I spent the week in Michigan earlier this month to visit family and friends. I grew up in Dearborn, which borders Detroit, and return at least once a year for a long weekend with friends from high school in Northern, MI. Two of the guys, whom are brothers, have a family vacation home on Crystal Lake near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in the Northwestern section of the Lower Peninsula.

The pilgrimage usually takes place in the winter months and started more then 10 years ago. We spend the weekend hiking in the nearby dunes and spend the remaining time drinking beer, watching sports and shooting the shit around the fire. It’s a brief and necessary escape from reality in a gorgeous surrounding.

The photos below were taken on our hikes along the dunes and shore of Lake Michigan, or at the lakeside home. The weather was ridiculously warm for this time of year. A typical March can bring snow and sub freezing temps, but we enjoyed 70 plus degree weather, which will make this trip memorable in the years to come.