'Pure Michigan'

Michigan is without doubt a beautiful state.  Every time I come back I wonder why we left,. Actually I remember pretty well when the skies are gray for days on end, but that aside someday I hope to be able to return to Michigan for the summers. With the short summer season there is constant activity, fairs, car shows, boat shows, art shows, antique shows, camping, boating, kayaking, boat races......and on and on. No matter what your passion is you will most likely be able to pursue it here.  

We met Carl and Wendy on South Manitou Island sixteen miles off of Leland.  These Islands are part of a chain (with Beaver Island in the North) that were formed after water filled the Lake Michigan Basin that was created by Glaciers eons ago.  We hiked almost eight miles (oh my aching legs, hips and neck), rule of thumb, inactivity on a boat should not be followed by hiking eight miles!

BUT it was worth every ache and pain....it was a picture perfect day for the Pure Michigan ads you see everywhere.   Blue sky, bluer water, no wind and gorgeous scenery.  The only way you can get here is by ferry from Leland or personal water craft and it is one of the few places of natural beauty that hasn't been disturbed by man mainly because of its inaccessibility. 

It is an uninhabited island which is part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. We were able to dinghy over the wreck of the Three Brothers (1911) in water so clear we could see the remains of the hull 20 feet under water.  We saw giant Northern White Cedars, some of the largest in the world, one estimated at being over 500 years old.  There is a restored lighthouse, a 'village' of houses that were once occupied by settlers on the island.  Google "South Manitou" Island and you'll be amazed at the history of this gem in Lake Michigan.

SOUTH MANITOU SLIDESHOW           (speaker upper left corner...new slideshow)

Yesterday we walked to the beach to see the wave action in the 15 to 25 MPH winds and then walked some of the streets.  It's amazing what you see if you just stray off the beaten path!

And here are the swans bobbing around in 18 MPH winds.  We were in the dinghy and didn't want to get too close.  They can get pretty darn ornery.