Stop signs and blowing hurriedly stuck down notices declaring the areas along the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore closed (again due to the old government shut down - you can see a theme developing across these posts can't you?!) were getting little attention. Like in many of the National run parks and forests people literally were driving their cars around the aforementioned signs.
As we drove along the scenic drive from Traverse City via Leelanau State Park and back south along US-22 you can see why the Sleeping Bear Dunes and the drive we tried to get onto was voted the most Beautiful place in America by Good Morning America in 2011. Even on an autumnal day you could see the dots of tourists as they climbing their way up the Sleeping Bear Dunes and while the scenic car dive was closed as a result of the shut down, we like many took to our feet and walked to one of the many look outs over the dunes instead.
To say the views from the North Bar Lake Overlook were stunning is somewhat of an understatement and the camera fails to capture just how investigating beautiful the vista over the sand dunes towards Lake Michigan actually was. Perhaps more so after the arduous up hill climb without really knowing where we were heading, aching feet, growing blisters and the heat didn't help, but this is what we saw;
Sleeping Bear Dunes cover a 35 mile stretch in north west Michigan are named as such after the Chippewa legend of a huge fire upon the western end of Lake Michigan which drove a mother and her two cubs to fee and swim across the lake towards the shore. Mother bear reached the safety of the shore, yet tired after the swim she laid down to wait for her cubs, sadly they drowned. The Great Spirit watching the cubs determination, created the North and South Manitou Islands to commemorate the two cubs while the winds covered the sleeping mother bear.
Sometimes the beauty of nature really just dwarfs you.
Where would you vote as being the most beautiful place in America? I'd love to hear!
Sometimes the beauty of nature really just dwarfs you.
Where would you vote as being the most beautiful place in America? I'd love to hear!