a.k.a. Shameless plug for state tourism...

I'm sure all of you know the state of Michigan is shapped like a mitten due to the great lakes, but unless you have visited or live by an ocean, your concept of what a lake looks like is vastly different than what they really look like.

The wife and I decided to drive up north for our break. While we have been up to Traverse City and the Leelanau peninsula before, we have never been to the west side before. Perhaps most of those times were spent on the casinos and vinyards, more on those later.

So rather than drive up to Glen Arbor directly, we decide to take the smaller costal roads whenever possible. The scenery is amazing if you can spend the time, I'd highly recommend it.

This is a pic from the public beach in Elberta facing north towards the Sleeping Bear Dunes.



And after a little drive up the coast (and a fairly large hill) there was a scenic turnout which provided amazing views.



A little further on will take you to the Sleeping Bear Dune National Park.

There is amazing nature and ecology there, as well as a 450' tall dune.



If nature isn't quite your thing, due to the climate of the region, white grapes grow very well here, hence the many vinyards in the area (see map), some produce average table wine, but there are quite a few gems. L. Mawby specializes in sparkling wine (can't call it champagne, as that refers to the French region), Ciccone vinyards aren't terribly great, but they are Madonna's parents, by far our favorite is Black Star Farms, who has provided wine to the White House and the Vatican.

Here's a link for more information on where to stay (if you don't plan on camping)

http://sleepingbeardunes.com/

If you get a get a chance, head up north.

Attached Files

	maptodunes[1].pdf (23.5 KB, 34 views)
	Winery Map[1].pdf (56.7 KB, 26 views)

Cape Cod or That island next to it (I cant think of the name) is pretty nice.

OMG the water in those pics is blue! Not brown or what ever color water is here (we do go to the ocean on sundays...its SEMI blue..has brown in it. Hey what do you want a sound too look like that has sewage (poop...etc) dumped into it?

Over my summer-We did jack..we did want to go to the cape again (I loove the ocean..) So I just enjoyed my time off.

Yeah, I miss Michigan.............My brother lives in Boyne, which is near Traverse City, and I used to live in Rochester Hills, Port Huron and Shelby............

During my time off, I went fishing once in utah for a family reunion.
1 week long fising trip, was alot of fun.
Then I played more video games than anybody I know.
Almost 600 hours in world of warcraft alone.

Awesome pics man! Never been up there, but it looks like a sweet place to visit.

I didn't get a vacation this summer, so I just lived vicariously through yours Im_gumby! Gorgeous place!

Now that is a lake. They have lakes in Arizona, but everytime I have visited one it turns out to be a pond. Arizona, if the average person can swim across it, or jog around it, it's a friggin pond.

And no those man-made mudholes aren't lakes either.

Just got back from a mini-Vacation to Palm Springs (because the AZ desert just wasn't hot enough). Never go there in the summer, temps at 120. I would of much preferred to have been where you were at.