Leelanau Up North

Pyramid Point - Photo Courtesy Of Brandon Yonke In Leelanau, as in life ... The summit beckons. Rising 500 feet above the big lake, The dunes challenge me to climb .... To persevere against the wind,  And the cold, And the daunting rise of the precipice. In so doing, ... I recall the ascent of my life ..... The triumphs and travails, The fortunes and misfortunes, From boyhood to mature man. Now, ... Having scaled this mountain of sand, ... And most of the mountain of life, ... One thing is certain .... The view from the summit ... Is infinitely more satisfying ... Than I could have imagined. See You In Leelanau Up North, Chris                     Visit A Leelanau Landmark:  Pyramid Point Trail - Revel in the                     stunning 180 degree view of the Sleeping Bear Dunes                      National Lakeshore from t...

  Empire Bluffs "The thrill you feel  on first seeing  some delightful place ... dies away  when you really go  to live there."  C.S. Lewis Dear Mr. Lewis:   I must,  respectfully,  disagree. For nearly twenty-five years,  I have walked the path  from my door to the foothills  of this majestic dune. I have climbed  this mountain of sand  countless times,  always  to reach the summit, and there  to gaze at this vast inland sea. The thrill of this place,  this Leelanau,  this "Land of Delight,"  has not expired. This feeling is more alive  now  than it was on my very first summit  here,  a quarter century ago. Most thrills in life  are fleeting,  like my footprints  in this sand, .... Yet the thrill  that is Leelanau  seems  to have no end. 

Leelanau  November  Surf No sun, no burning. No hot, no sweating. No bugs, no biting. No grass, no mowing. No leaves, no raking. No garden, no weeding. No guests, no cleaning. No tourists, no waiting. No regretting. No vembering.                   

North Bar Lake Outlet To Lake Michigan Closing is the ice cream shop on Front Street. Quieting are the echoes of children on Empire Beach. Chilling is the morning mist on North Bar Lake. Fleeting are the hours before sunset. Turning are the first leaves of Autumn. It's s ad, but true.  The sweet, longed-for Leelanau Summer is over.  And the end of this season is always especially regretful. The never-ending days were filled with the simple pleasures of outdoor living in the Land of Delight …. Sun-filled picnics for two on the dunes. Wading in the cool shallows of the big lake. Unhurried walks through the verdant woods. Starry night beach bonfires …. Then, almost quicker than you can say mostbeautifulplaceinamerica, yet another Summer in Leelanau has faded into fall. So sublime is the Season of Sun in this place, that I find myself counting how many Summers may be left for me ….   Perhaps our very longing for Summer is a hint that ... Somewh...

Leelanau Dark Sky - Courtesy Of Leelanau Energy If I could look back in time, ... Back nearly to the beginning of time, I would see that all of Leelanau, From Sleeping Bear Dunes to Grand Traverse Bay, From North Manitou Island to Platte River,                 , And every living thing within, Including myself, Owes its very existence, ... To a star, .... A star which, By dying in a luminous explosion,  Created every element necessary For the existence of ... Everything. And we thought it was just "twinkle, twinkle ...."

"Morning On The Dunes" by Owen Weber I must remind myself ... That the Universe Owes me Nothing. Not contentment, Good fortune, Health, Nor the beauty of A Leelanau sunrise. And yet,  These things ... Have been freely given To me. Along with some misfortune,  Yes. But the misfortune  Is only known ... By all the good things, Freely given me, That surround it.   

Sunrise  Over  Northport  Bay In Leelanau, ... and beyond.  Does it not? Though here it is often disguised by clouds over the big lake. Still, its light always overtakes the darkness, and a new day dawns.  Everyday. It's as if the Author of Nature is giving us another chance .... To give. To console. To heal. To be brave. To love. To be loved. Giving us another chance. And another. And another.  Everyday. Because the sun always rises - And the Son has risen in Leelanau, ... and beyond.