The wind was howling out of the north at 30 to 35 mph. It was raining sideways.
Lake Huron was filled with big waves and her water was churned muddy brown.
The weather and water completely matched my state of mind as I drove two hours north. I had booked myself a motel room at the tippity top of the Thumb so I could enjoy a few days of R&R away from husband/dog/house and the same four walls after a long summer filled with long work days.
I based myself in Port Austin and arrived on a Tuesday. On Wednesday, the wind, water and rain continued, so I spent the day driving in a big loop around the Thumb. So many windmills. So much farmland. So many hard working people.
I can’t tell you what I thought about.
Sometimes I turned on the music, sometimes I drove for miles and miles in total and complete silence. So much to see, so little to think about. That was the point of this trip, right?
Wednesday night, as I sat in my motel room and looked out at the lake, the waves were not as big as they had been. I saw a sliver of an orange sunset behind the heavy clouds. This kind of matched my mood as my batteries slowly began to recharge.
I woke up Thursday to beautiful blue skies and a much clearer head. I visited Port Crescent State Park where I hiked along the shoreline and discovered that Lake Huron has dunes and golden sandy beaches up there! Stunning! (Who knew?)
I discovered the Huron County Nature Center’s new bike trail and hit the single track trail with my mountain bike. Discovery there? A) I am pretty good at finding my way back out of the woods … lol … (this Yooper Gal’s still got it!) and B) I need to spend more time in the woods and more time on my bike.
I wrapped up my day w a massage in Caseville and dinner with a friend in Port Austin at Bird Creek Farms, where we sat and ate outside in the warm sunshine surrounded by cornfields and chickens…in the most glorious way. I got back to my motel in time to see the most beautiful sunset over the now-calm lake, which capped off an awesome week of solitude and exploration. My mood? After 48 hours of serenity, I can say my mood matched the water, weather and the colorful sunset once again.
So what did we learn today, boys and girls? Book the solo trip, even if only for a couple of days in a place a couple of hours away. You deserve to take care of you.