Loving Lately: Our Annual Fall Drive

It’s official, because now we’ve gone two years in a row. We turn off the DVD player, take away electronics, set the phones down and tell the kids to look out the window. We spend almost the whole day explaining that the journey is the destination. The venture promised to bring donuts and apple cider, which we probably shouldn’t have mentioned early on… because for the duration the question du jour was “How long ’til we’re at the donuts?”

The day was gray and blustery, a perfect environment to be warm inside the car. It set a dramatic tone for the drive, adding an extra element of excitement. (This is what I am.) Our first stop, before heading out, was lakeside. The waves were really crashing, and one can’t help but get caught up with enthusiasm.

And I’ll tell you something else. I could never get tired at looking at the tall seaside grasses blowing in the wind. Any season. Monet had his lily pads. I should have a gallery dedicated to grasses.

After a hearty breakfast we continued north, to try and catch more of the color change. We had no place we had to be, the world was our oyster. Since we weren’t getting off the beaten path, this translates into stopping at those scenic views advertised along the highway. I love those nostalgic bella vistas! (And the kids don’t have a choice.)

We eventually did make it up through the Leelanau Peninsula, which is one of my favorite places in the whole world. And it was a lovely blend of still green trees with bursts of those that peaked early. It was really beautiful. To give you an idea, a friend of mine captured this shot at Thumb Lake, not too far away, last week with his drone.

Being that we couldn’t hold the kids off any longer we did find a picturesque road side stand, Farmer White’s in Williamsburg.

Farmer White’s served excellent fresh cider, which I confess I really enjoyed. But most importantly, they served donuts.

It was a nice stop, and it hit the spot. However, we still had daylight and open road. We continued further north and met some of our friends from Petoskey at another roadside gem, Friske’s Orchards in Ellsworth, Michigan. The orchard was huge and offered a lot of entertainment for the kids; such as, tractor rides, a corn maze, tetherball, and a playground; which is awesome; because kids that sit in the car for hours have some energy to burn. A successful color tour if I do say so myself.