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Be sure to check this out "background big" and also his Michigan slideshow.

To those unfamiliar with Leelanau County, M-22 is just a road on a map. To Keegan and Matt Meyers, two kite-boarding brothers from Old Mission, this majestic highway is the call sign of their hearts. Attuned to the frequency of summer, the lakeshore along M-22 beckons the brothers back from far off adventures. Again and again they return to their home and heart, along the dune sloped shores of Lake Michigan, meeting the waves and wind with incomparable appreciation. This mutual reverence motivates them to share their love of the region by offering the M-22 Challenge – a three sport, action adventure event focusing on the splendor of the area.

The said "Broneah Brothers" conceptualized the M-22 Challenge, hoping to translate their passion for the area into an event that could be shared with others. Assembling an all-star cast of coordinators, including their father Matt Meyers, local athletes and promoters, plus the support of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, this event has the makings of a long-standing ritual for both locals and visitors. Participation in this event entitles contestants to an intimate view of the Park and the surrounding lakes. There is no way to possibly be more up close and personal with Northern Michigan than to take on this challenge.

The M-22 Challenge is scheduled for June 20th. The event begins with a two mile run, starting with a 100 yard climb up the steep sand dunes, within the boundaries of the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. For the second leg,  contestants will transition to their cycles, taking a 17 mile spin around the Glen Lakes before hitting the water for an exciting finale – a one mile kayaking circuit. The "Challenge" is open to all levels, but the top athletes are expected to complete the course in about two hours.

Participation will be capped around 200 contestants, but there are still spaces available and time to join in the fun. Check out the M-22 Challenge website for complete access to details of the race, including maps depicting the exact run, bike, and kayak courses. Additionally, volunteer opportunities abound. The next volunteer meeting is scheduled for May 26th. If you are curious and want to be involved, but prefer not to race, don't be shy! Inquire about volunteering. Either way, be sure to be involved in this event.

Photo: Glen Arbor Men by Andy McFarlane

by Bill Herd

It's always fun to go to a park, whether it's a local park with swings and a ball field, or a state park with camping, hiking, and fishing. But National Parks are different. Sure there are still lots of ways to have fun there, but that is not the main reason for their existence. In the U.S., when citizens determine that some place is so important to us that it absolutely positively must be saved for future generations, it is frequently entrusted to the National Park System for preservation.

As a park ranger at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, I routinely greeted groups of visitors with an introduction to the park and the National Park System. I found that for elementary school kids "preservation" is an unfamiliar word. But even lower elementary grade students understand the concept if you ask them whether they have something they like so much that they are trying to make it last forever. Surprisingly, the majority have some object, an old toy, doll, blanket, or model that has special meaning to them and that they want to last. They already know that to make it last they need to be extra careful. They may play with it but not as roughly as they play with other toys.

And so it is with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Folks have determined that there are important natural and historic features here that need to be preserved as part of our national heritage and passed on to the next generation. We can still have lots of fun in the National Lakeshore but in some areas we need to be more careful so that our fun activities do not harm those features that we agree to protect for our children's children. Visitors to a National Park area need to know what physical features are considered especially important and why. They can plan their time in the park to experience these resources, learn about them, and get the full value from their travel and vacation experience.

Every employee of a National Park should be able to list and explain what features make that national park unit important to our national heritage. Several years ago I prepared this list of nationally significant features of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to train our seasonal staff. Some of these significant features were identified in the legislation passed by Congress that created the National Lakeshore. Other nationally significant features have been identified later by required inventories, new discoveries, or new understanding of known features.

1. Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is the largest body of freshwater totally within the boundaries of the United States. Its size and water quality makes it a national treasure. However, because of human impacts, it is subject to major changes to its ecology. The park extends 1/4 mile out into Lake Michigan. Of course Lake Michigan can be seen from many locations within the Lakeshore.
2. Lake Michigan Shoreline In the 1960s the primary motivation to create Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was to protect a large section of pristine Great Lakes shoreline for future generations. The National Lakeshore protects 35 miles on the mainland and another 33 miles around North and South Manitou Islands –68 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline altogether. The park provides public access for recreation and enjoyment. The natural shoreline processes of erosion and deposition continue mostly un-impeded. The shoreline includes special features such as the mouth of the Platte River (the last natural river mouth of any size on the Michigan side of the lake, and one of last on the Great Lakes), a bar lake at North Bar, sand spits at Gull Point and Dimmick's Point and sometimes at Sleeping Bear Point. The shoreline also provides critical habitat for the endangered piping plover, a small, sand-colored shore bird that nests and feeds along sand and gravel beaches.
3. Sand Dunes The eastern shore of Lake Michigan has the world's largest collection of fresh water sand dunes. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has the greatest concentration and variety of dunes and the largest dune field of any site along this shore. Perched dunes are a rare type of dune formation worldwide and the park has one of the best examples of this type of dune anywhere in the world. Dune types in the park include: shore dunes, perched dunes, falling dunes, dune and swale, dune and swale with river, linear, and parabolic.
4. Vegetated Dunes (Dune vegetation zones) From active dunes to hardwood forested dunes, Sleeping Bear has excellent textbook examples of plant succession on dunes. In fact, the first ecology textbook was conceived after field work at Sleeping Bear and North Manitou by Henry Cowls. The variety of dune types provides the basis for a variety of vegetation habitats on dunes.
5. Historic Maritime Landscape The National Lakeshore includes several maritime related historic districts connected by the waters of the Manitou Passage. Within these districts you will find three Life-Saving Service Stations, a lighthouse, two coastal villages, summer cottages, island farms, and a shoreline that remains undeveloped. Mostly outside the National Lakeshore, but part of this maritime landscape, is the Manitou Passage Underwater Preserve which protects a couple dozen shipwrecks. Together these maritime structures and features create one of the best remaining historic maritime landscapes in the nation.



6. Historic Agricultural Landscape The Port Oneida Rural Historic District, which contains 18 farms and 3,000 acres of land, is the largest intact historic agricultural landscaped fully protected from development in the United States. In addition, the park has two more agricultural districts on the mainland and another on each island. While already significant, these historic agricultural districts will become even more important in future years as older farm buildings across the Midwest disappear and rural areas undergo modern development
7. Glacial Landscape Knowledgeable geologists say that the park has the best examples of the effects of continental glaciations of any unit of the National Park System. The glaciers retreated from the park 11,000 years ago. This is a young land and the marks of the glaciers are still fresh. Of course the park's major landscape features, such as Lake Michigan, the inland lakes, and the rolling sand-deposit hills found here, are the direct result of the glaciers. Glen Lake was formed when glacial waters melted and the Earth rebounded, closing off the bay entrance.Often it is the smaller almost unnoticeable marks on this young landscape that geologist find most exciting. For example, marks in the hillsides, such as the Alligator's snout on Alligator Hill indicate the shorelines of ancient ice border lakes. Another example is the ridge in the open fields south of Empire, which reveal the meander bend of a huge melt water river. A long little hump behind the parking lot at the Dune Climb, small ravines in the field by the Windy Moraine parking lot, and a clay pit near Devil's Hole all have important meanings to geologists and those interested in the Earth's history .



8. Two Large, Undeveloped Fresh Water Islands: North Manitou and South Manitou Large islands in fresh water lake are uncommon worldwide and publicly accessible large, undeveloped islands in fresh water are rare. Because of their isolation, islands have their own ecology, history, and mystique. They provide an opportunity to protect fragile resources and natural processes.
9. Diverse Habitats The Lakeshore's many landforms create a variety of habitats that support a large array of plants and animals. The Lakeshore provides critical habitat for rare, threatened and endangered plants and animals, and the Lakeshore has more species of nesting birds than any other unit in the National Park System.
10. Non-threatening Habitats that Encourage Visitor Interaction Sand dunes, beaches, forest trails, gentle streams, and open fields invite visitors to get out of their cars and experience the natural environment. For several years, Sleeping Bear Dunes has been voted the best family nature vacation spot in the Midwest. Our park's natural environment is fun and welcoming. This non-threatening natural environment can support a wide variety of outdoor recreation. More than most National Parks, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore provides safe opportunities for families with limited outdoor skills to have fun and adventure outdoors. Fun outdoors is the greatest single factor in persuading people to take a greater interest in protecting the environment.

There are the ten features of national significance. Later I will discuss each one in more detail with specific information about how and where to best experience each feature.

Photos:

• Sleeping Bear Dunes by StacyN – MichiganMoments
• Big Blue by Bean in Sylvan Lake
• Ghost forest by mfophotos
• Paddock Candy by smartee_martee
• Kayaking to South Manitou Island by cedarkayak

Driving today on the Leelanau Peninsula, I noticed the cherry trees beginning to bloom. Apparently, the south side of the farms have warmed and are ready to begin the growing season, while the trees planted in the north appeared a little less eager to wake from winter's slumber. Within days, the orchards will be adorned in pinkish white petals.

Across cultures, the bloom of the cherry tree is revered. In both China and Japan, annual celebrations mark this special time in the growing season. The delicate, short-lived blossom symbolizes the temporariness of human life. In the span of a growing season, an orchard in bloom lasts the equivalent length of a sunrise; you glance momentarily at the sun peeking over the horizon, while sipping morning coffee. Before long, this fiery orb fills the sky and you return to your oatmeal as if nothing miraculous happened at all.

As breathtaking as a sunrise, the blossoming cherry trees have this same potential for being overlooked. Without fanfare the blossoms emerge, signaling the start of the annual growing season and fortelling the fruits to come. High off the ground, this delicate flower begins growing as the unpredictable north leaves them susceptible to devastating frosts. At the end of their short lives, the blossoms sprinkle to the ground and cover the ground as snow and then return again to the earth.

The Leelanau Peninsula is known for its cherries, and the opportunity to witness the gorgeous spring bouquets of blossoms bursting in the orchards is here and now. Check out the 2009 Cherry Blossom Tour this weekend or make a date to tour the area. No reservations are required, but this show runs for a limited time only and will not be back again until 2010!

Dark Chocolate Chunk and Dried Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

* 1 cup butter
* 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
* 2 eggs
* 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 cups oats
* 1 cup dried cherries
* 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture just until combined. Do not overmix. Stir in oats, cherries, and chocolate.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto lined or lightly greased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until bottom edges are lightly browned. Cool on pans for a few minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

These may also be made into bar cookies. Press the dough into a lightly greased 13?x 9? baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Photos: Blossom, Barn & Blue Sky and Blue Sky & Blossoms by Andrew McFarlane. You can click both of them for background-big pictures!

Here's an essay from James D. Sprattmoran to shake things up a little…
This evening after work I walked on the hillside among poplars and basswood looking in the leaf-fall for morels. In an hour I filled a mesh bag with thirty and came home and sautéed them in butter and olive oil and sprinkled them with sea salt and parsley with a splash of chardonnay and savored these first flavors of spring. As I walked I thought of how avaricious I become searching among deadwood. I always want more and more, and must remind myself the handful I gather is enough for one meal; any more will simply turn my taste and ruin my appetite.

The first cherries blossomed today, a muted white against the freshets of green upwelling from the warming earth. The orchards, hazed with bloom, undulate over drumlins, this brief ecstatic explosion that will be gone in a week. I see the farmers have the hives on the hills hoping the bees will be warm enough this year to do their work.

With these first warm days, temperatures over seventy, we turn out into the world in our spring colors and pale skins, seeking the celebration of others. Lingering on the stoop or the office steps, we chat about whatever comes to mind, our spirits coursing with the season. Like snakes, we slough our winter selves—sometime soon it will happen to you, your eyes will go opaque and your skin will feel too tight and you’ll have to rub against something abrasive to get it to split and then you’ll writhe and wriggle to extricate yourself from what garbed and girded you all winter. Sudden, we look around and everyone fills radiant new skins—dazzling, spectacular.

With May I suffer a strange melancholy—not that I want the dark days back, but I understand why most suicides occur once the weather warms. There is something oppressive about so much sun and light—the desperate desire to fill every moment with activity. The manic impulse to live as rampantly as the frogs and songbirds, tulips and plum blossoms. I think of the irony of Emily Dickinson’s “heavenly hurt.” Hell, when all the world is breaking open before our eyes, it seems antithetical to continue in such staid conditioning. Better to throw off fetters and frolic. Perhaps the Celts knew the power of such jubilation when they celebrated Beltane, lighting the bonfires and dancing and swooning all night into summer.

With the changing season gas prices rise and the pressure of economic uncertainty abates a bit. Soon the gardens will be fruiting: asparagus, strawberries, rhubarb; then greens and snow peas; suddenly the gardens will blaze with poppies. Maybe it is easier to withstand hunger when the world is green than when no leaves grace the trees. Or maybe the news has changed, or the timbre in the newscasters’ voices. Maybe the end of the world is still a ways away and we can all keep on keeping on. After all, the swine flue turned out to be less swinish than anticipated. Instead of annihilation, we wake and go to work and have to pay the bills.

The other day my friend and I spoke about how time is conditional: sometimes compressed, sometimes telescoped, depending on light and love and the many arbitrary exigencies we encounter on waking. This May, the light fills the lakes past dusk and I feel I can linger as evening falls; after all I know at fifty I have an finite number of evenings left to me.

Photo: Into the Woods by jimflix

Spring Beauties in Empire by Jim Sorbie

News from the Week

Stories from the week included news that the King's Challenge at Sugar Loaf has been purchased by a group led by Homestead owner Bob Kuras, news of another major wine award from a Leelanau County winery and a cool photo of Leelanau's vintners by John Robert Williams.

The Week's Weather

We were down 3/4 of an inch from the normal rainfall for April (2.12" as compared to 2.72" normally), something that's easy to see as you wander through the woods searching for morels.

April 30, 2009: Mostly cloudy, heavy rain & 50s  (60/48)
May 1, 2009: Light rain & 50s (58/44)
May 2, 2009: Mostly sunny & upper 50s  (60/39)
May 3, 2009: Sunny & 60 (62/36)
May 4, 2009: Sunny & 70 – a gorgeous day! (70/33)
May 5, 2009: Mostly sunny & low 70s (72/40)
May 6, 2009: Mostly cloudy with light rain & 70s (75/45)

Get more events (and add your own) at the Leelanau Calendar. Check out today's weather and the Leelanau News Archive from April 2008.

Check out the Leelanau Almanac for the Week of April 23-29, 2009 and the Leelanau Almanac for the Week of May 7-13, 2009.

The Leelanau County Cherry Blossom Tour has been scheduled for Saturday, May 16 from 9:30 AM – 2 PM. The Tour is sponsored by the Leelanau Conservation District, Leelanau Conservancy and the Leelanau Enterprise, with several other organizations presenting a tour of orchards with a leisurely FREE bus ride for folks of all ages (wheelchair lifts are on every bus as well!).

Horticulturalists within the cherry industry have helped select this year’s optimum blossom-viewing date, which is some six days later than the 2008 tour.

Organizers have mapped out a new one-hour route for the 2009 tour that will again include two stops and begins and ends at the Eagles Ridge Conference Center in Peshawbestown.. Participants will be encouraged to exit buses for a first-hand experience at working cherry farms in the Omena area and in northern Suttons Bay Township. Cherry growers will be on hand to explain their work, and tour guides will offer explanations along the route of the history and importance of cherry farming for Leelanau County.

The one-hour route passes by stops at two working cherry farms in Suttons Bay and Leelanau townships.  Guest appearances have been lined up for Patrick Niemsto and Chris Skellenger, original members of a Leelanau favorite, the Third Coast band.

An opening ceremony will kick off the day at 9:30 a.m., with the National Cherry Festival queen in attendance. A blossom blessing prayer will be offered. Also expected to be in attendance is the famed Dried Cherry Queen, always a crowd favorite in the Leland Fourth of July Parade.  Buses will begin running at 10 a.m., with the last bus departing at 2 p.m.

Photo: Spring Will Come by Andy McFarlane (check out this Cherry Blossom Slideshow too!)

Ready for my closeup (Leelanau Cheese) by Andy McFarlane

News from the Week

News from the week was just all events with stories on the Empire Asparagus Festival, Saturdays at the Lakeshore in May, the Manitou 2009 Music Festival and the Exposures 2009 Opening Reception. There was also a cool Cherry Blossoms photo from  leelanau2010.

The Week's Weather

We finally got those April showers in the last week of the month – seemed like more rain than the other 3 weeks. Not sure if they'll bring May flowers, morels or both!

April 23, 2009: Light rain & 50s (57/24)
April 24, 2009: Sunny & 80! (82/43)
April 25, 2009: Thunderstorms & low 70s (73/39)
April 26, 2009: Light rain & 40s (50/39)
April 27, 2009: Light rain & 70 (73/43)
April 28, 2009: Scattered showers & upper 40s (51/36)
April 29, 2009: Sunny, breezy & 60s (66/29)

Explore Leelanau News & Events

Get more events (and add your own) at the Leelanau Calendar. Check out today's weather and the Leelanau News Archive from April 2008.

Check out the Leelanau Almanac for the Week of April 16-22, 2009 and the Leelanau Almanac for the Week of April 30 – May 6, 2009.

kuku4manitou (Joe Burda)

Be sure to check this photo out bigger so that you can see the Grand Traverse Lighthouse complex.

This is one of over 200 aerial photos of Leelanau that Joe took on August 3, 2008.

Be sure to check this out larger. It's part of Molly's Fishtown – Leland – Good Harbor – Manitou Islands set (slideshow)