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Taking a truck loaded with people tearing around the Sleeping Bear Dunes would land you in jail. But long before the days of endangered pitcher thistle plants and piping plovers, back when most people thought that a fragile ecosystem was something you better pack with extra styrofoam, there were the Dune Rides.

It all began, according to the brochure:

"In 1935 Louis C. Warnes equipped a car with special motor and giant tires for personal pleasure trips into the vast sand lands near his home. Friends begged him to take passengers. Soon he added other cars and trained drivers...."

The website Oh Ranger! adds more detail, noting that Marion Warnes (D.H. Day's youngest daughter) was a gig part as well of Sleeping Bear Dunesmobile Rides out of Glen Haven.

They started the rides with a used 1934 Ford that took four people at a time to the crest of the dunes and back for 25 cents each. By the time the rides ended in 1978, there were 13 dunes wagons each carrying 14 passengers on a 12 mile, 35 minute excursion.

I haven't been able to find anything specifically on the "Dunesmobiles" themselves, but to the left is a photo of a Travelalls made by International Harvester. The book A Nationalized Lakeshore by Theodore J. Karamanski notes that Warnes, backed by his new ten-year concession agreement, purchased ten brand-new Oldsmobile 88 in 1956. They used balloon tires and the two that I've seen around Leelanau are both Olds 88s.

For over 40 years the Dunesmobiles rode over one of the most breathtaking landscapes in the world, bringing those to young, old or lazy to walk closer to the beauty that dwells in the heart of the Sleeping Bear. With the coming of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the days of the dune rides were numbered and in 1978 the dune rides ceased altogether.

Today, the trucks have been pressed into service by Manitou Island Transit and far fewer people get back into the "real" dunes. The result is certainly best for the health of the dunes, but it also means that for folks who won't journey more than a few hundred feet from their cars, memories of the Sleeping Bear Dunes will consist of a few runs up and down the dune climb.

There's a couple of photos from the brochure below and you can see some more (with a few from the dune rides at Silver Lake Dunes thrown in) from Don Harrison's postcards of the dunesmobiles. The photo above is Sleeping Bear Dunesmobile by Seeking Michigan (click to see it bigger!)

Sleeping Bear Dunesmobile Headquarters by UpNorth Memories

The Bear -- which has since disappeared

A "Dunesmobile" on the specially constructed gravel road

 

This photo of the Northern Lights over Fishtown was taken by Ken Scott in October of 2011. Today on Absolute Michigan we posted a feature about a solar flare that may bring northern lights to Leelanau's skies tonight (and potentially over the next few days):

NASA's Space Weather site is the place to go for Aurora Borealis forecasting as they help make sense of the data the space agency receives about solar flares and their impact on earth's atmosphere. Yesterday they gave Northern Lights watchers a lot of hope with this news:

This morning, Jan. 23rd around 0359 UT, big sunspot 1402 erupted, producing a long-duration M9-class solar flare. The explosion's M9-ranking puts it on the threshold of being an X-flare, the most powerful kind. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the flare's extreme ultraviolet flash (shown right or in short movie right here)

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft detected a CME rapidly emerging from the blast site: movie. Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab say the leading edge of the CME will reach Earth on Jan. 24 at 14:18UT (+/- 7 hours).

That means it's hitting the Earth 11 AM - 6 PM EST, but this level of intensity makes the Northern Lights a real possibility for the next couple of days so definitely LOOK UP tonight and tomorrow if there's any break in the clouds! If the northern lights hit, our Northern Lights Log will light up with reports. You can also learn a lot more about the Northern Lights at Michigan in Pictures and also at aurora borealis on Leelanau.com!

A pair of fun winter events are on tap for next Sunday...

The annual Cedar Winterfest happens from 1-3 PM at the Snowmobile Club 2 miles north of Cedar on Schomberg Rd.

You're invited to bring your winter sleds, tobaggans, saucers, cross country skis and snowshoes for a Sunday afternoon of fun. They'll have a bonfire to warm you on the outside and hot chocolate and snacks to warm your tummy. Free and open to the public!

The fifth annual Roy Taghon Memorial Snowmobile Ride begins at 1 p.m., Sun., Jan. 22, at the Empire Airport and continues to the Maple City Fitness Center, behind Kerby’s Bar and Grill, 172 W. Burdickville Road, Maple City. Whether riding on a sled or driving, all are welcome to participate in the fun-filled afternoon. Hot dogs and chili will be served at 2:30. Suggested donation is $7 per adult, $4 per child.

All proceeds benefit the Roy Taghon Music Scholarship Fund which provides an annual music scholarship for Glen Lake High School students. Roy lived in Empire and was an avid snowmobiler and church organist for more than 30 years. For information, call (231) 326-5519.

Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January’s full Moon. Sometimes it was also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Some called it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied that name to the next Moon.
~Old Farmer’s Almanac

Speaking of wolves and January, last month the US Fish & Wildlife Service removed wolves in the western Great Lakes region from the federal endangered species list. Wolves are now managed by states in the region and the ruling takes effect on Friday, January, 2012. Read the release from the Michigan DNR about wolf de-listing.

Photo credit: Moon over Lake Leelanau by Missy Luick (a February full moon...)

via Michigan in Pictures...

Leelanau photographer Ken Scott had a nice New Year's surprise when his photo was selected as the Earth Science Picture of the Day for Dec 31, 2011. NASA writes:

The photo above showing twin iridium flares piercing the night sky was captured above Glen Arbor, Michigan during the evening of September 24, 2011. Iridium flares occur when sunlight is reflected off the solar panels of one of the 66 Iridium satellites that are in orbit around Earth. To correct for changes in the angle these panels make as they orbit, the satellite rotates to reposition the solar cells. It's during this short 10-30 second rotation period that sunlight bounces off the cells towards the Earth's surface. On the ground, the Sun has already set, and the sky may be quite dark. If you're looking at the right spot, you'll notice that the reflection gradually brightens and then may suddenly flare before quickly fading. The brightest flares achieve a magnitude of approximately - 8 or about 85 times brighter than Venus at its brightest. To see when you should be able to see an iridium flare at your location, visit the Heavens Above: Iridium Flares web page.

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) is a service of NASA's Earth Science Division that highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. You can see the latest photo and contribute photos right here.

You can see Ken's photo bigger on Flickr and check out more sky stuff from Ken.

"One lifetime isn't enough to learn a county, a town, even a backyard"
~Jerry Dennis

Local author Jerry Dennis has a new book out. Titled The Windward Shore, it explores winter in Great Lakes country and the issues facing our beloved lakes, complete with illustrations from artist Glenn Wolff.

Outdoor writer Dave Richey says:

Jerry Dennis is a natural treasure, and he keeps writing new and more wonderful books. Fitting him into a specific category can be a bit difficult because he is at once, an outdoor writer, a conservationist, a nature lover, a dreamer, who develops words of magic that capture the soul and spirit of those of us lucky enough to live near the Great Lakes.

Winter around Lake Michigan may hardly seem a great topic for a book, but once Dennis sank his teeth into this tasty morsel that he and I both call home, and the result is the magic of this book about the area, the lives of nearby inhabitants, and stories painted by word pictures about this snow and ice-bound area. He teaches us about living in a log cabin along Lake Superior, more about desolate and wind-swept beaches, the power and the magnetic pull a winter storm has on those of us who stay here all winter rather than heading south with other snowbirds.

Dennis gracefully takes us along with him as we plod along frozen shorelines, listen as the surf pounds at shelves of ice, and we hear and feel the moan of an angry wind as it lashes the North County. We see, feel, hear, taste and touch winter along the Great Lakes, and we rejoice with the author as he examines everything about winter in this area.

Definitely check this book out - Jerry is one of the best! FYI, the book trailer was produced by Jerry's son Aaron of Stone Hut Studios - definitely a good idea to encourage your kids to be creative!

This week's photo is Flying Crane by GLASman1. He captured it this May in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore . See it background big, on his map or check out more shots in his Sandhill Cranes slideshow. You learn more about these majestic birds and see another shot from Mark on Michigan Birds: Sandhill Crane from Michigan in Pictures!

Every year, an estimated 170,000 horses in the United States are subject to improper care, abuse or neglect. The Bayer Animal Health Legend of the Year Award recognizes veterinary professionals who provide equitarian aid or exceptional care for horses in need.

In 2011, Dr. Tonya Molby of Suttons Bay has been selected as the recipient for her efforts in helping create the Michigan Equine Foundation. The foundation assists horses and their owners with veterinary care and hay when facing economic hardship. Dr. Molby remarked "It's such an honor to receive the Bayer Animal Health Legend of the Year Award. It is very meaningful that this is in recognition of something that is such a large part of my life."

A $5,000 donation in her name will go to the Foundation, and you can learn more about Dr. Molby and her practice at the Equine Veterinary Services of Leelanau website.

John McCormick aka Michigan Nut is one of my favorite Michigan photographers, and he recently took a vacation on the Leelanau Peninsula. Here's a slideshow of his photos and for a real treat, check out his Flickriver.

Ken shot this last night in Fishtown - see it bigger along with a couple more in his slideshow.

The display of the aurora borealis was one of the finest in a decade and was part of an EXPLOSION of Northern Lights that was seen all over Michigan!