
We spent a slow, lazy morning doing a whole lot of nothing except enjoying the quiet, watching the cedar waxwings and warblers, and amazed by the wildflowers carpeting the space between RV lots—and, when combined with near perfect weather, it was a very peaceful setting indeed. Just after mid-morning, neighbor Chuck called for a fly casting lesson, and he proved to be a very quick study, just slowing down, learning the 10 to 2 arc, and stopping on his backcast. The double haul cast was a bit different as he struggled, but he mastered the single haul without much ado. Kay and I really liked he and Judy, and found that we have a lot of interests in common, including our Christian beliefs.

The area around Empire, Michigan, consists of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, several small villages either on Lake Michigan or on one of two natural lakes nearby, Glen Lake and Lake Leelanau, and rolling hills of orchards, vineyards, corn. Lake Michigan, Glen Lake, and Lake Leelanau are a beautiful aqua blue color, with sand and gravel beaches, and clearly visible bottoms, reminding one of the Carribean.Fruit and vegetable stands dot the roadside, selling cherries, apricots, blueberries, jams, corn, other vegetables in season, etc. When we remarked that it was similar to Door County, Wisconsin, we were reminded that it is only 50 miles across Lake Michigan. And both contain the 45th parallel, the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole. Kay enjoys exploring the countryside, and we took advantage of a short window of time to drive through much of the area and many of the small villages before returning to Indigo Bluffs for an ice cream social at 2:00 PM.

Late afternoon provided an opportunity to bike the pave, mostly level 4.25-mile each way Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. Mostly through forested areas, it connected Glen Haven Historic Village to Dune Climb. It was a great ride, and Kay is becoming quite a biker having learned to shift into low gears for hill climbing and high gears for downhill runs. With side trips, we made the 10-mile ride in about an hour.
Well, today was another great gift from God, and we are so blessed—words are simply inadequate.At Indigo Bluffs, we got a new neighbor, and wouldn’t you know it, they were from Gravette, Arkansas, in the far northwest corner of the state. (Cheryl, they are members of FMCA, but do not belong to a local club; they are active in their Good Sam Club chapter where he is wagon master. We’ll send you their address and email as they have an interest in the Ozark Ridge Runners.) He retired from Walmart, and new my cousin, Tommy Dunn—it’s a small world! After introductions, we had a great visit, sharing trip experiences to many of the same places. Kay and I are always interested in other RVers favorite places.


he 7.5 mile Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive was our first foray into this National Lakeshore. The drive was mostly through thick forests and was up, down, and around steep hills. We couldn’t believe the large number of people visiting the area—almost bumper to bumper—and predominantly from Michigan. A wide-open view of Lake Michigan appeared at the first major overlook. The next couple of overlooks provided views of vegetated sand dunes as far as the eye could see. And the last stop on the drive proved the most awesome of the trip, with dunes extending from the shore of Lake Michigan upwards to a height of 500 feet at about a 60° angle. Many folks were slipping and sliding their way down the steep sand slope while many others were trudging back up after making the quick descent. It was a pretty awesome sight, and photos cannot do it justice. I walked down a short distance and ascending the slope really stressed my hip joints.


The number of people and horses made for a too crowded condition in the pier area, and the stench of horse urine and manure was overwhelming. This changed as we left the shopping and residential area, but the number of bicyclists was significant. And, many of the riders, and particularly the children, had no idea of cycling etiquette, with many near crashes almost happening—enough said as I shall not dwell upon it! Since no automobiles are allowed on the island, the highway is actually a pedestrian and bicycle path. Most of the island is a national park, the nation’s second in fact, operated by the state of Michigan as a state park.












he Jampot, operated by the monks of Holy Transfiguration Skete, exuded the cacophony of aromas from the many preserves, fruitcakes, breads, and confections prepared on the premises. Kay bought fresh made caramels, jalapeño caramels, and “monk bread”, the latter which must have been soaked in alcohol. Eagle Harbor had a number of notable historic sites including the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse built in 1871 and Eagle Harbor Life-Saving Station Museum (Life-Saving Service was a forerunner to the US Coastguard). Further down the road, Eagle River Falls contained remnants of an old dam and sluice constructed to power a factory which made fuses for the mines. Just downstream from the Eagle River Falls was an old wooden-arched bridge, still in use. We stopped at a small store for lunch, and ordered a pastie—a meat, potato, and rutabaga pie. This delicacy was brought to the area by the wives of the Cornish miners so that the miners would have a hot meal at noontime. We mispronounced it when ordering, and the proprietor said we would have to go to New Orleans or Las Vegas for a “pasty”; however, he had pasties (pass tees). The store’s owner was a 4th generation Cornishman, and the store was built before Abraham Lincoln’s presidency. The Cornish gentleman gave us a great oral history of the area and showed us photographs of Eagle River during its heyday as a major international port on Lake Superior. I asked him about snowfall in the area, and he said they received 390 inches last year—that’s over 22 feet! Turning around, we drove back the way we came, stopping at Silver River Falls for a photo.