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Category: Completed Counties

These are the Counties that have been completed.

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Wexford

Wexford County

Wexford County Run

 

The start of this very long journey. This was my first run for the runmi5k goal. 

 

Ran for a while before I was able to get a glimpse of the lake.

 

Was cool to see the lake right up by the road.

 

It is a beautiful smaller lake.

 

Looks like it would be a great Lake to live on.

One of the coolest views! What a wonderful run.

My son lives in Wexford County, and we go there often to visit him and his family, but most importantly, my grand-daughter Melody.

Was trying to find a place near his home and found a lake that looked like it was about 3 miles to run around it. Thought this could be perfect. I then went on to a map site to plan my route, that is when I discovered the name of this lake – Lake Gitchegumee!

It was then that I knew this should be my first run. My parents own a cabin on another lake sometimes called Lake Gitchegumee (Lake Superior). I thought how cool would it be to say I’ve ran all the way around Lake Gitchegumee!

So this was the run that could start them all!

Wexford County

Antioch
Boon
Buckley
Buckley
Buckley
Cadillac
Cadillac
Cedar Creek
Cherry Grove
Clam Lake
Colfax
Greenwood
Hanover
Haring
Harrietta
Henderson
Liberty
Manton
Mesick
Selma
Slagle
South Branch
Springville
Wexford

Any place in Bold and Red are townships / towns / cities I’ve run a 5k for the county run (or the closest city to my county run)

Any place in Bold and Blue are townships / towns / cities I’ve run anytime in the past.

Any place in Bold and Green are townships / towns / cities I’ve done website / hosting / design work – best website builder for small business – WordPress design hosting and search engine optimization. I’m a small business website builder – contact me to get a website that works! If no Green color is on this page, please talk with me (Click Here). I’ll be encouraged to change one to Green!

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Muskegon

Muskegon County

Muskegon County Run

County Complete
This trail didn't appear on my Strava map. However, it did appear on "Map my Run," and it was there...
The trail was a very undeveloped road, and it had a lot of loose gravel. I loved how backwoods this was.
More backwoods. Because Strava didn't show this map, I had to guess where the trail was as there were tracker marks everywhere after this patch. I turned around and had to run back over what I ran to start with to get back on my planned path.
I finally crossed the main road and was back on my planned path. It was cool too that I could finally see the lake that I planned on running around.
Another great look at Hart lake. There were several houses on this side of the lake (northeast side).
Sun on the lake made for some great views.
I was looking toward the south side of lake Hart.
Another great look towards the south side of the lake.
The road turned into a path headed toward the Northwest side of the lake. It was very undeveloped, very much like the trail at the beginning of the run.
I was looking East from the northwest side of the lake. You could see many houses over there, but there were NON on this top west side of the lake.
Another look at more houses on the other side of the lake!
Here is a look at John Adams lake on the other south side of the road. It wasn't much of a view, just a couple of houses.
Here is another shot from the southwest side of the lake. It was so cool to find this lake, it wasn't very occupied, and I'm sure the property owners on the lake are probably delighted.
Here is a shot of that little peninsula on the southeast side of the lake. What a great looking little lake.
Here I am, back on the main road heading north. It was nice to get back on solid ground.
I could see another lake to the east, but I don't remember its name from the maps.
Great Design Plan to run the county for this website

Here is a run that I planned last night. I was trying to get to a county that wouldn’t require a night stay somewhere. But I’m running out of these types of counties. I’m going to have to travel and stay somewhere in many other counties in the future. Luckily, campgrounds should open up soon because of summer. Lisa and I can travel around throughout the summer. Lisa doesn’t really like this idea, and I have mixed feelings. I HATE driving long distances. I do enjoy seeing new sites and am enjoying all the new places that I’m running across. I think, in the end, I will be pleased that I chose to do this, but I’m guessing there will be a time or two that I question my sanity. 

One cool thing about the above plan is I will be able to knock several counties off in a weekend. I’m guessing three in a weekend should be doable. That means if I visit the northwest UP twice and knock out 3-4 counties over a long weekend, I should be able to complete the west in only two to three trips up there.

Muskegon County

Blue Lake
Casnovia
Cedar Creek
Dalton
Egelston
Fruitland
Fruitport
Holton
Laketon
Lakewood Club
Montague
Moorland
Muskegon
Muskegon Heights
North
Norton Shores
Ravenna
Roosevelt Park
Sullivan
Whitehall
White River

Any place in Bold and Red are townships / towns / cities I’ve run a 5k for the county run (or the closest city to my county run)

Any place in Bold and Blue are townships / towns / cities I’ve run anytime in the past.

Any place in Bold and Green are townships / towns / cities I’ve done website / hosting / design work – best website builder for small business – WordPress design hosting and search engine optimization. I’m a small business website builder – contact me to get a website that works! If no Green color is on this page, please talk with me (Click Here). I’ll be encouraged to change one to Green!

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Keweenaw

Keweenaw County

Keweenaw County Run

County Complete

The boat that took us to the Island was The Isle Royale Queen IV

Our first glimpse of the island!

This was my final Michigan 5K. I did complete the full 5K distance—possibly even more—but unfortunately, my phone died during the run. Poor cell service on the island drained the battery quickly, which meant I wasn’t able to record the entire route.

The run took place on Isle Royale, located in the northernmost part of Michigan. (all the way across lake SuperiorGetting there was a journey in itself. I started with an eight-hour drive to Copper Harbor, where I met my parents at a campground for the night. The next morning, we boarded the Isle Queen VI, a ferry that took 3 hours and 45 minutes to reach the island—the remote and rugged setting for my final run.

My parents offered to watch my bag while I ran my final 5K. As you’ll see in the following photos, this was an extremely rocky and uneven trail, making the run physically challenging from the start. What made it even more stressful was the announcement from the welcoming guide on the island. She told us we needed to be back at the boat by 2:15 PM, and at that moment, it was already 1:00 PM.

 

To make matters worse, she mentioned she was the only EMT on the island, and if anyone got injured, it would take a very long time to get to a hospital. I’m certain this heightened my parents’ anxiety about me heading out alone on such a dangerous and remote trail.

The trail started out smooth and peaceful—a perfect beginning for my final Michigan 5K.

But the terrain quickly changed. Sharp rocks and narrow, raised wooden boardwalks made every step a careful calculation. Twisting an ankle felt like a real risk.

The views along the trail were absolutely breathtaking—some of the most scenic I’ve ever seen in Michigan. But in the back of my mind, I was constantly worried about getting back to the boat on time.

The trail was well-marked, but it never seemed to level out—always climbing, always rocky.

 

Every now and then, the dense forest would open up, revealing stunning views of Lake Superior. This photo is facing east, toward the endless blue.

If I wasn’t climbing, I was descending—always over rocks, making every stride a challenge.

 

This point in the trail was about a mile into the run, spirits high.

 

Knowing the time crunch and the island’s remoteness, I began to think about my parents. I’m sure they were anxious about me running off alone, so I decided to turn back early.

Thankfully, the trail was easy to retrace. Even deep in Isle Royale’s backcountry, the path home was clear.

I’m sure my parent were worried about me getting lost or hurt so I decided to turn around.

The trail was super simple to find my way back.

As I got closer to the boat, the trail finally began to even out, allowing me to pick up the pace again.

 

Getting closer to the dock now—probably a quarter mile away from the boat. My final Michigan 5K was almost complete.

Once I returned to where my parents were waiting, I told them I still had about a mile to go. I chose to finish the run on flatter ground, looping back to the boat launch, then climbing a ridge toward the center of the island.

 

At the top, I found a few rustic homes—some already built, some under construction. Looking west, I thought I was seeing a lake with an island… but it turned out to be a beautiful bay of Lake Superior. Likely a rental, and what a view.

A better look at the “island” in the bay. After reaching this ridge, my phone finally died. I followed a path southwest that wasn’t even recorded on Strava. After exploring a while, I made my way back, took a quick swim in Lake Superior, and caught the boat just in time for the 3 hour and 45 minute ride back to Copper Harbor. My final Michigan 5K? Officially complete.

 

Spotted this sign in Copper Harbor and couldn’t help but laugh—from MI to FL? Quite the detour!

Leaving Copper Harbor behind—but still deep in the Keweenaw Peninsula, surrounded by brilliant fall colors. A scenic end to a beautiful trip.

With 6 hours off the clock, I finally saw the bridge again. Only two more hours and I’d be home.

If you ever make it out to Isle Royale, please say hello to this otter for me. Tell him McCatty says hi, and he hopes to return someday. If you’re looking for an unforgettable place for a visit, this is it. I’m so glad I chose Isle Royale to close out this chapter.

Great Design Plan to run the county for this website

I’m planning my final county run for the summer of 2025, with hopes of completing it on Isle Royale National Park. I haven’t finalized details about the boat ride yet, but I’ve heard from many that the journey is well worth it.

If you’re a business located in Keweenaw County, I’d love to connect—please reach out!

Update: I’ve already worked with two people from the area—one on websites, and another on posters, maps, and videos. I’ll be sharing more about those projects soon. My ongoing goal is to collaborate with people from every county across Michigan.

Keweenaw County

Ahmeek Allouez Copper Harbor Eagle Harbor Gay Grant Houghton Isle Royale Sherman

Any place in Bold and Red are townships / towns / cities I’ve run a 5k for the county run (or the closest city to my county run)

Any place in Bold and Blue are townships / towns / cities I’ve run anytime in the past.

Any place in Bold and Green are townships / towns / cities I’ve done website / hosting / design work – best website builder for small business – WordPress design hosting and search engine optimization. I’m a small business website builder – contact me to get a website that works! If no Green color is on this page, please talk with me (Click Here). I’ll be encouraged to change one to Green!

Contact

If you have some ideas about a county please share them on that counties comments section. I would like others to see what makes the county great.  If you would like to contact me privately you can do so here:                                   thanks. m