Blog

Fall is one of the shortest yet most spectacular seasons of the year in Northern Michigan. And if steamy summer days stretch on through September and biting winds start blowing ahead of schedule in early November, you might just blink and miss this glorious time of year! All the more reason to be purposeful about squeezing in autumn activities while you can. To help you stay ahead of these fleeting fall days, we've compiled a list of some of our favorite autumn adventures. Pick one or two, or ...

          Seven days before the Glen Lake Community School year ended, Colebrook, Hawthorn and I completed our annual walk to school.  I think this photo of our eleven year old taking a break at the Alligator Hill overlook perfectly captured this beautiful day and our world class commute. Colebrook looking over Lake Michigan. We happened to walk by Grammy’s house at the start of our walk.  We caught her in her pink bathrobe on her way to pick up her paper. Grammy, getti ...

To us locals, spring in northern Michigan is all about the conflict between the sun and the north wind. This age old battle plays out on the dunes and orchards and woods and water. And then every year, to us warm-blooded human's delight, the sun wins! Spring is especially nice. The crowds are thin and and even the best restaurants have a table available. The sun returns to warm the earth, giving way to leafing trees, vibrant wild flowers, and lively wildlife; ideal conditions for a long hike ...

What should citizens do on Leaf Day? Dress up? Give gifts? Hide Baskets? Make a big dinner? Those are all too much work. How about do nothing. How about a purposeless day? A day to just reflect on the beauty of nature? Leaf Day was created by Cherry Republic to celebrate the amazing colors of fall, and to take a day to reflect or enjoy the outdoors in the last of our good weather.  We are all so busy all summer and into fall that we don’t often find time to just enjoy the outdoors.  Leaf Day w ...

At 5:30am on Friday, May 30, Bob and his two boys put on their coats and headed out the door for school. That day was no ordinary day though - they planned to walk the 8 miles from their home in downtown Glen Arbor to Glen Lake school. Their first attempt (nearly a year ago to the day) took 8 hours due to sketchy navigation and tough weather, so the boys ended up missing the entire day of school. This year, Bob was determined to make it to school before noon. Follow along below as Bob walk ...

Just one of the many breathtaking vistas to be found on Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive No list of northern Michigan scenery is complete without a mention of Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. Situated between Glen Arbor and Empire it offers spectacular views, firstly through forest and across Glen Lake, and then over the dunes and out across Lake Michigan. A little over seven miles long, Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive snakes its way through the steeply rolling hills of the Lake Michigan shoreline. ...

Hiking back from North Manitou Island towards the Crib with Pyramid Point in the distance. On Thursday, March 6th, 2014, we attempted something that hasn't been done for 40 years: to hike the treacherous ice across the Manitou Passage to the islands 8 miles out. In the 1970’s, Bob's father and two brothers left the shore in Glen Arbor early one morning to attempt the crossing. They were cut off by open water a mile from South Manitou. Their hike took so much longer than planned that Bob's ...