Sleeping Bear and Beignets

I've been debating the best way to go about blogging our vacation. I hate to be one of those people that does multi-part posts that drag out over days and days, but after perusing the 84567870ish pictures we took...I'm afraid that's exactly what's about to happen. So I'm going to do it in three parts and try to keep the pictures to a reasonable (ha!) number. But you know what, that's what this blog is for -memory keeping.

So, we spent four days in northern Michigan exploring Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes.  It's an amazingly beautiful part of our country and we are so lucky to have it relatively close by. We left early Friday morning and were pulling up to our hotel in Traverse City by the afternoon. We dropped our bags and headed straight to the beach to dip our toes in beautiful Lake Michigan. The water was crystal clear and surprisingly warm. You could wade in up to your waist and still see your feet clear through to the bottom. It was so sandy and blue, I had to keep reminding myself this wasn't the ocean.

We had our first of many amazing meals at Don's that first night, 

marking the beginning of our four day long gastronomical adventure. 

And let me tell you, they know food in Northern Michigan.

Oh, do they ever.

Don's signature cherry shake

after dinner we set off to explore downtown Traverse City

I had my first ever yarn bombing sighting and stumbled upon the 

place we would end up visiting daily after this, Kilwins.

Homemade candy, ice cream, lemonade, caramel apples...

you name it, they make it. It was pretty much Josh's mecca.

The next morning we made the best decision of the entire trip 

(possibly our entire lives) and had breakfast at Patisserie Amie. 

It was there we tasted the best wafflesfrenchtoasteggsbenedictcrepesmochasetcetctetc 

that have ever existed in the history of 

wafflesfrenchtoasteggsbenedictcrepesmochasetcetctetc. 

The whip cream was served by the mountainful. 

The french toast was pretty much deep fried. 

And did I mention there were beignets?  

It honestly brings tears to my eyes thinking about how this

 place is out there,  just carrying on, business as usual without me.

It's almost too much to bear.

(Quick side story: So, Saturday morning when we were there having 

breakfast we noticed some life altering looking creme fraiche scones 

at the bakery counter. Unfortunately, after consuming a mocha and 

french toast and beignets there was just no way I could eat another bite.

 I know, I know, what was my deal? 

So we decided to come back for breakfast again another morning, 

because, duh. And I figured I'd just try one then. 

Well, of course I probably don't even need to tell you where this story 

is headed - the next morning we went in, they were sold out of scones. 

OF COURSE THEY WERE.

And so it was to go down as one of my greatest life regrets. 

I shall mourn those scones for eternity.)

*****

After the world's most amazing breakfast in the history of man kind 

it was finally time to see what we came all this way to see - the dunes!

they are epic

and massive, and amazing, and drop dead gorgeous

can you even believe this is Michigan?

even more of this beauty coming your way...stay tuned!