Turtle Lake Campground, Beulah, Michigan

 Turtle Lake Campground - Beulah, Michigan

This was our first stop after leaving Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  We found the Upper Peninsula to be one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen.  It exceeded all of our expectations in beauty and remoteness.  The weather was exactly what we had hoped for.  We are looking forward to what we will see in the Lower Peninsula. After looking at weather forecasts, we are moving into higher temperatures. Beulah, MI is just outside of Traverse City, which is still above the 45th parallel. The area is known for  its orchards, Winery's/Cidery's and the sand dunes. We are anxious to explore the area and to experience all it has to offer.

  This is the first silo we have seen constructed in this manner.  We found it to be unique.

 Lisa and Karma overlooking Lake Michigan and the Sleeping Bear Dunes from a vantage point. Both the day and the view are stunning. 

Lisa was admiring the view in a different overlook at the Dunes.  We were amazed by the different vivid shades of blue and the clarity in Lake Michigan. 

Pictures of the dune's access path to Lake Michigan.  We tried to get a picture of the slope of the access, but the pictures really do not accurately depict the steep angle.  According to the "Rescue" Ranger (see the guy in the neon yellow shirt?) that was posted here, the slope is 1/4 mile long and at a 76 degree angle.  There was a warning at the top of the incline advising people not to attempt going down the incline, because that also required a return up the incline. The posted sign states there is no rescue possible from the water side due to water level, and any rescue by the rescue team was $3000.00.  Apparently they have to post the warning because there is a rescue required at least weekly and a lot of dummies who think they are invincible.  We did not venture to the bottom of the slope, but dozens of determined folks were scattered both coming and going. 

Various views overlooking North and South Manitou Islands. Again, note the vivid, brilliant blues that abound in the Great Lakes. The beauty is just breathtaking.

A close up view of another silo we saw on one of our  bike rides.  We rode from Empire, Michigan north along the coast. On our return to Empire, we had ridden 43 miles. Thank goodness for throttle assist and electric bikes. We could not have traveled 43 miles without a little help. We stopped for frozen custard before we left Empire. We felt we deserved a little treat.

Lisa, with her faithful companion, is at the Grand Traverse Light Tower. Karma loves hiking and sightseeing. He is learning to pose for photo ops.

The buildings were built and added at the Lighthouse location over many years to accommodate their various and changing needs. An oil storage building was installed to house the flammable oil needed to run the lighthouse and the residence. This building not only stored the oil, but also reduced the threat of fire to the main structures by storing it separately.  Later the red building had a steam foghorn  installed in it. Years later, the steam foghorn  was converted to an air driven foghorn, which was eventually completely decommissioned. 

 The waves in Lake Michigan are crashing into the shores at the light tower.  This was the first location we saw people trying to surf. They were not successful, but they were making an attempt. You can actually rent surf equipment here much like you find in ocean beach towns. We were surprised by the water activities found on the Great Lakes. The cold water does not deter the people of Michigan from enjoying the beaches and water sports. This beach area was not heavily populated today, but many beaches were crowded with people.

Very interesting tree we saw at the Grand Traverse Light tower.  The branches of this massive tree were so unique.

Mark sampled a flight of different ciders at a Traverse City Winery/Cidery while enjoying the view. Wineries are common many places, but Michigan makes use of all the many varieties of local apples in its cideries. This porch is perched on the side of a gently sloping hill overlooking the beach and many acres of grapes and apple orchards below. This farm actually grows 30 varieties of apples that they use for their ciders. We didn't see how many varieties of grapes they grow, but there were also many acres of grapes here as well. The view alone was worth the $10 price of the taste testing.