Pure Michigan!

Beautiful Lake Michigan!

We just recently returned from a week long trip to Northern Michigan. Having never been there before we really had no idea what to expect other than what we had read online, had heard from friends and seen from looking at photos on the internet. Upon our arrival we were in for a tremendous surprise! The place is incredibly beautiful!

The season was fall in mid-October, the temperatures were cold (well, cold for Florida residents, the good folks in Michigan weren’t too affected by the weather). A storm was passing thru which led to rain and strong winds coming in from the west across the lake. Winds so strong they knocked a lot of trees down including some across the power lines which led to three days of no electricity. Fortunately we were privy to a Generac Home Generator which ran non-stop until at last the power was restored.

Storm clouds gather over the lake. White caps and rolling waves were being produced hundreds of yards offshore. The rain was cold with winds gusting to 25mph and reminded us of Florida weather when a hurricane is approaching. Thankfully it settled down!

It was harvest season and farmers were busy bringing in apples and corn and lots of both! Road side fruit stands were plentiful and to stop at one was a treat! The offered apples, cider, honey, baked goods and just about anything else you could imagine that makes this area so very special! Visiting this area took me back about fifty years to when we had similar stands here in Florida. Sadly they have become a thing of the past in our part of Florida. The stores in Michigan were clean and very well stocked. The employees were friendly and helpful, a far cry from what we have been accustomed to.

A painted wooden basket of juicy ripe Honey Crisp apples displayed outdoors. Honey Crisp Apples are very popular here. They were really good too!

We hunted early one morning. The rain on Lake Michigan had turned to snow further inland and the wind was howling. We hunted over corn rows using two highly trained Brittany Spaniels who knew their business. They located and flushed these pheasants who fell to 20ga shotguns loaded with #5 high brass shells. These birds will be enjoyed with gravy over rice and yes, that is snow on the birds and on the tailgate! It was COLD!

Cold Pheasant morning!

The Hunting lodge was loaded with mounted birds, fish, deer and other animals. The Taxidermist who mounted these items is world renowned and awards adorn the walls of the cabin. He is very skilled!

An award winning mount of a pheasant.
This Mallard Drake is very lifelike!

A fire in the fireplace was a welcome sight on a cold Michigan night!
This beautiful fireplace is over 100 years old and sits in a fishing cabin next to a trout stream. The craftsmen who built this fireplace are long gone now but they had skills beyond imagination! This photo does not do it justice…

One thing that really stood out is the cleanliness of the area. There was NO trash on the roadsides, on the beach, nowhere! What a difference this made and it really added to the uniqueness of the area. Its a very special place.

Many of the roads in the area are gravel roads and just like this what stood out….NO TRASH!

One afternoon we visited a beautiful lake fed by a crystal clear and strongly flowing trout stream. We were blessed to have caught several very nice Rainbow Trout, some weighing in the neighborhood of 3lbs! These fish were fat and healthy. They put up a great fight and were put back into the lake to hopefully fight another day!

This artesian spring has been flowing since 1931. People stop by constantly with their water jugs to fill up. The water was cold and very good!
The artesian spring is named “Old Facefull” and provides water to many people in the area!

The seasons were changing and the leaves were incredibly colorful, more so than I have ever seen before!

Golden leaves carpet the ground in Northern Michigan!
Golden canopy!

Looking up!
Reds!

Changing!

Fallen Beauty!

Crimson!

Canopy!

Stunning!

Greens and Golds!

The deer were plentiful in the area. This beautiful doe watches us watching her!

Fire Tree!

Tequila Sunrise!

As the weather finally calmed we were able to get down onto the beach along Lake Michigan and do some walks. The water was clear, emerald green and very similar to the water in the Caribbean. I wanted badly to swim but I knew I’d suffer if I did because it was freezing cold. The lake could very well freeze over in a couple of months!

The sand was tan and smooth and very clean. There were a lot of rocks in certain areas of the beach and in the water. The rocks were different colors and sizes and were smooth due to the constant wave action which was similar to the waves in the ocean. One afternoon while we walked 3 bald eagles flew overhead! It was a very beautiful beach and much like the roads there was no trash to be found!

Lake Michigan driftwood.
Waves and rocks!
This strange looking critter had washed up on the beach. Not sure what it is!
Lake Michigan driftwood.

This old duck decoy had washed up on the beach.
Every street was awash in beautiful fall color!
This large rock has been washed smooth by the constant wave action of beautiful Lake Michigan!
The stormy shoreline of Lake Michigan meets the beautiful fall foliage!
Driftwood on the Lake Michigan shoreline!
Wave action washes the rocks along the shoreline of Lake Michigan!
The end of another day on Lake Michigan!

The Lake Michigan sunsets are breathtaking!

Our research and anticipation of Lake Michigan did little to prepare us for the absolute beauty of this area. It was nothing like I had imagined. The beauty of the water rivals the Caribbean! Had it not been so cold I would have spent the afternoon swimming in it! The lake is vast, over 300 miles long and 160 miles across, unlike any lake I have ever seen! Words alone cannot describe it’s awesomeness and beauty!

The Northern Michigan landscape is stunning this time of year with the turning fall foliage. Large corn fields and apple orchards line the hillsides for miles. This visit was truly a step back in time to the beauty of this great country that I remember from my childhood. It was a trip we will never forget!