On our previous trip, we arrived with only a minute to spare before our appointment time, due to a construction delay. This was a stressful enough event for me, that this time we left 30 minutes earlier than we usually would. Alice made the decision to stay home with Billy, since we were planning a beach trip afterwards.
Since they had reopened both lanes this trip, we were an hour early for our appointment. Instead of killing time at the hospital, my mom spotted a playground from the interstate, that was nearby the hospital. It was a little rainy, but the kids managed to have fun.
The appointment was just a check up, and they all look good. We have bloodwork and xrays the next time we go to Grand Rapids, but it was a nice smooth, quick appointment.
Avia and Emily were in charge of monitoring the weather and seeing what beach would have the least chance of rain. Since we'd visited Grand Haven back in 2019, we opted for a new park: Hoffmaster State Park.
On the way, we wanted to stop and grab some buckets from a dollar store, but none were convenient. We did stumble upon a thrift store in the tiny town of Fruitport. I scored two planter buckets and a funnel!
It was a very empty parking lot and beach. We were there with only 20 or so people, coming and going, our entire visit.
The wind was cold, and the water was colder.
The kids all played in the shallows, such is the siren of water for children.
The sun did peek out for a bit, making our day look bright and sunny!
The park itself is massive. It has onsite camping, and runs about 3 miles of beach along the lake!
Once we were finished with the sand and water, we explored the park. The visitor center was much more than I could have expected! There were many interactive displays and some seasonal dioramas.
Emily found "Goldie's" relative, from when we went to visit the Atkinsons in Indiana.
Our final park activity was hiking to the top of the dunes. The stairs seemed endless, but were well done with lots of platforms and a zig zag staircase.
Once you got to the top, there were more stairs!
Down was much easier than up!
We spied a burger drive in joint on our way in, so we made that our dinner stop on the way home. I think it was called Whippy Dipp, but we'd called it Whip and Dip all day, so maybe it was the other way around?
Everyone was tired and slept before we even made it back to Grand Rapids. Between full bellies and the late hour, we had passed on the ice cream at Whip and Dip, so we stopped in at our little village ice cream shop for a sundae to share. = )
It was a long, busy, fun day. And, our next scheduled appointment with the Endocrinologist is a telemed!
later days
Edited 7/18/2023: This post is now a part of my project: 78 State Parks! #52
Tahquamenon Falls #15
Grand Haven State Park #53
Waterloo Recreation Area #70a
Van Buren State Park #73
