FISTO and Mekaneck check out Traverse City

Well okay, they weren't actually in Traverse City, but the wife and I went up there for my birthday, and it pretty much involves a lot of the areas surrounding the city as much as the city itself.

First stop is Sleeping Bear Dunes, which I highly suggest if you're ever up north in Michigan (though not quite up in the Upper Peninsula).  I've been going there since I was a kid, and I never get tired of it.

Lake Michigan is actually quite far down there.  It was SUPER FREAKING WINDY that day.  Dangerous, actually.  If you take the Sleeping Bear Dunes scenic drive and hit #9 and #10 (all these were taken at #10) you'll be taken to a sand cliff that has sadly eroded quite a bit over the years.  A few years ago (and back when I was a kid too) I ran down that son of a bitch because running down it is awesome.  Sadly, I have a tendency to act before any brain work comes into play, and forgot that I had to walk back up the way I came.  Took me a little over an hour to get back up that thing; it's so steep that you have to keep taking breaks after a few steps.  That minute of running like Sonic down the hill was totally worth the nearly dehydrating hour back up, though.

Anyway, #9 is where all the wind was, and that's why you only see #10 here.  The wind was so bad that the sand was whipping my face like Simon Belmont on Dracula.  Sand was everywhere after that, so I'm glad the figures were sealed in my bag.  The wind wouldn't let up on the way back, so we had to walk through it full-force while my wife used her hood as a shield and I just popped my collar and held it over my mouth.

Next stop brings us to Leelanau State Park, on the tip of the Leelanau peninsula.  Lotta rocks!  Also some of my wife taking pics of me takin' pics.

It's cold out there, and it makes changing Mekaneck's head really tough!

...no idea the ones with me were being taken, by the way.  And look at that priss!  Get down there on the ground and take those pics!  This is serious toy photography, boy! 

Anyway, the final pics were still in the same park, but as we were leaving in a little forested area.

And that was it!  No toys were harmed in the making of this post, because I'm too much of a pansy and I don't wana get my toys dirty or scuffed.  What?  These are expensive!  And did I mention the wind?  Mekaneck almost took a dive in the water because of that.  In the water!  You know how hard it is to get water offa stuff?  It's crazy!  Like, you need towels or some such things.  Psycho-crazy!