tahquamenon falls | michigan's up (upper peninsula)

Let me start by saying LULU IS A SUPER CHIHUAHUA! We hiked 4 miles from Upper Falls to Lower Falls and she never slowed down! I was prepared to carry her, but no need. My little girl is no wimp! :)

Tahquamenon Falls State Park encompasses close to 52,000 acres stretching over 13 miles. Most of this is undeveloped woodland without roads, buildings or power lines. Centerpiece of the park, and the very reason for its existence, is the Tahquamenon River with its waterfalls. The Upper Falls is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. It has a drop of nearly 50 feet and is more than 200 feet across. A maximum flow of more than 50,000 gallons of water per second has been recorded cascading over its precipice. SEE MORE PICS HERE!

volunteering | charlevoix area hospital charity event

Giving back to Northern Michigan! Volunteered as a (very amateur) event photographer! Charlevoix Area Hospital charity event!

On Friday, August 13th, Larry, along with his very close friends Bob & Claudia Sherer and the Charlevoix Area Hospital committee, held an event to raise money for the Kids Fit Program which fights to eliminate childhood obesity. 

Bob and Claudia Sherer opened their home and beautiful boathouse for the boat show charity event. Over 30 breathtaking vintage wooden boats were on display – some from their own private collection! 

I've had an incredible time here in Northern Michigan and wanted to give back before I moved on – it's the least I could do! They had the event very well organized, but they were lacking a photographer! Someone had to capture this great event on film! I was so happy volunteer as their event photog – albeit mediocre!

 

SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE!

good morning from walloon lake!

YES I'm still in Michigan! I've had a wonderful time here but I'm finally ready to move on, sort of, after wrapping up some minor details today! I will be heading up the the Upper Peninsula tomorrow morning, which is still Michigan, but it's en route to Wisconsin! I am so excited to continue on with my adventure I can hardly contain myself. I'm getting antsy!!

To dos for today:

• Registering my new car
• Driving lessons! Need to practice driving my new car with a trailer attached!!! Yikes!
• Shipping summer clothes back to my dad because it already feels like Fall!
• More minor minucia !

yoga roots | petoskey, mi

One thing I do miss about NYC --- all of the incredible yoga that's offered everyday all day by some of the best instructors in the country! It's nice to have options. Heck, you can even take a midnight yoga class in NYC Lauging Lotus! I'm certainly not discing Petoskey, because the class I took was GREAT. I just wish I had more styles/times to choose from. There's another yoga studio next door in Harbor Springs that I'll check out before I move on. :)

Location: Yoga Roots 413 Howard St Petoskey, MI 49770 (231) 838-8992 (great location, right in the center of town!)
 

Cost: $15 per drop-in class. (so far no price difference than NYC. Actually Yoga to the People has been the BEST and cheapest yoga so far!! YR had no towels for use or rent. Bummer when you're taking a "hot" class. I need to remember to always bring one!!

Venue: comfortable and quaint

Style: Heated Vinyasa

Class size: hmm I think there about 7 of us (all girls)

Level: Easy/intermediate

Summary: I didn't have time to change before class so I walked in with my "fleece-lined" sweatpants on... BAD CHOICE for a hot yoga class. I think I lost an extra 5 lbs of water weight! I forgot to read the class description before going. I knew it was vinyasa, but missed the "hot" part!! Class was great and the instructor, Tiffany, was incredibly nice and talked us through all the moves and gave minor adjustments where needed.  I always like when teachers do that because even the best yogis can fall out of line so it's good to have an outsider's perspective. I always need "tweeking" so it's good! 

I stuck around to chat with Tiffany after class. I quickly learned we're very like-minded. She recently quit her hectic waitressing job to focus more on her passions... yoga and painting silk scarves. I love people who go after their dreams. Tiffany's scarves are beautiful so you should check out her website soon (there will be some for sale on her yoga website).

Great class and I'm glad I got to meet Tiffany. Good luck pursuing your dreams Tiffany and stay in touch! 

Kayaking on Walloon Lake! (lulu is bungee'd to the boat for safe keeping)

Adventure resumes soon!

I found a wonderful (temporary) home for myself here on Walloon Lake, MI! I'm SO lucky to have met such amazing people! Larry and his family opened their door (and their refrigerator) to me no questions asked (although his two boys are probably questioning why in the world I'm here!!) (haha). Great kids and a great family – I'm truly blessed. Northern Michigan is such a friendly, beautiful place. It will be hard to leave – but it's time! Need to head out before winter sets in!! 

Haven't been blogging much since I've been here because (although my life is surreal and blessed at the moment) it's boring! Not that boating and yacht club dinners with amazing new friends is boring, but you know what I mean –– I leave that fodder for my handwritten journal. Adventure resumes soon! I picked up my new (pre-owned) JEEP Liberty today. Yay ME! I am forever indebted to the folks at Labadie Auto for making my experience so painless! Everyone was so wonderful! I love my new car. The only draw back is the fact that it's silver + a silver camper = I look like a silver bullet!! (Maybe I should get Coors to sponsor me!) haha.  

I'm almost ready to take off to the UP (Michigan's Upper Penninsula) and from there I'll head into Wisconsin. Not sure how long I'll stay in WI, but I'll make my way to Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands soon after that. It's hard to believe my adventure has only just begun! I've barely scratched the surface!

Organizing a few more things (like where to put my bike rack on my new car - argh) and then I'll be off! I'll keep you posted!!! (couple pics from boating below) ... MORE PICS HERE

Camping upgrade! Meet my new teardrop camper!

Brad, the wonderfully nice man I purchased the camper from, drove over 3 hours to deliver it to me yesterday! I love this thing so much I can hardly contain myself!!! It's incredibly well made and it's the most efficient use of space I've ever seen! I'm in LOVE with my camper!!! :) HOLY CRIKEY! DID I REALLY BUY A CAMPER!?!?!Bear-proof with locking door and window!
galley kitchen with sink and gas stove! 
queen size bed with plenty of storage! 

i left my mark in st. joe's michigan!

After the wedding we hit a reggae bar for some Red Stripe. I am now on their walls forever, or at least until they paint again.  The waitress gave me permission!
 

Busy in Petoskey! I'm the proud owner of a new car and a new camper! So excited!

I've been busy in Petoskey! After another week of "tenting" it, I realized a little camper is a better way to go. At this rate, I'm definitely going to be on the road awhile and I have so much of the country left to see! A camper is much safer and more efficient (it's bear proof too). After LOTS of research, I fell in love with a little retro teardrop (reminiscent of the 1930's). Just bought one last night on the way to St. Joe's! Hopefully picking it up tonight! Will update pics tomorrow!! Oh, and I also bought a JEEP Liberty!! Been so busy and hemorrhaging cash – yikes – but I consider it all an investment. I LOVE my Audi Allroad (albeit a little old) but it has hydraulic air suspension which makes "towing" very difficult! ARG! SO, I made the leap and bought a certified pre-owned Jeep Liberty. I really wanted the camper so I had to do it. Can't afford much since I'm on a budget, so I went with the Liberty – great car for the money. Bought it through Labadie Auto and it will be ready for me on Wednesday!! Love it! The Labadie folks are amazing and tracked one down for me in Pennsylvania – it's being shipped here! Not to mention they gave me a GREAT deal! 

Will update camper pics and new car soon!!!

Michigan update!

Currently in St. Joe's Michigan for a wedding. Their names escape me at the moment (because I don't know them - haha) but it should be fun! 

When the yacht landed in Harbor Springs last Wednesday, I called the only person I knew in the area... Larry. Larry is the nice man that introduced me to all of the sailors on Mackinac Island. I've been camping at the Petoskey State Campground but spending a lot of time with Larry and his family – having a ball.  They're my Petoskey foster family.

Larry and his family live on Lake Walloon, a picturesque lake here in my adopted state of Michigan!

Boating on Lake Walloon
Larry's son Parker ripping it up on the wakeboard!