It’s no secret that Michigan is full of natural beauty. One of the places in Michigan that definitely a natural wonder is the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
My friends, and fellow Blog It Home winners, Keith and Heather over at Sponge and Slate are back in the U.S. for a month before embarking on their third year extension adventure in China, and invited me to join them relaxing at a family cabin on the gorgeous shores of Lake Michigan. Of course I jumped at the opportunity.
Michigan’s Wine Country
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a part of the National Parks Service and was set aside for preservation with the 1970 Establishment Act. The protected area includes 65 miles of Lake Michigan’s shoreline as well as a number of inland lakes. But the lakeshore isn’t all that the area has to offer; this region is also famous for cherry growing and wine making.
We took the opportunity to go on an afternoon of wine tasting and sampled a full variety of whites, rosés, reds and cherry wines, several of them having won gold medals and international recognition. If you though Napa Valley was the place for American wines, then you should really start peeking around in Michigan.
In addition to all the natural beauty and bounties that are available in the area, there is a rich history, both cultural and geological to the area.
American Indian Myths
The Chippewa story behind that is the area’s namesake goes like this: There was a large forest fire on the western shore of Lake Michigan that drove many of the animals away and in search of refuge. A mother bear and her two cubs took to swimming across the great lake in search of safety.
The mother bear reached Michigan’s shores safely and laid down to wait for her cubs arrival. But, because they were so small, they were not able to make it all the way across and drowned just before reaching the shore.
The mother bear fell asleep and was covered with the sands, and the Great Spirit was moved by her undying love of her children. In honor of the two cubs, he created what is known today as North and South Manitou islands.
Geological Wonders
Geologically, the area is the result of glacial moraines, or the deposit of rocks and debris at the edge of a glacier. The deposits range from 500 to 700 feet thick and were deposited in the Holocene era.
All of the inland lakes, rivers and lake shore were carved out many years ago by glacial movement and the underlying bedrock consists generally of sedimentary rock and limestone, showing what great force these ice sheets had on the surrounding elements.
Pristine Stargazing
Finally, one of the most spectacular reasons to visit the area is the clear, nearly unpolluted night sky. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
