Day 21

My family went to Culver’s for dinner last night and I asked them to bring me back a salad. Not cheese curds. Not frozen custard. Salad. That should give you an indication of how crappy I felt. The mucinex helped a bit. It kept me relatively cough free until six o’clock when I woke with an awful coughing fit. I slept a bit through the night but not well. I don’t think I fell asleep until two-ish.

We got a much later start this morning than I wanted. Oh well, it meant that we got to stop at Jerzi’s 41 for lunch. We ate there the first time we explored the UP in 2020 and then again the following summer. They have good Mac and Cheese. G3 really wanted to eat there again so the delay played into his plans for the day. While we ate, Kati and G3 debated the possibility of aliens visiting Earth. I feel rather out of it—the mucinex making me feel like I am floating—so I couldn’t exactly follow the debate closely. However, G3 kept reiterating, “The laws of physics demonstrate that nothing can travel the speed of light.” And Kati contesting, “Not now, but in the future….”

We are driving east to Whitefish Point, which might be Kati’s favorite place on the planet. I had hoped to get there by mid-day, but now it appears that we won’t arrive until early evening. There really is no rush, I suppose, considering the only other thing on our itinerary for the day is a campfire tonight.

We got to Whitefish point around four o’clock, and Kati headed straight to the gift shop to get there before they closed. I have seriously never seen her move so fast even when her knee wasn’t injured and in pain. But she was intent on buying either a sweatshirt or tee shirt. She did find a sweatshirt that she really liked and was happy to put it on. After wearing her other sweatshirt for three weeks, she was desperate for something clean and a little less stinky

Next, we went down to the beach, and wow, the lake was so rough. If I didn’t know better, I might have assumed it was an ocean. Whitecaps rippled across the water and waves crashed against the sand. I really wanted to go swimming, it would have been so enjoyable, but it was sixty-four degrees, incredibly windy, and I didn’t think those conditions would be good for my chest considering this awful cough. So we all took a walk instead. I did get my legs in the water. Kati collected more of the rocks she loves so much. G3 played with the driftwood. And I took way too many pictures. There is so much driftwood littering the beach, and it is all bleached by the sun so that it resembles bones sticking out of a graveyard. From various angles, depending on how the sun strikes the wood, it is pretty. As is Lake Superior, the various shades of blue and green vibrant in the glistening sun.

G3 lost his phone and was not certain where on the beach he lost it. UGH!!! It’s a good thing I still have good eyes, especially since G3 didn’t appear to be looking very diligently. It’s almost like he expected me to know where it was.

We ate dinner at the Wheelhouse Diner. It’s a place—both due to the food served and the ambiance—that my dad would have liked. I’ve been wanting whitefish since we got to the Lake Superior area, and I finally got it. I even had a choice of broiled or fried, which made me happy because so many places we’ve been to only offer fried fish. Broiled is so much better. G3 and Kati had pasta Alfredo. We all very much enjoyed our meal.

As much as I hate the idea of returning home, I am looking forward to seeing my fur babies. I can’t believe how much I have missed Kramer and Bean.

We are camping at Tahquamenon State Park. We set up our tent and G3 set up his hammock—we finally have a night with no bugs, but It is going down to forty nine degrees so I am concerned he’ll be cold. I told him to wake me for the car keys if he is. Once we were set up for bed, G3 got a campfire going. It was pleasant and relaxing to end the day in conversation around the fire.

I can’t believe summer is almost over. Where have the days gone? Kati goes back to work in a week. I go back in two weeks. Neither one of us is looking forward to it.