We are making our way to the U.P.! For those of you who are not Michigan-ites, that is the nickname of the northern most part of Michigan. It stands for “upper peninsula.” Just north of the peninsula is a “lake isthmus.” Lake Superior is to the north and Lake Michigan is to the south. We hope to visit Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore tomorrow. It is sometimes called “the Caribbean of the Great Lakes.” We will see if it lives up to its name.

My fantastic aunt and uncle.

Last night, we stayed with my Aunt Ann Marie and Uncle Jeff in Kildeer, IL. They were amazing hosts and treated us to grilled steak dinner and a wonderful breakfast this morning. We had the nicest room in the house with a view of the pond in the backyard. Herons and egrets were frequent visitors!

Since I didn’t have a chance to write a post last night, I want to share a couple of highlights from yesterday. We visited a park on the shore of Lake Michigan that had an amazing view of the Chicago skyline. The lake was exceptionally choppy, which I didn’t expect, and a gorgeous shade of turquoise.

The park has a portion of the 18-mile Chicago Lakefront Trail that is flush with the water. Interestingly, despite the fact that waves continuously lapped over the trail, there was no safety rail or fence. Kids and adults are free to bike, run, and play just feet from the water. Here is a short video of the area:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh_qI0F_E_8]

What’s missing from this video are the hoards of bridal parties and Quinceañera girls that were being photographed.

I tipped him a dollar!

The other notable highlight was getting my filthy windshield cleaned by my own private gas station attendant. It was a relief not having to look at bug guts anymore during the drive.

We have arrived in Escanaba, Michigan and are about to cook dinner in the super sketchy kitchen in our hotel room. We are making one of our favorites: chili! Check in tomorrow for a report on Pictured Rocks. Thanks for reading!