Over on our Absolute Michigan web site, we're featuring Leelanau's own National Lakeshore in Dig Michigan: Sleeping Bear Dunes. It begins:
The October 21, 1970 Act of Congress that established the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore declared that "...the Congress finds that certain outstanding natural features, including forests, beaches, dune formations, and ancient glacial phenomena, exist along the mainland shore of Lake Michigan and on certain nearby islands in Benzie and Leelanau Counties, Michigan, and that such features ought to be preserved in their natural setting and protected from developments and uses which would destroy the scenic beauty and natural character of the area."
Before it's all over, you will have hopefully enjoyed the photos, maps and links and checked out 5 "must-do" ways to experience the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. (I'm hoping folks who know and love the Dunes can add many more tips for visitors!)
Check it out - I'm really happy with how it came out!
Photo: canyon of trees by metrolens
Every month we make a post where you can let folks know about news items, fun things you did and observations of what's happening in the great outdoors.
Every May we know we can expect cherry blossoms and the beginning of the summer travel season.
This May on Leelanau.com, we're also going to be focusing on summer travel with stories about cool vacation ideas and (hopefully) some vacation giveaways courtesy some of our great sponsors.
Stay tuned!
Photo: J Jumps by Andy McFarlane
The Suttons Bay Art Festival (August 2nd and 3rd, 2008) is holding a contest to design a poster for this year's festival with a prize of $300. You can use paint, markers, photography, digital art, crayons, chalk - whatever! The winning design will be used for the poster and T-shirts sold at the Art Festival.
Poster entries will be judged by the Suttons Bay Art Festival committee and you can get all the information right here.
Photo credit: Suttons Bay Artfest 2006 by Andy McFarlane
Yesterday at The Leland Report Molly Grosvenor wrote:
This morning George Firestone Grosvenor, our Bumpa, passed away. He went peacefully in the company of his children and with the kind assistance of all the great people at Effie's Place. This truly marks the end of an era. I know that many people have a story or two or many about Bumpa. It's great comfort to know that he will live on in these stories... may we all keep telling them. May the seas be calm in heaven! In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the South Manitou Island Memorial Society's project "relight the light" or to Munson Hospice.
You can share your memories here or over at the Leland Report's tribute to George Grosvenor. George captained boats that went to the islands, most recently the Manitou Isle to North Manitou. My favorite tales from him were those of delivering the mail across the ice to the Manitou Islands. He said his dad would tie a rope to him and make him walk in front of the mail truck as they crossed the ice.
Was it true? I don't know but I do know he was a great guy who will be missed.
Photo credit: NMI Pickup by migolfer who writes: North Manitou Island. For those of you old enough to remember the island pickup/dropoff point off the beach by Bourniques. This was before the fancy dock they put in. If the weather was bad, the drop off point was on the south beach off The Big Windfall. The boat is the "Manitou Isle".
Our Leelanau(dot)com photo group on Flickr now has 50 members! One of these is Katie (KT of Lake Orion), who is tired of the snow and says that North Bar Lake is one of the best places to spend a summer day. Click to see it bigger and if you're a photographer, please feel welcome to join the group.
I couldn't agree more and it's definitely a welcome sight!
Starting at 6 PM this Saturday (September 1), there will be an Open Mic at Marina Park in Suttons Bay. Stage and sound are provided - bring yourselves, your friends, your instruments and your lawn chairs and blankets.
When it gets dark, there will be a fireworks display! For more info about the event, call Dennis Grant at 231-271-0300 or The Business Helper at 231-271-4404.
For more about Suttons Bay, check out suttonsbayarea.com!
Photo: Big & Little Glen Lakes by williger - it's part of a great set of Sleeping Bear Dunes photos!
We're going to take a week off to enjoy a little of the summer before it's all gone - we encourage you to do the same!
We will be filling the space with a daily photo of Leelanau from our Leelanau(dot)com photo group on Flickr. Hope you enjoy!
Jim Sorbie got some great shots of this beautifully restored PT-17 at Saturday's Woolsey Airport Annual Fly-in.
Check out his Northport Fly-in slideshow for photos from this year and last!
When I saw this photo of a tent under the stars on North Manitou Island by Chris Arace, my second thought - right after Wow! - was "Hey, didn't Cody write some stories about Ghost Towns of Leelanau?" Sure enough, she had...
The Manitou Islands were the first places in Leelanau County to become settled. The islands provided natural safe, deep harbors for schooners and steamers and excellent fishing. Families lived on both the North and the South Manitou Islands working as lumbermen to supply fuel to the steamers, or fishermen, or farmers. In 1844 Nicholas Pickard built wooden docks on the western shore of North Manitou Island. The site soon developed into a small settlement known as Aylsworth.
As the village grew, education for the children was deemed a necessity and a school was built in what was then known as Crescent City, in 1909. The school was closed in 1917, as many settlers moved off the island to the mainland. Today Crescent City is nothing more than a memory with a few pilings of the docks left.
You can see a map from Google below and also get a map of North Manitou Island from Manitou Island Transit (who run the ferry service to North Manitou Island).
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore manages North Manitou Island as a wilderness area (with the exception of the Village) and has a detailed history of the island and Crescent City.
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