Leelanau Peninsula (Michigan) - Day 6
Today was the exploration of the Leelanau peninsula. This is a relatively small area full of great little towns that thrive in the summer months. The peninsula has Lake Michigan on the west and the large Traverse Bay on the east. We started from Traverse City and drove around the peninsula counter-clockwise. The towns had great little shops and restaurants. The north tip has a lighthouse. Total drive 134 miles. At the end of the day we took in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, with several sandy hikes to take in fantastic views of giant dunes that drop down into Lake Michigan, as well as a beautiful scenic drive through forests. Speaking of forests, that is mostly the land coverage up here, although there is plenty of farm land and cherry orchids. And speaking of cherries... Cherries are a big deal up here. Traverse City is having the Cherry Festival this weekend and there are a lot of cherry orchards and places selling jams and pies. I knew a little of this, and I like cherries, so I was really looking forward to eating some fresh picked, juicy, sweet Michigan cherries. But they are not ready yet! They say that for the Traverse City Cherry Festival tis year, they have to bring in Washington state cherries. Anyway...Thanks Larry for the detailed info on this area!
This one would be big by LA & TX standards. Claws might be close to a record.
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That is a really big drop to the lake. Signs says if you go down there, expect to take 2 hours to climb back up.
We walked many of these sand trails to the dunes or beach.
Watching the sunset from the top of the dunes. Again, a big drop to the lake. Several hundred feet.
