Several months ago, in early September, saw us traveling the Lake Michigan Circle Tour for an extended weekend. A marked scenic route offering the opportunity to experience the communities and natural areas bordering the lake. Approximately 1,100 miles and estimated to take 14 1/2 hours of driving to complete.
 
Our trip took a little longer. There were some stops. There were detours for fun and some for construction.
 
There are Circle Tours of all The Great Lakes, which can be combined into one grand tour of all The Great Lakes.
 
Our trip began in Chicago heading north along Lake Shore Drive continuing up through the wealthy homes bordering Sheridan Avenue. (This section is not the only part of the trip that makes me wonder what people do to afford such luxury.)
 
We journeyed onward through Milwaukee which like Chicago contains wealthy northern suburbs with beautiful homes and lovely parks throughout.
 
About 30 miles north of Milwaukee is a quaint, little town deserving of a return trip. Port Washington's main street is home to shopping and restaurants. It is here we stopped for a break and walked up the steps leading to St. John XXIII Catholic Church, a nice view of the lake, and an old lighthouse.
 
Heading further north we bypassed Door County and Sturgeon Bay. We have stayed and visited that peninsula in the past and is its own weekend trip.
 
Day one came to an end a short while later.

Day two started with a drive along the western edge of Green Bay and up through the summer lakeside, sister towns of Marinette, Wis., and Menominee, Mich. It is here we entered the Yooper land of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
 
A couple of hours later after driving through the North woods and following the lake shore we arrived at the northern most point of Lake Michigan, one of my favorite stops. The view of the lake, the surrounding woods, and the geographical significance makes this a checkpoint to remove from the list.
 
From here it was time to start heading towards and then down the sunset side of the lake. Crossing over the Mackinac Bridge brought us to the lower part of Michigan and a late lunch overlooking the Straits of Mackinac in the town of Mackinaw City, Mich.
 
We traveled through the Tunnel of Trees in Northern Michigan on Route 119, which is high on my list of recommendations for those desiring a scenic drive hugging the lake shore while cruising a twisting lane through a canopy of trees.
 
We over-nighted in Petosky, another town deserving a weekend of exploration.
 
We breezed through Charlevoix deserving of a longer look.
 
We found a small farm stand and satisfied our hunger with flavorful bakery goods and fruit.
 
We lunched in Manistee at a small, unique pub where the food was very good and the atmosphere pleasant.
 
A later stop for a walk on the concrete path leading to the Ludingtion Breakwater Lighthouse finished our stops on this trip.
 
It was a long ride into the night before reaching home. The lower section from Holland, Mich., to Chicago was skipped. We have seen these areas often enough.
 
Three long days was too quick, but check one item off the list of trips to take and add several more places to revisit.

RICHARD PUGH, of Ottawa, is enjoying living in the Illinois River Valley. He can be reached by emailing tsloup@shawmedia.com.