I’ve lived in Michigan all my life, aside from my 5-ish month stint abroad in Panamá. Despite living here for almost 24 years, though, I’ve seen relatively little of my home state. I’ve traveled abroad, out west, to the east coast, down south, and all over the midwest; my travels in Michigan though, are always to my same favorite spots. This year, that changes.
MLive posted an article not too long ago titled “The most beautiful place in each of Michigan’s 83 counties” which very literally listed each county alphabetically, and then presented the “most beautiful place” there. I revisited the article more than a few times to see which places I’d already been, what was chosen in the counties I’d lived in, and to pick out a few new places to go. Each time I went back to the article, I added more and more places to my list of locations to check out. Feeling inspired after I had 20 counties on my list, I threw being realistic out the door and decided that I would visit every single county in Michigan between now and December 31, 2019.
Using the map below, I parceled out the locations in different regions in Michigan and started making plans: figuring out which locations I should visit in different seasons, how much PTO I would have to use, what kind of camping equipment I might need for more remote spots…it became clear that this was going to be a huge goal to take on, and I was (and am) beyond excited.
Despite an enormous amount of excitement, I was (and currently am) nervous. Traveling alone as a young woman can be intimidating, especially after having experienced some really unpleasant things while traveling before. I’m told by my friends that I’m independent and confident; I believe these things myself as well. Being confident and independent doesn’t keep bad things from happening to people, though, and I hesitate to be overly outgoing and bold while embarking on this endeavor weekend by weekend. However, I think this is a good practice: dipping my toes back in the waters of traversing this lovely world solo in my home state is probably the best way to get back at it.
My nervousness also stems from feeling like traveling all around the state will indeed keep me from my tried and true favorite spots in the Mitten State: riding Kent trails, napping in a hammock in Lincoln Park, boating on Lake St. Clair with my parents, swimming in Holland/Muskegon/Grand Haven…the list could go on. Luckily, a few of the “most beautiful places” are my favorites: Rosy Mound made it on the list, as did Sleeping Bear Dunes and Belle Isle.
Balancing the traveling most weekends with work and keeping my apartment clean and my newly adopted rabbits (Buzz and Woody) will unquestionably prove to be difficult. I’m sure there will be days where I look at my car and dread hopping in for another multi-hour trek across the state. I am positive I will spend too much money. However: I’m famous for coming up with great ideas and never doing anything with them, and that will not be the case with this adventurous project.
See you out there,
Hannah