Michigan State Parks GeoTour 2: Daytripping It!

The joy of the Michigan State Parks GeoTour is the beauty and benefits of the parks. Take your time - enjoy everything they have to offer. 

MSPGT2-SL: Bay City State Park GCAPW4J

This is what geocaching the state parks is all about!

TaGeez and I were “bobbin” along on our adventures today when we turned towards Bay City. Lovely walk around the lagoon, giant egrets sitting up in the trees.

Cache was a fun find! And any cache that can make me laugh gets a Fave point! ❤️

Afterwards you could find us sitting bayside in the lawn chairs we brought and watching the waves, the gulls, and the people walking around the flotilla! 

We relaxed there on the prettiest beach for hours!

MSPGT2-SL: Ortonville Recreation Area GCAPW56

TaGeez and I are enjoying the state park caches one by one. We were in the area to attend Harley’s Alien Invasion events, and we headed out early to make this find first.  It must be a good omen when we arrive to find our friend, Probob, returning from the cache. Always enjoyable to start the day with a smile.

TaGeez and I moseyed to the cache for a quick find and this very nice container. Sadly, it looks like some critters are trying their best to get in. Luckily the inside is still clean and pristine.

After the find, we headed down to the water to appreciate the glass surface and the wildflowers.

After a fun find and a mosey along the lake, we headed out for some group shenanigans at Harley's Community Celebration event. If you haven't been to a Harley event, you are missing out!

Michigan State Parks GeoTour 2: Happy Anniversary, Geocaching!

TaGeez and I are on our way to Camp MiGO’s 25th Anniversary Block Party, and we knew we wanted to detour in the area for the new State Park cache.

If you haven't done these caches yet, there are spoiler pictures but no code words.

MSPGT2-SL: Pinckney Recreation Area GCAPW59

We arrived very early this morning to the sight of the beautiful lake. What an amazing mist hovering of the glass surface of the water! 

Quiet walk to the GZ, where we were eventually joined by a couple other Cachers on their way to the block party.

We stopped on our way to the next one for a little bit of fun in Hell! Hell, Michigan, that is! Here we enjoyed a Virtual and an Adventure Lab!

MSPGT2-SL: Waterloo Recreation Area GCAPW5E

The hardest part of the cache was the approach. Glad we targeted it from the road. Not much else we can see here unless you are into mountain biking!

Afterwards we headed out to Camp MiGO 2025 Block Party, where I claimed my 14,000th find!

Alas, after that we had to cut the day short with car problems so no Hayes RA for us today!

Michigan State Parks GeoTour 2: Mid-Michigan Roadtrip!

 LOVE ❤️ LOVE ❤️ LOVE THE STATE PARKS SERIES!

TaGeez and I were in the area for the All Michigan (Quilt) Shop Hop and visiting whiskey distilleries. It was too late for one and too early for the other. So, time for us to geocache! We had a great time grabbing 4 more state parks - all in the middle of Michigan!

MSPGT2-NL: Lake Ann Pathway GCAPW40

We had a fear that we would revisit the same parks as the last tour, but this was another example of "off the beaten path" and "new to us". As we made our way to the GZ, we were transported back to a more rural time during Michigan's lumber days - unfinished roads, trees crowding our path, and nobody for miles!

Admittedly, this is NOT what we were expecting to find here! What a hoot!

It feels like extra efforts were made to hide really interesting or creative caches this round!

MSPGT2-NL: Mitchell State Park GCAPW43

We woke early in Traverse City and headed to Cadillac. Lovely area surrounded by lakes, and we started this adventure by communing with nature lakeside. 

Then we got down to business!

First, we headed down the wrong path. Then we found the right path, but so did all the skeeters! Finally, we found the container and had fun opening it up!

Then off to Burke's Waterfront Restaurant for breakfast! What a view!

MSPGT2-NL: North Higgins Lake State Park GCAPW44

We were heading from one quilt shop to the next on this gorgeous day, and we decided to detour here for the state park cache. Stunning weather - sun on our faces - such a great day to be out!

Quick find of the container right off the parking lot, but it took us a little longer than necessary to open it. I think we would’ve been faster if we had both hadn't been standing on the same side. Good fun! Great gadget cache!

MSPGT2-NL: Tawas Point State Park GCAPW4D

We had finished the North zone of the shop hop, which ended about 2 miles from here. We were excited to detour here to end our day.

Lovely walk down the trail, so many birds! We had a quick find at the GZ. Container was FILLED with ants! Wowwee! We signed very quickly and headed out. 

This is one of our favorite parks, and a beautiful way to end our adventure.

 

We wrapped the day by sitting lakeside and eating cherries before turning home.

Michigan State Parks GeoTour 2: Dipping Our Toes into State Park Caches

I've lived in a number of states as a former military wife, but, ah! Michigan! What a gorgeous state! And the Michigan State Park GeoTour really highlights some of the best areas!

I will do my best to share our state park beauty without posting anything that's truly a spoiler. I will not share any photos of the actual code words. 

MSPGT2-SL: Lexington State Harbor GCAPW4Y

Today is the first day of the All Michigan Quilt Shop Hop, and TaGeez & I went to Imlay City. We had a lovely time exploring the shops and grabbing puzzle caches. But I was in need of seeing some beautiful, blue water.

We decided to turn to Lexington. Not only an area we love but the MSPGT2 geocache that we sponsored!

Nearby is a cute downtown with restaurants and shops, but one street over is the boat launch on the "sugar-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters". Perfect day to drive across Michigan's thumb for this drive.

We turned up with high hopes, and we found the cache immediately. Oh fun! We quickly had the solve at hand, but there was a problem… we couldn’t get the second lock to open.

What did we do wrong? We tried the puzzle again, tried the lock again, tried the puzzle again, went to lunch, came back, tried again, and left unsuccessfully.

Now, this cache is nowhere near home, so we turned around and headed back one last time. Someone else had just opened it today so it must work!

This time TaGeez entered in the code and snap! Unlocked! Looking confused, TaGeez kindly told me my answer was correct, but I wasn’t pulling g hard enough on the lock! DOH!

Lake Huron is cold, but it is beautiful. We enjoyed our beach-views at the cache, and then we decided to drove down the coast through Port Huron and Marine City.

MSPGT2-SL: Island Lake RA GCAPW4R

Several days later found us at Island Lake Rec for the MSPGT2 - Southern Lower Edition Kickoff GCB78ZM. Again, we were blessed with good weather. We hang out with friends, snapped pics of the Sandhill Cranes, and then group cached the nearby State Park cache. 

After a work-filled winter, it felt great getting out into the parks again!

Have You Been to McCourtie Park?

I'm sure every Michigan geocacher will say "yes", but have you been to McCourtie Park in Hillsdale County?

In 1924 William Herbert Lee “Herb” McCourtie began to transform his family’s 42-acre farm into a gracious summer home fit for a gentleman and his both illustrious and somewhat shady friends. It was in Somerset Center, and he called it “Aiden’s Lair.” The cost for the renovation and expansion of a simple farmstead into a rich man’s hideaway exceeded $500,000, an impressive amount in those days. [Hillsdale County Historical Society]

The main estate house is gone, but the parklands are amazing. It's dotted with a series of bridges, the country's largest collection of "el trabejo rustico". This is the Mexican folk tradition of sculpting concreate to look like wood.

Yes, these are all made of concrete!

For a geocacher, it's a bit of a paradise. There's a traditional, a county challenge, a Virtual, the Michigan "cache across America", and an adventure lab!

We were there early yesterday morning to finally grab the Historic Caches of Hillsdale County Challenge cache - FINALLY! Checking our logs, we posted our requirements 10 YEARS AGO! I bet you it wasn't as overgrown back then! But one more puzzle/challenge off our list (47% of our "solve list" found!)

If you are ever cruising down US 12 south of Jackson, McCourtie Park is worth a detour.