Trip to Holland and the Beach

We’ve long been interested in lighthouses and have visited several, so we thought that going to Holland, Michigan, to see “Big Red,” would make a good outing. We picked Romaine up about 11:00 and headed south from Allendale to Holland, stopping along the way to pick up sandwiches at Subway. The first Subway we stopped at had a long line, so we went on to another. It also had a long line, but it had a better space to wait in line. We waited patiently and were very glad not to have arrived five minutes later, because a busload of teenagers came in shortly after we did.

Romaine doesn’t usually go to Subway, so she spent some time looking over the choices with Ken while I held our place in line. We all got oven roasted chicken breast (we must be in a rut….). We took the sandwiches to Holland State Park and ate at a picnic table on the beach.

The beach was crowded with people and colorful towels and blankets and umbrellas and chairs. While we ate, more busloads of people arrived and headed for the beach. We wondered how many could possibly fit! After lunch, we walked down the boardwalk, which ended about twenty feet before the water’s edge. From that vantage point we could see the lighthouse and took some photos. You can’t actually get to the lighthouse or tour it.

Next we drove through one of the campgrounds in the park. We were impressed by how extensive it was, with lots of trees. We saw camping units from tents to large trailers and a few large motorhomes. There were definitely spaces where Venture would fit—and quite a few empty spaces.

Romaine suggested that we stop by Captain Sundae for their famous Tommy Turtle sundaes, made with vanilla soft serve ice cream, chocolate and caramel syrup, and pralined pecans. We ate them while sitting in the Captain’s Clipper (a mock up of a sailing ship).

We stopped by some of the shops at the Dutch Village and saw wooden shoes and lots of hand painted delft china.

Tonight we’re enjoying the pitter patter of rain on the roof and the distant thunder, which should clear up by morning.