40 | MARCH 19 • 2020 

Okemos couple visits every 
state park in the Mitten.

JUDY GREENWALD CONTRIBUTING WRITER A

ri and Jessi Adler know the 
meaning of hitting the road 
— for pleasure and purpose. 
To acknowledge the centennial of 
Michigan’
s parks in 2019, the Okemos 
couple traveled some 8,000 miles, visit-
ing each of our state’
s 103 parks to learn 
about their unique beauty and history.
The two started a website (trekers.
org) and wondered how to expand it 
to get more people interested in hiking 
and camping adventures and the infor-
mation they were sharing. They decid-
ed to visit every state park in 2019 to 
celebrate the centennial anniversary of 
Department of Natural Resources.
The Adlers started planning their 
adventure and found a sponsor to help 
offset some of the travel expenses, but 
the deal fell through when the company 
ran into financial difficulty. The Adlers 
had already created and announced 
a YouTube channel and Instagram 
account, and talked about the trip on 
their website. A tough decision arose — 
would they continue planning the trip 
or give up?
“We decided to push ahead, and it 
was worth it, especially when we receive 
comments from YouTube viewers about 
how we helped them plan trips. That 

was the whole point,” Ari said 
The two own an RV with all the ame-
nities: a bed, toilet, refrigerator, stove, 
heat and shower — so transportation 
and lodging was set. They began their 
travels in mid-January 2019 and fin-
ished in late October, traveling almost 
entirely on weekends, except for two 
weeks off to visit the Upper Peninsula 
in September and a couple of three-day 
weekends in mid-summer. 
They visited multiple parks during 
each trip, which was the only way to fit 
in 103 venues. They camped at as many 
as possible, sometimes staying at one 
and exploring others in the area over 
the same weekend. 
The couple drove as far as the west-
ern end of the Upper Peninsula and 
south to the Ohio and Indiana borders. 
“Our parks are on all four of the 
Great Lakes that touch Michigan,” 
Jessi said, “so we hit every point on 
the map by visiting all 103. There’
s so 
much diversity in Michigan parks, from 
wilderness with lots of hiking to camp-
grounds on the beach to day-use picnic 
or fishing spots.” 
The most challenging park to visit 
was Lime Island, located in the middle 
of the St. Mary’
s River, according to 

103 Parks in 
365 Days

Jews in the D

COURTESY OF THE ADLERS

TOP: Lake of the Clouds at Porcupine 
Mountains Wilderness State Park 
 
Above: Jessi watching sunrise at Porcupine 
Mountains Wilderness State Park.

continued on page 42

travel