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It just doesn't get any better than this!

lorimurray — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:54:00 +0000

Glen Lake

Not only am I a Buckeye, but I live in Columbus. That means I have to be especially careful about how I choose my words when talking about the State Up North. Nevertheless, it’s hard to mince words when discussing my favorite vacation getaway–Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula and Grand Traverse Bay Area.

Last month I escaped to a house on Big Glen Lake, which is separated from Lake Michigan by the famed Sleeping Bear Dunes. Located within walking distance of Glen Arbor and about 30 miles west of Traverse City, both Big and Little Glen Lake are known for their crystal-blue waters. I’m absolutely not kidding when I make the claim that Glen Lake’s waters are as blue as the Caribbean. Only the cooler temperatures and immense fir trees give it away. Add to that the charming towns, local wineries, jaw-dropping lake views, mammoth sand dunes and good old-fashioned lakeside fun. Well, it just doesn’t get any better than this.

But don’t take my word for it. Mike Norton at the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau is a wonderful source , and he helps me gather everything I need to write travel stories about the area. Here’s my latest written tribute in Cleveland Magazine

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

travelingdancers — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:26:40 +0000

We stayed on U.S. 31 today, along the shore, although the lake is not often visible for all the forests. I am continually impressed with the attractiveness of the towns, such as this intersection in Manistee.

Our destination this morning was the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We knew campground sites were at a premium in the park, with only one third on a walk-in basis and we didn’t have a reservation. We called yesterday, and were told to be at the park by 8 a.m., and we might get a site. Once again, Michigan roads tricked us, and we had to backtrack about 6 miles when we missed a turn. We arrived at the park around 8:30, only to find out that no sites with electric had become available.

The park gave us a list of nearby campgrounds. One was a Passport America Park, Sunny Woods, in the small town of Honor, MI, just a few miles from the park, so we set up there. A little overpriced, it nevertheless was a quiet setting, and included laundry facilities.

Arriving so early gave us the opportunity to see the park today, catch up on our laundry tonight, and be ready to hit the road in the morning.

SLEEPING BEAR DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE

“Long ago, in the land that is now Wisconsin, a mother bear and her two cubs were driven into Lake Michigan by a raging forest fire. They swam and swam, but soon the cubs tired and lagged far behind. Mother bear finally reached the opposite shore and climbed to the top of a bluff to watch and wait for her offspring. But the cubs drowned. Today “Sleeping Bear”, a solitary dune in Michigan overlooking Lake Michigan, marks the spot where mother bear waited. Her hapless cubs are the Manitou islands.” CHIPPEWA INDIAN LEGEND

The Native Americans were the first to try to give reason to the shape of the land. More recently, scientists have sought other reasons and attribute the sand dunes of Michigan to the Ice Age, wind, and water. It continues to change. Twice in the last century, landslides have dramatically altered this coast.

The park scenery is diverse and encompasses birch-lined streams, dense forests, beaches, and rugged bluffs towering as high as 460 feet above the lake.

The most oft visited area of the park is the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, a 7 mile loop with panoramic views of the dune and lake.

One of the most amusing stops along the drive was a public beach area that extends 450 ft almost straight down to the lake. Only the young or the brave attempt slipping and sliding down to the beach, and the almost crawling return to the top. We were neither, but enjoyed watching those who were.

Occasionally, paramedics have to be called to help individuals with the ascent.

We did not attempt any dune climbing, as I have been experiencing a knee problem.

After our picnic lunch and the scenic drive, we drove north to Glen Haven and Glen Arbor.

For a slide show of our day at the park and nearby communities, click below:

Click here for the website for the SLEEPING BEAR DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE

and for more on GLEN HAVEN or GLEN ARBOR AREA

Run to Daylight

shimdogger — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:13:24 +0000

Warmth gets all the publicity. Florida, Arizona, and the south dominate travel magazines with ads trumpeting the benefits of warm weather and the related easy living. And, yes, I much prefer summer to winter as many burnt out (frozen out) New Englanders do.

But there is another geographic characteristic that is overlooked and vastly underrated: daylight. Every summer we pack up the kids and head to northern Michigan. We look forward to getting together with extended family and being on the coastline of Lake Michigan. But I always forget about another benefit: the dramatic extension of sunlight that region has over New England.

Glen Arbor, MI has the dual good luck of pulling a good lattitude (or maybe longitude, I’m not sure) and being on the border of a time zone. The result?….today’s sunset for Ashland, MA is listed at 7:52; in Glen Arbor, MI it is 8:56. And I think it may be even more disparate earlier in the summer. This difference in daylight allows us to maximize our lake time, hiking time, and all around good times when we are visiting on vacation.

So while year round warmth is definitely a selling point, for those of us who appreciate a change of seasons (though wish it would be skewed more toward spring/summer) the difference in daylight is a potentially even more valuable asset, and it is much less publicized. One of these daylight-strong areas should adopt a slogan that calls attention to this advantage. Or maybe not….there’s already growing grumblings about “damn tourists” in Glen Arbor.

Glen Arbor, Michigan Acreage

marydewitt — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:39:43 +0000

Real estate which provides privacy, park setting and amenities in the village of Glen Arbor

An amazing property with a park like setting, boosting almost 3 Acres just West of the Glen Arbor Business District. Walking distance to many amenities and Lake Michigan Beaches. Nothing in Glen Arbor campares with this property. A rare opportunity to be surrounded by the Sleeping Bear National Park. more info visit www.leelanauandbenzierealestate.com

Must see to appreciate!

Glen Arbor, MI home for Sale

marydewitt — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:29:21 +0000

: Real Estate|Home for Sale|acreage

Glen Arbor, Michigan real estate for sale! Beautiful park like setting with ultimate privacy with Glen Arbor village amenities. Walk to Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear National Park including Alligator Hill. A Paul Mauer built home with 3 bedrooms. Location Location this home for sale has it! Located in Leelanau County, Glen Arbor, Michigan. Minutes to Glen Lake and Lake Michigan. for more info visit www.LeelanauandBenzierealestate.com

Point Betsie Lighthouse

teliczan — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 02:48:20 +0000

Point Betsie Lighthouse Near Frankfurt, Michigan

Located near Frankfurt, Michigan, Point Betsy Lighthouse is a spot worth visiting. The beach is breathtakingly beautiful and the area surrounding it is just a great place to see. If you go there, travel north a bit to Glen Arbor and check out the Syncronicity Art Gallery and ask to see Ann Teliczan’s work. I was there dropping off my paintings this weekend and shot this photo on the way back.

Taste the Passion 2009

emerycophoto — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:13:35 +0000

Last weekend I had the opportunity to photograph a wine event up in Michigan’s Leelanau County. The Taste for Passion was an event to kick off to celebrate Valentines Day by sampling different wines and tasting different chocolates and cheeses throughout the Leelanau wineries.

Friday night began with a wine reception at Nonna’s Restaurant located in The Homestead Resort of Glen Arbor, MI. There was wine, cheese, and some decadence of little chocolates available for people to try.

The following day the Wine trail began and we headed to Cherry Republic located in downtown Glen Arbor, where we had the chance to sample aplethera of their signature cherry wines.

Then it was off to Longview Winery & Vineyard in Cedar, MI, where we were greeted at the door with glass of Cherry port wine and and a lovely chocolate confection as being a perfect pairing for the two.

After Longview, we went to Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay outside of Traverse City. Black Star Farms is located along cluster of other wineries all located within a 2 mile radius from each other. As far as being on a wine trail, I was impressed by how large the farm was. Not only is it a winery but also makes nationally award winning cheeses, has petting zoo, and a horse stable.

Then we were off to L. Mawby whose winery is known for their sparkling wines. As much as I love my red wines, Lawerence Mawby’s sparkling wines are to die for and I always manage to bring a bottle home for my aunt, as she is a fan herself.

Willow Vineyards, Ciccone Vinyards, and Chateau de Leelanau were our last three stops. Ciccone Vinyards not only did you get a chance to sample their wines but also had a wonderful minestrone soup available. Willow Vineyards had a small sample of wines but you got a chance to leave love notes for your sweety and taste wonderful chocolate raspberry dessert to go with your wine. And Chateau de Leelanau also had more sweets to follow with their wines as well.

After the Wine trail event ended many patrons arrived back at Ciccone Vineyards with a very successful After Party where karoke and pizza was available. Several people came up to sing and livened up the crowd.

It was a wonderful weekend to getaway and have a good time. Thank you again to the Homestead Resort and Leelanau Wineries for the opportunity to photograph a very fun event.

Eagle release, Lake Michigan, Thanksgiving

iamsamiam — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:33:59 +0000

Yesterday afternoon, we headed over to Empire to witness the release of an adolescent eagle back in

Mmmmm... It Reminds Me Of Washington

teliczan — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:43:31 +0000

Spring in the Leelanau Penninsula

For a short time I lived in Washington State when I was a little girl. Other than the rain every day, I remember seeing beautiful rows of trees like this. I was traveling up north on a windy, windy spring day and saw these trees with rows of fruit trees beyond them, just starting to blossom. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is there, it’s always beautiful.

Beans And Brew

Calmseas (Mike) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:38:32 +0000

The first weekend of October, my wife and I spent a couple of nights in picturesque Traverse City, Michigan. Our motel room directly overlooked a starkly beautiful east arm of the Grand Traverse Bay. I like this area perhaps more so in the fall than any other time of year; the crowds are gone, the air is fresh, and the surroundings serene.

We left town on Sunday morning to run around the Leelanau Peninsula—which is the little “pinky finger” of Michigan—for a fun-filled afternoon of peninsula prospecting before heading back to our home in Spring Lake, Michigan, about three hours south. My goal was to get all of the preliminaries out of the way (the shopping, the eating, the sightseeing) and then strike out for our final destination in Glen Arbor for the main event—the main event was, of course, a latte at Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company.

Earlier in the day, I had checked on the closing time for the coffee place and found that they closed at 5:00 pm. I then tried to plan our day around arriving in Glen Arbor, Michigan (home of the coffee roaster) before they closed. At about 4:30 pm, we found ourselves somewhere along highway M-22 between Suttons Bay and Glen Arbor, moving as quickly across country as we could and wondering if we would get there in time.

As it turned out, we walked in the door at about 4:55 pm. We had accomplished our goal. We enjoyed our delicious hot beverages, bought a couple of merchandise items, and then we were on our way home—now completely satisfied with our trip!

By the way, several years ago we purchased (at bargain basement prices) several woven coffee sacks from Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company, and they continue in use as welcoming mats at our front door—and when I say front door, I mean the end of a long, elevated cedar walkway overlooking some magnificent woods and a beautiful, winding creek. Those coffee bags are a great reminder of some great coffee from a quaint little coffee shop and roastery in Northern Michigan. Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company is one of my many favorite little corners of the world. Now, how is that for an advertisement!

Wildflowers in Glen Arbor

teliczan — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:26:28 +0000

Wildflowers in Glen Arbor is a must if you love gardening and are in the area.

Up until this summer, I had never checked out Wildflowers, but had driven by the shop on my way to Syncronicity in Glen Arbor. My friend Lisa had told me this was one of her favorite places to go when she was up north with her mother-in-law.

Now I can see why. Inside, the shop is filled to the brim with unique specialty items, from home accessories to personal gifts. Outside, the garden area showcases lush shade gardening with plants, statuaries, fountains, birdbaths, furniture and more for sale. It’s located on M-22, here’s a google map link.

Big Glen Lake

teliczan — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 03:55:27 +0000

Big Glen Lake after the Storm

This weekend I went up to one of my favorite places, Syncronicity Art Gallery, to drop off some more of my work. And, as usual just had to stop and marvel at Big and Small Glen Lakes. The water was a vivid aqua blue earlier in the day but I didn’t stop to take a photo till on the way home when the water color was less intense.