After all the planning and trial runs, the time for our big trip had finally arrived. We had planned to leave after Papa finished work for the week and drive as far as South Bend and then sleep in the Walmart parking lot. I could tell Daddy wasn't quite sure he was on board for this plan and another idea was needed. Papa figured it would be easier to get up super early and just forge ahead for eight hours then to convince Daddy that we would be fine in a parking lot along the interstate. Easier on Daddy but I don't like to be woken up before dawn😴. Snce daddy's hometown, Kokomo, is on the way to Michigan and a perfect distance away for a coffee and potty stop, Grandma and Grandpa Walden got up early to meet us at Starbucks to send us off on our adventure🏕. We filled up on coffee and donuts and then off we went. As the sun slowly rose, the day exposed itself wrapped in a thick blanket of fog. I checked on Kingsley and Spike to make sure they were ok and then I crawled up in Papas lap for a nice nap. After a few hours of traveling we stopped again for gas and a quick lunch. After scarfing down a couple of Arby's Beef and Chedders, it was time to load back up and hit the road. Climbing back onto my lap , I realized we were on the passenger side. It was Papas turn to rest. Now one condition to a one day drive was that Daddy was going to drive some. Now that doesn't sound like a big deal cause he zips around Indy in his sports car, BUT Daddy has never pulled the RV on a public road!😱 Daddy pulled the travel trailer back on the road and off we went. I must admit that my little rat feet were holding on a little tighter than normal. Soon I settled down and was able to drift off to sleep. All of a sudden I was awoken by a large cry of "JESUS" from Daddy. Looking out the truck window, I realized we were driving through a serious windstorm. 💨The truck was heaving back and forth with more chants of "Jesus help me" coming from the driver. In between his bouts of laughter, Papa tried to tell Daddy he should probably pull over and wait for the storm to pass. He said we were traveling parallel with Lake Michigan and quite a storm was coming on land. All of a sudden the rain started but it seemed like it was raining sideways. I didn't quite understand cause I thought rain came down but Papa said it was because of all the wind.🌬 Finally Daddy decided to follow Papas advice and pull over at the next rest stop. We pulled over and Daddy pried his white knuckles off the steering wheel. Papa tried to encourage him by reminding him how well he had done driving in bad conditions but Daddy didn't seem to care. He just wanted to get out of the truck. After a short stay and a quick check to make sure the RV was alright, the storm passed and back on the road with Papa behind the wheel and me on his lap. I'm a loyal co-pilot ! After another few hours, a couple more potty breaks, and map checks, we arrived at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore! Kingsley was so excited cause he said he had never seen a sleeping bear before, silly Shelty !
Finally there it was, Platte River Camp Ground!
We quickly checked in and found our camp site in the middle of the campground. It was a nice spacious spot with lots of privacy and close to the bathrooms for Papa. By the time we got all set up, it became apparent that exhaustion from the drive up was kicking in. We would rest tonight and explore tomorrow!
The next morning my brothers and I bounded out of bed with visions of sleeping bears and beaches dancing in our heads. We had a quick breakfast and took off to explore. Papa said they had a section of the beach that allowed pets. I'm not sure what that had to do with us but it sounded fun. When we got there all you could see was a tall wall of sand with a opening at a low point. Kingsley led the way, as he always thinks he must protect us where ever we go. As we went through the wall , I saw the most amazing site of blue and green water stretching out as far as my eyes could see . Spike immediately peeked up when the salt water filled wind hit his nose. All thre of us pulled at our harnesses to run towards this beautiful site, when we learned two things.
1- it's hard to run when your sinking in sand
2- sand is hot🔥
Daddy took us back to the boardwalk so we could walk without sinking and we explored the beautiful landscape. We returned home after wearing Spike and Kingsley out to have a delicious bowl of chili that had been slow cooking back at the campground while we were hiking. A big campfire , some marshmallows and it's time to turn in. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day!
So I, as the chosen one, got to get up after breakfast and go with our Daddies exploring the Dunes and lakeshore. My brothers had to stay at home cause the trip was wearing Spike out and Kingsley is always designated to keep an eye on things. Papa says that's what Sheltys do and boy is he good at his job. Anyway, we head out and drove a beautiful scenic road with all the windows down. It was so cool cause the trees and landscape changed from big trees to sand dunes to a deep forest with lots of ferns. We posed at a covered bridge , I'm the cute one, and went to a coast guard museum. The best part was a huge lighthouse with crashing waves coming over the storm wall.
We returned to the RV and took a much needed nap once Kingsley and Spike stopped harassing me about the day. Papa fed us dinner and cleaned up to go out for the evening. That was alright with me cause my little paws were still tired from our busy day. Daddies took off to drive to a restaurant that was recommended to us by friends, Funistrada!
Papa said it was a very nice Italian restaurant about 30 minutes away in a small town along a lake. It must have been good cause they came home with big smiles on there faces. Daddy said Papa had a steak that was cooked in a balsamic reduction. When I asked about it he just smiled and said something about meat candy. Now I have never had any but I can't think of anything better than meat and candy😛. A walk around the campground , a little campfire and bed.
We spent the next two days running up and down the lakeshore. We ate at the Cherry Hut and brought the most amazing cherry pie home. When the time came to leave to return home, we sadly packed up and hit the road. The one thing that made it better was Papa said not to worry, we will be back next year. Bark at ya later🐾
