A Sunny Saturday
It has been quite some time since we’ve had a really sunny day on the weekend. After a gray stretch in January, we appreciated the sun more than ever. If the sun’s out in winter, we are too!
On Saturday morning, Lucas had a Futsal skills session in Northport. Ryan took him and I hung back with Owen and Andrew.
We ended up meeting Lucas and Ryan in Northport for a late breakfast at New Bohemian Cafe. The Murphette breakfast sandwich is my favorite! They have great coffee too.
After breakfast, we knew a hike was in order with the sun shining. Ryan has been wanting to go to Kehl Lake Natural Area. Since we were up that way, we decided to check it out. First, we stopped right in front of the lake for a few minutes. Then we headed to the trailhead.
It was a very short drive on a dirt road, so we let the boys ride in the bed of the truck. They thought they were pretty darn cool!
The trail begins in the woods, and we walked about a half mile before we saw the lake again. Lucas loves to be the leader and Andrew loves to be the caboose. Owen sticks with me in the middle and likes to hold my hand:)
Right before we reached the lake, the boys stumbled upon a geocache. It was missing its lid, but Owen did find a little treasure inside. It’s been a while since we’ve gone geocaching, and the boys want to get back into it now.
Kehl Lake reminded me a lot of Shell Lake that we visited last winter and summer. It’s a small inland lake surrounded by forest, perfect for kayaking and fishing.
It had been a while since our last family hike, and it felt wonderful to get outside in nature with the sun shining on a February afternoon. I think we’ll be back for morel season!
Since we were so close, we decided we might as well head to the very tip of the Leelanau Peninsula (Leelanau State Park). Surprisingly, it’s been years since we have been there as it’s somewhat touristy. However, the views of Lake Michigan explain why!
We explored the beach for a bit looking for Petoskey stones (no luck). It was still pretty chilly but the blue sky and warmth from the sun made it worth it for sure.
There was a playground nearby the boys wanted to play on and how could we say no? Playing at the park in February is pretty rare! Lucas and Ryan also practiced some soccer skills. I joked that it felt like April 3rd, not February 3rd!
After the boys played a bit, we headed back to Northport to get my van. Ryan left with the boys in the truck, and I popped in a shop I like. I had to take advantage of being solo for a bit! On my way back, Ryan called and said he was stopping at Hop Lot with the boys. I was not surprised! We end up at Hop Lot a lot ha-ha. Their nachos are amazing, so we decided to share a plate to hold us over until dinner.
We arrived home and ended our fun day in the hot tub. I mentioned this as a Friday Favorite the other day; the boys love it! We caught the tail end of the sunset too. It’s starting to set later and later each day which is encouraging! I’m still enjoying the slow pace of winter but can begin to feel that slight itch for spring.
