Leelanau Up North

North Bar Lake Outlet To Lake Michigan - Courtesy Of Michigan.Org Leelanau, ... In its autumn quietude, Is a place to contemplate The essence of things.... The tree-ness of trees. The dune-ness of dunes. The lake-ness of lakes. The me-ness of me. And to realize that - But for the perfect mixture  Of hydrogen atoms and energy At the beginning of time - Creating the soup for my existence, I could have been ... A lake, A dune Or a tree, ... Instead of me. Majestic and beautiful, Yes, ... But unable  To reflect upon My essence. See You In Leelanau Up North, Chris                     Visit A Leelanau Landmark:  Late breaking fall colors now                     showing at a Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore                      near you.   Catch the autumn splendor the while it lasts. CLICK  'SUBSCRIBE'...

Courtesy  Of  Dangerous-Business.com Perched 450 feet above Lake Michigan is the famous scenic overlook number nine on the Pierce Stocking Drive. Visitors are warned not to climb down the nearly vertical dune, lest they require an expensive  rescue by the coast guard.  (Going rate: $2,800.00 per person.) Undeterred, a group of Amish people - perhaps fifteen men, women and children - descended this mountain of sand in single file.   Despite the heat and the arduous trek, they were dressed in their traditional garb - men and boys in suspendered trousers, collared shirts and straw hats; women and girls in full dresses, aprons and hair concealing bonnets. Not a selfie or smartphone could be found among this crowd.. We didn't wait to see their grueling ascent - apparently successful, as there was no news of an Amish clan stranded on the beach below. It took some grit (and perhaps a little gaffe) to accomplish such a risky climb. B ut then, ... the Amish are know...

I think  you should know .... that I took  some of the rocks  you collected  from the beach - the big ones  you were probably  going to use in your garden. I'm sorry. They are  so flat and smooth, .... perfect  for my walkway. See You In Leelanau Up North, Chris                     Visit A Leelanau Landmark:  Any beach in the Land of Delight                     where you'll find more varieties of stone than anywhere  on the                      planet -  thanks to the generosity of the Laurentide Ice Sheet                     which retreated from Michigan about 10,000 years ago.                       And "This Is Just To Say," many thanks to William Carlos Williams   ...

South Manitou White Cedar - Courtesy Of The National Park Service In 1503, when Leonardo da Vinci began painting his Mona Lisa,  tiny white cedar tree seedlings were just poking above the sandy soil on South Manitou Island. Today, in the Island's Valley of the Giants, many of these ancient trees are over 100 feet tall -  with five foot girths. During the clear cut logging of Leelanau in the 1800's, the majestic cedars were spared from the lumberjack's saw by a freak occurrence of nature. Windswept sand from the surrounding dunes became embedded in the bark of the trees.   Cutting into the sand studded bark would quickly dull or ruin a pricey cross cut saw blade. So, many of the white cedars were left alone ... To grow, And grow, And grow. In so growing, the trees have helped to stabilize the famous island dune against the prevailing winds. Just a freak occurrence of nature? I would rather like to think island neighbors sand and tree looking out for each other. Only i...

Photo Courtesy Of Pure Michigan I like to contemplate chance encounters. Like when I'm walking the beach at Platte Bay, ... And another solitary hiker approaches from the shadow of the dunes. As we pass, we might exchange a smile, a greeting, perhaps a few trite words. Just two travelers, on a stretch of sand, in a fleeting moment ... Which will likely never be repeated in the history of the world. Still, I marvel at how we got here - strangers, you and I. How from the beginning of time ... To the circumstances of our births, To the unfolding of our lives, To our decision to walk the beach at Platte Bay, To the precise interplay of our gravity, force and momentum, The universe has conspired ... To cross our paths ... At this very minute. What are the chances? See You In Leelanau Up North, Chris                     Visit A Leelanau Landmark:  Platte Bay - A graceful curve of the                ...

Courtesy Of Worldwide Elevation In the dunes above Empire Village, The landscape is spare, Stripped to its essentials ... By the constant scourging Of wind, sand and water. Whatever is here ... Is only what is  needed For this place to be. Like jack pine, bearberry and dune grass. Anything else would be a waste. And so, ... With each step of my ascent, I must let go ... Of pretense,  Of airs,  Of vanity, ... And bring nothing That isn't needed ... For this place to be. See You In Leelanau Up North, Chris              V isit A Leelanau Landmark:  Jason Robert Jones - Acclaimed               minimalist photographer from Suttons Bay, whose lean and               beautiful images of  Leelanau may be found at  www.jasonrobertjones.com . CLICK  'SUBSCRIBE'  AND  ENJOY  LEELANAU  UP  NORTH  BIWEEKLY!

Sunset  At  Empire  Beach The remote hills and valleys of this land, Nearly surrounded as they are by water, And home to a relatively few people, Make it very easy in Leelanau ... To be alone. But to be alone, is not to be lonely. Whereas loneliness is a painful emptiness, Aloneness is a joyful fullness. When you are alone, ... Especially in this sacred place ... Of sand and surf, Of wind and woods, ... Your presence is enough. No one else is needed. So, ... "Don't let me be lonely" in Leelanau, ... But leave me alone. See You In Leelanau Up North, Chris                     Visit A Leelanau Landmark:  Lacore Trail to Lake Michigan - A                     little known path through the woods ending atop a sandy bluff                     beside the big lake.  Follow Lacore Street north of Empire until     ...