October 2016
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The Season of Awe
No season of this four-season state seems more fleeting than fall. The brilliant confetti of Michigan’s six million acres of state and national forest and the unique vantage points offered by the Great Lakes — also morphing into a kaleidoscope of new color — are reasons to pause.
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Exploring Michigan’s Historic Forts
Michigan is home to nearly 20 historic forts, some dating back decades before the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Detroit was founded in 1701, its first fort built that year by the French and destroyed a century later by the 1805 fire that ravaged the city. The British-built Fort Lernoult (renamed […]
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Getting Wild on the Sunrise Side
Lake Huron’s calm waters lapped gently at the cobble beach. There were no cottages, houses or buildings for miles. It was the perfect place to kayak, or to stroll, explore and enjoy the wildflowers — a nature lover’s dream accessed readily by gravel road. “It’s pretty much a wild park,” said Blake Gingrich, manager of […]
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The Sunrise Side of Michigan
Just because a road may be less traveled doesn’t mean there is less to experience along the way. This is surely the case for the quieter side of the state, where Port Huron makes a great starting point to explore before heading north. Whether you’re seeking to reconnect with nature or visit a variety of […]
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Naked in the Stream: Isle Royale Stories
Standing at the prow, I faced forward into the wind and breathed. The steel hull of the passenger ferry sliced through the lake, curling the gentle seas into two bow waves breaking on either side of the ship. At 12 knots, my eyes watered. Accustomed to pulling my way through the water with a paddle, […]
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Summer Dog Days Yield Fall Dreams
Winston sprawls on the tile floor, panting. With eyes half closed and tongue lolling out, his expression teeters between boredom and sadness. Every few minutes, my setter stands up, pads over to a cooler spot, and flops back down with a ponderous groan. These August afternoons aren’t called the dog days of summer for no […]
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The 31 Flavors of U.S. Highway 31
If you had to pick one flavor to describe Michigan’s U.S. 31, it might be “freshwater sea,” spiced up by whatever’s cooking on the beachside campfire. “Lakeshore all the way” was, after all, the early slogan of the pike that morphed into this scenic highway through prime vacation country. But there is some unexpected variety in […]
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Huron Shore Scenic Highway
Aroad along the Lake Huron shore had long been a dream for the people of northeastern Michigan. And as early as 1858, the state authorized building one between Bay City and Mackinaw City. For years it wasn’t more than a rough trail, hard for wagons to negotiate and certainly not adequate for future automobile traffic. […]
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Saving the boats that saved us
By Scott Atkinson Jeff Shook has a thing for rescuers. In fact, he’s a rescuer himself, a firefighter in his hometown of Fenton, Michigan — but there’s another kind of rescuing he does, one that pays homage to the brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard who have battled waves and storms to […]
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Buried History: Historic Cemeteries in Michigan
Much like museums and historic homes, cemetery tours unveil the stories of Michigan’s famous founders, heroes and a glimpse into the lives of a community’s past citizens.
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Waterfront Life: The Varied Heartbeats of River and Lake Living
Casting off Kevin Akey, co-owner of AZD Associates in Bloomfield Hills and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, sold his home on Union Lake in Commerce Township, but he’s never far from the water for long. The award-winning architect, known for his extraordinary waterfront structures, spends seasonal weekends with his family on their powerboat in Grand Haven. Residing […]
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Hooked on bass
Southerners typically lay claim to the sport of bass fishing. And although its rise in popularity corresponded to the water projects that created Southern reservoirs in the 20th century, the origins of the modern sport — catching America’s favorite game fish on artificial lures — can be traced to James Heddon, who in the waning […]
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Autumn Attractions
People, places, events and autumn attractions to explore in Michigan during the fall in the months of October and November.
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Lake to Plate: The Big Catch
By Marla R. Miller After a morning of big lake charter boat fishing, talk normally turns to reliving “the big catch” and where to go for lunch. Charter captains like Denny Grinold in Grand Haven have worked with local waterfront restaurants for years to offer clients a fresh fish foodie experience after the boat is […]
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Will Michigan honor monarchs?
Maine has its honeybee. Massachusetts has its ladybug. Mississippi, the Magnolia state, has two state insects: the firefly and ladybug. Michigan has no state insect. It has a state fish, the brook trout; a state bird, the robin; even a state fossil, the mastodon, unlikely as that may be. Ilse Gebhard, a retired chemist from […]
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Sipping Michigan, one glass at a time
The blogging world was just taking shape in 2009 when Shannon and Cortney Casey stepped into the local wine scene with MichiganByTheBottle.com. “We enjoyed visiting Michigan wineries and felt there were many that were under-appreciated and under-promoted, especially the ones outside of the Traverse City area,” says Cortney, who, along with Shannon, is a certified […]
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Taking Flight
Every fall, thousands of redhead ducks and other waterfowl flock to the Straits of Mackinac in their annual migration south for the winter. From the Mackinac Bridge east to Drummond Island and north throughout the eastern Upper Peninsula, more than 250 bird species find a safe haven in the protective habitats along Lake Huron’s northern […]
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A November Wind
When the wind started banging against the windows of our house, I put on my coat and drove to the foot of West Grand Traverse Bay to watch the waves. A dozen people were there already, sitting in cars in the parking lot at Clinch Park. From the darkness came steep and ragged waves as […]
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Fall 2016: Contributors
David Ruimveld A self-taught wildlife artist from Michigan, he paints with acrylics using multiple washes to attain a look more associated with watercolors. Born and raised in Michigan, he spends a fair amount of time on rivers and in the woods. See his works at: davidruimveldstudio.com Scott Atkinson An award-winning journalist who has written for The […]
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A Fall Appreciation Beyond Words
Michigan’s autumn landscape is always a spectacle, a blazing palette of red, gold, yellow and orange. Magnificent scenery is found all across the state, with no shortage of space to witness fall color. John Burroughs, the American naturalist and nature essayist, once wrote “how beautiful the leaves grow old. How full of light and color […]
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Great Lake Story 2016: Chapter Five
Michigan BLUE Magazine, Great Lake Story 2016: Sanctuary at St. Lazare – Chapter Five
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An earth-friendly approach
Up on the Leelanau Peninsula not far from Northport, Court Wengreen and Ben Crow are making a name for themselves. “I’m Green and he’s Crow,” said Wengreen, explaining the origin of the Green Bird Organic Cellars name, the farm and winery they own. The two vintners purchased the former organic Good Neighbor Winery in 2015. They […]
