North Port
One of the things we love about even the smallest of towns is the surprises we end up finding. If it isn’t a funky local tavern or a killer restaurant then its an great local museum. Well North Port was no exception. We had been held up in Traverse City due to windy but sunny weather for several days so we were itching for a change of scenery. Because of the narrowness of Traverse Bay we were able to make North Port without getting beat up.
In fact the waves were only one foot but the wind was a steady 25 mph. Can you say, “wind burned face?” The good news is it was only about 26 miles so all in all it was a good cruise. When we arrived the anchor set quickly in 10’ of gin colored water. So in no time we were to shore with the bikes and went exploring. We wandered into this little art shop called 606 on Main and met the owner/artist Kevin. He was quite a character and was certainly a spokesman for the town. Aside did you know that the old fashion lawn chairs are back? They are back to the tune of $90!
Back to the story line. He told us the the TV chef Mario Batali has a home in town and frequently comes to town to shop or frequent the restaurants. Unfortunately we did not se him sauntering about town. He also went onto say the TV personality Tim Allen of Tim the Tool Man fame has his boat at the marina. We actually saw the boat which I must say was quite modest. The third fact he wanted us to know was that the town had a real mermaid. OK maybe not real but there was a young girl in town that models and teaches others to swim with a mermaid tail. Sue looked her up and sure enough it was true. We actually did see her walking the town but did not have her tail on. North Port itself was a very nice little town with plenty to keep one busy for an afternoon.
Leland
The next morning we went into town for a coffee in a little mon and pop bakery that had these delicious cinnamon twists. Think light coffee cake with a strong cinnamon taste. We got back to the boat and headed the 28 miles to Leland better known as Fish Town. We did not know what that meant but were eager to see what the next little town had for a surprise. The cruise along the Michigan coast is simply breathtaking.
Azure colored water with towering sand dunes reaching over 500 feet above the water. Yes it is just that incredible looking. As we made our approach into the break wall at Leland it looked just like the BVI’s less the salt and sharks. The Fish Town is a relic from the past fishing days. Right in a little cut there is a number of small wooden shacks that used to serve the fisherman with things like ice, smoke house, foundry, sawmill, sundries and a like.
It now houses small little tourist shops however the smokehouse is still in operation. We were told that a very small scale of the fishing industry is still operational. In the town. After a little sleuthing I was able to find a local that took 6 of us to Bear Dunes National Monument. The National Park is right on the shore of Lake Michigan and as it’s name states it is all about these towering dunes that reach heights of over
500’.
If you dare you can go down the dunes to the waters edge on a 33 degree incline however there is a sign that you pass that states if the park service has to come get there is a $3000 fee to do so. Ouch! No I did not go down, thought about it but did not see the gain. The folks that drove us around has lived in the area for over 40 years made stops at a number of places. They were a wealth of knowledge.
They even drove us past Tim Allens house which is just a short distance on the shore outside of town. Like his boat the house was very understated. The stop in Leland turned out to be a three night stay as the winds picked up again. Lake Michigans bottom is full of “brave” captains. There were many Loopers holding up there also. The view from our boat at the marina was spectacular looking over the azure colored water and high sand dunes. The evening sunsets over the lake were simply some of the best we have ever seen. Fish town was a great stop and full of big surprises.
Who are these people?
View from Gray Cliffs
Sleeping Bear Dunes
Fish Town
View from Pyramid Point
View from Sleeping Bear dunes. Indian name for a legend that a mother bear and her two cubs were swimming and the two cubs died. The mother made it ashore and died later. The two islands South and North Manitou and the Bear dunes represent the three bears.
Spillway in Fish Town
You just can’t make this up!
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