Luckily, the rained stopped around 9:30 that morning and since there was still plenty of time to kill before my appointment, we shot up road B-15 to scope out the Silver Lake Area and ended up in Pentwater, a cute water-side town with a punch of personality.
Anyone remember 'Bill and Ted's Excellent
Adventure?'..'Ziggy Piggy! Ziggy, Piggy!' / Samantha Franz
Quite possibly one of the best store names ever. / Samantha Franz
Funky arts and crafts were all over the place. / Samantha Franz
Oh and sidenote to the culinary experience traveler: if you're in the market for a great burger, go to The Brown Bear off South Hancock Street. I normally do not bestow 'Best Ever' titles on food unless it truly deserves it and guys and gals, I gotta tell you, The Brown Bear is home to the best burger I have ever had. Hands down. I can't even describe it to you...just go check it out and thank me later.
Now, I had seen these signs scattered about in Whitehall and Montague, but in Pentwater, they were abound on almost every front lawn. I pulled over at one point to get a closer look...
The lawn signs I kept seeing. / Samantha Franz
Turns out, there is a proposal floating around to put wind turbines in Lake Michigan, which has the residents along the coast fired up. This letter to the Muskegon Chronicle explains it pretty well, as does this article from the Grand Haven Tribune.
But anyway, the sun began to poke its head from behind the clouds in the afternoon, signaling that it was time to drive back to Mears to hit up Mac Wood's Dune Rides.
Mac Wood's Dune Rides were a popular topic amongst my family at our annual picnic this year when I was explaining where I was heading next for my thesis. As soon as the words, 'Mac Woods' left my lips, several people's eyes perked up and replied, 'Oh yeah! We used to go there as kids!' or 'We took the family there a few summers ago!' That's the goal of manager Shelby Olson and her Dune Ride crew: to create memories to last for years to come and to start new ones, which is probably the biggest reason they are on the cusp of celebrating their 80th anniversary in business.
"They're a tradition for so many people," said Olson, granddaughter of founder Mac Woods. "Lucky for us, people come and like it, then later bring their kids back to enjoy it."
Here's some snippets from our conversation about owning a family business, becoming a Michigan staple and creating memories that last a lifetime.
On how the rides began
"My grandfather, Mac Wood, started the rides in 1930. His father sent him up to Michigan to farm, buying him some property here. One day, we had a really bad storm here and after it died down, he decided to take his truck out on the dunes and because he the sand was had, he didn't get stuck. He cruised around for a bit, then came home all excited to me grandmother and told her, 'You're not going to believe what I just did! You have to go for a ride!' Then some of the neighbors found out about him and they wanted rides, giving him an idea. He was actually one of the first people in Silver Lake. He started out by having a resort to go along with the dune rides and over the years, the rides became its own business."
On why this year has been one of the most successful yet
"My folks used to tell me that when times are tough, people get out and do stuff in their own backyard. We're local and close, a day trip for people from Chicago, Detroit or up north if they wanted to just do something during the day and not spend the night. "
On being a uniquely Michigan service
"It's unique because there is so much sand and it's between two bodies of water, the inland Silver Lake and Lake Michigan. I think it's so cool and people that have never been here don't understand how that is. Other people have dunes, but it's just beach. They don't realize how there can be 2,000 acres between bodies of water. To me, it's about carrying out something my family started. It's something different, it's not a normal tourist attraction. It's something that's very unique. They can have fun, get an education and enjoy the beauty. It serves multiple purposes."
What do you love about Michigan?
"I love having all four seasons, so that's a big one. So is the beauty. But I think what I love the most is living in a small town. Here in Michigan, we have both. If you want a big city life, it's right there but you can drive just a few hours out and feel like you're in an entirely different place in a smaller town and I really like that. I like going places and knowing people. That's important to me."
Then, we went on a dune ride and has the privilege of riding shotgun. It was an incredible experience and is easily one of the coolest things I have ever done. The wind whipped my hair around as we cruised over the picturesque dunes and I had a permanent grin fixed on my face. Our quick-witted driver Lynda was a treat and whenever she drove down a hill, she'd beep her horn and we would all throw our hands up and scream. It was the most pure, unadulterated fun I have had in a long, long time.
I promise once I get the kinks of the video worked out, I will post them. Pinky swear. In the meantime, check out this photographic highlight reel:
I love how all the signage has a vintage look to it. / Samantha Franz
Gorgeous view from the dune scooter. / Samantha Franz
A sight to behold, huh? / Samantha Franz
Our dune scooter named 'For Pete's Sake.'
Pete was the son of Mac Woods. / Samantha Franz
We stopped for photo ops along the Lake Michigan shore. / Samantha Franz
Me by our scooter. / Samantha Franz
After our time in Mears, we decided to head north to Ludington, home to a Michigan memory of my own. When I was a kid, probably not even in middle school yet, my mom took me and the three daughters of close family friends to Ludington, where we pulled over on the side of the road by the state park and played all day on a beach we had almost entirely to ourselves. We splashed around in Lake Michigan, posed for pictures and made sandwiches on the beach. All of us are in our 20s now, but in a recent conversation, that Ludington trip came up and everybody still recalled it with fond memories. I am going to make a mental note to myself to dig up those photos sometime soon.
(Fun fact: The place us girls stayed that night long ago? None other than the Sun 'n' Snow in Cadillac! How's that for full circle?)
Mom and I drove down the very same road and parked in an almost identical spot as we had more than a decade ago and walked down to the beach in our bare feet. Once again, it was almost secluded and we enjoyed the view for a while until a repetitive sting on my legs explained why the beach was empty. Big black flies had been buzzing around us and as the sun went down, their appetites went up. We bolted for the friendly confines of the Tracker, but I was at least able to snap some photos first.
Samantha Franz
We drove into town then and walked the break wall to check out the Ludington Lighthouse to close out our travels for the day and made tracks back to Whitehall for another great meal at the Lakeside Inn. We then plans to drive south to the Warren Dunes in Bridgman by recommendation of a good friend of mine from undergrad. I couldn't wait. :)
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