Sweet villages on the Leelanau Peninsula

Sunday June 8, 2013
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore

 

We have to make a drug run.

 

David has to have several prescriptions filled each month along the road.  He can get them at any CVS but this area only has one city large enough to have a CVS and that’s Traverse City.  The other towns call themselves “villages” and that is a great name for them.

We have been in this area twice before and really loved it so we want to visit again these villages on the Leelanau Peninsula.  So rather than drive to Empire on M22 and turn east on M72 for a direct route to Traverse City, we are going to do make a day of it and do the entire 127 mile loop on M22 up around the coast of the Leelanau Peninsula.   What fun!!

The map shows our route from the Campground which is both A and H, around the Peninsula and back.

We drive 10 miles north on M22 to Empire and then through Glen Arbor where we will be biking on their Heritage Bike Trail tomorrow.  We’ll see it then. 

 

 

 

We find we’ve arrived pretty early on a Sunday for Leland.

 

 

 

Our first stop is the little town of Leland 26.4 miles north of Empire through orchards of cherry trees.

Leland is still closed up when we arrive but I really do have to see the Leelanau Bookshop again.  The sign on the pole says Closed, the sign in the window says Open.  So I look inside.  Definitely closed for another hour.

 

 

 

 

 

We wander around the town.  No one is out at 8am.  I spy a cute T-shirt in a window. I’ll come back just to see how much they want for it.  David says $30.  I say $50.  This is a touristy town after all. 

 

 

Then we stumble upon  Fishtown

 

 

This commercial fishing district has provided a livelihood for the people of Leland for over a hundred years.  Small fishing shanties and related buildings such as ice and smoke houses were constructed during the peak years which spanned the first three decades of the twentieth century.  Some still serve their original purpose.  Other have become shops and stores including one which houses the headquarters for transportation to the Manitou Islands.

 

 

This wooden fish seems to be the symbol, flying over the area.  Is this a whitefish?  That seems to be the big catch here.  Clearly I’m no fisherman.

 

We can’t quite figure out what this dam at the head of the channel separating one row of buildings from another was for originally and there is no one around to ask.  But it’s pretty. 

 

 

The Carlson Family fish house is still in operation and the boats still anchor along side.  Pete Carlson was brought up fishing with his father Will and his uncle Gordon.  In 1941 an accident resulted in the death of Pete’s father and the destruction of their tug.  The Leland community united to build Pete a new tug which he named the Good Will.  Because of this, the Carlson family was able to continue in the fishing business and be here today.

 

 

 

Nets are still drying.  Clearly this area is still a working fish town despite perhaps decreased numbers of fishermen.

 

 

There is a an alcove with some tables for eating were several story boards telling about the lives of the local fishermen. 

 

In addition to the fish houses the shops have the usual and some very interesting tourist items not to mention names.

 

 

 

 

This store has a plaque which tells the story of the name.  Business began booming when it was changed from Leland Candy Store.  Apparently the kids love it.  They can swear without getting into trouble.  We didn’t get to see what kind of candy was for sale here.  Everything was closed.   A minor drawback to getting an early start but a money saving one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By now it’s time for the bookstore to open so I’m there on the dot and have a wonderful time looking at books I’d like to read but are too new for me to purchase either in book form or e form.  Over my price budget.  But I make a list for the next time I have access to a library.  I just enjoy being in bookstores.  Not the Barnes and Noble type but these little independent book sellers.   I love to thumb the pages and smell the paper and ink.

 

Remember that T-shirt?  We walked into the shop just before leaving Leland.  Turns out it isn’t a long sleeve T, it’s more like a yachting sweater and the cost is $98.   All righty then.  We’re both wrong.

 

 

More fields of cherry trees on the way to Northport.

 

The blossoms are over in the groves although we have seen individual trees in full bloom in people’s yards.  Everything is behind due to the severe winter this year.  They had snow on Mother’s Day.  Good grief.   But the trees line the roads for miles.

 

 

David is very relieved to find that Barb’s Bakery is open and they still have two cherry cheese Danish left along with a large selection of chocolate iced donuts.

Don’t you love the planters along the bridge over the stream?  Small town touches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We purchase 2 cherry cheese danish, 3 pretzel twists, one blueberry danish and one chocolate iced donut.  We eat half now and take half for breakfast tomorrow.

David’s parting comment, “Based on what I tasted, I’ll try everything in the bakery”.  Must be nice to even be able to think such a thought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Country roadside stands are numerous in the Leelanau.

In spite of having JUST had bakery goods, David has to stop for this eye catching pie stand.   The bakery desire has been taken care of, now we’re on to pie.   Cherry berry doesn’t tempt him.  He’s looking for THE cherry pie to rival his own.

 

 

 

We’re midway in our trip when we arrive at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse.

 

The first thing we see is the map of all the light houses along the coast of Michigan.  Wow, you could fill up an entire summer just coming to see them.   And you know Wisconsin has them all along their side of Lake Michigan as well.

 

The grounds of the Grand Traverse Lighthouse are lovely.  There is a Northern White Cedar over 200 years old.  It’s a gorgeous tree. Its low growing arms make it too big to hug and they ask you please not to climb or sit on it.  So we settle for having our pictures taken with it.  Just look at those limbs.

 

 

 

 

 

The Lighthouse was erected by the U.S. Lighthouse service in 1858.  A fog signal building was constructed in 1899.  In 1900 it was converted to a two family dwelling. In 1916 a kitchen was added.  In 1952 electricity was added.  Think about it NINETEEN FIFTY TWO.   In 1972 an automatic light tower was erected and the Lighthouse closed.  It opened to the public in 1986.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So let’s go inside.

We love lighthouses and their furnishings which are usually turn of the 20th century which is the period of all our farmhouse furniture.  So we pay our $4 per head to go inside, see the house and walk up in the “tower” which in this case is pretty short.   The money goes to the restoration and maintenance of the lighthouse.  Seems the least we can do to keep them open.

This one does not disappoint.   The kitchen is our favorite room so that’s the only one I’m going to show here although the tour showed the living area, the keeper’s desk and some bedrooms.

What a fabulous wood cook stove.  I really wanted one for the farm kitchen but they were all just too big although we did have a cooking burner on our blue enamel Vermont Castings wood stove in the kitchen and we used it a lot when the power was out which happened very frequently since we were the last house on the line that went over Heards Mountain.

 

 

 

It’s a self guided tour and David is the tour guide. 

 

He has his script in hand although we know the function of nearly everything in the room.

 

 

The kitchen has daily dinner wear with the coast guard pattern while the dining room has the formal wear.  What fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you seen a kerosene oven before?

 

 

 

 

 

And now for the view. 

We walk up the stairs to the light area and the views are of course wonderful.

 

 

 

I can see there are paths out to the water so when I go down that’s where I want to go.

 

 

Turns out they are midges, not mosquitoes.

 

All around the perimeter inside the tower are sketches and labels of what you are seeing.  They are really well done and on one of them David takes a picture of what we now learn are not the biggest mosquitoes we have ever seen but rather midges.  They are a serious nuisance but they don’t bite which is why neither of us has been scratching.  But look at their size.   A swarm of them is enough to make anyone move to get out of their territory.

 

 

 

And when I walk down to the lovely shoreline, while David refuses to accompany me, I find them in the biggest swarms I’ve ever seen.  So it’s a couple of quick pictures and I’m outta there waving my arms all around me as I go.   When I see the pictures I took, you can see them around the camera lens.   It thought that was pretty incredible.   Those are not birds.

 

The residents of Lighthouse found some very lovely ways to put the many rocks to use. 

 

 

We’re now heading back down the East side of the Peninsula.

 

Our last stop before Traverse City is Sutton’s Bay, another lake side town geared for summer fun.   It has cute little shops including a café in the former Sutton’s Bay Hose House.  Haivng a theater makes it unique among the towns we’ve seen.

 

 

 

It also has an ice cream shop selling Moomers, Michigan’s own home made ice cream.  Now if I hadn’t just had a huge cone at Gemma’s yesterday and all those pastries just a few hours ago, I could for sure talk myself into one of these great sounding flavors.  Maybe two scoops, chocolate Peanut butter chunk and Coconut Almond delight???

But not today.

 

 

 

 

Sadly for us, Martha’s isn’t open on Sundays until July which is when everything seems to go into high gear here.  That’s when the National park ranger programs begin, all the hours for the historic buildings go to daily rather than just on week-ends.

Bear that in mind when you plan your trip……you can have all the summer people or you can not have all the programs, and everything open.

 

 

 

 

Up rolls a canoe and it stops right next to us.

We are about to leave Sutton’s Bay since we have to get to Traverse City before CVS closes at five o’clock when down the street comes a beautiful wooden canoe.  He tells us he is from the Great Lakes Schoolship Inland Seas Education Center and that he and 10 5th and 6th graders have built this boat which will now be auctioned off with the proceeds going to build other boats with other school kids.   This is a volunteer organization funded fully by grants and the sale of their boats.   We are just amazed that 11 and 12 year olds are learning to do this kind of beautiful work.

 

 

 

As we leave Sutton’s Bay people are stopping by to admire the boat and buy raffle tickets.  He’s certainly got a great backdrop for his afternoon of ticket sales.

 

 

 

Don’s is a disappointment.

 

We make it to CVS in time to get David’s prescription and now we can think about dinner.  And just down the block is the Grand Traverse Pie Company.  They close at 5:00 too so we just have time to run in and grab two pieces of their Cherry Crumb pie to take home with us for dessert.   We’re in such a rush since there is a line, that we don’t take any pictures but we do stop back later and get a couple.  We’ve been told that this is the only real competition for David’s cherry pie and we are anxious to find this out.  We try cherry pie everywhere we travel and so far, no one has been able to even match him.

Now on to dinner. Several commenters made recommendations and we decide to visit Don’t Diner which has been dishing up malts and burgers since 1958.

The décor is great!  The food, no so much.  We order their famous burger, with seasoned curly fries and a cherry milkshake.  The burger is ho hum, the fries are barely seasoned and the milk shake is more vanilla soft serve than cherry.  Something has definitely happened to Don’s quality over the years.   I think next time we’ll have to pay more attention to on line reviews and less to how cute the place is.  

 

 

The look on David’s face sort of says it all doesn’t it?   There are much tastier dinners for $30 to be had in Traverse City I am sure.   Darn, if Martha had only been open.

 

 

So we’ll leave you with where we wish we had quit today.  With the Grand Traverse Pie Company.  Check back tomorrow for the review on the pie.