It's a great chance to see some Michigan wilderness, but the drive's most popular draw are the views of the dunes and Lake Michigan. Here's a highlight reel:
I liked how this barricade acted as a guestbook.
This little guy posed for me!
All along the drive, a car from New York drove in front of us, so we would frequently see the same couple at the drive's 12 stops. Whenever I come across people visiting from out of state, I always wonder how they are going to react to Michigan, especially with the state's reputation in light of the poor economy as of late. But as we passed the couple at the dune overlook, I heard this exchange:
Girl: That. Was. Awesome!
Guy: That was so worth it.
It made feel all fuzzy inside to know that somebody had looked past the headlines and financial reports and took in a natural marvel that only Michigan can offer. It was a great experience and it reminded me of what Project Michigan is all about. The image of the state is like flying an airplane during inclement weather. At first, the sky is gloomy and there might even be a little turbulence on the way up. But once you go beyond the surface and rise above the clouds, there is a serene and jaw-dropping beauty, as if a storm had never existed. Seeing that couple enjoy themselves in my home state was my airplane moment.
Some other things overheard at the dunes:
"Oliver! What are you eating?" (Turns out Oliver was a dachshund with a curiosity for Michigan foliage and was playing a feisty game of keep away from mom.)
"Isaac, those are not your shoes." (The look on this poor child's face was priceless. At the dune overlook, there must have been hundreds of pairs of sandals and tennis shoes scattered about of those who wanted to explore the dunes. No wonder he got confused.)
Just as we got into the car after the last stop, a soft drizzle began to take formation on the wind shield of the Tracker. If we were going to get hit with rain, I wanted to be sure I got a chance to climb the dunes first. Just down the road, we arrived at the dune climb, a steep incline that promises a great view from the top. Flip flops in hand, I charged up the hill.
Now, I like to consider myself to be in pretty good shape. While I am certainly not a gym rat, I definitely like to run a few days a week and try new workouts on my On Demand. But about 3/4 of the way up, man, did I ever feel the burn. I felt like my thighs were on fire and my breath was actually heavy. I paused for a moment to collect my bearings and looked behind me to see an elderly gentleman with no shirt on (whom I later dubbed "Buff Grandpa") making the steady ascent up the hill. That gave me enough oomph to finish the last stretch of the climb and check out the view.
I watched the children next to me sprint down the dune in a race and I toyed with the idea of making a mad dash as well. But then I shuddered at the thought of my Nikon D3000 falling into the sand and opted to glide down the hill instead. When I reached the base again, the drizzle was beginning to turn into a steady rain as I put my flip flops back on. But the rain wasn't going to stop my fellow visitors, as more kept coming. A group of three in particular made the climb with large flattened cardboard boxes in hand, presumably to use as sleds. Awesome idea. :)
Though the rain continued to switch between moderate and holy crap heavy, we pressed on and made some quick stops in Leland, North Port and Suttons Bay. Talk about a contrast. Leland is home to Historic Fishtown, a tiny village of preserved buildings from the town's early days as a fishing mecca, which is a wonderful site to see once you are able to wade through the mass amounts of tourists to find a parking spot. Fishtown itself was mainly a place for visitors to buy T-shirts and trinkets, but I still enjoyed the old buildings and boats.
On the other hand, Northport and Suttons Bay were peaceful towns with nowhere near the amount of tourist traffic. I was charmed by all the mom and pop places they offered and how the Suttons Bay cinema had just one movie playing ("Inception") at three times in the evening. It was adorable and reminded me of a beach town you'd see in a 1950s flick. We also made a pilgrimage to Leelanau Cellars in Omena, home to my favorite Michigan winery and brought some bottles back to share with family and friends.
Once we completed the peninsula drive, Mother Nature gave us an all-out onslaught, but we decided to press on to the Old Mission Peninsula. After a quick pit stop for coffee in Traverse City, we set forth. The Old Mission Peninsula is no where near as large as the Leelanau (just 22 miles long) and we powered through the downpour to the Old Mission Lighthouse at the point of the peninsula. There was only one other family that braved the malestorm and they smiled at us as they finished packing up their car, as if sharing a wink that said, "Yes, we too came out to see a lighthouse in the pouring rain. So what?" Next thing I knew, we had the entire site to ourselves. The rain was at a point to where I feared the fate of my camera under my not-so-sturdy umbrella, so I whipped it out for a few pictures and bolted to the friendly confines of the Tracker.
Hello? Anybody else out there?
After driving through the rain for a majority of the day, nothing sounded greater than a hot meal and a shower so we headed back to our home base in Cadillac and watched the storm (finally) dissipate at The Timbers Lodge, where I showed a burger who was boss. We then returned to the cottage where I eagerly washed the day's grime away and planned out the route for our final day to our big destination of Legs Inn in Cross Village. We packed a lot into that Thursday, but I'll tell you what, I had an amazing sleep. It felt great to do so much in a single day.
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