C'est comme ça qu'est ce que j'y peux?

[ezurbub]

We're halfway through our roadtrip up the west coast of Michigan.  We started in Saugatuck/Holland and are now just outside Traverse City, on our way to Mackinac Island were we'll stay for a bit before heading back to Chicago.  Anyway, Tristan put together the soundtrack for the drive and one of the songs is in the running for my #1 guilty pop

Comments

[mcg_photo]

hey! i didn't know you were going up the pinky! okay, i grew up in leelanau county (and worked at the traverse city country club for a summer in there) and we still have a bayside cottage/garage in sutton's bay for the summers (my sister's currently outfitting the place for a US wedding reception since not everyone made it to the UK one). if you're still up there, a few places to check out:

1. M-22. take it the whole way around the pinky. it's a gorgeous drive.
2. leland. it's a historic "fishtown." it gets overrun with yuppies now and then, but still retains the old fishing town, with shops (and a fantastic cheese shoppe in there). breakfast at the early bird is great. doug murdick's fudge shoppe is a staple and great. try it.
3. bel lago winery. on M-22, before you get to leland, you'll want to turn right on 204. follow that a little til you see South LakeShore Drive, and hook a right (heading south). it'll be 7 miles south. try their cherry port wine. get a bottle. it's strong.
4. northport. the town is in a remission, but still has a nice marina. if you drive THROUGH northport, and keep going, you'll come to leelanau state park. it's got a campground and a lighthouse, and it's probably the best place to see the northern lights, if they're out this early in the summer (probably not). on the way to the campground, you'll see the old grass airstrip and stone tower that was the local airstrip (it's still operational, too). and ask in northport for directions to peterson park. GORGEOUS. take a stroll down to the beach. a little inside: it's the place i plan on proposing to my better half :)
5. SLEEPING BEAR DUNES. check out the sunset from the dunes overlooking the lake. it's amazing.
6. sutton's bay. this is where i grew up. roman wheel pizza is fantastic, as is the firehouse pub for late drinks. it's undergoing a lot of development and tourists are starting to come in more numbers, but it still has a smalltown USA on the bay feel. the beach by the marina is nice and sandy and the public library has free wifi that you might be able to get from a ways away. check out the shops like enerdyne (way cool as a kid) and explore the streets. there's a nice park that they flood in the winter for a ice rink but it has a spring and a wheel. nice place to relax in the shade. bed and breakfast's are around, just stop into any of the cafes and ask for a recommendation. it's a gay friendly town. just don't look at the awful condominiums they just built at the north end of town, they're an eyesore.
7. the indian reservation: our cottage is just south of this eyesore. the reservation used to have a small, heritage-proud population with pow wows and a fascinating history that they put a lot of effort into preserving. then they built the casino and issued checks from the profits to anyone in the reservation with X% bloodline to the ottawa-chippewa tribe, and the population grew exponentially. like 600 to 6000 in a couple years time. it diluted the heritage and it's a shame. they buy the land (including the bavarian home that i helped my uncle build on the water. it's called "cedar brook," you can find the entrance directly across from the casino and next to that god awful gas station and parking lot. it used to be gorgeous) and turn them into parking lots for the casino and have essentially ruined a lot of the land north of suttons bay. but, if you want to gamble alongside 80 year olds on ventilators who still drag on a cig and pump their social security checks into heinous machines, then it's your place.
8. check out every vineyard you can. they're all good and the leelanau wines are pretty good for being a local thing.
9. dick's pour house. in the center of lake leelanau on 204, my dad used to pull our boat in and we'd get something to eat. the atmosphere is backwoods michigan all the way, but the food is wholeheartedly american, bad for you, but really good. there's a dock next to the softball field down the street from there that you can relax on and watch the boaters navigate "the narrows."
10. pick up a map, go to any of the towns and park. check out their main streets, ask locals (people like to give proper advice in the county), and feel free to get lost. you'll pop out somewhere beautiful.

[ezurbub]

Woah! I had no idea you were from that area. Thanks for the great tips...it seems I should have posted about our plans to take the trip! :) We had such a blast and definitely want to try to go back to the area(s) sometime before summer end, so we may be able to put some of your advise to good use. Our itinerary this time around included:

Saugatuck
Holland
Traverse City
Gaylord
Petosky
Harbor Springs
M-119 (gorgeous)
Legg's Inn (yummy! but a bit crazy. ;)
Mackinaw City
St. Ignace (saw the lame "The Mystery Spot")
Mackinac Island (saw most of it...)

So, we got around to a fair amount in short period of time (obviously we left a lot unseen for the next trip :) To be honest, the pace felt a little less than relaxing from time to time (mostly the drive from Gaylord to Mackinaw City), but overall it was really fantastic.