Anne Harris spends her time Up North near Traverse City and Empire, Michigan, and shares some of her favorite Up North places and discoveries with readers today.
Variety may be the spice of life, but for the past ten years, my husband and I have taken our summer vacation in the same spot. Up in Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, nestled midway between Traverse City and the Sleeping Bear Dunes, is a little gem known as Pearl Lake. We go there every year and every year, and we find something new to delight us.
Composed of many small inlets, and in many places too shallow for motorboats, the Pearl Lake is bordered on one side by the Pere Marquette State Forest. This quiet, spring-fed lake is home to many different kinds of wildlife, including bald eagles, sandhill cranes, loons, and sugargliders.
My favorite thing to do up there is kayak. Tensions melt away as the still waters drift past my little craft and the vivid blues and greens of sky and tree greet my eyes. A dawn excursion rewards my early rising with the sight of sandhill cranes stalking the beach in the morning mist. Midday offers the neon hues of dragonflies and the serene circling of the eagles soaring on updrafts. There's nothing quite like the eerie call of the loons echoing across the lake in the late afternoon and at night I lay on my back and look up at the star-shot sky as I float on the dark, reflective water. It's as close to being in outer space as I'll ever get, or ever want to go.
Anne and Willy love kayaking
For those a little less outdoorsy -- like my dear, patient husband -- the area has many other points of interest. Bit by bit we make new discoveries. It's like unwrapping a new present each year.
Traverse City boasts a myriad of restaurants, cafes and shops. A favorite of ours is Morsels bite-sized bakery and café. Their tiny cakes and confections are small enough that you can try several. They have a nice outdoor patio where you can enjoy a cup of coffee and browse. Red Ginger serves up delicious, innovative Asian-inspired cuisine. Their menu changes constantly, but I will never forget their duck spring roll.
In the opposite direction, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, is Empire. It's a tiny little blink-and-you-miss-it town on the west coast of the state, where Highway 72 meets Highway 22. A stop in at the Friendly Tavern there is a tradition for us. This is a great local restaurant owned and operated by people who love food. Their burgers are the best, and they offer that ultimate in Up North dining, a burger with a side of smelt. After our meal, we usually need a walk, and the Empire Beach along the Lake Michigan shoreline fits the bill.
I almost always do a little shopping at The Secret Garden, featuring beautiful hand crafted gifts from artists all over the Midwest. One of the big discoveries in recent years is Grocer's Daughter's Chocolates, specializing in hand crafted delights made with sustainably grown chocolate and incorporating ingredients native to northern Michigan. Their lavender truffles are amazing. So is the Wally Bar with cranberries, cherries and almonds caramelized in local maple syrup.
Year after year, we explore the area, and in every corner we find something wonderful, delicious, or just downright fascinating. A few years back we discovered that the cottage across the lake from ours once belonged to Al Capone. This year we drove down to Frankfort and took in the awesome power of Lake Michigan pounding against the breakwater on a windy day. Another year we visited an organic farm and sampled food and wine from local growers and artisans.
I can't wait to find out what next year's discovery will be.
237 East Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49684 (231) 944-1733
Grocer's Daughter's Chocolates
12020 S. Leelanau Highway (M-22) P.O. Box 103 Empire, MI 49630 (231) 326-3030
104 Cass St., Traverse City, MI 49684 (231) 421-1353
11015 West Front Street Empire, MI 49630 (231) 326-5506
10206 Front Street P.O. Box 31 Empire, Michigan 49630 (231) 326-5428
Anne Harris is a novelist and a writing instructor. Her pen name, Pearl North, was inspired by the lake she and her husband visit annually. You can find out more about her writing at http://pearlnorth.com
Photos and text © Anne Harris 2011 All rights reserved, used with permission
yum!! i love grocer's daughter chocolates. and you've found some GEMS. it's such beautiful country up there - and good people that care.
Posted by: wandering educators | October 06, 2011 at 05:13 AM
I've never really done kayaking and I know it's an exciting way to really have fun and experience something out of the norm.
Posted by: Halley | October 06, 2011 at 10:21 PM
Jessie-Anne found some gems I haven't had a chance to scope out myself, either. I've heard a lot about the chocolate place, but was afraid to try it as we might like it -too- much :)
Halley-Thanks for stopping by. Kayaking does look like a lot of fun.
Posted by: Dominique King | October 09, 2011 at 07:40 AM