Official Press Release from Leelanau Peninsula Vinter’s Association

(LEELANAU PENINSULA, Michigan) – In what has become a Northwest Michigan holiday tradition, the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association will hold the 2011 Toast the Season wine tour. Once again, two consecutive weekends of tasting and touring will be offered, November 5 & 6 or November 12 & 13. The self-guided tour includes a gift bag featuring local food items, and you may visit up to 8 wineries each day in any order you choose between the hours of 11am to 5pm Saturday, or noon to 5pm Sunday.

“Toast the Season is lots of fun, giving you a chance to experience the Leelanau wine trail, enjoy a great gift bag, taste some great wine and sample our food pairings,” explains Lucie Matthias of Chateau Fontaine. “It’s also a good time to get a start on your holiday shopping in our tasting rooms and at all the unique shops & stores in Leelanau’s villages. Deer hunting season starts on November 15th this year, and we see a lot of ‘deer widows’ too, who are looking for something fun to do while their husbands are away at deer camp!”

The tour features a special wine & food pairing at each of the 19 Leelanau Peninsula member wineries. At your starting winery you will be given a commemorative glass, an LPVA holiday ornament, a souvenir wine key and a holiday gift bag featuring local food including fair trade coffee from Higher Grounds Trading Company of Traverse City, cocoa-coated chocolate covered almonds from Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate in Empire, and (of course) Michigan cherries from Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor!

Tickets are available online at www.lpwines.com/toast along with Toast the Season packages from a number of local lodging partners.

Food Pairings

Below are a few of the tantalizing wine & food pairings!

• Chateau de Leelanau will be serving the “World Famous Willies Chili” with Solem Farm Red.
• L.Mawby will offer Nature’s Treat dried apples slices with Black Diamond aged white cheddar, paired with the L. Mawby Consort.
• Ciccone Vinyards will feature an Italian Bruschetta with fresh ingredients straight from the garden paired with their 2009 Cabernet Franc.
• Willow Vinyards will be serving up some naughty French Vanilla Pumpkin Squares with Caramel topping, paired with their Semi Sweet Gris.
• Cherry Republic will pair a Gorgonzola, Pecan and Cherry Fondue using their delicious Cherry Bread and with their Great Hall Riesling.
• Verterra is offering different food pairings with their Pinot Gris for each weekend: 1st weekend will be Char-Grilled Pizzetta with sun-dried tomato, fresh spinach, garlic, feta & mozzarella and the 2nd weekend will feature Santa Fe Sweet Corn Chowder.
• Forty-Five North will be serving up carnitas tacos paired with their new 2010 Dry Riesling.

Tickets

Tickets for Toast the Season are $50 per person or $75 per couple (couple ticket holders receive two glasses, pours and food at each winery, but only one gift bag and ornament). Tickets are available online at http://www.lpwines.com/toast/.

The LPVA encourages using a designated driver or local transportation services when touring its wineries. Visit www.lpwines.com for more information including lodging packages at many great area hotels, B&Bs and resorts!

By Guest Blogger Diane Ursu

I came armed with vague, childhood memories of great sand dunes . . . and a bike.

Last fall, my parents headed up to Platte River Campground to enjoy the splendor of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I accepted their invitation to join them since I thought that this might be the best road biking opportunity in Lower Michigan. I really had no idea how true that would be.

I was doomed to experience full days of gloom and rain since I took up residence in a tent, but my patience was rewarded with beautiful, cool days perfect for gallivanting around the lakeshore. I used the rainy days for reading about the dunes and planning my activities. There was so much to do and so little time, so we extended our stay by several days.

North Bar Lake

One of the greatest treasures the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has to offer is the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, named for the lumberman who built the road in the 1960s and operated this Sleeping Bear Dunes Park until his passing in 1976. It became part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in 1977.

The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is special because it contains points of historic significance, provides ecologic educational opportunities, and offers enjoyable, recreational challenges. I visited the drive on two separate occasions so I could take in all that it has to offer.

The Cottonwood Trail

The Cottonwood Trail at scenic point four meanders through the ever-changing dunes. I couldn’t resist the challenge of embarking on this 1.4-mile hike to photograph the curious signs of erosion, the incredible blowouts and phenomenon of ecological succession, and characteristic plant life, such as juniper berries, bearberries, and buffalo berries. The Cottonwood Trail allows visitors to tour the delicate terrain, but it is the fragility of this environment that prompts me to stress the importance of staying on the trail.

Cottonwood Trail

I could see Glen Lake from the Cottonwood Trail. Also visible from scenic posts two and three, Glen Lake was carved out by glacial erosion and separated from Lake Michigan by the development of a sandbar that is now home to the village of Glen Arbor and the D.H. Day Campground.

The D.H. Day Farm is another spectacular view from the Cottonwood Trail. Built in the late 19th Century, the D.H. Day Farm is named for the man who donated 32 acres of land to the State of Michigan in 1920. This land became the D.H. Day State Park that became part of the national park in 1977.

The Bike Lane

The science and history of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore certainly drew my attention during my visit, but my primary reason for journeying to this area was the prospect of riding my bike on its challenging terrain. I couldn’t resist meeting the challenge of the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive on my cyclocross bike, Jake. That painted white line along the side of the road designating the bike lane screamed, “Ride me!” I really had no choice.

The Pine Plantation

It hurt, but I enjoyed the challenge of the climbs followed by the reward of the descents. One particular hill between scenic posts eight and nine gave me a little trouble. Jake’s gearing wasn’t easy enough for me, so I stalled halfway up. As I was camped out on the side of this hill, several cars went by, including my parents’. They stopped and asked if I wanted a ride, but my pride wouldn’t let me. I told them to go on, clipped in, and proceeded up the hill. After that grueling climb, I turned into the parking lot for scenic points 9 and 10 where visitors looked at me in disbelief. I think they thought that I was crazy. Perhaps they were right.

That grueling climb wasn’t without its reward. I bombed down the final, long downhill to the pine plantation at scenic point 12.

It is short, but the route is interesting enough to do two or three times. I had to use everything I had to climb those hills, from my last bit of strength to sheer determination. The fun and excitement of each descent was enough to convince me to tackle the next hill.

The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive isn’t the only riding opportunity for cyclists in and around the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The incredibly hilly land is a giant playground for anyone willing to brave this adventure. Anyone who experiences the freedom of this area will leave with much more than just memories. One will leave with the goal of returning to finish this great adventure.

Diane Ursu is a blogger and cyclist living in Mid-Michigan who shares her experiences at Moronacity.com.

Official Press Release of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

October 3, 2011

Fall was traditionally “shipwreck season” on the Great Lakes.  One hundred years ago, surfmen of the U.S. Life-Saving Service (LSS) set out each night to hike the shoreline in search of ships in distress.  The public is invited to relive history and join Park Rangers to recreate a traditional evening beach patrol.  Dress for the weather and meet at the Sleeping Bear Point Life-Saving Service Station/Maritime Museum in Glen Haven at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 8 and/or October 15.

Beach Patrol Surfman with Life-Preserver

Before radio communications were used at sea, ships could not call for help.  Spotting a vessel in distress from the shore was the only way rescue crews knew that their assistance was needed.  The beach patrol was one essential part of an LSS surfman’s duties.  Following a more in-depth explanation of the patrol process and some local shipwreck stories told from inside the station, the public will accompany National Park Service Rangers for a lantern-lit hike along the beach.  There are always a few surprises along the way and everyone should carry a flashlight for safety.  Wind and rain will only make the patrol more authentic, so be ready for any weather!

 Unlike the original surfmen, hikers may turn back at any time during the one-hour, one mile roundtrip beach walk and return to the Maritime Museum.  There, they will be welcomed by a volunteer and find shelter, warmth and a chance to see how the Life-Saving Service surfmen once lived in the restored crew’s quarters.  The entire program lasts about two hours.

For more information, please call the National Lakeshore at 231-326-5134 or visit their website at www.nps.gov/slbe.  Also, check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sbdnl.

Official Press Release from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

September 27, 2011

The National Park Service will burn debris piles this fall at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  About 45 burn piles were produced as non-native Austrian pines were cut during an invasive tree removal and dune restoration project.  Burning these piles will remove the woody material from what used to be a more open beach area, and allow native dune vegetation to again become established.  The restoration area is located in a remote section of dunes about a mile southwest of the mouth of the Platte River.

 To ensure safe, but effective consumption of the piles, they will be burned only under a specific set of weather and fuel conditions, or “prescription.”  In addition to safety, smoke dispersal is a primary concern and wind direction and speed will be monitored to minimize smoke drifting into developed areas and roadways from the remote fire location.  The prescribed fire program at the National Lakeshore is conducted by trained and experienced National Park Service fire personnel.

 Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is one of 395 units of the National Park System ranging from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty.  More information can be found at http://www.nps.gov/slbe/.

Contact:  Steve Yancho, 231-326-5134, ext. 421, Steve_Yancho@nps.gov

www.nps.gov

About the National Park Service:  More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 395 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities.  Learn more at www.nps.gov.

By Naturalist Photographer, Mark S. Carlson  

D.H. Day Barns First Autumn Light by Mark S. Carlson

With these cooler nights and bright sunny days my visual brain begins to imagine the colorful photo opportunities that lie just ahead. My favorite Michigan season has always been the one that’s most fleeting – autumn. This mid-October, I’ll once again embark on my annual vision quest with autumn dunes in my viewfinder. If someone were to diagnose my habit as an addiction, I’d probably have to agree. I just can’t resist inciting that rush of adrenalin to course through my veins each time I compose autumn reflections in the lake or the D.H. Day barns in their fall setting. During the Autumn Dunes’ Great Lakes Eco/ Photo Tours Weekend, I have the privilege of leading participants to some of my favorite ‘eye-candy’ spots throughout the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the surrounding area.

White Paper Birch Leaf in River Autumn By Mark S. Carlson

I love to chase the light and train my camera on some of the most spectacular scenery the Great Lake State has to offer. Sometimes, it’s the high dune ridge against an azure sky where golden dune grasses bend and sway, surrendering to relentless winds. Other times, when it’s cloudy, I look for the subtle nuances of autumn, hidden in the open on the forest floor. Such intimate landscape subject matter is often my favorite type of ‘naturalist photography’. It’s always an exciting challenge and a good exercise in composition, allowing my innate visual artist to emerge. Early morning sunny days also yield fantastic autumn dune photo opts. Alongside many of the inland lakes, bull rushes arch against backdrops of blazing color reflections. My heart pounds like the woodpeckers in the distance as I select focus though a reed grass forest looking more like an abstract painting in my viewfinder than a captured image. In the shadows of a stream, more reflections attract my attention as I notice a birch leaf caught on a submerged rock with a current full of color passing over it.

The Little Finger Peninsula has so much to offer anyone with a camera. With an artful eye, it’s easy to take a good photograph in the autumn dunes of Sleeping Bear, however, when you capture a great one, well, that’s when you have a problem …because then you’re addicted.

Mark S. Carlson along with his partner, Robert Grzesiak, are owners of Great Lakes Photo Tours. Mark and Bob treat photo tour participants to some of the most inspiring scenic and natural areas in the Great Lakes region. From digital ‘snap-shooters’ to advanced amateur photo enthusiasts, all will benefit from Mark and Bob’s over 50-years worth of combined experience as professionals in their respective fields. Mark presents a wealth of naturalist information to attendees, as well as many helpful tips & suggestions on how to make better nature photographs, regardless of equipment or skill level. Bob offers his expertise assisting digital photographers with their camera and accessories, allowing them the opportunity to create cherished photographs, not just memories, while enjoying their eco/photo tours or excursions.

This years Fall Dunes Eco-Photo Tour is planned for October 14 – 16, 2011 with lodging provided by The Homestead. To register for the photo tour weekend, visit markscarlson.com or call 517.230.1655.

Sleeping Bear Dunes Beach by Jeff Yakes

Beaches may require sand and surf, but they don’t require an ocean. Even with summer coming to an end, Yahoo! Travel identified their Top 5 choices for non-ocean beach destinations with Sleeping Bear Dunes receiving the Number 2 spot. This is no surprise after being named the “Most Beautiful Place in America” in the ABC Good Morning America contest and #1 Best Greak Lakes Beach by Dr. Beach.

The other top winners were all located in the western half of the United States and Canada, including:

• Lake Powell, Utah. Located in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area with over 186 miles of sandy beach. The scenery is beautiful because the lake is surrounded by shear red-rock canyon walls.  http://www.lakepowell.com/
• Lake Travis, Texas. An 18-acre lake located near Austin,Texas that offers 270 miles of shoreline with boating, fishing, parasailing and more. http://www.lake-travis.com/
• World Waterpark, Alberta Canada. The home of the world’s largest indoor water park located in the West Edmonton Mall. Its five-acre pool is open year round giving residents and visitors a break from the 15-degree average winter temperature. http://www.wem.ca/play/theme-parks-attractions/world-waterpark
• Lake Havasu, Arizona. Located in Lake Havasu City which boasts of 300 days of sunshine each year. Lake Havasu has 60 miles of waterways for boating, swimming and fishing. It also has a reputation as being the top destination for spring break partiers. http://www.golakehavasu.com/

After watching the Yahoo! Travel video story, it’s clear that Sleeping Bear Dunes offers something very different from the other Top 5 Non-Ocean Destination winners. Watch the video and you decide what that is.

Lake Powell

Lake Travis

World Waterpark at West Edmonton Mall

Lake Havasu

Blog by Ileana Habsburg-Snyder

Photo by Cora Moreno-Dugan

Dr. Beach, America’s Foremost Beach Expert, named Sleeping Bear Dunes the best beach in the Great Lakes.

Dr. Stephen Leatherman is the director of the Florida International University’s Laboratory for Coastal Research. Each year since 1991 he rates America’s Best Ocean Beaches on Memorial Day under the name, Dr. Beach. In his 21 years of rating the nation’s top 10 beaches, he has only focused on ocean beaches and never on the Great Lakes. Devoted Great Lakes fans wrote thousands of emails to Leatherman over the years asking him to evaluate and rate Great Lakes beaches.

Dr Beach, Dr. Stephen Leatherman

For his first time ever, Dr. Beach agreed to rate the Great Lakes beaches this year. Using a more subjective evaluation approach that he does for ocean beaches, Leatherman asked coastal communities to fill out a survey and provide a sample of local sand. Out of the 30 locations nominated, five beaches received the top five spots, including:

1. Sleeping Bear Dunes (National Lakeshore, Lake Michigan, Michigan)
2. Presque Isle Start Park (Lake Erie, Pennsylvania)
3. Sand Point Beach (Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Lake Superior, Michigan)
4. Bayfield Main Beach (Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada)
5. Oak Street Beach (Lake Michigan, Chicago, Illinois)

The survey contained over 50 questions on water quality, sand quality and safety. Cleanliness was very important and beaches lost points for heavy algae, excessive development, nearby storm water or sewage overflow pipes and dirty bathrooms. Beaches that are contaminated with E. coli are quickly eliminated from the list.

Photo by Mark Lindsay

Leatherman commented that the Great Lakes, “… are a hidden gem because people have almost no knowledge of them.” He also noted that beach goers do not have to worry about shark attacks or jellyfish stings like they do in the ocean. During his Lake Michigan tour, he got a taste of Sleeping Bear Dune’s towering dunes and hiking trails as well as the beaches. “A very impressive place,” he said.

Read Leatherman’s review of Sleeping Bear Dunes and the other top five winners on his Dr. Beach website. You can also find him on Dr. Beach’s Beachfinder when you are looking for the perfect beach.

Blog by Ileana Habsburg-Snyder

Official Press Release from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

September 15, 2011

(Photo by National Park Service)

If you love the sun, fun, and beauty of our area beaches, it is time again to show it! Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) is celebrating National Public Lands Day (NPLD) and inviting the public to help clean up its beaches on Saturday, September 24 from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m.  Admission to all national parks, including the National Lakeshore, is free that day, and volunteers will receive a voucher to use for entrance to various parks at a later date.  So bring your family, your class, your troop, your group, or just yourself, and join others across the country in protecting our public lands.

NPLD 2011 celebrates service and recreation, and encourages volunteers to get outdoors to explore, enjoy, and improve America’s natural wonders.  NPLD is the largest volunteer hands-on activity of its kind in the country.  Held in September each year, the event brings together thousands of individual and organizational volunteers to refurbish and restore the country’s public lands.  These are the places Americans use for outdoor recreation, education, and just plain enjoyment.  They encompass national parks, monuments, wildlife refuges, forests, grasslands, marine sanctuaries, lakes, and reservoirs managed by government agencies, but belonging to, and enjoyed by, all of us.

The National Lakeshore beach cleanup coincides with the International Coastal Cleanup, which is sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy and takes place around the world every year.  Participants not only contribute to cleaner coastlines, but collect data from the debris they pick up.  That data is then compiled and analyzed by the Ocean Conservancy, and locally by the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a non-profit group concerned with the future of the Great Lakes.  Volunteers will collect and tally all the trash they find along the beaches – plastic bags, balloons, cigarette butts – you name it!

Phillip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire (Photo by NPS)

Park Rangers will meet volunteers at the Visitor Center located on Highway M-72 in Empire. Volunteers should bring water to drink, wear weather-appropriate clothes (rain or shine), sunscreen or hat, and closed-toed shoes.  Tools and other needed materials will be supplied.  As a token of appreciation, each volunteer will also receive a free, one-day pass good for entrance to any federal recreation land (national forest, national park site, wildlife refuge) before September 29, 2012.  Credit for three hours of community service will also be available, if interested.

For details, please contact Interpretive Park Ranger Ryan Locke at the National Lakeshore at 231-326-5134 or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/slbe.  Also, check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sbdnl.

Official Press Release from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

September 12, 2010

Empire, MI - Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) will be hosting a presentation on Lyme disease and ticks on Thursday, September 15, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., in the auditorium of the National Lakeshore Visitor Center in Empire.  Visitors are encouraged to come and learn about tick identification, their life cycles, the diseases they transmit, and the measures used for prevention.

Ticks are significant vectors of pathogens that cause human disease.  Tick-borne diseases do occur inMichigan, and can be serious or fatal if not properly diagnosed and treated.  There have been two reported cases of Lyme disease that the individuals affected believe were contracted while camping on North Manitou Island.  Evidence of similar problems has also been found on the mainland portions of the National Lakeshore.

Michigan State Universityand the Michigan Department of Community Health are working together at the National Lakeshore to research the emergence of Lyme disease and the associated ticks that transmit the disease.  Erik Foster of the Michigan Department of Community Health will be presenting the program on ticks and Lyme disease at no cost to the visitors.

For additional information about this presentation or its location, please contact National Lakeshore Chief of Natural Resources Steve Yancho at 231-326-5134.