Into the West

The next stop on my Project Michigan adventure took me due west to explore the west coast of Michigan. As with the Traverse Bay area trip, we opted for a central (or as close to central as we could get) location that would allow us to get to several points on a map without too much travel time in between. Our solution? The small town of Whitehall, located about 20 miles north of Muskegon, where we stayed at the Lakeside Inn Resort, a family-owned and operated establishment for over 70 years. The Inn has a rich history in the lumber industry, but what made me chuckle was how it they used to host talent competitions in the summertime, which instantly made me think of 'Dirty Dancing.' It's quaint, straight-out-of the-50s design even further brought about images of Johnny Castle retrieving Baby from the corner. 

True to its name, the Lakeside Inn offered a nice view of Silver Lake./Samantha Franz

But first, we had to drive there, which was no picnic. In fact, I am utterly convinced that while it is the most efficient way to get to the west side, I-96 might possibly be the most boring interstate on the planet. There is seriously almost nothing to look at to stimulate your senses and the drive can pretty much be summed up as, "Tree....tree....corn......tree....corn....tree.....tree...."

But we survived and a few hours later, was driving around in Whitehall and its sister city, Montague. Compared to the much heavier populated and tourist magnet Muskegon, Whitehall seemed to be moving at a much more relaxed pace. The downtown was  full of small mom and pop shops, including a general store, an ice cream stand and a bar aptly titled, 'The Local Pub.'  Aside from a few people walking around, the town was pretty quiet. Most of the action appeared at the marinas, where hundreds of boats were docked along Silver Lake. The residential properties were a balance of stately homes and modest cottages. 

Once we checked into our room (we stayed in motel room, though the Inn also offered hotel rooms, cottages and a ranch house for bigger parties), we decided to spend the day exploring our surroundings, since it was already later in the afternoon. After unpacking, we made our way back downtown. 

This bridge was interesting. To get to the heart of Whitehall, you have to play 

nice and wait your turn to go under at the one-lane underpass. / Samantha Franz

I popped into one of the town's antique stores called 'Colby Street Shops' and felt like I walked into an 'American Pickers' fantasy. The store was, wall-to-wall, ceiling to ceiling, full of such an eclectic mix of goods that every time I turned my head, I saw something new. Upon purchasing my Beatles movie premiere button ('I got my Beatles movie tickets. Do YOU?'), I chatted the the owner and his quick-lipped son. After the younger man teased me about wanting to see my iPod before purchasing any Beatles product (for the record, yes, it's legit), I asked the owner how long he had been collecting items for. He got his start by collecting comic books for 40 years, before expanding into books, jewelry and sports memorabilia. He pointed out the items in the shop change drastically depending what kind of goods are brought in. For example, one woman recently came in with about 600 brooches to sell...only she wanted all of them gone in one swoop, thus the store becoming what he described as the 'Brooch Capitol of the Midwest.' It was a very cool place, very 'Pawn Stars' meets antique mall. 

A collection of old beer cans. / Samantha Franz

Closer to home base was the White Lake Light Station and while the museum was closed for the day, we walked along the pier alongside the canal and discovered a dune preservation, as well as a beautiful, semi-secluded beach. Now, don't get me wrong, the Traverse City area is gorgeous and the Sleeping Bear Dunes are a sight to behold. But here, away from the heavy tourist traffic, the sun kissed and virtually empty beach was practically begging me to sunbathe on it. 

On the way to the end of the pier, a grandfather was explaining to his grandson (whom I later learned was named 'Elliott') what a canal was. After he finished, they stopped to watch some boats cruise up the water, the little guy asked, "But how did the water get there?" Grandpa decided to take a different approach and ask his grandson how he though it got there. Then, in that precocious, matter-of-fact tone kids have when they think they're onto something, he replied, "People took biiiiig buckets of water and poured it in!" I couldn't help it; I started to laugh and so did several others within earshot. Grandpa smiled and said, "Well, that's a good story!" and kept on walking. Kids. They say the darnest things. 

Thanks to this little guy, I now know where canal water comes from. / Samantha Franz

Some other pics from the pier:

Dinner for the evening as at none other than Lakeside Inn and I gotta tell you....it was a little pricey, but DELICIOUS. To close out the night, I took a quick dip in the pool and planned the course for the following day, which involved driving north to the Silver Lake sand dunes for an interview with what must be one of the coolest businesses around. See ya then!