My Michigan Adventure — July 28–August 6, 2026

Ten Days of Friendship, Movies, Mackinac Island, the Upper Peninsula, Lake Superior, and Coming Home

July 28–August 6, 2026 — Michigan

Some trips are about seeing someplace new. Others are about returning to places that already live inside you. My Michigan adventure from July 28 through August 6, 2026 was definitely the second kind.

Michigan is where I was born and where so much of my early life began. Detroit will always be home in a way that no other city can duplicate, but Michigan is much bigger than Detroit. It is highways through farm country, lakeshore communities, ferry docks, forests, the Mackinac Bridge, Lake Superior, the Upper Peninsula, whitefish dinners, summer events and places that look completely different depending on the season and the stage of life in which you visit them.

This trip gave me a little bit of everything: old friendships, long drives, movies, excellent food, Mackinac Island, the extraordinary coastline of Pictured Rocks, Lake Superior and a 71st-birthday celebration. More than anything, it reminded me why Michigan continues to pull me back.

July 28 — Back to Michigan

The adventure began when I flew into Detroit Metropolitan Airport and picked up a full-size SUV in the Jeep Wagoneer class. For a trip that would carry me from southeastern Michigan to the Straits of Mackinac and deep into the Upper Peninsula, the extra room and comfort turned out to be a very good decision.

Michigan is one of those states where distances can sneak up on you. Once you start moving between Detroit, western Michigan, Mackinac and Lake Superior, the miles accumulate quickly. The SUV became my mobile command center for luggage, camera gear, jackets, snacks, souvenirs and everything else that seems to appear during a serious road trip.

Detroit and Hamtramck — Reconnecting With an Old Friend

One of the most important parts of the trip was spending time with a longtime friend I have known since 1974. A friendship that stretches across more than half a century carries a lot of history. We have lived through young adulthood, careers, military service, marriages, retirement, loss and all the ordinary complications of life.

Spending time together in the Detroit and Hamtramck area was not really about sightseeing. It was about friendship—talking, remembering, laughing and taking care of some of the practical details that are simply part of life.

Buddy's Pizza — A Detroit Requirement

No serious return to Detroit is complete without Detroit-style pizza, and that meant Buddy's. The square shape, crisp edges, thick crust and cheese reaching toward the sides of the pan are not simply a meal to me. They are part of the city's identity and part of my own food memory.

Travel has introduced me to food all over the world, but certain meals bypass the sophisticated part of the brain and go directly to memory. Detroit pizza is one of them. Sharing that meal with friends made it even better.

New Baltimore — Boats, Cars and a Michigan Summer Evening

Another fun piece of the adventure was spending time around the New Baltimore Poker Run and the surrounding summer street-event atmosphere. Michigan in late July and early August comes alive with boating events, fairs, car shows, neighborhood celebrations and gatherings built around the simple idea that summer is short and therefore must be enjoyed.

The boats on display were not subtle. They were huge, polished, colorful and clearly built for speed. Walking among them was a reminder that Michigan's identity has always been closely tied to water. In a state surrounded by the Great Lakes, boating is not just recreation—it is part of summer culture.

A Little Movie Therapy

I also made time for one of my favorite forms of entertainment: the movies. During the trip I visited AMC Forum 30 and enjoyed premium-format screenings. Even after traveling around the real world, I still enjoy disappearing into imaginary ones. Retirement has given me the freedom to enjoy movies without rushing, without checking the clock and without thinking about the next meeting.

Westward Across Michigan

Eventually I left the Detroit area and began working my way across the state. My route included Wayland and Manistee, giving me a chance to experience western Michigan before continuing north. Urban Detroit faded into suburbs, then highways, farm country, forests and small towns.

Travel and food have become inseparable for me. I remember restaurants, tables and conversations almost as clearly as I remember destinations. After hours behind the wheel, a good dinner can feel wonderfully restorative.

Heading North — Toward the Straits of Mackinac

The farther north I traveled, the more the landscape changed. There were more trees, more open road and more signs pointing toward lakes, cabins and campgrounds. Eventually the Mackinac Bridge appeared, one of Michigan's great landmarks. Crossing it always feels like passing through a gateway into another region.

Darrow's Family Restaurant — A Northern Michigan Stop

Near the Straits, I stopped at Darrow's Family Restaurant, a place whose long history fits perfectly with northern Michigan. Restaurants like Darrow's are part of what makes a road trip feel local rather than generic. They connect food with place, memory and community.

A meal is always better when it becomes part of the social story of the trip. Sitting with friends and enjoying a northern Michigan stop gave the long driving days another layer of meaning.

St. Ignace — Gateway to the Upper Peninsula

I spent time in St. Ignace, one of my favorite staging points for exploring northern Michigan. It has a wonderful combination of small-town atmosphere, waterfront views, tourism and Upper Peninsula character, while sitting directly across the water from Mackinac Island.

Mackinac Island — Stepping Into Another Era

One of the major highlights of the trip was Mackinac Island. The absence of normal automobile traffic immediately changes your sense of time. Instead of engines and traffic lights, you hear horses, carriages, bicycles and people walking. The island almost forces you to slow down.

I explored the island's carriage culture, including the stables and Carriage Museum. As a photographer, Mackinac Island is endlessly interesting: Victorian architecture, horses, boats, flowers, people and Lake Huron stretching into the distance. I also stopped for lunch at the Pink Pony, one of those places where nearly everyone looks as though they have decided productivity can wait until tomorrow.

Into the Upper Peninsula

From the Mackinac area I continued deeper into the Upper Peninsula, including Munising and Bay Mills. The UP has always felt like a different world to me—quieter, wilder and less densely populated. The forests seem larger, the distances between communities stretch farther, and Lake Superior gives the entire region an enormous sense of scale.

Munising and Pictured Rocks

One of the greatest highlights of the entire adventure was exploring Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore from Munising. The landscape combines sandstone cliffs, forests, beaches, rock formations and the cold blue water of Lake Superior. I visited overlooks and viewpoints, but seeing the cliffs from the water on the Pictured Rocks boat cruise brought the landscape together.

From the lake, the cliffs take on an entirely different scale. Mineral colors run through the sandstone, trees cling to the tops of rock walls and the water shifts from deep blue to brilliant green depending on the light. As a photographer, the challenge is deciding where to point the camera. Some places simply overwhelm your ability to capture them, and Pictured Rocks is one of those places.

Lake Superior and Whitefish

I have crossed oceans and visited Antarctica, yet Lake Superior still impresses me. It does not feel like a lake. It feels like an inland sea—cold, deep, powerful and worthy of respect. Naturally, the Upper Peninsula portion of the trip also required Lake Superior whitefish. Some foods simply belong where they are served, and I remain convinced whitefish tastes better near Lake Superior.

August 4 — A Long Drive and My 71st Birthday

August 4, 2026 was especially meaningful because it was my 71st birthday. I spent part of the day making the long trip back toward southeastern Michigan. That may not sound like the traditional birthday celebration, but in many ways it was appropriate. My life has become about movement, curiosity and seeing what is around the next corner.

At 71, I was still doing it: still traveling, driving, taking photographs, visiting friends, going to movies and getting excited about what comes next. The day ended with a birthday dinner in Royal Oak. Birthdays have changed for me. When you are young they are largely about getting older. At 71 they are more about appreciating that you are still here to celebrate them.

Michigan — Still Part of Who I Am

I have traveled to seven continents, sailed around the world, stood before the Taj Mahal, visited Antarctica, photographed African wildlife and crossed both the Atlantic and Pacific. Yet Michigan still matters to me in a different way. Michigan is not simply somewhere I visit. It is part of who I am.

It is where I learned to dream about a world beyond the neighborhood where I grew up. After seeing so much of that world, I find it fascinating that I continue coming back. Maybe that is what home really means. It is not the place you never leave. It is the place that still recognizes you when you return.

At 71, the Adventure Continues

One of the strongest feelings I carried home from this trip was gratitude. At 71, I do not want life to become smaller. I want it to keep expanding: more roads, more photographs, more friends, more movies, more meals, more cruises, more conversations, more places I have not yet seen and more returns to the places that helped make me who I am.

My Michigan adventure reminded me that exploration does not always require traveling to the opposite side of the planet. Sometimes adventure is waiting a few hundred miles down a familiar road. You simply have to get in the car and go.

The journey continues.