Mount Baldy

FLEA decided to take a Sunday drive to Saugatuck today, stopping first for dinner in Douglas and then heading over to one of my favorite places -- Mount Baldhead Park. I told Elisabeth that we could climb lots and lots of stairs to get to the top of Mt. Baldy. I don't think she had any idea just how many steps she'd have to climb, but she was up for the challenge! Here she is at the bottom of the dune, ready to embark on the adventure. Allison got to ride in style! Elisabeth tackled the dune and bounded up those stairs like the Energizer Bunny. About halfway up, Fred and I had to stop to take a break, while Elisabeth kept climbing...and climbing... ...until finally she reached the observation deck and was rewarded with a great view of Saugatuck. Just to prove that I completed the ascent myself, here's a picture I took of Fred and Allison resting on the observation deck atop Mount Baldy... ...and a picture of the very last step. Climbing 282 steps up a steep 600' dune is worth the effort for the view alone -- Saugatuck and the Kalamazoo River on one side and Lake Michigan on the other. And of course, coming back down isn't quite as challenging!

On the way back home, we stopped for a quick drink at the Saugatuck Brewing Company. It just opened 8 weeks ago, and we wanted to check the place out. I had a pint of the Oval Beach Blond, while Fred tried the Tubros Pale Ale. They brew some pretty decent stuff. Just one more reason to go back to Saugatuck again soon!