“The business of life is the acquisition of memories. In the end that’s all there is.”
― Carson of Downton Abbey.

As one of our close friends decided to move to the East Coast, we chose a weekend jaunt to luge (pronounced as loozh) at Muskegon, MI as a fitting tribute. Note that Muskegon Winter Luge Park is one of only four such luge tracks in the nation!

Luging – unparalleled winter adventure activity

Chicago to Muskegon is about 200 miles and usually takes around 3.5 hours.

On our way to our Airbnb cottage at Norton Shores, we took a quick detour for Saugatuck, a Lake Michigan beach city deemed as one of the best coastal small towns in the country!

Gentle rolling roads of Saugatuck 

Even on a frosty, murky winter afternoon, Saugatuck downtown had fair amount of activity and we had to hunt for parking.

A local coffee shop Uncommon piqued our interest..

Courtesy, Uncommon Coffee Roasters

And Uncommon it was. Everything in there was rustic and looked refreshing, as compared to the swanky coffee joints in the city/burbs.

With our souls caffeinated and minds full of stimulating coastal town vibes, we ambled around the downtown.

A quick 5-minute drive through the rolling hills of Saugatuck..

and we hit the Oval Beach…

We were admiring the ravishing beach..

and out of the blue (pun intended), look who decided to show up.

From Murky to glossy within a few moments.

Last few minutes of daylight looked surreal

Killer combo of sprawling shoreline and the rolling dunes around the beach makes the 1-mile dune trail quite a unique experience.

#MildlyInteresting – Along with Douglas and South Haven, Saugatuck forms the trifecta behind Art Coast of Michigan.

Root Beer Barrel

We stopped at the famed Root Beer Barrel stand in Douglas.

Although the concession stand was closed, we hit some rich history. People of Saugatuck and Douglas really know and love their barrel.

Luging at Muskegon

We reserved the early morning 9 AM slot to luge, although we were a little tardy, we didn’t lose much .

Apart from Luging, the winter adventure park offers ski, skating, snowshoe and a winter garden where you could relax.

There were winter sports vibes anywhere

We crossed over a large ice rink on our way to the luging area.

These stats might give you the thrills or the chills.

And there it was..

After the brief training, we had to carry our hefty luge sleds up the hill to the launch point.

It was not as bad it looked. You could just let gravity and the sled do its thing.

Just a little bit of adjustment if it veers right..

Err.. that’s a  little too left..

There you go..

Less bumps give more speed and a chance to get to the podium at the end!

One the adrenalin settles, you could get toasty in the winter garden and enjoy some hot cocoa.

3-hours of a genial drive on a sun-kissed day saw us home.

That’s it. We were in a rush this time, so couldn’t mosey up on Muskegon’s famed beach trails.

So long.. Muskegon

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