An area I've always considered 'MagicLand' is the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northwestern Michigan. The area conjures thoughts of exquisite natural beauty, relaxation, and a major 'pattern interrupt' from the day-to-day.
I was able to introduce a friend to the area this summer. Since we only had a few days and didn't want to burn out trying to do too much during his initial visit, I pared it down to the 'gotta do's.'
Two of those were Art's Tavern, the landmark-local-color-dive-restaurant-bar in the tiny town of Glen Arbor where we stayed, and the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive (in no particular order).
We were blessed with hot, clear weather and had sufficiently rested to spend the final day of our trip exploring the area on bicycles, a common mode of local transport.
We rode around Big and Little Glen Lakes, turquoise in color, and, if I'm not mistaken, listed by National Geographic as among the world's top ten most beautiful. From there we dovetailed into our scenic drive adventure.
Only 7.5 miles long, the drive through the dunes is named after it's creator, Pierce Stocking, a former area lumberman who's vision created the road with its series of scenic overlooks. It first opened in 1967 and was operated by Mr. Stocking until his death in 1976. In 1977 it became part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
I don't know if it was the fact that it was 85 degrees and humid and we had already been riding about 15 miles to get to the entrance or the fact that it had been seven years since I'd last done the route, but, leg muscles straining, I toppled off my bike as we reached the final ascent to overlook #2, with its bird's eye view of the glacier-carved Glen Lakes. After a pause for pictures and an 'I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can' mantra, we continued from one spectacular overlook to the next with views of Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands. I did notice that while there was a healthy stream of car traffic, apart from us, the bike lanes were empty.
After resigning to walking up an extended, crazy-steep incline (the kind where you stand on your pedals with full body weight trying to move against gravity and they're not budging), the crowning glory of the drive was the Lake Michigan Overlook. From the top of the dune it is a steep grade, 450 feet down, to sparkling waters and a lake vista that stretches 54 miles across to Wisconsin.
By the time we finished our ride, I told my friend: 1) I had new appreciation for a micro-inkling of what Tour de France guys endure, 2) imagined what great shape one would be in if this was done once a week and 3) was never so glad to see a sign that said I was leaving a scenic area.
We did return later that evening—by car—to appreciate what we did accomplish (Gary said he was getting thumbs up from passing drivers who saw us on bikes—I was too busy trying to breathe) and watch the sunset.
This area is a national treasure that, thanks to visionaries like Pierce Stocking, will continue to enrich the lives of many fortunate visitors for decades to come.
Note: A dune high on a bluff covered with thick vegetation was christened "sleeping bear" by the Chippewa Indians. The accompanying folklore describes a mother bear fleeing a raging forest fire by swimming across the lake and waiting for her two cubs to follow her to land. Not to be the purveyor of sad stories, but the cubs drowned within sight of the shore. The Great Spirit Manitou created two islands (North and South Manitou) to mark the spot where the cubs drowned and the solitary dune to represent the faithful mama bear.
©2010 catherine lenard
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