This is a region of surprises. "North woods" forests leading onto sand beaches beside an enormous inland sea. Fall colors in the campground that are not found at the lakeshore just a few miles away. Lighthouses with the towers embedded into the keepers homes. Sunny days consumed by fog in a matter of minutes.
We have explored here for 10 delightful days. Here are some of the things we saw.
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| Mission Point Lighthouse |
Mission Point Lighthouse. The largest bay in the area is Grand Traverse Bay (7-10 miles wide and 32 miles long). Traverse City is at the bottom of the bay. The bay is split into two arms at the base by the 18 mile long Old Mission Peninsula. There is a lighthouse at the end of the peninsula.
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| Mission Point |
The scenic (and we mean SCENIC) drive up the peninsula passes 11 vineyards in 18 miles. Land not cultivated by grapes is planted in cherry orchards. We read that Lake Michigan waters absorb heat from sunlight during the summer and radiate warmth during the fall, extending the growing season. Also, these crops like the sandy, well-drained, glacial soil.
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| Early settlers cabin |
The lighthouse was not open when we visited, but we were able to explore the grounds, where we also saw an early settler's log cabin.
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| Cold and beautiful misty sunrise |
We also went to Traverse City to buy warm clothes. Our packing choices in 90 degree Virginia ten days before did not prepare us for 45 degree morning dog walks. Thank you Burlington Coat Factory for coats, hats and gloves.
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| Port Oneida |
Port Oneida is a collection of famhouses, barns, and other structures of 18 homesteads in a Rural Historic District completely within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. You can get a self-guided tour pamphlet from the Lakeshore Visitors Center. The tour takes you along paved and dirt roads to see the remnants of a modest agricultural community.
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| Port Oneida School |
The area had seen prosperity when logging was the primary industry. The small town of Port Oneida was built around the dock where wood was sold to steam ships.
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| Lonely barns sitting in fields preserve this quiet bit of history |
After the land was logged off, the area was farmed, and the town of Port Oneida quietly vanished. The tightly knit, interdendent farmers eeked a living off the land.
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| And then we saw some Sandhill Cranes in a field... |
The structures date from the late 1800's to the early 1900s. The farmhouses still have people living in them, the barns are empty. The buildings are quite picturesque set in this beautiful landscape.
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| Grand Traverse Lighthouse |
The Grand Traverse Lighthouse is at the top of the Leelanau Peninsula which separates Grand Traverse Bay from Lake Michigan. The Leelanau is also loaded with vineyards and cherry orchards, and is home to picturesque small towns and the Grand Traverse Band of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indian Reservation.
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| Grand Traverse Lighthouse guards a rocky section of shoreline |
The Grand Traverse Lighthouse is located in Leelanau State Park but is operated by the local historical society. The building is quite beautiful. The exhibits inside are a mixture of lighthouse keeping history and local history. The view from the top is spectacular. This lighthouse marks the start of the treacherous nautical passage between the Manitou Islands and the shoreline that we mentioned in an earlier post.
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| The Platte River and scenic dunes beyond |
The Platte River is a narrow, pretty, drifting river that cuts through the dunes. It wanders nearly 30 miles, passing through 10 lakes before emptying into Lake Michigan. The lower Platte is popular for canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards. On the day we visited, the mouth of the river was loaded with fishermen in boats and standing in waders.
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| The Manitou Islands in the distance |
We had read that the shallow, warm waters of the Platte River make it a summer family swimming destination. It is also gorgeous. We had great views of the dunes along the coastline to the North, and the ends of both North and South Manitou Islands.
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| Point Betsie Lighthouse |
The Point Betsie Lighthouse. South of the Lakeshore stands the glorious Point Betsie Lighthouse. There was also a US Life Saving Service Station nearby back in the day. The station building has been moved back from the shoreline and is now a private residence.
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| Life Saving Service Station Building |
This is the third lighthouse we've seen here where the lighthouse is integrated into the structure of the keepers house. You walk through part of the house to reach the lighthouse "tower" stairs. We are used to seeing lighthouses as separate towers from the keepers quarters.
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| Shoreline at Point Betsie |
The Point Betsie Lighthouse has been meticulously renovated with very interesting exhibits about the lighthouse, the life saving station and the conservation work being undertaken today on the adjoining Nature Conservancy land. The lighthouse is still protecting the coastline with an automated, electric beacon.
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| Shoreline erosion protection measures at Point Betsie |
Because the lighthous is on a sandy spit of land, there are a variety of shoreline erosion protection measures in place along its base, to keep it from being washed away.
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| Esch Beach |
Esch Beach is one of a handful of dog beaches in the area. The rest of the beaches are closed to dogs to protect the vulnerable nesting areas of endangered Piping Plovers.
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| Clear, clear water |
It is a beautiful, scenic beach and the perfect place for Schooner to swim. The water was so clear you could see her legs churning underwater. I only waded in once, the water was very cold.
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| As the fog creeps in |
While we were playing with Schooner on the beach, fog crept in and stole a remarkably sunny day.
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| Approaching Esch Beach with green leaves on the trees... |
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| ...while fall has already arrived at the campground a few miles away. |
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