Michigan to Chicago

Our Journey from North Spring Harbour to Chicago

Our drive south through Michigan should have been filled with spectacular views, but persistent smoke haze often hid the beauty of the Lake Michigan coastline. Because of the poor visibility, many of our photos simply couldn’t capture the scenery, so some of the Lake Michigan images shown here are not ours. Even so, we enjoyed exploring lively Traverse City before following the scenic Leelanau Peninsula through Suttons Bay and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Historic lighthouses, peaceful harbour towns and the towering Silver Lake Sand Dunes made the journey memorable despite the disappointing visibility. Please note the photos are not ours due to the bad Smoke haze

Holland was a real highlight. We spent two wonderful days at Nelis Dutch Village, where owner Joe Nelis welcomed us like old friends and shared his passion for preserving Dutch traditions. As proud Dutchies, it felt like a little piece of home, made even more special by visits to Windmill Island Gardens, the authentic De Zwaan Windmill and Holland’s charming downtown streets.

From there we continued along the shores of Lake Michigan, stopping in Saugatuck, relaxing at Oval Beach and exploring Indiana Dunes National Park before the impressive Chicago skyline came into view. Our biggest milestone was finally reaching the eastern end of Historic Route 66, completing another chapter of a journey we had been following across America for several years. Standing beneath the famous “Begin Route 66” sign was the perfect way to finish our visit to Chicago.

With Chicago behind us, we returned to Holland to prepare for the final stage of our 22-year journey around the world—heading next to Baltimore, Maryland.