Sunset, Lake Michigan

As I sat on a bench next to the walkway at Holland State Park in mid July, the sun was moving low in the sky, and sadly before dropping to the horizon, a bit of cloud cover set in. I peered way out and saw this lone sailboat adrift on Lake Michigan. It is written in many, many articles that the western Lake Michigan shoreline with its quaint, and I might add, plentiful beach towns is America's best kept secret. And they would be right. Every beach town I visited from Saugatuck, and points south and north, there were very few tourists or visitors compared to the well known beach towns in Florida, or along the Texas or California coasts. This one aspect made for a pleasant journey in and around the small towns, not to mention the shoppes, the beaches and the restaurants.

One might ask, why would I want to travel from Kentucky to the shores of Lake Michigan in the Lower Peninsula. All you need do is visit there once to discover exactly what I did. Spending several nights in Holland, driving north and south to visit the beach towns, then driving slightly farther north to Traverse City, and again visiting more beach towns, made for the perfect itinerary. For the second time in my life, I was able to take in beautiful Sleeping Bear Dunes, and finally make the mile long hike to Empire Bluff. As I drove up and down the peninsula, I was treated to many a cherry farm with red ripe cherries, heavily laden hanging from the trees, row after row. I passed many a blueberry field resplendent with ripe blueberries as I drove north along the shore. On my initial trip to Michigan I drove to the Upper Peninsula and photographed the Pictured Rocks National Seashore. What a gorgeous area, rugged and virtually untamed. Love to get back there some day to photograph the Moose which are plentiful in that area. I hope you enjoyed my look back at my travels to Michigan. It's such a beautiful place to spend time outdoors. I hope a beautiful sunset graces your horizon today. ENJOY!

Linking to Sunlit Sundays

Michigan, My Journey

My recent journey throughout Michigan's lower peninsula, along the western shore of Lake Michigan, has not been documented in its entirety, as I will write more posts over the coming weeks.

However, a quick peek back at where I've taken you was in order. Perhaps, you will find a new image or two to feast your eyes upon. I seldom call my outings a trip, but prefer to speak of them as a trek or even a journey, because after all it is a place and time not yet traveled nor spent, and if for no other reason than the newness of it, I consider it an adventure. ENJOY!

Buffalo, Oleson Farms

As I pulled into Traverse City a few weeks ago while in Michigan, I drove past my hotel before I realized I had missed it. Right as I went to turn around, I looked over to see a good sized herd of Buffalo grazing in a pasture next to the highway. Seriously, I did a double take thinking I was not seeing right. Turns out the Buffalo belong to Oleson Farms who sells their meat and hides and have since the early 1900's.

I was struck by how many calves were in the herd. There seemed to be quite a lot of them.

There are approximately 300 Buffalo at Oleson's Farms in Traverse City right now. It all began as an experiment in the early 1900's when the Oleson's grandfather bought three Buffalo. I guess the experiment worked. At one point, the Oleson's had 500 Buffalo which was the largest herd east of the Mississippi. I think any herd east of the Mississippi would be considered large. You never know what you're going to find when you travel, so keep your eyes open. ENJOY!

Tall Ship Manitou, Grand Traverse Bay

The first leg of my trip was spent in Holland visiting various beach towns and enjoying beautiful Lake Michigan. On the second leg of my trip, however, I drove to Traverse City to spend a few days. Right as I pulled into town late in the day, having spent most of the day at Sleeping Bear Dunes, I noticed a tall ship out in the bay. I had read there was a tall ship company in Grand Traverse Bay, but I didn't know what time of day they sailed so I wasn't sure I would see the ship on my visit.

On this particular day the wind from a cold front that had come through on Tuesday was still very prevalent on Grand Traverse Bay as the Tall Ship Manitou made its way back to the dock. Now mind you I am not an expert, but it seems to be pitching just a tad to one side with the wind against its sail. I would have loved to have been on that cruise.

As luck would have it, the next evening I drove the road that circumvents the bay before heading back to my hotel and just happened to catch the Tall Ship Manitou again. This time it was pulling into dock, sails down, and in a much calmer Grand Traverse Bay. I love the reflection of the sails in the water. This is my favorite image of the bay and the ship. I found Traverse City to be the best place to station myself as it was in perfect proximity to Leland, Glen Arbor and Empire, all tiny towns along or close to Lake Michigan. Also, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is only about 35 minutes from Traverse City.

I had read this area of Michigan is virtually an undiscovered area and has not turned totally commercial from tourism. I have to agree. There is still a great deal of this area where I found myself almost alone along the lake shore. Vacationing in mid July can be tough because of the heat of summer. After spending last year on the Eastern Shore in 95 degree heat and 100 degree heat index, I opted to travel north. The farther north I drove, the larger and more beautiful the inland lakes were. Glen Lake was so gorgeous I couldn't begin to describe it. Cutting my trip into two destinations in fairly close proximity kept my driving to a minimum on any given day making for a more enjoyable trip. To check out Pure Michigan, the state's tourism website, go to www.michigan.org. ENJOY!
ENJOY!