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

Ducklings, Holland State Park

An evening walk out onto the beach at Holland State Park in Michigan earlier this Summer, I noticed several Mallard Ducks floating on Lake Michigan near the large rocks along the breakwater.

And then I noticed this one little Duckling who decided to climb way up on top of one of the rocks. Not sure Mom was real happy about that as she looked on.

The water was such a wonderful blue that day.

There were quite a few Ducklings staying close to their parents that afternoon. I never really thought about Ducks and Geese having offspring later in the Summer, but apparently they do. The state park was really the perfect place to go swimming and sunbathing. It even had a huge concession stand. And Big Ben Lighthouse was right across the inlet so it was great for picture taking also. Thankfully the heat has dissipated and while tomorrow will be around 90, it hopefully, will be the last 90 degree day we have this year. Things I've noticed recently that you may have also made note of . . . pumpkins, mums, Halloween decor, talk of cool nights and Fall foliage changes coming. Oooohhhh. Love Fall. ENJOY!

Linking to Eileen's Saturday Critters

Windmill Island Gardens

Windmill Island Gardens is nestled right at the edge of downtown Holland, Michigan. The windmill that is located in the middle of the tulip gardens is 250 years old and is still a working windmill called DeZaan, meaning graceful bird. There are 36 acres of manicured gardens. The windmill itself is 125 feet tall from the top of the blades to the ground. You can actually buy the stone ground flour that is made at the windmill in the Dutch Village Gift Shop that sits next to the windmill.

The evening I visited the Gardens had closed for the day, but visitors could walk or bike back to the Gardens and Dutch Village. So off I went, albeit a cold front had come through the previous evening, and boy was it a chilly walk, but I persevered.

It was about a one mile hike back to the Dutch Village which housed various shops, a carousel and a conservatory. I snapped images of the back of the windmill as I walked the main road. In Spring there are over 115,000 tulips blooming in the Gardens around the windmill. Seriously, can you imagine 115,000 tulips blooming in all colors in one garden?

The Dutch Village was so quaint and colorful. The main building called the post house is an exact replica of a 14th Century wayside inn. I loved the dots of color on the buildings.

This last image is a smaller replica windmill that sits at the opposite end of the Dutch Village. The Gardens were immaculate and so perfectly manicured. Sadly, I didn't get to see the front of the windmill. I was loosing light fast and had to walk back to my car at the entrance. I seriously underestimated the city of Holland and what it had to offer what with Big Ben Lighthouse, the Windmill Island Gardens and Holland State Park with its huge beach. And Saugatuck and Douglas, the two small beach towns I wanted to visit were only about ten minutes from Holland. It was a great location to set up shop for the week. ENJOY!

Macatawa Bay

Boating Michigan! That's what this post should be called. Of all of the bays, rivers and lakes that I encountered, Macatawa Bay in Holland was one of the most beautiful. The bay literally separates the town, with Downtown Holland situated on the south side, and residences and the Mall on the north side. There are numerous yacht clubs, marinas and parks along all the shores on both sides of the bay.

This is an image of the beautiful Macatawa Bay Yacht Club. There were boats in every size and shape in the marina. I captured this image as I walked back from my half mile hike to Big Ben Lighthouse. I just learned from Google that Macatawa Bay Boat Works is located in Holland which explains why I kept seeing wooden boats coming in and out of the inlet. What is not to love about wooden boats. They harken of bygone days to me.

One of the smaller sailboats I kept seeing in the bay was this orange and white striped sailboat. It was a perfect day for it to as a cold front had come through the day before and made for some great sailing weather.

All along Lake Michigan from South Haven to Leland, the towns I ventured in and out of were very small, so quaint and absolutely charming. The area is virtually unspoiled and free from commercialism like you typically find in other beach towns.

And if you aren't into the Dunes themselves, there's beautiful lighthouses to explore all along Lake Michigan. What I found that added a distinct flavor to the area were the blueberry and cherry farms. And, while I was there, the berries and cherries were ripe and ready for the picking. The tiny, tiny farm markets that sat along the side of the road were so adorable. I wished we had more of those here in Kentucky. If I had had more time, I would have loved to check out the Peninsula northeast of Traverse City where the vineyards and wineries are the big attraction. Stay tuned, as I have more posts from Michigan coming up.

FUTURE POSTS!

-Ripe Cherries in the Orchard

-Holland Windmill and Dutch Village

-Saugatuck Chain Ferry

-Sauagatuck Courtyard Flowers

I won't be gone long, so check back in soon. ENJOY!

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!

Evening Light, Holland State Park

Every now and then one picks a spot on the map, sets out for that destination and ultimately finds exactly what they had hoped for. Along Lake Michigan's eastern shore lies the small town of Holland, Michigan. The town of Holland is separated almost right down the middle by Lake Macatawa, and closer to the lake shore, Macatawa Bay.

Holland State Park sits at the edge of the shore on the north side of Holland. At the very tip of the park is a huge beach and directly across the inlet to the bay sits Big Red, one of Holland's most famous landmarks. I found Big Red bathed in late evening sunlight with a cool breeze and low eighty temps. Not only did I photograph Big Ben from this locale, but also from across the bay looking north. I will share those images soon.

As I sat on the edge of the sidewalk and watched the sun fall slowly toward the horizon, I chatted with two local Holland residents, a doctor and nurse, who were husband and wife. I snapped photos as I chatted with them and they recommended I visit Olive Shores just north of Holland if time allowed. Off in the distance along the beach someone began feeding the Seagulls. Next thing I knew my sunset images captured a few of the birds flying around attempting to grab a bite to eat.

My travels to Lake Michigan were just what I needed to get away from the every day. I had read that Lake Michigan's beach towns were beautiful, and yet, still unspoiled from major tourism. That is exactly what I discovered. I visited quite a few of the small beach towns along Lake Michigan's shore, all within close proximity to the next. I chose to set up residence in Holland, because it was centrally located. Within twenty or thirty minutes, you could be at any one of the beach towns, and to make it even better, along the drive you could stop for fresh picked blueberries or pick your own at the blueberry farms situated near the shore.

Later in the week I drove farther north to Traverse City to spend a few days. During the day I would trek to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to visit the dunes and stop in at the small towns there such as Empire, Glen Arbor and Leland. Each town had its own special charms, but I especially loved Leland with its old historic 'Fishtown'. Throughout the entire area set lakes of various sizes and shapes. The largest, Glen Lake, was my favorite with its breathtaking aquamarines and blues glistening in the sun. I hope your week was good and you are having a great weekend. Back soon with more images from my travels. ENJOY!