Hilton Head - why so popular here?

[ram2]

Originally Posted by CincyIU29

Just have to laugh that no one brings up the western Michigan coast, which in my opinion blows HH and Myrtle out of the water and is considerably closer even at the northern extremity of it.

Especially Sleeping Bear dunes.

[ram2]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

But one thing you can get in Michigan is cold. I remember one trip to Holland Michigan in early August and attempting to go to the beach. After turning blue in a short time we abandoned that idea. Even further South around Grand Haven you have to be a fool to swim in the lake. For boating it is great, but swimming no way unless a heated pool at a hotel.

Grand Haven is north of Holland, Mi.

[kjbrill]

[quote=ram2;24698267]Grand Haven is north of Holland, Mi.[/quo

You are correct. I was thinking of South Haven, where my SIL lives. It is a nice town, a summer playground for Chicago, but still cold as can be. Has a fantastic marina where people from Chicago keep their boats. A couple of nice beaches and the sand dunes south of town are fantastic. But as far as swimming in the lake, forget it. My SIL and BIL had an independent motel on the outskirts of town. They also had a large aquatic and sports center to which they sold memberships. Did very well with that, seems people do prefer warm water.

[ram2]

[quote=kjbrill;24698989]

Originally Posted by ram2

Grand Haven is north of Holland, Mi.[/quo

You are correct. I was thinking of South Haven, where my SIL lives. It is a nice town, a summer playground for Chicago, but still cold as can be. Has a fantastic marina where people from Chicago keep their boats. A couple of nice beaches and the sand dunes south of town are fantastic. But as far as swimming in the lake, forget it. My SIL and BIL had an independent motel on the outskirts of town. They also had a large aquatic and sports center to which they sold memberships. Did very well with that, seems people do prefer warm water.

Many Detroiters keep their boats in that same fantastic marina.

[Peregrine]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Maybe you didn't get my comment. Holland Michigan is not on Lake Erie. Yes Lake Erie is shallow and warms up more quickly, but Lake Michigan does not. Please recognize that Holland Michigan is not on Lake Erie, and it never really gets warm unless your idea of warm is 40' F.

You didn't get my comment at all. Please recognize I am not an idiot.

What I meant to say:

I am surprised it takes that long for Lake Michigan to warm up. Because a similiar lake, Lake Erie, warms up quickly. Maybe it is because Erie is so much shallower then Lake Erie? That must be the case.

[ram2]

If you want a "big chill", take a trip up to Marquette, Mi and go for a dip in Lake Superior.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by ram2

If you want a "big chill", take a trip up to Marquette, Mi and go for a dip in Lake Superior.

I can imagine that would turn your tush tush blue. I had an aunt and uncle who went to the straits of mackinac every year for their vacation, dragging their boat behind them. But their passion was fishing. They would rent a cabin, I do not know why since they spent very little time in it. They would be out there every day in their boat, virtually all day. They would catch a lot of fish. They had a local outfit up there freeze and prepare them for shipment. They would send just about everybody in the family a box of fillets packed in dry ice. That was some good fish.

I tried my hand at fishing in Michigan several times, but never caught much. I guess I was just too impatient, wanting those fish to just jump on my hook soon as I threw it in. Come to think of it, I never caught much of anything anywhere, likely for the same reason.

One time I was in Florida and we took my FILs boat out out of Fort Meyer into the Gulf with a local neighbor accompanying us. The day before we had gone to a market and bought several large vinyl trash cans, as Dad's boat did not have a fish locker, it was a sport, but not a fishing boat.

The local man directed us out into the Gulf about 30 miles. It was still shallow water as much of the Gulf is not very deep. We threw our bait into the water and began to catch Grouper. And Boy did we catch Grouper! After all of the cans were overflowing we came back in. The neighbor said to go up and down the street and announce we were having a fish fry. I was sent up town to buy more charcoal for the grill and of course some beer to go with it. He gutted, skinned, and filleted all of the fish. That was probably some of the best tasting fish I have ever had. Out of the water, through the grill and onto the plate all in the same day, that is about as fresh as you can get. And whatever was in the spice mix the neighbor brought from his house, Oh Man!

I found out later the neighbor was a retired City Manager from Grand Rapids Michigan. He had retired to Cape Coral Florida where my inlaws also lived, just outside Fort Meyers. He realized early on the property development company was completely unprepared to handle such basic needs as trash collection. So he approached them about a contract. Next thing you know he is running a trash business larger than what he monitored in Grand Rapids. But he was smart about one thing, he minimized the time he spent in the business. He said hire smart people, let them run the business, and I will go fishing for Grouper. A very engaging fellow and one I really respected as he knew what he wanted from life.

[robrobrob]

Hilton Head has a nice beach for kids. Generally speaking the ocean doesn't get that rough unless you are there at high tide. The water is also much warmer than northern beaches.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

Hilton Head has a nice beach for kids. Generally speaking the ocean doesn't get that rough unless you are there at high tide. The water is also much warmer than northern beaches.

A good post. Us old folks are not about to be caught in cold water. What I observe about HHI is the grandparents can rent a place, bring the kids and grandkids down, and have a good time with no stress.

My wife did something similar renting a log cabin in Pigeon Forge at Christmas to bring the family together. Now we make it even simpler, just reserve some rooms at Great Wolf Lodge here in Mason. The kids can travel and we just stay put. The grandkids just love the indoor water park in the middle of winter.