As we make our way from Nappanee to Oshkosh, we planned to stop in Northern Michigan to see the sites. First stop, Traverse City, home of the National Cherry Festival. I guess we need to do a better job of investigating, as we had no idea the festival was this weekend. That brings some interesting surprises. Our first stop was to drop the trailer at the Traverse City airport.
On Thursday night we pulled the plane out for an evening flight. Had to dodge C-130's and a couple of Harriers coming in for the show.
We headed out to the West Coast to see the Sleeping Bear Dunes. I guess you have to see it from another vantage point, as we saw no bear. We also went over Torch Lake, an area the locals in Michigan head to in the summer. It was carved by glaciers long ago and is quite deep. Apparently astronauts in space are intrigued by the deep blue of the clear water. Some really nice homes around that lake.
Traverse City is a great walking and bike riding town (in the summer). The waterfront reminds of the west coast including seagulls, but with fresh water.
Update... Now we know why the Sleeping Bear Dunes are so interesting. It is hard to see from the air, but the drop off of sand to Lake Michigan is steep and high. It is a right of passage for people to run down the hill and then come back up. Down takes a minute, up takes hours. We did not partake...
We also stopped by the historic Coast Guard Station at Glen Haven. In this area there have been many ships that came to a fateful end during the storms that can pop up suddenly. The coast guardsmen would patrol the coast and if the endangered ship was close to shore use a cannon based lifeline to pull the sailors to shore. If they were too far out, the boats were used. Check out the cork life jackets in the boats. The people who manned this station had some serious guts.