Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Solitude Is Bliss – Michigan's Northern Lakeshore

A stretch of pristine shoreline – not in the Pacific Northwest, but northern Michigan's Good Harbor Bay.
A stretch of pristine shoreline – not in the Pacific Northwest, but northern Michigan's Good Harbor Bay.

A recent trip home to northern lower Michigan afforded me one of the greatest summertime pleasures a Michigander knows: a sunset swim in Lake Michigan. There’s nothing better than finding a secluded stretch of golden sand late on a humid evening and jumping into the warm water to cool off.

The Thursday after the Fourth of July found my family and I on a beautiful stretch of beach known as Good Harbor, a 45-minute drive from Traverse City, Michigan.

Sponsored
Sponsored

no crowds here

The beach was "busy" – there were about six to seven groups of people in the quarter-mile stretch where the sand path from the parking lot spilled open to the beach. We had no trouble finding the spot we wanted, and tossed down our chairs and towels.

Our first priority: a cooling swim in the water. Even at 8:30 in the evening, there was another 60 minutes of light in the sky and the temperature was in the upper 80s.

The water was warm enough to be comfortable, cool enough to be refreshing. It was clear and calm; I could see my toes below as they gripped the soft ripples of golden sand that blanketed the bottom. Diving in, I swam out a hundred feet or so to where the water was over my head.

Surfacing, I caught a glimpse of the "lake people" to my right. In the old logging days, a pier was here, but the only reminder of that now are the weathered wooden pillars that rise six to 12 inches out of the water. Clustered together, they're easily mistaken for groups of swimmers. In the setting sun, their dark shapes seemed to shift, so I kept an eye on them.

Floating on my back, I stared up into the sky, watching the clouds. Far in front of me, the sun was slowing sinking towards the horizon. A lone kayaker passed in the orange reflection. There was no one else on the water.

hazy summer sunset over Good Harbor Bay

From behind me, I heard the occasional shrieks of kids and murmurs of adults talking. As the farthest swimmer out, I felt like it was only me and the lake.

10:30 found me back on shore. The light in the sky was almost gone, and I was warming myself up by the heat of our beach bonfire. Most people had left; the only sound was the rustling of the dune grass as a light wind passed by. The full moon would rise soon over the dunes.

Perhaps there would be time for a moonlight swim...

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Yo-Yo Ma, Wagner, and Tchaikovsky come to San Diego

Next Article

Coyote tracks in frail San Diego avocado grove

Second place winner in Reader neighborhood writing contest
A stretch of pristine shoreline – not in the Pacific Northwest, but northern Michigan's Good Harbor Bay.
A stretch of pristine shoreline – not in the Pacific Northwest, but northern Michigan's Good Harbor Bay.

A recent trip home to northern lower Michigan afforded me one of the greatest summertime pleasures a Michigander knows: a sunset swim in Lake Michigan. There’s nothing better than finding a secluded stretch of golden sand late on a humid evening and jumping into the warm water to cool off.

The Thursday after the Fourth of July found my family and I on a beautiful stretch of beach known as Good Harbor, a 45-minute drive from Traverse City, Michigan.

Sponsored
Sponsored

no crowds here

The beach was "busy" – there were about six to seven groups of people in the quarter-mile stretch where the sand path from the parking lot spilled open to the beach. We had no trouble finding the spot we wanted, and tossed down our chairs and towels.

Our first priority: a cooling swim in the water. Even at 8:30 in the evening, there was another 60 minutes of light in the sky and the temperature was in the upper 80s.

The water was warm enough to be comfortable, cool enough to be refreshing. It was clear and calm; I could see my toes below as they gripped the soft ripples of golden sand that blanketed the bottom. Diving in, I swam out a hundred feet or so to where the water was over my head.

Surfacing, I caught a glimpse of the "lake people" to my right. In the old logging days, a pier was here, but the only reminder of that now are the weathered wooden pillars that rise six to 12 inches out of the water. Clustered together, they're easily mistaken for groups of swimmers. In the setting sun, their dark shapes seemed to shift, so I kept an eye on them.

Floating on my back, I stared up into the sky, watching the clouds. Far in front of me, the sun was slowing sinking towards the horizon. A lone kayaker passed in the orange reflection. There was no one else on the water.

hazy summer sunset over Good Harbor Bay

From behind me, I heard the occasional shrieks of kids and murmurs of adults talking. As the farthest swimmer out, I felt like it was only me and the lake.

10:30 found me back on shore. The light in the sky was almost gone, and I was warming myself up by the heat of our beach bonfire. Most people had left; the only sound was the rustling of the dune grass as a light wind passed by. The full moon would rise soon over the dunes.

Perhaps there would be time for a moonlight swim...

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gilbert Castellanos, Buddha Trixie, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Shane Hall, Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival

Grand Socials, gigs, and record releases in Del Mar, City Heights, Solana Beach, Little Italy, and Ocean Beach
Next Article

Dating Sites For Little People: Best Platforms & Tips

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.