Starting Point: Chicago, IL
Destination: Pentwater, MI via Syracuse, IN
Miles: 339
Drive Time: 5.5 hours

Highlights:

• We stopped for lunch in Syracuse, IN with Ryan’s great aunt and uncle, Dwight and Judy. It was a wonderful respite for us on our journey up to Michigan.

• Syracuse is a very small town in Indiana. On our way out of town, we missed a turn and found ourselves driving up a tiny country road most of the way to the Michigan state boarder. We saw our first Amish buggies and we counted horse poops along the road: 18 piles in all. “Whoa, there’s poop in the road and you just ran over it!”
• Other things you may see in rural Indiana: a dead deer in the middle of about eight horses in a field; A young Amish boy on the side of the road who looked like he was straight out of a museum.
• We arrived in Pentwater, MI, where we will be staying for three nights. It’s a quaint little town on the shores of Lake Michigan that holds a lot of history for Ryan. We’re staying in his family’s cottage with his grandma.

• Last evening a pretty big storm blew in off the lake. We were lucky enough to watch lightning strikes across the lake before it moved overhead. Once it did, we watched the storm from the safety of the cottage and we were treated to quite a light show.

Quote of the Day: “What kind of creatures live in the swamp?” “Schwamp people.”