Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

We drove to Traverse City today to TC-RV, where our repairs will be done tomorrow. We crossed the Mackinac Bridge, the Mighty Mac, which is the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western hemisphere. Opened in 1957, it links St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula to the City of Mackinaw Village in the Lower Peninsula.

Mighty Mac is an awesome sight

Glen Lake is divided into shallow Little Glen Lake and much deeper Big Glen Lake, joined by the narrows at the M-22 bridge

After dropping off Venture at TC-RV, we headed over to the shores of Lake Michigan, to our second national lakeshore: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We stopped first at the Visitor Center, where we saw some nice displays of the history and ecology of the area. A friendly ranger advised us to take the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and called out some other points of interest on the map, and we set out.

The Scenic Drive took us to some great vistas. At one stop we saw beautiful blue Glen Lake, carved out by glaciers and then cut off from Lake Michigan by sandbars, which have since widened. From another vista on top of a 200-foot dune, we had a panoramic view of the dunes and surrounding points.

Dune trespassers

Sleeping Bear Dune with the Manitou Islands in the background

At another stop we could walk to the Lake Michigan Overlook and the Sleeping Bear Dune Overlook. Signs at the Lake Michigan Overlook request that visitors stay on the boardwalk to protect the fragile dunes vegetation (and for their own safety), but many people were ignoring the request. The Sleeping Bear Dune doesn't look much like the sleeping mother bear of the Chippewa Indian legend anymore.

We drove to Glen Haven, a small community where the original Blacksmith Shop has been restored and is open to visitors, but we were too late in the day. We did take a hike out to Sleeping Bear Point. The hike wasn't very long, but any hike in the dunes is made more strenuous by the deep, loose sand. As we were slogging along, we saw some barefoot teenagers running around playing a game in a large sand bowl. "Where do they get the energy?" was Ken's question.

Manning Lighthouse at Empire

Sunset over Lake Michigan from beach at Empire

We ended our time at the lake at a small beach park in nearby Empire, MI (where the park Visitor's Center is located). The name is much more grandiose than the town. Once a busy lumbering town, it is now a quiet village. At the park we spotted a small lighthouse. A plaque is inscribed "In Memory of Robert H. Manning, Dedicated 1991." A Google search brought up this explanation.

The beach was lined with benches and a handy wall, where many folks came to sit and watch the sunset. We joined them, wishing we had come as well prepared as the couple with the bottle of wine or the ones sharing a delicious looking pizza. The sunset was a lovely end to our visit to the lakeshore.

By the time the sun had set, we were famished and headed home for a quick and very late supper. We'll have to set the alarm for early in the morning to be ready for our 8:15 appointment. I ran out to a 24-hour Meijer's for some dog food and groceries.