Exploring on Sunday

We went to church this morning and then after a quick lunch we went hiking and saw the work of GOD on this beautiful peninsula of ours!!
We hiked up to Pyramid Point from the east side and across the dunes and saw some views across Lake Michigan that were absolutely incredible! We could see North Manitou Island, South Fox Island, North Fox Island and even Beaver Island out from Charlevois!! Leland and Sugarloaf Mountain were visible as well as Whaleback and the clay banks north of Leland. After we hiked across the ridge to the west, South Manitou Island became visible and we were amazed at the panorama folding out in front of us. This is surely one of the most awesome places on the planet. It was the best hike we have taken yet.

A view from our starting point off of Basch Road. I think that this is the most beautiful spot on the National Lake shore. So far it is little known and doesn't get the crowds that the Dune Climb and Pierce Stocking Drive see each summer.

A view across Good Harbor Bay. The cliffs of Whaleback Point are visible to the left.

Looking east across the forest and Shell lake. Sugarloaf Mountan, the abandoned ski resort, is in the top left of the picture.

Across the dunes, a view of North Manitou Island.

Another view across Good Harbor Bay to Whaleback on the right, then Leland Harbor further left, then the clay banks north of Leland.

Here's me baby!  We hiked a trail at the top of the sand ridges across the dunes. The dunes pile up from the lakeshore here and are pushed up against the edge of the forest. It's an awesome spot!

A couple of beachcombers walking below us on the shoreline.

A view west to South Manitou Island.

Looking east to Shell Lake from the top of Pyramid Point.

The forest is blooming with spring growth.

Happy Friday!

We had a good day today with blue skies and cool weather. When I got up this morning there was a turkey under the bird feeder. I am wondering if this is the culprit that is spilling my birdseed every night. A couple of mornings lately I have seen a lot of birdseed on the ground under the feeder and today it is almost empty. I was wondering what was tipping it to spill so much seed on the ground. Could it have been this turkey?  Do I have deer coming in at night? Well, this evening I think I found the answer. Here came Rocky Raccoon probably to get his late night snack, but it was still light out and he saw us at the windows. I got a picture of him so I can report him to the proper authorities!
I also got the last area of grass planted, next to the garage. I moved the camper and boat out of this area earlier in the week and raked up the ground. Today I spread seed and straw and hopefully will have grass by Memorial weekend.
We also got the bench finished in the utility room. It's good to be able to scratch a couple of things off of the honeydew list!!

Hope everyone is having fun!

Here comes Rocky Raccoon. Does he look like he is ready to hit the bird feeder? He has that burglar's mask on.

Whoa Nelly! Caught in the act!! Lemme outta here!

I got this coat rack and bench done and Nancy did the painting.

The last of the lawn has been seeded. I don't want too much to have to mow!!

Thursday

We have had some really nice afternoons but yesterday evening the rain started and today a cold front blew it out. We saw snowflakes flying around this afternoon, and this evening it is just 35 degrees and dropping.
I was getting ready to plant some grass seed yesterday but now it looks like there is no hurry since it wont start to germinate until it gets a bit warmer. I'm glad I re-winterized the camper when we got back from Florida!

Hope everyone is doing OK.

Turkey Day!!

I hit the woods early this morning and the gobblers were already sounding off as I put my boots on at my truck. I walked into the woods in the direction of some gobbling and set up to do some calling. After I sat for about ten minutes I used my turkey call and got  an immediate reply from old Mr. Tom. I sat still for a while and then called again. Again, I got an immediate answer and a bit closer this time. I sat again and pretty soon saw a turkey off in the distance walking my way. I sat and watched and pretty soon there were three walking towards me. I sat and waited and could see that these were Jakes (young one year old tom turkeys). I called once more quietly and they gobbled and walked my way. I decided to hold off shooting as these were young birds and the morning was young. The three walked past me at about fifteen feet and gobbled and stared at me but did not spook. They kept going and I layed quietly and let them go.

After about twenty minutes I called again and the three that walked past me called back and again came my way. I watched and they walked by me again and went back towards where I saw them come from the first time. They walked off about a hundred yards and stopped to gobble and strut. All three were quite worked up and every time they heard a noise would let out a gobble! I thought about all of the years I went without a turkey and decide that I would take one of these three if they would come back. I called once more and they answered right away. I called again and her they come!
This was the quickest turkey hunt I ever had. I was home by eight o'clock and Nancy asked what was wrong.

Now all is left is a good turkey dinner! I finally found some turkeys that read the same magazines I do and know how to behave when being hunted!!

Super Sunday

We had a great day today starting with going to church in Empire after breakfast and then a trip into Traverse City to do some exploring after lunch. We actually went to the nut house to see the transformation of the former State Asylum to condos and shopping boutiques and restaurants. It was interesting to see the history of the place (which opened as the State Mental Asylum in the 1880's and was renamed State Hospital in 1910. It continued to serve as a state mental institution until it closed in the 1980's. It has been acquired by developers in recent years and is being transformed into a new community with housing, restaurants and shops.
We also hiked along Boardman Lake on a two mile trail that goes from South Airport Road to the south side of Traverse City. We walked to Oryana Health Food Coop and then walked back to Airport Road. It's a nice walk along the lake on boardwalks and paved trails and has great views of the southeast side of town. It was a gorgeous day to be outside, but still not the warm weather we are waiting for. (That will come in late May and June).
I pulled out my hunting gear to hit the woods in the morning in search of the illusive wild turkey. You know, the ones you have to stop for on the highway so they can get out of the way. I'm sure they won't be that way in the morning!
Happy Trails!!

 The State Hospital. We were surprised at how big this place is. It was quite a facility in it's day, complete with housing and a farm that grew much of the vegetables used to feed patients.

A view of on-going restoration in back of the complex. They are turning buildings into condos and cottages. There are some nice restaurants here and quite a few trendy boutiques.

The south shore of Boardman Lake just south of Traverse City.

Boardwalks made up parts of the two mile trail along the lake.

A view into downtown from the south east. That's the Park Place Hotel in the downtown area.

 

All is well

We have been staying busy around the house washing windows and putting all the screens in. It's too cool yet to open windows, but we are hoping the warm weather gets here soon.
We are getting into hiking recently and are exploring different hiking trails to see where the best walks and views are.
Today it's off to T.C. for some shopping. Hope everyone is well!

Back at Wheeler Road

We had a great weekend downstate. We made it to Jackson on Saturday for Jeremy and Laura's wedding. It was beautiful and everyone had a great time. It was wonderful to see how happy the bride and groom were and to see what a great bunch of friends they have from college.
On Sunday we drove southeast to the Irish Hills area to see Rick and Jan Bolling. It was really good to see them as we haven't gotten together since last summer. They spent the winter in Texas on Mustang Island and had a great winter. It's so nice to see old friends and catch up on what every one's been up to.
We got back to the house this afternoon and every thing's in order. The cat made it through the weekend and we found that the weather is cooler up here. We watched the temperature drop as we headed north and early this evening we started getting snow flurries!! Oh boy, pure Michigan!!

We do and they did!!

Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy Olsen

And they were blinded by the rice... 

Bill and Betty and Jackie and Jessica

Another Day!

Had a god day yesterday with sunny skies and fair temps. We went into Sutton's Bay and Leland in the afternoon.
Hope all is well with everyone.

The silo next to this shop is the huge trunk of the big poplar that was cut down last fall. I can't wait to see what they make out of it.

The Leland River is already lined with charter boats claiming their dock spaces.

It was another gorgeous day in the north country!

Getting Ready for a wedding in Jackson

Yesterday we took our hike up to the top of the Empire Bluffs. What a great walk and a great view. From the top we could see the southwest side of South Manitou Island, the shore of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, the town of Empire, South Bar Lake and Point Betsie to the south. We sure appreciate the beauty this area has to offer and it truly is one of the most beautiful areas in the U.S.

We are getting ready to head south this weekend to Jackson for Jeremy and Laura's wedding. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

The view to the north at Bar Lake, Empire, and South Manitou Island

Zooming in on South Manitou

Looking south along the bluff and out to Point Betsie

Benches and the end of the boardwalk

A look at what the winds do to the bluff, blowing sand and creating bowls.

Westward towards Wisconsin

A view from the trail at Bar Lake and Empire

Spring in the woods along the hike

This area was homesteaded in the 1800's

The Glen Lake narrows with the sand dunes in the background (top left of picture)

Mid-Week Blog

 We woke up yesterday morning to quite a surprise, we got about half an inch of snow overnight!! It was all gone by 10am so we felt a lot better. Today is sunny and high forties we are going for a hike up the Empire Bluff. Mike did this last weekend and now we have to see it!

Enjoy your day wherever you are!!

Our Tuesday morning surprise!! Welcome back to Michigan!!

Jenny and the new addition to the family. Meet Murphy!

After the Holiday

All the kids were here for Easter and we had a good weekend. The weather was much nicer than we expected and everyone got a full weekend of sunshine and blue skies with mild temperatures!
The grand kids had an Easter egg hunt on Saturday and woke up on Sunday to find their Easter baskets full of goodies.
Everyone has gone home now and the house is too quiet. Now we have to catch up on all the unfinished odds  and ends around here and get ready for the summer.

Easter morning.

Seven of the grand kids. We were missing Evey!

We found how tough it is to get all of the kids looking in the same direction at the same time!

The kids are all growing so fast it's incredible!

Back in Michigan on Wednesday

We drove all day yesterday and made it to southern Ohio. Today we finished the drive and had dinner with Tom and are camping now at Camp Pleasant Street in Romeo. The vacation went well and on Thursday we will be driving north to see if our house is still standing.
Can't wait to see everyone there.

Our last day on OBX (Outer Banks)

We explored Hatteras Island today a bit closer to the campground. We took a drive to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and wandered out to Hatteras Point. The wind was fierce today and when we were near the ocean the sand was flying and the waves were crashing. The temperature never broke sixty and we wore hooded sweatshirts most of the day. This is really a neat place when you take the time ot get off the beaten path and do some exploring.
In the morning we are hooking up the camper and will get an early start to get back to Michigan on Wednesday.
Happy trails to all!

The day was spent in the vicinity of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

This is the tallest brick lighthouse in North America

The lighthouse dates back to the early eighteen hundreds.

Year first constructed	1803 (original tower) 1870 (current tower)
Year first lit	1870 (current tower)

We saw a couple of groups of deer. Here there were three but by the time I got the camera out one was gone and a second was going!

If you hate cormorants you will really hate this picture. Zoom in and see all of them in this pond by the coast.

You can see the lighthouse way off in the distance. The sand was really blowing out on the beach today.

Another view of the light.

Hatteras Island to Ocracoke Island, Sunday daytrippin'

We spent a great day cruising the islands today. We are camped on Hatteras Island and after breakfast burritos we took a drive to Orcacoke Island for the day. The south end of the Outer Banks seemed so much better than the north end with it's development and congestion. Here the park service owns more of the island and the housing is less dense and much more sporadic. We drove for several stretches where there were miles of wilderness. Then when you came to a village it was not over developed and a lot more quaint and rustic. Much more like the old fishing towns we were expecting.
The North Carolina Transportation Authority operates the ferries that go between the islands here. The one that went from Hatteras to Ocracoke Island was free and took about forty minutes to make the crossing. We got in line and were on the next ferry in about fifteen minutes. Ocrakoke Island is sixteen miles long and the first thirteen miles are national seashore. After that the town of Ocracoke was only a mile wide and very quaint and old time. This would be the place I would concentrate on whenever I come back to the Outer Banks.

Kite boarders on Hatteras Island. The Outer Banks are one of the favorite locations for this sport.

Typical beach houses on the outer banks. Many are four stories with exterior stairways and balconies. I bet the hurricanes love to play with these! I wouldn't want to be an insurance company covering this nonsense!!

We were on a car ferry like this going from Hatteras to Orcacoke Island.

The laughing gulls (notice the black heads), love to follow the boats looking for food that gets stirred up in the wake.

A line of cars and trailers waiting for the ferry from Orcacoke to Cedar Island.

This building is a teaching facility for the state of North Carolina.

Hurricanes constantly change the layout of these islands and demolish what man has built on them.

Silver Lake in Orcacoke village

The Lighthouse.

Some of the local residents.

Ponies at Orcacoke Island. They are derived from the spanish settlers and are considered wild even though they are cared for by the park service.