Captain’s Blog
We left Elk Rapids around 10 am, a lot earlier then our usual start time. The campground at Sleeping Bear is on a first come first serve basis and since it is a Saturday we thought we should hustle along.
On our way we stopped at a place called Woodland Creak Unique Furniture Store.
The 
place was 
huge and the furniture and household items were very different. There is a bed made out of tree trunks and branches that would give me nightmares. Other items such as lamps, chandeliers, mirrors and nick knacks were stunning.
We left Elk Rapids around 10 am, a lot earlier then our usual start time. The campground at Sleeping Bear is on a first come first serve basis and since it is a Saturday we thought we should hustle along.
On our way we stopped at a place called Woodland Creak Unique Furniture Store.
The 
place was 
huge and the furniture and household items were very different. There is a bed made out of tree trunks and branches that would give me nightmares. Other items such as lamps, chandeliers, mirrors and nick knacks were stunning. Store in Travers City MI
We arrived at Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore and secured a site for the night. The sites are paved with 50 - amp service. No other utilities though. The campground was close to full. We both have National Park Senior passes so the site with electric was only $13.00.The weather was warm and sunny and a great day for checking out the dunes to see how they compare to those on Cape Cod.
We took the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
with several designated stops along the 7- mile route. Pierce Stocking was a lumberman in the Michigan forests. He loved the woods spending most of his spare time there. He would walk the bluffs above Lake Michigan and was awed by the views of the dunes. He wanted to share the beauty of the area so conceived the idea of a road to the top of the dunes. In 1967 the road was completed and opened to the public.
The first stop was a covered bridge – unusual for this part of the country The bridge was much like those scattered throughout the New England area.
Next was an overlook of Glen Lake. Glen Lake used to be connected to Lake Michigan because glacial erosion carved out both lakes during the Ice Age. In post-glacial times, a sandbar developed separating Glen Lake from Lake Michigan.
The Sleeping Bear Dunes cover a four square mile area and the Dune Overlook gives one a good perspective of how large that dune really is. The view from overlook encompasses North and South Manitou Islands, Sleeping Bear Bay, Pyramid Point and Sleeping Bear Dunes.
Along the drive are stops to take in the cottonwood trees and the beech maple forest. There are several trails available to hike but we did not have time today.
The origin of Sleeping Bear Dune is explained by the Chippewa Indians.
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 top of a high bluff to watch and wait for
Her cubs. Too tired to continue the cubs drowned wit6hin 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.
Sleeping bear Dune is estimated to be about two thousand years old. It is classified as a perched dune because it sits on top of a plateau, high above the lake. For a long time Sleeping Bear Dune stood at about 234 feet, today it is at 132 feet due to erosion.
The dune is impressive and a challenge for the many hearty soles who choose to run down the dune and then try to climb back up. The angle of the dune is very steep and the beach sand makes climbing even more difficult. There were quite a few people attempting to climb back up
We arrived at Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore and secured a site for the night. The sites are paved with 50 - amp service. No other utilities though. The campground was close to full. We both have National Park Senior passes so the site with electric was only $13.00.The weather was warm and sunny and a great day for checking out the dunes to see how they compare to those on Cape Cod.
We took the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
with several designated stops along the 7- mile route. Pierce Stocking was a lumberman in the Michigan forests. He loved the woods spending most of his spare time there. He would walk the bluffs above Lake Michigan and was awed by the views of the dunes. He wanted to share the beauty of the area so conceived the idea of a road to the top of the dunes. In 1967 the road was completed and opened to the public.
The first stop was a covered bridge – unusual for this part of the country The bridge was much like those scattered throughout the New England area.
Next was an overlook of Glen Lake. Glen Lake used to be connected to Lake Michigan because glacial erosion carved out both lakes during the Ice Age. In post-glacial times, a sandbar developed separating Glen Lake from Lake Michigan.
The Sleeping Bear Dunes cover a four square mile area and the Dune Overlook gives one a good perspective of how large that dune really is. The view from overlook encompasses North and South Manitou Islands, Sleeping Bear Bay, Pyramid Point and Sleeping Bear Dunes.
Along the drive are stops to take in the cottonwood trees and the beech maple forest. There are several trails available to hike but we did not have time today.
The origin of Sleeping Bear Dune is explained by the Chippewa Indians.
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 top of a high bluff to watch and wait for
Her cubs. Too tired to continue the cubs drowned wit6hin 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.
Sleeping bear Dune is estimated to be about two thousand years old. It is classified as a perched dune because it sits on top of a plateau, high above the lake. For a long time Sleeping Bear Dune stood at about 234 feet, today it is at 132 feet due to erosion.
The dune is impressive and a challenge for the many hearty soles who choose to run down the dune and then try to climb back up. The angle of the dune is very steep and the beach sand makes climbing even more difficult. There were quite a few people attempting to climb back up
<---- not ants thay are pepole.
the dune while we watched. This was one event we both decided to pass on.
Some local residents told us that frequently the town of Empire rescue team has had to come out to get the people who can’t make it up the dune. They now do it by water and the rescued must pay the tab on the cost of their rescue. They also told us that several people have suffered heart attacks while trying to conquer the dune.
Some local residents told us that frequently the town of Empire rescue team has had to come out to get the people who can’t make it up the dune. They now do it by water and the rescued must pay the tab on the cost of their rescue. They also told us that several people have suffered heart attacks while trying to conquer the dune.
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