So after our fairly exhausting hike up the Dunes we hopped in the car to do the 7.4 mile scenic drive to see some more sights of the Sleeping Bear Dunes....
The first stop is the covered bridge
The next few stops brought us Glen Lake and the Dune Overlook
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| This shows the historic D.H. Day Farm (the white barn) |
At the next stop you have the option to park and hike the 1.5 mile Cottonwood Trail...despite our tired legs we just couldn't resist and were so glad we didn't! It was so breathtaking back there, it was like a different world. In fact for Kris it was probably close to his dream world because we both agreed it looked like the desert of Tatooine which led to a reenactment by the two of us of the scene where R2D2 and C3PO separate while walking through the desert. I took the part of R2D2 since I only had to say "beep beep beep beep". I can safely say after this hike it's clear to see why Sleeping Bear Dunes was ranked as the most beautiful place in America!
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| This would be around where the Star Wars re-enactment took place |
At the next stop we learned a little bit about dune ecology. The trees in the picture are cottonwood trees. They are the only common tree on the dune because their fast rate of growth allows it too keep pace with burial by the sand. Also seeing the trees in groups is very common because the dense root networks help to hold the sand in place.
This basswood tree serves as one of the dividers between the dunes and the beech-maple forest.
"Long ago, along the Wisconsin shoreline, a mother bear and her two cubs were driven into Lake Michigan by a raging forest fire. The bears swam for many hours, but eventually the cubs tired and lagged behind. Mother bear reached the shore and climbed to the the top of a high bluff to watch and wait for her cubs. Too tired to continue, the cubs drowned within sight of the shore. The Great Spirit Manitou created two islands to mark the spot where the cubs disappeared and then created a solitary dune to represent the faithful mother bear."
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| Yes those are people climbing up...no we didn't try it! |
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| The dune at the top of this picture is the Sleeping Bear Dune |
The last two stops showed us North Bar Lake and the Pine Plantation...North Bar Lake is at the top of our places to see the next time we visit list. According the brochure it has some of the better waves in the area, the water is slightly warmer and the beaches are more sandy and less rocky.
At this point it was fairly late in the day (around 7pm if I remember correctly) so we decided it was time to head to Traverse City to find our hotel and also some dinner. That night we ate at a great local brewery and got to see a little of downtown Traverse City.
Next post will cover our sailing adventure on the Manitou (and will hopefully be posted sooner than a month!)
