Leelanau Christmas Tree Excursion

On December 9, right down the road from St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church...

...is Kolarik Farms.

I'm not sure what happens here in the summer, but in the winter they are a prosperous Christmas tree farm. 

Living in an agricultural area there are many Christmas tree "vendors", but I found it rather difficult to find an actual Christmas tree farm that we could visit (did I mention that many places in Leelanau County aren't yet connected to internet?). It's WAY more fun to go to an actual Christmas tree farm that to just buy on at the side of the road :). Look how big and gorgeous their non-Christmas trees are!

We shopped around...

...and after we found one they were kind enough to carry it to where they shake out all the loose needles...

...and wrap it up so it's easier to carry inside of our house. 

Done!

Here's Bryan trying to figure out how to secure our Christmas tree in the trunk without bungee cords...

...and here I am still waiting for Bryan to secure our Christmas tree without bungee cords. It seems that many of the farms in Leelanau County have retained many of the original structures. This awesome old well and windmill are no exception. They're in pretty good condition! I wonder if the windmill still works...

Surrounded by Kolarik Farms, there are Christmas and cherry trees as far as the eye can see.

Finally home! Bryan is here cutting off the netting after we got it on the tree stand...

...adjusting it so it's not crooked...

and voila!

Prentiss Brown

I woke up yesterday morning to this:

The Prentiss Brown in Good Harbor Bay.

In this photo you can more clearly see Prentiss Brown's dry cargo barge St. Mary's Conquest.

Last night saw this:

And woke up this morning to this:

As of noon on December 23, the Prentiss Brown is still anchored in Good Harbor Bay, lights ablaze. It's weathered some snow and freezing rain, but is staying put. With a view like that, no complaints here!

Hiking a Moraine

Today was a beautiful day to be outside. The temps reached about 60 and there wasn't a cloud in the sky--a nice reprieve from the rainy October we've been having. Bryan and I decided to head out for a hike this afternoon before watching the big game.

The Leelanau Conservancy has many natural areas, and Bryan and I have been slowly crossing them off our list. We decided to check out the Whaleback Natural Area. It didn't disappoint:

One of our first views as we entered the access trail. The colors have been spectacular this year.

The access trail, which leads to the actual natural area, is bordered by private land. Even these areas provide beautiful landscapes.

Our first view of Lake Michigan (look closely!) shortly after entering the actual Natural Area.

We've reached the viewing platform with crystal blue water as its backdrop...looks promising...

No matter how many times I see a view like this it never gets old. Looking southwest over Good Harbor Bay towards Pyramid Point.

This zoomed in photo of Pyramid Point turned out better than I thought. The view of its dunes is fairly clear. I've never seen it from this angle before.

We're just past peak color season and it was an advantage on this hike. With most of the leaves now off the trees we were able to see Lake Michigan for most of our hike along the bluff.

Bryan, leading the way.

I was a little nervous at some points because of how close the trail came to the edge of the ridge. Here we are looking down at a thick forest of cedar trees growing up the bluff, with a few other types of trees thrown in.

As we looped back around towards the parking lot we were rewarded with amazingly blue water and a view of Leland Harbor...

...and a beautiful sea of yellow (probably my favorite part of our hike).

The downed birch trees provided a neat contrast to the yellow leaves.

The sun peeked through the trees many times during our hike.

Whaleback is obviously an interesting name for a geological feature, especially on the great lakes (you guessed it, we don't have any whales here). According to the Leelanau.com Blog, Whaleback was given its name because of its resemblance to the unique whaleback cargo steamships that were fairly common on the Great Lakes during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Considering that Whaleback is not only a moraine but a drumlin, I'd imagine that this geological feature would look like its namesake from the viewpoint of those sailing on the lake.

Originally, we planned on hiking the Clay Cliffs Natural Area but decided against it because that area is open for bow hunting. Considering that we're currently in the middle of bow season it didn't seem very safe to head that way. The Whaleback Natural Area was definitely a great substitute. The hike wasn't too long or strenuous, and the views were worth every step...well, I didn't think it was that strenuous...;)

Oh, and for those of you who were wondering about "the big game", we were victorious! GO GREEN!

Great Lakes Shipping

Continuing with Tuesday's topic, this summer we witnessed a different type of Great Lakes Shipping.This was sailing through the Manitou Passage back on July 28:

The Pearl Mist is the first cruise ship I've ever seen sailing on the Great Lakes. Having never seen a ship of this shape and size on the lakes, it caught my eye immediately.

The Pearl Mist passing Pyramid Point. I counted five passes...it might have been more.

And it was seen docked at Mackinac Island.

This photo was taken by a friend of mine the day before I spotted the Pearl Mist in the Manitou Passage. I can't believe how short the Arnold Dock looks!

With a little research I discovered that this is the Pearl Mist and is a part of the fleet belonging to the Great Lakes Cruise Company. We've not seen anything quite like this on the west side of the state...I'm not sure they've even seen this before on Mackinac Island (and they get A LOT of tourism!). What a neat experience to be able to see the Great Lakes from this viewpoint!

The Great Lakes Cruise Company has been around since 1999. I've vaguely heard of great lakes cruise ships but didn't pay much attention until my friend posted her photo from Mackinac Island. When I saw it sailing through the Manitou Passage I knew it had to be the same ship. I saw it take five passes and assumed it was sailing up and down the Sleeping Bear coast...looking at the ship track on marinetraffic.com was rather humorous because of the zigzag pattern it created.

This past Monday another cruise ship popped up on marinetraffic.com, the MV Hamburg.

The German cruise ship MV Hamburg was seen in the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay on Monday. It's not owned by the Great Lakes Cruise Company. Definitely a unique sight! (photo: www.upnorthlive.com)

According to Upnorthlive.com, the German ship MV Hamburg brought visitors from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, all first time visitors to the Great Lakes Region. They left from Montreal, Canada on October 10 for their eighteen-day cruise, which will also stop at Mackinac Island. They picked a perfect time to cruise up here, if you ask me...the colors are beautiful this time of year!

Two different cruise ships owned by two different companies...it looks like large-scale pleasure cruising is becoming a thing on the Great Lakes. How fun would it be able to board one in TC?

A Safe Harbor (EDIT on 10/25/14)

I came home Sunday evening, walked up my stairs, looked out my window, and saw this:

Bryan took this awesome photo...you can even see its self-loading gear! He's good at taking night photos without a tripod...

The Great Republic was anchored in Good Harbor Bay, and was quite a sight. No matter how many times I see these ships they always fascinate me. "Beautiful" is an unusual word to describe it, yet is the only word that fits it. When I opened the window I could hear the hum of its engines between giant gusts of wind. It's quite relaxing.

Here's a photo from boatnerd.com (click on the link for some info on this ship), taken during the day:

The Great Republic (photo: boatnerd.com)

Last fall we hosted the Philip R. Clarke in Good Harbor Bay:

The Philip R. Clarke anchored in Good Harbor Bay, November 16, 2013.

Philip R. Clarke (photo: boatnerd.com)

I saw it pulling in one fall November morning and my curiosity was piqued. I scoured the internet for information on it and why it was there. I first found the internet real-time AIS maps (the ship had a name!). As I continued my investigation I finally, after taken a handful of hours researching (more than it should have taken :) ), discovered that the Philip R. Clarke, along with all of the Great Lakes Fleet, where anchored due to a prediction of dangerous weather. I can only assume that the Great Republic was anchoring for the same reason (although, I was not able to find any info to confirm or deny this).

Since I've discovered all of these different ship/shipping resources online it's become a hobby to track and document the different ships when I see them sail through the Manitou Passage. Currently I have 73 ships logged, and this is only since I began tracking them this past May (I'd have many more if I would have began documenting in the 2013 shipping season). Also, we still have about 2-1/2 months before the Soo Locks close for the season (things definitely slow down before this because of winter weather, but seems to be pretty much at a standstill after the locks close--at least this is what I noticed last year).

As of 2011 the Great Republic has sailed for the Great Lakes fleet out of Duluth, MN. I was surprised to learn this because it doesn't have the trademark GLF paint job. It has a somewhat interesting history, including its participation in the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay.

I checked the ship's itinerary and it seemed to have continued on its journey around 3:30 a.m. I'd hoped that it would be around in the morning so that I could go get some photos. Maybe next time...

Leland Waking Up

I'm beginning to really enjoy my summer Sunday mornings. Waking up early can be hard, but I enjoy my early morning run, then church, and finally starting the tasks that need to be completed for the day.

Today I decided to take some time to slow down--something I don't do very often. I received a call from Leelanau Books, the local book store in Leland and the one that I am a member of, on Friday letting me know that the book I pre ordered had arrived:

To answer your question, yes, we're still talking about last winter up here! It was ridiculously cold and ridiculously snowy,  and the result was a rare phenomenon on the great lakes: A series of ice caves formed all along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Leelanau County. Some were larger than others, but all were spectacular. It was an absolute must see...I was so in awe of this natural occurance that I went out to see them twice (and wrote about it in my blog post Ice Caves Craze, click the link if you'd like to check it out.) They made local news and then national news. People came for miles to see them. Ken Scott's photos of them kept popping up here, there, and were finally compiled in a book. Being that this was my inaugural winter Up North and that I have a complete facination with these ice caves, I had to get this book when I found out it was being printed. I pre ordered one from the second printing. When I went in to Leelanau Books to do so, the lady who took my order said they ordered 500 copies (which, she said, is unbelieveable for them) and there were 350 pre ordered already. It's definitely popular!

After church this morning I decided to treat myself. After purchasing my book I slid over to the next counter and bought myself a small chai latte...oh so good...it's been too long!

The Redheads is a cafe and tasting room in Lake Leelanau that I've had my eye on visiting. They also sell their food items in local grocery stores, focusing on organic products. Back in May they opened a small cafe inside Leelanau Books and will be open through September. I wish they'd stay open through the winter...it would probably help to get me out of the house!

 After, I cut through Harbor Square and sat on the patio above the public restrooms...I know what you're thinking and it's not as unglamorous as it seems! Leland has a nice--unsmelly--patio on the roof and someone stuck three old, green plastic patio chairs up their for anyone to use. I found a dry one took advantage!

Me, my book, my chai, and Leland...yes, on top of the bathrooms! The book was great. Photos were of course fantastic, and it was nice to read the brief information on all of the ice formations (some I didn't even know had names!)

Watching a sailboat over Fishtown.

The Mishe-Mokwa is loading passengers and getting ready for its day trip to South Manitou Island. I've never caught one of the Manitou Island Transit ferries leaving the harbor, but I do believe I've seen them from my deck in Good Harbor Bay during one of their evening Shoreline Cruises.

The Mishe-Mokwa leaving Leland Harbor.

This seagull seemed captivated with the ferry.

And off it goes towards a seemingly nonexistent island.

The "Stormin' Norman" on the left with one of a handful of fishing charters out on the water that morning. With a nickname like "Fishtown" you can imagine how popular this outdoor sport is here!

I sat as long as I wanted, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of Leland in the morning. First I noticed the smell of the water, then the breeze shifted and I could smell that day's meal preparation from a nearby restaurant, The Cove. I heard church bells either begin or end a morning service, then flinched as the Mishe-Mokwa ferry left for its day trip to South Manitou Island. I very much enjoyed taking in Leland as it began its day while reading my book, keeping one eye on the pages and one eye to the foggy, somewhat foreboding sky.

It was a great morning.