Day 223 - The Scenic Sunrise Shore - Part 2

Day 223 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Huron National Forest

Petey and I left Harrisville State Park this morning and spent most the day driving. Along the way, we got in a few stops as we continued south down Michigan’s Sunrise Shore. When we arrived in Oscoda, we took a 40 mile roundtrip scenic drive through the Huron National Forest along Au Sable River. In route, we pulled out at an overlook, took the stairs to the river’s edge to test the waters, and picked a few wild raspberries on our way back to VANilla.

Tawas Point Lighthouse

Back on Lake Huron’s Sunrise Shore, we visited Tawas Point State Park which features the Tawas Point Lighthouse, an 1876 structure still in use today. The light shines two colors, red and white. The white extends 16 miles out to Lake Huron and the red, which can be seen from 12 miles away, marks the entrance to Tawas Bay.

Bay City State Park

After visiting the lighthouse, we continued south along the Sunrise Shore to Bay City State Park. We took a walking trail around Tobico Marsh in hopes to spot a variety of wildlife. Not much was out in the overcast, rain-spitting afternoon, but at least Petey didn’t scare off the mama with six ducklings! We ended the walk with another geocache added to my count. I’ve enjoyed having decent cell service for the last week in order to use my geocaching app.

mama duck and ducklings in bay city state park on Michigan's sunrise shores in

Bay City Hall

Our final stop on the Sunrise Shore was Bay City Hall. I had planned to climb the bell tower, but the building was under renovation. With that, we ventured across the middle of Michigan to begin our Lake Michigan Tour. Currently, we are spending the night at Walmart in Ludington. ETB