Whether you’re on a Northern Michigan vacation or a local, August brings the last bitĀ of warm summer days and an opportunity to pack in as many activities as possible. From Traverse City to Harbor Springs, soak up the rest of the Northern Michigan summer with some family fun activity ideas from Molly Ames Baker. Find the original article in the August 2015 issue of Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine.


Cool fact: pigeons bob their heads. Cooler fact: this head-bobbing behavior is actually an illusion. Itā€™s really all about the neckā€”a pigeon sticks its neck out, and then pauses to let its body catch up before sticking its neck out again. With each neck pause, the pigeon uses its side-mounted eyes to take a snapshot of its surroundings. In this way, the pigeon captures and holds an image of the landscape, again and again and again. Without this optokinetic response, the pigeonā€™s world would go by in a blur.

Come mid-August, I wish I were a pigeon. I want to hit pause and capture the momentā€”these last lazy days of summerā€”before it slips by yet again. Instead, I panic: Where did the summer go?! Mom-guilt floods over me, and I stareā€”no, glareā€”at the summer list on the fridge. The did-nots start adding up. 1) We didnā€™t camp. 2) We didnā€™t fish. 3) We didnā€™t wake up to see a sunrise. 4) We didnā€™t, on and on.

Feeling like the worst mom ever, I call my friend who gives me a reality check: ā€œStop! You did something these past 10 weeks, right?ā€ Well, yes, we biked some. We ate ice cream some (no, a lot!). We swam some. But all these somethings are adding up to a whole lot of nothing. As far as I can tell, weā€™re stuck in a rut. Channel the pigeonā€”we need to capture our summer and see it in a different light.

Ok. Come to think of it, we swam more than some. Actually, weā€™ve swum quite a lot. Our youngest of three finally learned to tread water, praise be, so then we swam some more. And these past few weeks were so bloody hot, we done did swim all over the place. Now all these ā€œnothingā€ swims are adding up4 ā€Øto something in my mindā€™s eyeā€”a map with red dots spread all over between Little Traverse Bay and Sturgeon Bay. Holy cow! Weā€™re having a banner summer after allā€”16 swims in 16 spots, and all in Lake Michigan.

Now weā€™re on a mission for 17. I rack my brain for public access to another beach. Bingo!ā€”the bridge, as in The Bridge. I call my mom, who has a propensity for harebrained adventures (Apple, meet the tree!) and sheā€™s all in. So we head up to the Mackinac Bridge for our 17th swim, never mind itā€™s 62 degrees, threatening rain, and we have to change in the car. This time a quick dunk counts. In less than seven minutes, weā€™re in and out, making the last red mark on our map. Itā€™s officialā€”we have our ā€œSummer of Seventeen Swimsā€ from the bay to the bridge.

Back to the pigeon. Coolest fact: In 1978, a Canadian scientist, intrigued by the head-bobbing behavior of pigeons, conducted an experiment to see what would happen if their surroundings didnā€™t change. So, he put pigeons on a pigeon-sized treadmill (seriously, itā€™s true) to see what they would do. Sure enough, when the pigeons realized the landscape wasnā€™t changing, they stopped sticking their necks out. Makes sense to me. So Iā€™m getting off the treadmill. Going somewhere. Doing something. Iā€™ve got to stick my neck out and capture the landscapeā€”this day, this lake, this waterā€”before summer goes by in a blur.

ā€ØRock the Rock Dove Way ā€Ø ā€Ø

The common pigeon (aka rock dove) sticks its neck out, again and again and again, each time taking a snapshot of its surroundings. Otherwise, the pigeonā€™s world passes by in a confusing blur. Our Northern Michigan seasons can pass us by too, even when we have the best of intentions. So stick your neck out, break up the routine and get out there to capture the momentā€”this land, this lake, this place.

ā€ØUnbox the Seasons

Itā€™s easy to box up our outdoor experiences by the season: summerā€™s for the beach and winterā€™s for the slopes. Try doing something (or going somewhere) that you usually slate for winter this summer, or better yet in all four seasons. ā€Øā€ØTry It: Every summer we hike the designated trail up Sno Pro at Nubā€™s Nob ski area with my mom for a grandma ā€Øadventure. The kicker: we carry ice cream in a cooler to ā€Øcelebrate at the summit.

ā€Øā€ØAnything X 10

We all like a challenge (especially with a reward!) and putting a number with it amps up the fun factor. Kids love the numbers game on any scaleā€”from ā€œCan you skip 100 rocks into the lake? Betchaā€™ canā€™t ā€¦ā€ to ā€œLetā€™s go explore five different nature preserves this summer.ā€ Afterward make a map or journal or memory book of the adventures. ā€Øā€ØTry It: My kids love playgrounds, so my mom made it her mission to do ā€œ10 Playgrounds in a Dayā€ with a silly game, activity or prize at eachā€”blowing bubbles, monkey bar contest, treasure hunt, drawing, rock sculptures, etc. Now that the kids are older, my mom is determined to do it again this summer and I know it will work (even for our middle schooler).

Claim a Ritual

Small things that are seemingly insignificant can have a major impact when we do them on a regular basis (once a day, week or month). Pick something small and easy that you can carry through the season to help you feel more connected to the landscapeā€”every morning with your cup of coffee, open the door or look out the same window at the same tree, rock, view and capture the moment. ā€Øā€ØTry It: After the first and last day of school we always get ice cream and go to the city beach, no matter the weather. It bookends the summer and creates a ritual connected to the lake. My kids talk about it days before and would come undone if we missed it.

Create a Tradition

Pick one thing that you do no matter whatā€”whatever the weather, hectic schedules, or choresā€”at some point during the summer. It doesnā€™t have to be an epic adventure or scrapbook-worthy, but it needs to be tied to your place in some wayā€”hike your favorite trail, wake up to see the sunrise at your favorite beach, swim to a buoy/rock, visit a special spot. ā€Øā€ØTry It: Summer isnā€™t summer for our family until we paddle on a little known inland lake north of us to check out the beaver dam. Every year we think ā€œUgh. This is too much work,ā€ but weā€™ve never, ever regretted it once weā€™re there. Making it a tradition means this shared experience has become a benchmark for change, in the land and our kids.

 

More Northern Michigan Kids

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Video: Sleeping Bear Dunes Heritage Trail

Q&A with Tricia Phelps of Taste the Local Difference of Traverse City

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