often canoe there regularly....such a lovely area you live in. YOU LUCKY DOG YOU!!
