Traverse Northern Michigan's Magazine, August 2022

Traverse + SECRET SINKHOLE LAKES

RECIPE: BLISTERED SHISHITO PEPPERS CHAMPION LUMBERJACKS p.34

p.42

p.28

Expedition Isle Royale

Historic Mammoth Rye

Summer Sunflowers

NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S MAGAZINE

P A R A D I S E P E N I N S U L A ✺

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AUGUST 2O22

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7/6/22 10:14 AM

SAVE THE DRIVE & GAS

The things you want to see and do aren’t in Traverse City. They’re here.

The beach National Geographic Named one of the “21 Best Beaches in the World” is on our west. The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which the viewers of Good Morning America chose as the “Most Beautiful Place in America”, is on our north and east. The most popular vacation activities in the national park and area, including biking, hiking, swimming, paddling, dune climbing, golf, tennis, shopping, sightseeing, wine tasting, and dining are here or nearby.

Be wise, economize.

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T Remarkable opportunity to build a new J. Peterson home on North Lake Leelanau. The elevated site features year round lake views with 110’ of across the road frontage for your lakefront entertaining and dockage.

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Traverse 08.22 INSIDE

F E AT U R E S

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT UP NORTH, PEOPLE, PLACES, FOOD AND EVENTS.

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WILDER THAN WE THINK The goal: Explore Michigan’s only national park, Isle Royale, by paddleboard. The reward: Remote shores and epic memories.

BY SAM BROWN PHOTOS BY LIAM KAISER

42 MAMMOTH DISTILLING & THE MAGIC RYE

28 HERE COMES THE SUN

Discover Northern Michigan’s sunflower fields during peak season, from beloved U-Picks to scenic farmland perfect for drive-by photo ops.

photo by Liam Kaiser

BY SARAH BENCE PHOTOS BY SARAH BENCE & ALLISON JARRELL

After a century-long hiatus, Rosen rye— once the most prized whiskey-making rye in the world—is being cultivated on South Manitou Island, this time by the dedicated folks at Mammoth Distilling.

BY ELIZABETH EDWARDS PHOTOS BY BETH PRICE

48 WATERS OF ENCHANTMENT

Unlike any secretive river or flashy blue ocean depths, our big water holds its own particular form of fly-fishing magic.

BY DAVE KARCZYNSKI

NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S MAGAZINE

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AMAZING DOWNTOWN TC LOCATION Custom renovations throughout Loads of natural light Oversized island with granite waterfall edge Designated parking Beautiful hardwood floors

62

Cozy gas fireplace

141 Rivers Edge Drive, Traverse City MLS #1899186 | $395,000

402 E Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49686

Ann Porter

DEPART M E N TS

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7 | EDITOR'S NOTE

Visit AnnPorterTC.com for more information.

9 | UP NORTH

Ann@AnnPorterTC.com

World-class axe throwing, logrolling and more at Mackinaw City’s Jack Pine Lumberjack Shows; 3 activities for National Family Fun Month; plus, new businesses Up North

15 | EVENTS

Celebrate the sunny dog days of summer with fairs, festivals and live music.

21 | TRAVEL

Explore Ludington like a local.

4

top to bottom: photos by Dave Weidner and Taylor Brown

57 | THE CULINARY NORTH

Artisan Restaurant brings fine dining to the Delamar on Grand Traverse Bay; grab lunch in Gaylord and venture to nearby sinkhole lakes; plus, Buchan’s Blueberry Hill ice cream

23 | UP IN MICHIGAN

60 | ON THE TABLE

27 | OUTDOORS

62 | LAST CALL Turn local watermelon into a sublime cool drink on a hot day.

Grab the kids and transform your hikes into hunts for hidden treasure.

130 HALL STREET TRAVERSE CITY 231-252-4132

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Coastal spots in Northern Michigan offer the perfect place to journal, paint and photograph— or simply let the muse arrive.

Follow Us On Social Media facebook.com/mynorthmedia instagram.com/mynorthmedia pinterest.com/mynorthmedia

Brightly flavored with a hint of heat, tiny shishitos are perfect for dipping.

64 | LOVE OF THE LAND

Turquoise-blue Lost Lake in Michigan’s “Big Wild” is just waiting to be found.

ON THE COVER Fly Fishing Wilderness State Park PHOTO BY DAVE KARCZYNSKI

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Traverse

— Celebrating 66 Years — 1956 - 2022

NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S MAGAZINE

A MyNorth Media Publication

Vol. 42 | No. 03

PRESIDENT

Michael Wnek Cara McDonald

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

SENIOR EDITOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR DIGITAL CONTENT & SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST CULINARY COLUMNIST

Elizabeth Edwards Carly Simpson Allison Jarrell Rachel Soulliere Stacey Brugeman

PROOFREADERS

Elizabeth Aseritis Caroline Dahlquist

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS

Andrew VanDrie Kandace Chapple Kim Schneider Heather Durocher

ART DIRECTOR PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Rachel Watson Julie Parker Mike Alfaro Ann Gatrell Julie James Meg Lau Kirk Small

DIRECTOR OF SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

MARKETING COORDINATOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Las Mujeres

“the women” By terracotta sculptor Roberto Tirado Many NEW designs in stock

Tim Hussey Theresa Burau-Baehr

ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR, SPECIAL SECTIONS

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Always the unique and unexpected since 1986

Erin Lutke Ashlyn Korienek Nichole Earle

Hull’s of Frankfort Open Year Round Family Owned & Operated Since 1956 419 Main Street, Frankfort | 231-352-4642

hullsoffrankfort.com

112 North Main Street Leland, MI 49654 (231) 256-7747 info@TampicoLelandMi.com FOLLOW US! www.facebook.com/Tampicolelandmi

Crystal Downs Country Club

Libby Stallman

OFFICE MANAGER

Suzy Voltz EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING OFFICES

415 Cass St., Traverse City, MI 49684 Phone: 231.941.8174 | Fax: 231.941.8391

• MLS 1893857

Lot Wooded Vacant RealEstateOne.com (231) 651-9711 suzy.voltz@gmail.com 57 N. Michigan Ave • Beulah • 231-882-4449

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Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine, (ISSN10713719) is published monthly by Heritage Broadcasting Company of Michigan, 1 Broadcast Way, Cadillac, MI 49601.

Periodicals class postage paid at Traverse City, MI 49684 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine, 415 Cass St., Traverse City, MI 49684. Advertising rates available upon request. Subscription rate: $29.95 for 12 issues. Single issue price: $6.50.

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Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

T HE

Daily Splash!

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NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S MAGAZINE

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editor's note

om/

A

ll the while i was growing up, my family had a kitchen garden. It seemed everyone in the suburbs did then—the source of late-summer tomatoes, a few scraggly carrots, cucumbers, parsley and those exuberantly abundant zucchinis that we kids carted off to share with neighbors.

In addition to these basics, my mother always planted a few massive sunflowers. Unlike the parsley, cucumbers and tomatoes, the flowers served no practical function—they were simply there as benevolent sentries, something my mom planted each year so we could watch them grow from tiny sprouts to colossal tree-like fixtures, then save, dry, plant and begin again.

TOWARD THE SUN

by CARA MCDONALD

N

AN

image: The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Culture Service, Leighton House Museum

5,

own

that takes your breath away. I hope it lets you share a moment of communion with your fellow visitors and invites you to revel in a moment of summer sunshine that begs us to stop what we’re doing and turn our faces to the sky. Devotion, hopefulness, awe, togetherness, fleeting beauty.

The act of planting those sunflowers every summer was one of creating a moment of beauty, a long growing season culminated in a short-lived, dazzling bloom that was simply there to teach and delight us before bending to the birds.

Whether they appeal to our inner Klimt or Van Gogh or our sunshine-deprived Midwestern souls, sunflowers seem to invite a collective viewing and sigh of appreciation, like an August sunset or a fireworks finale.

They’ve captured our imagination in history, art and mythology—Ovid tells of the story of Apollo and Clytie, a sea nymph who fell in love with but was spurned by the sun god. (He ran after Leucothoë, a Babylonian princess; it ended badly.) Grief-stricken, obsessed, Clytie crawled out of the water and sat stunned and disheveled on the bare ground, subsisting for days on dew and her own tears, only moving to turn her gaze to follow Apollo’s golden arc across the sky. The story goes that over time her limbs clung to the soil and a flower sprouted to hide her tears, and she became a sunflower, which to this day turns its face to follow the sun as it moves across the heavens.

Apollo’s appalling behavior and Clytie’s lack of healthy boundaries notwithstanding, there’s something about the notion of a field of sunflowers following the sun—a small army of devoted, riotous, beautiful nymphs moving in golden unison—that just stops the heart.

All across Northern Michigan, there’s a growing, unsung network of sunflower farms and fields. You won’t find them on most maps, but as word of them spreads, their call is irresistible. From observation decks or behind artists’ easels, from roadside picnics to U-Pick stands, we’re all invited to partake in the wild celebration of this here-and-there crop, grown by equal parts farmers and fanatics, that lights up the landscape for a few precious days each August.

The guide in this month’s issue will steer you to a field

“Clytie”

by Frederic Leighton (1830–1896)

What better symbol of summer could we ask for? The fields are waiting to show us.

Don’t take my word for it—the poet Mary Oliver penned an invitation far more beautiful: …each of them, though it stands in a crowd of many, like a separate universe, is lonely, the long work of turning their lives into a celebration is not easy. Come and let us talk with those modest faces, the simple garments of leaves, the coarse roots in the earth so uprightly burning.

—Mary Oliver, “The Sunflowers”

Cara McDonald, Executive Editor cara@mynorth.com

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YOU’RE INVITED

Named “Most Beautiful Place in America” by the viewers of Good Morning America, and sitting pretty on National Geographic’s list of “21 Best Beaches in the World.”

There are plenty of places to vacation, but nowhere comes close to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

You don’t have to take our word for it though.

Come experience the magic of Northern Michigan for yourself.

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Up North.

PEOPLE | NATURE | ARTS | NOSTALGIA | BUZZ | WISDOM | CURIOSITIES

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL

by CARLY SIMPSON

Dan McDonough, a ninetime world champion log roller and the owner of Jack Pine Lumberjack Shows in Mackinaw City, carries on the traditions of Michigan’s mighty loggers.

A

photos by Dave Weidner

udience members divided into rival logging camps—the Mill Creek camp versus the Mackinaw City camp—cheer wildly as lumberjacks scale cedar poles, race across floating logs and send wood chips flying. In the center of it all is Dan McDonough, hyping up the crowd and sharing the history of Michigan’s logging industry.

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“People did this for a living, and lumbering was a dangerous job,” Dan says. “There was a good chance on a river drive you could be killed. If you made one slip and fell in the water, you were going to get crushed or drown … All of the events we do evolved from skills lumberjacks had to master to survive.”

Dan started Jack Pine Lumberjack Shows in 2008 after a career of building log cabins and competing in shows across the world, from Australia to Alaska. In his hometown of Escanaba, log rolling was like playing baseball. Growing up, Dan and his friends would roll in Little Bay de Noc, and were looked up to by their peers in the city’s youth program.

“When they got good down at the city program, they’d come roll with us,” Dan says with a hint of pride. He started competing at age 11.

Dan, now 61, teaches about a dozen local kids in Mackinaw City each summer, and Jack Pine audience members are welcome to join. “Some families come up every year,” he says. “Their kids roll a couple of times while they’re camping; it’s a part of their vacation.”

The Jack Pine Lumberjack Shows are a family tradition, too. Some people have returned year after year for more than a decade. They know the lumberjacks by name and have a fierce loyalty to their logging camp. The shows draw a crowd, with more than 500 people filling the grandstand some days. The cheering can be heard three miles away, Dan says (his neighbors don’t mind). “I always tell people if you don’t cheer you have to log roll, and in 14 years we’ve never had anyone roll,” he says with a laugh. “It’s just good family fun.”

After each show, everyone is invited down to talk with the lumberjacks, ask questions, get an autograph and take home a wood chip as a souvenir. “People will come up and say, ‘Oh, my grandfather worked at a logging camp’ or ‘My grandma cooked at one.’ It’s woven into people’s lives. They’ve heard those stories before,” Dan says.

“Keeping the sport alive is important to me; it’s a part of Americana.” jackpinelumberjackshows.com

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Up North Kids & Family

OLD-SCHOOL SUMMER FUN

by CARLY SIMPSON

Chasing fairies, crafting in nature, paddling a pristine river—these three simplepleasure family outings will stoke your nostalgia and leave your little people smiling.

PADDLE FOR PUDDING

Crystal River

Glen Arbor’s first food truck, Fried, started slinging falafel and fried fish this summer along with chicken tenders and grilled cheese for kids. The real fan favorite, however, is the chocolate pudding. It’s downright decadent. Located between Crystal River Outfitters and Riverfront Deli, the food truck lot has several picnic tables so you can eat by the lazily flowing Crystal River, which we suggest you kayak first. You’ll start and end your adventure at the newly rebuilt Crystal River Outfitters, which reopened this spring after a fire last August. The 4.5-mile paddle takes from two to three hours to complete, and “shooting the tube”— a culvert large enough for you and your kayak to fit through—is always a thrill.

Fried Food Truck

top photo by Angela Brown // right photo by Allison Jarrell

CREATE ART OUTDOORS

Michigan Legacy Art Park at Crystal Mountain is offering drop-in art activities on Saturdays and select Sundays all summer long. Press wildflowers, write nature haikus, make a pine cone mobile and more. The mobiles can be taken home or added to the park’s large-scale community project called “The Pine Cone Forest” that will be on display through the fall. Art activities are free with paid admission (adults $5, children free). No reservations required.

HUNT FOR FAIRIES

Tiny doors have been popping up around downtown Charlevoix. Gnome homes? Or fairy apartments perhaps? The 13 magical doors, with more to come from artist Kristi Jenkins, are hidden inside local shops. Go on a scavenger hunt and see how many you can find. The list of shops is online at charlevoixmi.gov. Search “tiny doors.”

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Up North Biz News ^ NEW UP NORTH Cool finds, community updates and sweet new businesses.

AMY KATE DESIGNS & GOLDEN HILL FARMS 131 RIVER ST., ELK RAPIDS

This gift, home and garden shop offers the likes of beeswax candles, potted plants and beautiful florals. The shop is run by the talented team at Amy Kate Designs, a boutique for floral design and events. amykatedesigns.com CAPITAL DOG 106 ST. MARY’S ST., LAKE LEELANAU

A downtown medspa above North Peak Brewing Company offering a wide variety of services and aesthetic medicine procedures. eternalwellnessmedicalspa.co

SS

4580 M-66 N (AT SHAW ROAD), CHARLEVOIX

305 E. MITCHELL ST., PETOSKEY

144 HALL ST., SUITE 100, TRAVERSE CITY

photo by Carly Simpson

A cash-only coffee and juice bar inside the Warehouse MRKT with fresh bagels from Bubbie’s. Hours and menu posted on Instagram @roughpony.

Know of a business that just opened or have a fun community update? Let us know at editorial@traversemagazine.com.

HIG

HUNGRY DUCKS FARM

QUIET MOOSE SECOND HOME

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ETERNAL WELLNESS SPA

The Quiet Moose, a full-service interior design studio and furniture store in downtown Petoskey, opened a second location across the street to expand its selection of indoor and outdoor goods and décor. quietmoose.com

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B

Serving hot dogs, slow-roasted pork and ice cream. Look for the white building with a black awning; if the stoplight on the side is green, they’re open. facebook.com/CapitalDogLeelanau

Cuddle goats, feed sheep, take a hay ride (watch out for bigfoot), spin on the carousel, fish in the trout pond and don’t miss the model trains in the museum. And that’s just the start of the fun. Hungry Ducks Farm is Charlevoix’s newest family-friendly destination and it’s a doozy. The petting farm has barns to explore, a gift shop with a massive museum filled with antique toys and a pavilion for when you need a picnic lunch break. QR codes throughout the property share fun facts about the many animals that call the farm home—cattle, rabbits, peacocks, potbellied pigs and more. There are also special events like Love a Llama Weekend and “Not a Goat” Rodeo Day (think goat yoga, costume contests, crafts). A wrist band gets you unlimited rides, access to each interactive petting farm area and admission to the museum ($12 for adults; $8 ages 1–12; free under 1). Charlevoix County residents and employees get 50 percent off. –C.S. Bonus Content on MyNorth.com View a photo gallery at link.mynorth.com/hungryducks.

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TIX

August

Watch for the MyNorthTix symbol and get your tickets at MyNorthTickets.com.

edited b y LIBBY STALLMAN

WED

3

THU

4

Rudbeckia Winery and Burnt Marshmallow Brewstillery in Petoskey is hosting its first Paella Night. The al fresco dinner includes appetizers, paella and a glass of sangria, beer or wine.

MyNorthTickets.com

THU

Celebrating the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will waive the $25 entrance fee today. Come and enjoy the wonders of the park. nps.gov/slbe

4

photo by Rachel Hag gerty

Elk Rapids Harbor Days has a full lineup of events, including a car show, art & craft show, carnival and more. Runs through Saturday evening, concluding with spectacular fireworks over East Grand Traverse Bay. elkrapidsharbordays.org

FIND MORE AT MYNORTH.COM > EVENTS

FRI

The 46th Annual Gem & Mineral Show in Ishpeming brings together rock and mineral enthusiasts to enjoy more than 50 vendors showing off samples, gemstones, jewelry and more.

Over the weekend, enjoy two field trips for mineral collection and a treasure hunt for families. travelmarquette.com

SUN

From harness racing to livestock auctions and prize-winning roses to exotic chickens, it’s all a part of the fun at the Northwestern Michigan Fair, a Traverse City tradition since 1908. Aug. 7–13. northwesternmichiganfair.net

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TUES

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The Pine Performance Center in Curtis presents i.am.james. Born and raised on the coast of Lake Michigan, singer-songwriter Sierra Cassidy grew up in a thriving artsdriven community before moving to her home base of Nashville. Her music is influenced by both her upbringing in folk music and her admiration for contemporary pop music. MyNorthTickets.com

FRI

Ziggy Marley, the son of reggae icon Bob Marley, has carved his own path as a musical pioneer. An eight-time Grammy Award winner, Marley is infusing the reggae genre with elements of funk, blues and rock.

See his live tribute to his father at Interlochen Arts Academy. interlochen.org

SAT

Gaylord is celebrating its 100th birthday in 2022. Join the city for a centennial parade, refreshments and open house at City Hall. gaylordmichigan.net

MON

Students join professional Broadway teaching artists for a one-of-a-kind theater experience in Traverse City.

This week-long Broadway Intensive will explore “triple threat” disciplines of music, dance and acting with a live performance for friends and family on the City Opera House stage. cityoperahouse.org

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Making Rare Treasures

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events Boyne City

FESTIVALS

7/27–8/6 Baroque on Beaver A classical music festival on beautiful Beaver Island. baroqueonbeaver.org 8/6 Straits Brews Bash Sample dozens of craft beers dockside at the St. Ignace Marina, grab some pub fare and settle in to listen to live music topped off with fireworks at dusk. stignace.com 8/6–8/14 Boyne City PirateFest Loads of family entertainment from a pirate river adventure to a treasure hunt and parade. boynecitypiratefest.com

Outdoor Music Series

8/12–8/14 Farm Fest Performances by Michigan artists including Oh Brother Big Sister, Steel & Wood, Hey Cuz, Kirby and more in Johannesburg. farm-fest.com

Northport: Music in the Park, Friday evenings at G. Marsten Dame Marina Park.

8/19–8/21 Hoxeyville Music Festival Hoxeyville is the Midwest’s premier Americana and Roots festival. Held at the Manistee National Forest in Wellston. hoxeyville.com 8/19–8/20 35th Annual Rubber Ducky Festival An annual Bellaire event full of food, fun, music and the famous rubber ducky race. bellairechamber.org 8/25–8/28 Cedar Polka Fest Lasting four days and nights, nearly 10,000 people descend on the tiny town of Cedar for family fun and entertainment with some of the best Polka bands in America. Plus, plenty of Polish beer, sausages and pierogi. cedarpolkafest.org 8/26–8/28 Benzie Fishing Frenzy A three-day salmon fishing tournament in Frankfort with thousands of dollars in prizes and hundreds of fish weighed daily. frankfort-elberta.com

Harbor Springs: Music in the streets of Harbor Springs, every Thursday night.

Traverse City: Grand Traverse Pavilions hosts Concerts on the Lawn performances every Thursday evening.

ARTS & CRAFTS FAIRS

WALKS/RUNS/BIKE RACES

8/6-8/7 Suttons Bay Art Festival at Marina Park This annual art fair takes place on the first weekend of August. One hundred artists participate, along with community groups, a library book sale, food vendors and a children’s area. suttonsbayarea.com

8/6 Port Oneida Run in Glen Arbor Run or walk to support preservation of historic Port Oneida in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Choose your course: Farmers Flat and Fast 5K, Homesteaders Hardcore 5K and Tiller’s 10K. phsb.org

8/6–8/7 Petoskey Antiques Show at Petoskey Fairgrounds More than 140 antique dealers from across the United States will converge in Petoskey, bringing their best items. petoskeyarea.com 8/13 Charlevoix Waterfront Art Fair at East Park The second oldest juried art fair in Michigan has a reputation with critics and collectors alike for the quality of the work exhibited and the unparalleled location. charlevoixwaterfrontartfair.org 8/19–8/20 46th Annual Frankfort Art Fair at Market Square Park Browse fine art in historic Frankfort. frankfort-elberta.com

8/13 Ore to Shore in Negaunee A series of bike races with Lake Superior as the backdrop; young kids can compete in the 50-yard Littlest Rock race while adults tackle the 48-mile Hard Rock. oretoshore.com 8/13 Crystal Lake Solo or Team Marathon Individuals or relay-based teams compete against one another. The course runs from downtown Beulah around Crystal Lake and back. clcba.org 8/21 Traverse City Triathlon Athletes swim, bike and run on Old Mission Peninsula. traversecitytriathlon.com

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photo by Rachel Hag gerty

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events WI

TCH

TH

CA IN

G UP

MAY ERLEWINE

anonymous people going through all these things and it allowed them to feel less alone. What a beautiful thing to focus on.

photo courtesy of May Erlewine

T

he traverse city singer-songwriter released her latest album, Tiny Beautiful Things, this spring after months of solitude and lock-down songwriting. Here she sheds light on her inspiration.

Cara McDonald: Tiny Beautiful Things was born during the Covid-19 pandemic. How did that shape the songs you wrote?

May Erlewine: When things shut down, I decided not to stop working. I did stop touring, but I decided to keep creating as much as I could. I was writing these songs and thinking about what I was able to do: Make a record.

I had a couple songs but had also been writing a lot in January after the shutdown; I was playing music and doing livestreams every Monday. I started looking at this collection of songs and realized they were focusing on love and human connection in all its iterations. And I thought, it makes sense I’m writing these songs when we’re all so far apart.

These songs are about love that can be found in our happy places, but also in our grief, in our children, when our heart is broken. Love is present.

CM: Where did the album name come from?

ME: I wrote the title track, “Tiny Beautiful Things,” after a book [of the same name, by Cheryl Strayed] that changed my life at a really difficult time … Her book is also a collection of humanness, a collection of letters between her and these

CM: This album is a departure from your past work—it’s more reflective, melancholy, soothing.

ME: I tried to treat each song and honor it as its own thing and not worry too much about what genre it might fit into. I wanted there to be an ease of listening to the music. I wanted continuity, so I tried to make it gentle, particularly in the singing; but it was also just where I was, needing a lot of tenderness and calming energy. I was creating this music to help me also.

CM: What was it like creating without colleagues in a studio, an audience? Was Covid a creative space for you?

ME: For me, when things are not going well, creativity keeps me afloat. I leaned into writing and producing because I didn’t know what else to lean into.

At first it was, “Oh, maybe this will be a little vacation and we’ll finally make that sourdough bread,” but that wore off quickly. I had a lot of grief and anxiety. I have a child, and the experience of the lack of community was very difficult. Having your kid losing their connection with other children, school, family… that felt really serious to me and was sort of in my face every day. My daughter was home with me and we were figuring it out, but I couldn’t be everything for her and that deficit was very present all the time.

CM: So you are back on the road?

ME: Yes! Cautiously. At some point, I don’t know what else to do. We’re all just living with this longer and longer, so I am touring and supporting the album.

You can buy Erlewine’s newest album at mayerlewine.com— we recommend it on vinyl!

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travel

24 HOURS IN LUDINGTON

by JUDY WINTER

realizing an impressive lodging vision.

The result is a world-class bed and breakfast with six historic rooms, complete with period antiques and exquisite woodwork, and four modern suites that include heated bathroom floors, climate control and smart TVs in an adjacent Carriage House. The Edison Suite, named after Thomas Edison, a friend of the mansion’s original owners, offers a fully accessible room with an ADA compliant bathroom, including a roll-in shower and accessible sink. Complimentary bike rentals, beach chairs/towels and afternoon cocktails add a sweet and welcoming touch.

BREAKFAST, THEN BEACHES

How to explore this bustling lakeside city like a local.

A

s a longtime visitor turned resident and a former columnist for the Ludington Daily News, I’ve been lucky to spend years exploring this city.

The stunning Lake Michigan sunsets, pristine beaches, epic salmon fishing and a popular state park make this a fantastic family-friendly destination.

Here’s my take on how to spend a terrific 24 hours in Ludington.

top photo by Taylor Brown // inset photo by Dave Weidner

FIRST, DINNER

After a day on the road, kick off your 24-hour stay with dinner at The Blu Moon.

This fusion restaurant offers a downstairs bistro (with its sushi and cool, open-to-theoutside vibes) or the rooftop deck with a more limited bar-food menu and a striking view of James Street. If you’re craving a mouth-watering steak or perfectly seared House salmon, Timbers Steak and Seafood is of Flavors known for just that. Satisfy your after-dinner sweet tooth at House of Flavors with a Paradise blueberry waffle cone. My personal fave is Eskimo Kisses with coconut ice cream, chocolate truffles, fudge chunks and hot fudge on top. Sweet summer perfection!

HISTORIC LODGING

When it comes to lodging, there are several fabulous choices, but few as charming as Cartier Mansion, a neoclassical-style home turned B&B that was built at the turn of the century.

Experienced innkeepers Jenna and Chris Simpler purchased the beautiful Ludington abode in 2020 and quickly set about

Once you’ve savored the mansion’s multicourse, gourmet breakfast—think ancient grains with cognac-braised pears or caramelized onion and shallot Gruyere strata—head to Stearns Park Beach and walk the pier (one mile roundtrip) to the Ludington North Breakwater Light. (Tip: It’s a great place to wave to the S.S. Badger car ferry as it departs on daily trips to Manitowoc, Wisconsin.) Climb 53 steps to the top of this 57-foot structure built in 1924 for a great beach view. Or drive/bike to nearby Ludington State Park and hike about two miles each way to the much-photographed, 112-foot Big Sable Point Lighthouse, built in 1867. When you’re ready for a post-hike cool down, take a dip in the Lake Michigan surf. Both Stearns Park and Ludington State Park, with its dog-friendly beach, are popular choices. Dogs can also swim at nearby Buttersville Park Beach.

LUNCH & DOWNTOWN SHOPPING

Eat lunch outdoors at either Jamesport Brewing Company (the recently added beer garden has lake views and lawn games) or STIX—find corn hole, bocce, bowling and more at this family-friendly hangout. Afterward, wrap up your Ludington getaway by visiting downtown shops. Head to Snyder’s Shoes for cool footwear. Purchase lovely images of Michigan landscapes at Todd and Brad Reed Photography, and find upscale vintage goods at Maude’s Garage.

Judy Winter is the author of “Breakthrough Parenting for Children with Special Needs.” judywinter.com Bonus Content on MyNorth.com Find Judy’s complete list of recommendations at link.mynorth.com/24hoursludington.

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up in michigan

CACHE QUEST

by ANDREW VANDRIE

This summer, turn your hikes into hunts for hidden treasure.

top photo by Dave Weidner; inset by Andrew VanDrie

Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve

H

idden among the north’s hills and hiking trails is a multitude of plunder for the finding, but not quite the taking. Tucked into old oak tree hollows or stuffed under weathered stumps are concealed parcels often camouflaged in plain sight—geocaches—made from repurposed ammo cans or Tupperware wrapped in tape.

These caches, abundant in natural areas and public lands, are planted for the enjoyment of all amateur treasure seekers.

And—unlike the geocaching of the early aughts—you only need to download an app, lace up your hiking shoes and head outdoors.

Geocaching began to take shape in the early 2000s when GPS accuracy

improved for civilian use. A pioneering computer consultant named Dave Ulmer tested this new capability by placing a bucket (filled with a logbook and some trinkets) in the woods of Oregon for others to find and posted the geographic coordinates online. Thus, geocaching was born from the binary ether.

The spirit of the sport was also born from that lonely bucket in the forest. Though it was filled with a few keepsakes, the implied intent was to “take stuff, leave stuff,” meaning if you want to claim that cool troll doll for your car dash, you need to leave something in return. The spirit of this reciprocal zero-sum search and exchange persists today.

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While this may seem like an antiquated pastime, gone the way of MapQuest and plug-in car GPS, the universal use of smartphones with improved GPS capabilities makes geocaching more relevant, accessible (and fun!) than ever before. Pair that with a thriving geocaching community that’s adopted online models to monitor, improve and add to existing cache locations, it’s a real boon for woodland explorers who started out on a handheld Garmin brick GPS (like yours truly). Download the free “Geocaching” app on your phone, sign up and you’ll soon have a detailed treasure map at your fingertips.

Once logged in, users can pull up the “Maps” function to find geocaches in their area. Decent places to start are usually nature preserves or maintained hiking trails, as these often have several caches throughout the property.

One introductory location to explore is the Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve in Traverse City. Covering the expanse of the former Sabin Pond, this regenerating river valley is tranquil, scenic and replete with established hiking trails. It also happens to house several hidden geocaches.

Use the app to plot your route. Once you’re in close proximity, the app measures your steps to hone in on the prize.

While the GPS in your phone will get you close, it’s not perfect. Luckily, the patrons of these caches often provide hints to help you find them. Scan high and low, in search of anything that appears out of place. Look in hollowedout trees, rotted stumps, near small rock cairns or even under the boardwalk beneath your feet. (Try to leave the area as undisturbed as possible as you seek out your treasure.) Geocaches will often have a small logbook where you can leave your initials to prove you’ve uncovered the cache.

An added benefit of geocaching is that it’s accessible to all ages, and leaving small toys for younger users to find can turn a humdrum hike into a kid-friendly adventure. Download the app and venture outside—chances are there’s a cache close by and underfoot.

You just have to know how to look.

Andrew VanDrie writes from Traverse City. vandrieand@gmail.com

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outdoors

CREATIVE SHORES We found countless coastal spots in Northern Michigan that offer the perfect place to journal, paint or photograph—or simply let the muse arrive. by KANDACE CHAPPLE

O

n a friday summer afternoon, I take my golden retriever, Cookie, out to Lake Michigan.

We drive from Lake Ann to the last stretches of Benzie County Road 610, where it dumps us out on the rutted, barely paved Esch Road to Lake Michigan.

I settle in with Cookie on a blanket. We are alone on this magnificent beach except for one bald eagle making its way directly over us. For years I have threatened to do this—take off and just create. I never dared to; it just seemed too indulgent. But once I am quieted, the muse likes it. Cookie finishes her swim and enjoys the breeze coming off the lake.

I take out my journal and begin.

Here’s a short list of places for artists of all mediums to find inspiration.

Cookie at Esch Road Beach.

DOWNTOWN TRAVERSE CITY

Crooked Tree Arts Center (in Traverse City and Petoskey) also offers a “Paint Grand Traverse” plein air event each year. Plus, there’s a secret spot to create on the docks behind Morsels, a bakery and coffee shop in downtown TC, along the Boardman River. As the bustle goes on above, you’re down on the water’s edge under shady trees.

Get a bite-sized pastry from Morsels to complete the rapture.

OLD MISSION PENINSULA, TRAVERSE CITY

A scenic pullout/overlook along Center Road on Old Mission (about 8 miles up the peninsula) offers an amazing view of the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay. Here, you’ll have the choice of painting the bay as well as sunsets, cherry orchards, apple orchards, wineries and farmhouses.

FISHTOWN, LELAND

Weathered fish shanties and historic tugboats along the Leland River and a narrow maze of wooden docks and shops make the perfect destination for painters and photographers.

BAYFRONT PARK, PETOSKEY

This stretch of land along Little Traverse Bay includes the Petoskey Marina, lighthouse and breakwall, and a park with several grassy areas and picnic tables at which you can set up for the day and work. Bayfront Park is known for its perfect sunset view, so plan to come in the early evening.

Climb the stairs to reach Sunset Park above, offering a higher perspective and overlook of the bay.

POINT BETSIE LIGHTHOUSE, FRANKFORT

photo by Kandace Chapple

SLEEPING BEAR DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE, EMPIRE

An artist with their easel is a common sight at the Lake Michigan Overlook on Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. In fact, every August, Glen Arbor Arts Center (GAAC) hosts their “Plein Air Weekend,” where artists are invited for a “Paint Out” to capture the villages, overlooks and lakes in the area. The pieces are then sold as a fundraiser to support GAAC. Other places along the lakeshore that inspire: Empire Bluff trail (see every shade of green to blue in Lake Michigan from above) and Glen Haven beach (paint or photograph the historic Cannery Boathouse Museum—a beautiful red building against the blue water).

This is easily one of the most iconic lighthouses in Michigan, depicted in photographs and paintings many times over—and quite possibly the setting for a few star-struck lovers in a book or two. The serene white-washed buildings make for a striking contrast to the roar and roil of Lake Michigan.

Perch on the bluffs to paint or write. Stay until dark and wait for the Milky Way galaxy to present itself in the night sky—it doesn’t get any better than that when it comes to sparking creativity.

Kandace Chapple is a freelance writer and owns Michigan Girl, a company that hosts outdoor events and trips for women in the Grand Traverse region. mi-girl.com NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S MAGAZINE

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BY S A R A H B E N C E P H O T O S BY S A R A H B E N C E AND ALLISON JARRELL

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comes

sun DISCOVER THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS OF NOR THERN MICHIGAN.

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witnessing

a field of sunflowers all standing together, turning their faces to follow the sun, is a sight to behold—one that’s inspired artists like Van Gogh, Monet, Klimt and more. Cultivated by Native Americans, glorified by the Aztecs and the subject of Greek myths, sunflowers have a long and varied history that’s fascinated people across the world.

Despite public adoration, farmers agree that sunflowers are a persnickety crop, with their gangly stems and sensitivity to weeds and weather. They are worth the hard work, though, because they have something special beyond their harvesting purpose. Sunflowers bring people together.

In Northern Michigan, this means a communion of hard-working farmers, smallbusiness owners and a host of visiting Michiganders seeking a good photo, a laugh or a day outdoors.

But it can be difficult to find sunflower fields, especially because the farms and nature conservancies that host them are not solely dedicated to these blooms (they also grow other crops). You can’t simply Google sunflower fields and find a robust list.

when to go

Exploring Northern Michigan’s sunflower fields at peak bloom, when each one is a fabulous burst of color, will take some advance planning.

Sunflowers are impressive. In just a couple months, a small seed transforms into a plant often taller than a grown adult. However, they have a relatively short window of life at full bloom. Additionally, due to their long stems, sunflowers can easily succumb to the elements, like a heavy rainstorm or early frost.

In the North, sunflowers tend to bloom from late July through early September, but that sweet spot of peak bloom may last for only a week during that period.

This window of peak bloom differs significantly between farms, even those located nearby, because it depends on when the farmers planted their seeds. Some farms plant in succession, which can spread the flowers out over two to three months, whereas others have one fast and glorious bloom.

If you are driving a long distance or hoping for a full day in the fields, plan ahead by contacting the farmers and asking about their estimated bloom window. Many share updates on social media. As August approaches, it’s easier to estimate when the sunflowers will be most magnificent.

what to bring

Each of Northern Michigan’s sunflower fields is unique.

Some involve pulling off to the side of the road and respectfully appreciating a farmer’s hard work. Others have responded to the public’s growing interest and have more established parking areas and amenities.

Either way, here’s what you’ll need to make the most of your visit: • Camera • Sunscreen • Bug spray • Sun hat • Water • Sturdy shoes • Cash for donation

Some farms provide scissors and pruning shears for you to pick sunflowers to take home. If these aren’t provided, then it’s best to assume U-Pick is not allowed, and enjoy the field with your eyes and camera only.

photos: (above and opposite right) Allison Jarrell; (opposite left) Sarah Bence; (previous spread) Sarah Bence

Good thing you’ve got this guide!

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5 PLACES to see sunflowers in northern michigan H A L L FA R M S location: 2623 St. Nicholas 31st Rd.,

Rock, U.P.

owners: Dan and Teressa Hall

best time to visit: Early to mid-

August, with peak bloom lasting seven to 10 days. Watch their Instagram and Facebook pages for bloom and weather updates.

U-Pick? Yes

–– Located in the Upper Peninsula, half an hour north of Escanaba, is one of the most impressive sunflower farms in the state. Dan and Teressa Hall began farming 40 years ago, growing sunflowers to harvest for bird seed. A few years later, some people asked to take graduation and engagement photos among the flowers. “[When they] posted their photos online, the

requests to see and photograph our field exploded,” Teressa says.

Now, their roughly 20-acre field of hardy black oil sunflowers is open to the public each summer. It seems to stretch endlessly toward the sun, and visitors can immerse themselves in the flowers with walking paths, elevated viewing decks and photo opportunities (such as a giant painted minion) that Dan and Teressa have created over the years. It is a photographer’s playground. “Our sunflower field has grown every year beyond our wildest imagination,” Teressa says.

––

SEND BROTHERS FA R M location: 8670 Bates Rd., Williams-

burg (at Bates and Hawley roads)

owners: Mark, Eric and Marty Send best time to visit: Mid-August, but

check for updates on their Facebook page.

U-Pick? No

favorite thing about growing sunflowers: “Meeting and talking with

visitors; hearing their stories about why they like to come here and

Mark Send, Send Brothers Farm

seeing their beautiful photos.”

–TERESSA HALL

With more than 350 acres, you’d think the Send brothers’ sunflower fields would be hard to miss. But you’ll need an old-fashioned map to the intersection of Bates and Hawley roads in Williamsburg. The Send brother’s impressive fields won’t show up on any GPS because they’re just that: fields in a working farm.

Despite being a working farm, visitors are welcomed each summer to pull off to the side of the road and view the flowers. “Please don’t pick the sunflowers, just admire their beauty,” says Mark, who partners with his brothers Eric and Marty to run their farm and feed business. This will be a particularly poignant year for the Send brothers’ sunflowers. Two years ago, their fields were destroyed in a matter of hours just days before peak bloom by a terrible wind and rain storm.

However, the Send brothers have been farming for their entire lives, says Mark, and that will continue this year.

–– favorite thing about

growing sunflowers:

“To see the beautiful artwork that you and God have created and to see people enjoy them.”

–MARK SEND

Hall Farms

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Peter Leabo, Leabo Farm

location: 9224 East Duck Lake Rd.,

Suttons Bay

owners: Peter Leabo, Michael

Leabo, Shari Crider, John Leabo

and Mary McMananney best time to visit: Due to succes-

sion planting, blooms last for

two to three months, from July through September. Check their Facebook page for updates.

U-Pick? Yes

––

If you’ve ever driven across the Leelanau Peninsula on a late summer day, you may have been lucky enough to have seen the blooming sunflowers off M-204. This is Leabo Farm, which has been operating for more than 60 years since it was started by Peter and Josephine Leabo in 1962. Now, it’s run jointly by their children. Twelve of the farm’s 150 acres are devoted to sunflowers which, set against a weathered barn and green woods, are a beautiful sight to see.

“We’re open to having people stop 32

by and take photographs,” says Peter Leabo, one of the co-owners of the farm—and who has been playfully dubbed “Sunflower Pete” on social media by one of his siblings. There are parking spots off M-204, and U-pick is available on an honor system. During your visit, you’ll likely run into one of the Leabos. You’ll also find a few ladders and platforms throughout the rolling field, which are perfect for

photo opportunities.

“We have a lot of people who come back year after year,” Peter says. “It helps the farm stay viable in a new age. We like to have the community.”

–– favorite thing about

growing sunflowers:

“Sharing them with other people.”

–PETER LEABO

Virginia Coulter, Old Mission Flowers

photos by Allison Jarrell

L E A B O FA R M

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OLD MISSION FLOWERS location: 16550 Center Rd., Traverse City owner: Virginia Coulter

best time to visit: Open daily from

dawn to dusk during the summer

months. Due to succession planting, sunflower blooms can last two to three months.

U-Pick? Yes

favorite thing about

growing sunflowers:

“Sunflowers are miraculous!

It never ceases to amaze me that I can plant a seed and a couple of months later have a plant taller than I am with a flower bigger than my head.”

–VIRGINIA COULTER

Leabo Farm

It’s worth taking the chance to drive by.

For the best parking spot to view these fields, drive south of Maple Bay Natural Area, parking off US-31. On the west side of the road, right after you pass the Maple Bay Farmhouse, there should be a small gravel lot with space for about five cars. Here, you can walk along the field and there is even a platform set up for better viewing. Last year, there was a small wooden sign

Maple Bay Natural Area

“My vision was quite small: I wanted to quit my job and grow flowers,” says Virginia Coulter who, at the age of 60, started a small cut flower farm near the northern tip of Old Mission Peninsula. At just over an acre and with more than 100 varieties of densely planted flowers, this isn’t a typical sunflower field. What you will find, however, is one of the best views in Northern Michigan: a few rows of tall sunflowers high on a hill, directly overlooking Grand Traverse Bay. Old Mission Flowers is an ideal destination for gardeners and photographers alike. Unlike many of the larger farms, there are fewer sunflowers here but more diversity: orange, pale yellow, chocolate, multicolor; and in 2022, Virginia plans to plant a pink variety. This is a self-serve pick-a-bouquet business, so you can drop by anytime and cut your own flowers.

M A P L E B AY N AT U R A L A R E A location: On either side of US-31 in

Williamsburg, near Maple Bay Farm

owners: Grand Traverse County

owns the property but leases it to

“My vision was quite small: I wanted to quit my job and grow flowers.”

–Virginia Coulter

local farmers. best time to visit: Early to mid-

August, but be aware these fields aren’t planted every year.

U-Pick? No

–– The fields here are a part of Maple Bay Natural Area but are leased to a local farmer by the county. You should know there isn’t a guarantee you’ll find sunflowers here—the crops are often rotated every other year. That said, last year was meant to be the “off ” year, but row after row of sunflowers popped up.

reading simply: #outerrimfarm. It may be worth checking this hashtag on social media before your visit, to see if the sunflowers are in bloom.

Sarah Bence is a freelance writer and occupational therapist based in Michigan.

Follow her travel blog @endlessdistances on Instagram.

Allison Jarrell is the managing editor of Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine.

Reach her at allison@mynorth.com.

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Wilder Than We Think

by Sam Brown

The goal: Explore Michigan’s only national park by paddleboard.

The reward: Remote shores and epic memories.

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When a few hundred strokes

are the difference between a comfortable night’s sleep or shivering in a damp tent pitched on uneven ground, you make them count.

As we dug our paddles into the confused water, waves broke over our boards, and a 30knot wind pushed us farther and farther from our destination. We made brief eye contact with each other in the rain as we realized we weren’t just fighting for a good campsite, but also our lives.

You may be wondering why three guys are sitting on paddleboards during a violent Lake Superior storm.

Let’s back up.

For generations, Isle Royale served as a port for many vessels. From the beginning, Native Americans paddled their birch-bark canoes to its basalt shoreline in search of copper and game. Mackinaw boats followed, sailing around the island in search of fish and furs. At the turn of the century, steamships whisked passengers to luxury resorts while fishing tugs bobbed in protected coves as they hauled in their catch.

Today, most people who explore this wild place travel by foot, kayak or canoe. The three of us—Liam Kaiser, Grant Piering and myself—are longtime buddies and avid paddlers; we wanted to experience the park by paddleboard and prove it can be done safely while having a great time.

We set sail on the ferry from Copper Harbor to Isle Royale with calm seas, and a few hours later Greenstone Ridge broke the horizon line; at 45 miles long and 1,394 feet tall, this prominent feature acts as a backbone for the swamps, bogs, ridges and valleys we’d soon be exploring.

Isle Royale is Michigan’s only true national park (Sleeping Bear Dunes and Pictured Rocks are national lakeshores). It contains 99 percent wilderness and is known for the population of moose and wolves that call it home. The park’s list of superlatives is long, but my favorite one describes Ryan Island in Siskiwit Lake, which is in the middle of Isle Royale. Ryan Island is “the largest island in the largest lake in the largest island in the largest lake in the world.”

photos by Liam Kaiser

From left: The journey begins. Sam and Grant take their first few paddle strokes in Rock Harbor; Trip essentials: Knife, gloves, camera, cards, compass … turkey feather?

That’s Sam’s good luck charm.

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As we slowly motored into Rock Harbor—the island’s main arrival point and home to a visitor center, lodge and marina—passengers clung to the cold steel railing on the bow to soak in the views.

A recent wildfire on the island’s northern end smoldered, and clouds of gray smoke wafted ominously from the charred remains. Were we crazy to consider paddleboards as worthy crafts to explore these waters?

Yes. The park ranger raised her eyebrows when I told her our itinerary, and visitors beamed glances of concern and even confusion as we unloaded our boards from the crowded ferry.

Once on shore, we crammed our drybags with supplies. If we forgot something it was too late now; if something didn’t fit, we crammed it harder. Boards loaded, snacks packed and life jackets snugged, we hoisted the sails of our adventurous spirits, left the skeptics and headed south toward our first campsite at Caribou Island Campground. The first few strokes from Rock Harbor were revealing; with eight days of provisions, our boards were heavy and cumbersome, and we had 49 miles to paddle and 18 miles to portage over the next week. But as we worked our way south, we found our cadence and settled into a rhythm.

Paddling is meditative. When your board carries everything you need to survive, moving the craft goes beyond a chore and becomes a necessity. We embraced each stroke—refining our technique, demanding more from our core and encouraging each other with hoots and hollers.

Our journey would take us on a clockwise loop around the northeastern tip of the island (see the map on page 38). On the first day, we paddled south from Rock Harbor toward Moskey Basin.

Once on the basin’s swampy edge, we portaged and paddled our way inland to connect with four tannin-stained lakes—Richie, LeSage, Livermore and Chickenbone. We’d get to know the island’s interior well as we carried our boards and drybags through the glacially warped terrain of drumlins and moraines under a dwarfed mantle of white 36

cedars, black spruce and paper birch.

Eventually, we’d weave our way through McCargoe Cove where the fjord-like walls would guide us out of the protected waters and onto the northeastern shoreline of Isle Royale, also known as the Five Fingers. There, we’d be exposed to the prevailing winds and swells on Lake Superior as we paddled in open water back to Rock Harbor—the same elements that drove the wrecked ships in these icy waters to their graves. A risk worth taking, according to everyone we spoke with—just not on paddleboards—but for us, once we arrived, there would be no turning back.

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getting used to it. It had been four days since we’d seen anyone else. Our minds and bodies were adapting to the stillness, and sleep came easy after a few nights, even with Liam’s snoring. The island became a part of us—the lakes hydrated and bathed us, and squishy carpets of moss cradled our ragged bodies while we peeled callouses off our hands during portage breaks.

Our daily camp routine revolved

Above, from left to right: Grant and Sam take advantage of calm weather on the ferry and catch up on some reading; Moose antler sheds rest at the base of a wooden map in Rock Harbor; Liam’s 35 mm film camera captures a different vibe as Sam and Grant contemplate what’s for lunch (sardines and smoked oysters); Built in 1855, Rock Harbor Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in the park, and hosts a museum that’s open to the public. Left: Grant portaged a 45-pound rigid touring board on his head. Legend has it his head is still sore.

Isle Royale hits everyone a little differently and getting to know it would take a lifetime. For me, I wasn’t surprised that a 206-square-mile ecosystem nestled into the world’s largest freshwater lake (by surface area) made me ponder my existence. And exploring these waters with two good friends could make or break the friendships that brought us here.

Paddling in a stiff headwind in the rain for a few hours reveals the depth and quality of someone’s character. I found myself asking: “Can we endure? Will they still like me? Did Liam bring enough food?” We used our strengths and leaned into each other when we needed help. Liam provided comedic relief and Grant’s calm and calculated demeanor never let things get too out of hand.

Trips like this give us an increasingly rare chance to really see what we’re made of beyond the stage of social media—what a relief. How deep can we dig when no one else is watching? If we do something radical, and Instagram doesn’t know about it, does it still count?

Paddle, camp, eat, explore, eat, sleep; this was life, and we were

around a system of different colored bags that defined our rhythm; unpack, pitch the tent, fetch water, put on dry clothes.

In the mornings we did it in reverse, putting everything back in the correctly colored bag, sliding into a smelly shirt and lashing everything back onto the board. I admit to instinctively reaching for my phone while sipping coffee the first few days. But that faded. The essence of this trip was escape—and I was reminded that when we remove ourselves from our modern lives and focus our distracted minds on the tribal mentality of survival, everything else seems trivial.

On our itinerary, we had eight days to paddle a distance that most experienced paddlers can do in four or five. This was intentional. In the past I’ve regretted packing on miles and not allowing enough time to savor the places that I worked so hard to get to. Our daily mileage wasn’t brutal (never more than six miles) and we typically didn’t spend more than four hours on boards.

We woke when we felt like it and sipped coffee without the nagging urge to pack up. We took naps on sun-warmed striated bedrock slabs, casting lures on the edge of weed beds for pike and NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S MAGAZINE

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The trip was going well. The days were pleasant and warm in a place with famously fickle weather. No injuries, only a few bug bites, and all of our gear was still dry–but

Lake Superior wasn’t done with us, yet. frying SPAM in foaming puddles of butter in the warm morning sun.

Most days, we’d set up camp and then head back out on our unloaded boards to explore the coastline without the burden of gear weighing us down. One of those days, the wind was in our favor for a change, so we lashed our paddleboards together to create a large raft—Tom Sawyer-style.

From our expanded platform, we sunbathed and munched snacks in the middle of the fourmile long Amygdaloid Channel while a two-knot breeze scootched us back to camp. I sent a lead lure down into 100 feet of water and jigged the rod as the current swirled around us. I caught and released a Coaster—an endangered species of

Isle Royale National Park

Finish

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Brook Trout only found in Lake Superior—and kept a whitefish that we roasted in tin foil over glowing coals for dinner that night.

Many visitors choose to hike the island, and backcountry hikers are required to camp in designated campgrounds. One of the major perks of paddling is the isolation. Paddlers have the option to camp on smaller islands off Isle Royale that are only accessible by boat.

These campsites feel wilder and don’t make you feel as bad about skinny dipping.

Beyond the luxury of having a quiet campsite, paddling provides access to the best part (in my opinion) of the island—the Five Fingers. On the northeast corner of Isle Royale, long ridges and small islands emerge from Lake Superior and run parallel to the mainland creating a playground of protected water and a glimpse at the impressive geologic history that makes this island so unusual. It’s truly hard to comprehend the volcanic action and glaciers that formed this paradise billions of years ago, but paddling the Five Fingers gives your imagination plenty to work with.

The elevated view from a paddleboard gave us a clear glimpse into the serene waterscape just beneath us. Granite ledges, boulders and fallen logs join the layered volcanic and sedimentary bedrock sequence that cascades down into the depths. Fragments of the Start island’s human history—docks, buildings and fish shacks—stand in various states of decay, reminding us of the resilient souls who made a living on this island before it was a national park.

For a closer look at the depths, we grabbed boulders from the shallows, taxied them to the middle of the inlet on our boards, bear-hugged them, and rode them to the bottom of the lake. Forty feet down, with a snorkel mask and lungs full of air, we embraced the stillness of the lake while our heartbeats thumped in our ears and silt swirled in the frigid blue thermocline.

The trip was going well. The days were pleasant and

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warm in a place with famously fickle weather. No injuries, only a few bug bites, and all of our gear was still dry—but Lake Superior wasn’t done with us, yet.

On our second to last day, we woke to rain on Belle Isle, a long island in the Five Fingers known for its productive lake trout reefs. As we packed our gear, the wind picked up from the south, but it was hard to tell how strong it was from the protection of our little cove.

Once we paddled out, we saw that the wind had reached a sustained 30 knots and was violently sweeping across the channel we had to cross. Three-foot waves forced us to straddle our boards and ride them like seasick cowboys on bucking stallions.

Wind gusts pushed us toward Canada as we fought the turbulent lake swell, but once we’d started, it was too late to turn back.

I squinted through the rain and lake spray to see if the guys were struggling as much as I was. Liam shouted above the howling wind, “I can’t do this.” His voice quivered with fear.

We decided to pull over on the leeward side of Dead Horse Rocks, a small island about the size of a two-car garage. We knew we had to cross this channel to catch the ferry leaving tomorrow.

We made a plan—paddle quartering downwind to the point on the opposite side of the channel.

We tried again. The wind increased. It rained harder.

We failed, again.

We sought protection on the leeward side of Green Island and decided to wait for the wind to die. This long skinny island was our last resort. If we left this spot and were blown out into open water, our next landfall would be Canada, 50 miles away.

I looked for a campsite. With one bar of cell service, I sent a text to my wife, “Lots of wind, might miss ferry, we are safe, love you.” I was also able to pull a forecast that said the wind would die at 3 a.m. That meant at first light we could paddle the last 14 miles to the ferry dock before it left at 12 p.m. If the wind died.

So, we waited. The sun came out, but the waves still raged as we cinched our hoods around our faces, napped on weathered driftwood logs and nibbled wet chocolate bars while weighing our options. The only sliver of flat ground on the island wasn’t flat. Everything was damp. As I sat on a bed of moss in the scraggly dwarfed forest, I could feel the waves reverberate through the soil as they crashed on the shoreline. Was this home for the night?

Then, even though our passage was still a frothing mess of confused waves and wind gusts, the wind direction shifted. Now it was coming out of the southeast—worst-case scenario, we would get blown back to the island instead of to Canada.

The rain stopped and the passage no longer looked as ominous, but it still filled us with dread. I spoke with Grant, and he agreed we could now make the crossing. I approached Liam, told him I wouldn’t ask him to try if I didn’t think he could make it. He was ready.

It was only a third of a mile but it would be the hardest paddle of the trip, maybe our lives.

We rounded the leeward point of the island to face the wind head on and began paddling across the channel. We moved backward with the first few strokes, not anticipating the strength and resilience of the elements that still swirled around us.

After a few more heartfelt strokes into the wind, we finally made some headway. I glanced to the north where giant waves farther out on Lake Superior made the horizon look like a distant

Clockwise: A quick sear with a hot knife blade takes care of the leech on Liam’s foot; Sam admires a whitefish he reeled in from the depths of the Amygdaloid Channel—dinner is served; One of the many camping shelters available throughout the island. These are first-come, first-serve and provide a welcome sanctuary when the weather turns, or you need to dry your gear; Grant descends through the thermocline with a granite boulder for assistance; Morning light from Belle Isle campground.

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The Logistics

mountain range, jagged and foreboding. After 20 minutes, we were in a swell shadow from an island just south of us; 10 more minutes and we made it across.

Thirty minutes of terror, but our journey wasn’t over yet—there were still six more miles to go.

We’d made it to the north side of the island, but with a southeast wind, we could judiciously follow the coves and inlets to escape its menacing presence. The next mile was pleasant, but we had one more open water crossing to go, harder and longer than the first. Isle Royale, clearly, wasn’t going to let us off that easy. And I’m glad she didn’t. We should have assessed conditions that morning in camp before we left, and now, we were paying the price for our ignorance.

That final grueling crossing made the last miles seem effortless. I began to feel a sense of closure; our dry bags were lighter, portaging was a breeze and our blisters were healing. We glided across a protected inlet toward our final campsite of the trip.

We woke to rain, but no one seemed to mind.

Spirits were high, despite a growing head wind; soon swollen rain drops made the placid cove come alive as they crashed into the water. A park

A TRIP TO ISLE ROYALE REQUIRES PLANNING AND FORETHOUGHT. DON’T LET THE DETAILS OVERWHELM YOU AND TAKE THEM ONE STEP AT A TIME. NPS.GOV/ISRO

TRANSPORTATION Plan ahead; the ferry books up well in advance and the schedule changes based on the seasons.

Ferry: From Michigan, depart on the Queen IV from Copper Harbor or The Ranger III from Houghton, which drop you off and pick you up at Rock Harbor.

Sea Plane: You can take a sea plane to Isle Royale from the Houghton Sea Port. Since they cannot accommodate boats, kayaks or paddleboards, this is a great option for backpackers. You can rent canoes on

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ranger motored up to us as we coasted down the inlet, paddling the last few miles between us and the dock at Daisy Farm.

“Was that you guys crossing Belle Isle channel yesterday?”

“Yeah, that was us,” we sheepishly replied.

“I was watching you guys from the mainland; you’re crazy.”

“Yeah, we know.”

It’s not that we’re careless—we spent weeks planning this trip and would never recommend it to novice paddlers. It’s just that people have yet to see how capable and functional paddleboards are for long excursions. We believed in them— and ourselves—and were rewarded with fellowship in wild places and the valuable life lesson of trusting our instincts.

Sam Brown writes from Empire where the land, lakes and people inspire his writing. Tag along with his outdoor pursuits on Instagram @gnarggles.

Liam Kaiser is a visual storyteller with a strong love for the outdoors and the grit that comes with it. Follow his adventures on Instagram @LiamKaiserCreative.

the island or arrange for a water taxi to drop you off somewhere on the island.

PERMITS Once you’ve secured transportation, buy your permits. Isle Royale charges a $7 per person daily entrance fee, which can be paid online. You can also buy a season pass for $60, which is good for three people.

Those venturing out on the island need to secure a backcountry permit upon arrival. The permit is free and park rangers will need to know your itinerary for the duration of your stay.

GEAR There’s a lot of it. Pack like you’re going backpacking. While paddle trips offer the luxury of not having to worry about weight, once the portages come, you’ll regret those extra pounds.

Pack wisely. Everything, I mean everything, needs to be stored in a durable waterproof bag. We each packed

in a 65-liter and a 55-liter NRS bags.

We packed heavy. A 65-liter backpack for a six- to seven-day backpacking trip on land is usually more than enough.

Grab a handful of different colored stuff sacks in various sizes. This will help you keep your gear organized— red bag has the snacks, blue bag has dinner, green bag has clothing, or was it the black one? You get the idea.

FOOD Plan your meals and then add some extra. We ate dehydrated meals for dinner, which aren’t that bad. Our favorites were the pad Thai and chana masala from Backpacker’s Pantry and lasagna and chicken and dumplings from Mountain House.

Breakfast was oatmeal and lunches were high-calorie and fatty foods that didn’t need to be heated up: sardines, peanut butter, smoked oysters, meal bars, candy, jerky. Don’t forget to leave

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From left: Grant takes a snooze on Green Island while we wait for the weather to turn; The guys and their trusty boards wait for the ferry home—exhausted, dirty, hungry but proud.

the tent vents open after chili night.

Actually, every night—keep the vents open every night.

FISHING Toss a spoon or a bucktail lure, any color and any size, into an inland lake on Isle Royale and you’ll catch a northern pike. I used a lightweight spinning rod with 12-pound test with a steel leader.

On Lake Superior, many people have success trolling the drop-offs with deep diving lures in the 10- to 14-foot range. I had more success vertical jigging on calm days in 75 to 100 feet of water. You do not need a fishing license to fish the inland lakes on Isle Royale, but you’ll need a Michigan DNR license to fish on Superior.

Those on watercraft will want to heed the forecast and your intuition wisely.

There is no cell service on the island.

Weather radio reception is spotty. When you arrive at Rock Harbor, take a picture of the printed-out weather forecast on the visitor center message board, it may be the last one you see. Satellite emergency beacons like the Garmin inReach can pull weather forecasts, send text messages and alert authorities in case of an emergency.

WEATHER Your biggest foe is also the most unpredictable one. If you’re exploring on foot, you don’t have as much to worry about.

WATERCRAFTS Paddleboards are remarkably stable and can handle swell and wind better than a canoe or kayak. One of the

worst things that can happen on a canoe or kayak is “swamping it” during an open water crossing. You can’t swamp a paddleboard. When you fall off, you get back on it—this isn’t always an option with other vessels.

Beyond any safety concerns, paddleboards are remarkably efficient. Unlike paddling from a seat, a paddleboard allows you to engage your entire body for the stroke. It’s more powerful, you get more glide from each stroke and you can cover a lot of ground.

We paddled touring boards that are high-volume boards built for long distances. Our boards averaged 12 feet in length, 30 inches wide and 6 inches thick. This trip would not have been possible without quality gear rentals from Sleeping Bear Surf and Kayak in Empire. Thanks, Ella!

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M a m m o t h D i s t i l l i n g

& t h e M a g i c R y e BY ELIZABETH EDWARDS PHOTOS BY

B E T H

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P R I C E

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A t y r a n n i ca l t s a r , a f u g i t i v e ag ro n o m y st u d e n t, a n i so l at e d L a k e M i c h i g a n i s l a n d , so m e c r a z i ly o p t i m i st i c du d e s … a l l a pa rt o f t h e st o ry o f t h e g r e at e st st r a i n o f ry e o n E a rt h a n d i t s j ou r n e y t o b e c o m e a l e g e n d a ry w h i s k e y.

O

n a bluebird morning this past June, the Manitou Island Transit ferry puttered out of Leland harbor headed for uninhabited South Manitou Island, which lies some nine miles off the Leelanau Peninsula.

Onboard, 90 beamingly happy guests (including the renowned whiskey writer Chuck Cowdery and Maggie Kimberl of American Whiskey Magazine) and the staff of Northern Michigan–based Mammoth Distillery were already raising cocktails to the day’s occasion: the first-ever Rosen Rye Day. The celebration would center around a public reveal of a mere quarter-acre of an extremely rare rye said to have once been the key ingredient in some of the finest whiskey in the world.

Although Mammoth staff had painstakingly planted the precious crop on the island just last fall, Rosen rye has a history on South Manitou—but it had been almost a century since the grain graced this beautiful island.

The hesitant among us, myself included, started with bloody marys, as it was still morning; the rest threw decorum to the wind and ordered selections from the open

Opposite: The Rosen Rye field at the old Hutzler farm on South Manitou Island. Above, left to right: Matt Hayes, Phil Attee, Chad Munger, Ari Sussman, Collin Gaudard, Doug Burke. Below: Looking down on the South Manitou Lighthouse Station from the top of the lighthouse.

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bar that included the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot— Mammoth whiskey, pineapple-jalapeño mixer and ginger beer. It will be six to eight years before the first bottle of Rosen rye whiskey is available to the public, but it’s never too soon to cheer a world-class whiskey in the making.

Especially this one, packed as it will be with equal parts story and flavor. As the ferry rolled into the infamously dangerous Manitou Passage, Mammoth employee Matt Hayes hoisted the huge, bright orange and black Mammoth Distillery flag into the breeze where it flapped

with swashbuckling authority.

The moment brought home the staff-wide pride in this company that is more about ethos and heart than bottom line. Headed by founder and CEO Chad Munger and his compatriot in right-brain visioning Whiskey Maker Ari Sussman, Mammoth’s products have garnered a number of awards (most recently the Chairman’s Trophy at the prestigious Ultimate Spirits Challenge in New York for their Northern rye) in the decade since they opened their first tasting room in tiny Central Lake. They’ve also added three more tasting rooms in Northern Michigan and one downstate in Adrian, and their products are distributed nationwide. Yet, Munger describes the company’s growth as “slow and purposeful.”

The purpose is to build community—as in tasting rooms that feel like neighborhood bars—while utilizing authentic Northern Michigan ingredients no matter the effort. “We aren’t show dogs,” Munger says. “We are work dogs.”

Which brings us to the Rosen rye, their toughest and most heartfelt project to date. The four years since Munger and Sussman hatched a plan to bring the rye back to South Manitou Island, where its glory days began over a century ago, have been marked with plenty of sweat, probably some blood but no, not tears. More like a company-wide, “Holy wow, we are making this happen!” It’s a great story built on the back of another epic story: The origin of South Manitou Island Rosen rye itself.

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Clockwise: Boarding the Manitou Transit Ferry the Mishe-Mokwa; passing the North Manitou Shoal Light Station located in the Manitou Passage; Avery Robinson of Black Rooster, a guest of Mammoth Distilling for the trip, hands out slices of authentic handmade Russian rye bread—jam or butter, our choice; chatting at the floating bar; waiting for the tractor ride out to the Hutzler farm.

Opposite: Louis Hutzler, one of the “Manitou Kings,” stands in his field of Rosen rye circa 1925; our group heads into the Rosen rye field.

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In 1903, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia exiled Joseph Rosen, a teenager, to Siberia for his political views. Rosen escaped to Germany where he studied agronomy before immigrating to the United States and making a beeline for Michigan Agricultural College—now Michigan State University. There he met plant-breeding genius Professor Frank Spragg. Interested in strains of Russian rye, Spragg asked Rosen to have his parents send seeds from Russia. Sometime later, several cups of seeds arrived in an envelope mailed by Rosen’s parents.

Spragg went to work and came up with a hybrid he named Rosen after his young Russian friend.

By this time, Rosen had moved on to receive a doctorate from the University of Minnesota, and his interaction with the seed that bears his name became minimal. Meanwhile, Spragg sent Rosen rye seed out across the state, and it consistently produced yields and characteristics that were far superior to other varieties. While most rye in this country is used for pasture or as a winter bedding crop, it was soon clear that although Rosen was certainly prolific, it was also an elite grain that could produce whiskey of the finest quality.

The new champion grain had only one drawback: It cross-pollinated too easily with inferior strains. Within two years of cultivation, Rosen lost its super powers. Spragg knew he needed to find a place to breed pure seed stock isolated from other crops of rye. By 1918, he and his team of researchers had zeroed in on South Manitou Island, just 200 miles from his East Lansing campus. Except for steamers stopping at the harbor for cordwood, the small island community It had been

almost a century

well-known of them being August Beck and brothers Louis and George Hutzler. Their fame, and that of the rye they grew, was amplified considerably by Prohibition. Not surprisingly, the prized island seed stock surreptitiously made its way to whiskey-making meccas including Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

But even as the rye’s reputation soared, events were unfolding that would end the Rosen rye dynasty. By the time Prohibition ended in 1933, the drinking public had come to favor the taste and price of whiskey made with corn instead of rye. Simultaneously, the new coal-burning ships replacing steamers on the Great Lakes didn’t need to take on cordwood so they had few reasons to stop at the island. Farmers no longer had a guaranteed way to ship rye and other produce to the mainland for sale.

By the early 1940s, commercial crops—the magic rye included—had vanished from South Manitou.

Some 80 years later, on that first-ever Rosen Rye Day, Chad Munger and Ari Sussman stood

since the grain graced this beautiful island.

lived a secluded existence. When an emissary for Spragg, a Mr. J.W. Nicholson, came calling to ask if the farmers there would be willing to grow Rosen rye, it was a momentous occasion.

Eleven farmers signed on to grow Rosen and only that variety. As the story goes, they agreed to drown any one of them who dared break that rule. From the first crop harvested in 1919, Spragg’s experiment was a stupendous success. Island Rosen rye seeds were sent to farms all over the country. When the rye had lost its mojo after several years, there was fresh seed stock waiting on South Manitou.

The South Manitou rye was so amazing that the island farmers raked in award after award at both national and international agricultural expositions. Their reputation even earned them the nickname the Manitou Kings—the most

at the edge of the field of shoulder-high Rosen rye that their Mammoth team had planted on the old Hutzler farm last fall. As the rye swayed

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in the breeze, Munger and Sussman recounted the story of how Mammoth Distilling brought rye back to the island.

Four years ago, Sussman was mining the agriculture and food archives at Michigan State—indulging a personal passion while doing the R part of R&D for his company—when he came across a

managed by the National Park Service, an entity not given to allowing private enterprise on federal land.

Munger, who built his company on vision first (and figuring out how to get there later), plunged in. Job number one was finding Rosen rye seed. It turned out that the United States Department of Agriculture had seed stashed safely away in its vault at the National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation. Not long after Munger asked for it, 18 grams came in the mail—just as it had come

Above: Lead agronomist Doug Burke gives us a rundown on the perils of island farming, among them: the poison ivy. Once when he forgot his boots, Burke completely wrapped his feet in yellow tape to protect them. Below: The boarded up Hutzler farmhouse is a part of the island’s lost-in-time ambiance. Opposite, from top: The ferry bar stocked with Mammoth products; the magic rye up close; leaving the island—and the Rosen rye—behind.

full-page ad for Old Schenley rye in a 1934 issue of Vanity Fair touting that it was made with Michigan Rosen rye: “The most compact and flavorful rye kernels Mother Earth produces were used for this luxurious brand.”

“How could I not have heard of this before?” Sussman recalls thinking. He shared the ad with Munger ASAP. “We had exactly one conversation where he described what he discovered, and it was pretty clear to me that this was something that we needed to try to do,” Munger says. “It was just too close and too relevant to the business we were building.”

Munger and Sussman didn’t want to just grow Rosen rye, they wanted to grow it on South Manitou because, obviously, the island conditions are ideal—but also for historic authenticity. There was a problem: South Manitou is a part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and 46

to Spragg from Russia 120 years ago.

Next, Munger turned to Michigan State University, the birthplace of Rosen rye, and specifically to Dr. Eric Olson of MSU’s College of Agriculture & Natural Resources. Olson helped Munger and Sussman uncover Spragg’s records from so long ago—and in so doing, established a historical connection to the rye and South Manitou that was all-important to the administrators at Sleeping Bear. Just as farmers have been issued special use permits to grow corn at Gettysburg National Military Park, where cornfields had stood during the Civil War, Mammoth Distilling received permission to plant Rosen rye where it had been historically grown on South Manitou Island.

Cutting through the federal government’s red tape was a whew moment, but the real work hadn’t even started. In accordance with their permit, the Mammoth crew must plant, tend and harvest the rye just as the Manitou Kings did: with no pesticides, no irrigation,

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no electricity and no machinery other than a tractor. They had to bring their own gas for the tractor and pitch a tent in one of the primitive island campgrounds at night. It all adds up to what Munger calls “farming in the raw.”

Three young, energetic and devoted Mammoth employees head up the island farming operation: Matt Hayes, custodian of the Mammoth flag on our trip over; Lead Agronomist Doug Burke (aka Farmer Doug), who sports a rye tattoo that stretches along his right forearm; and Mammoth’s Head Distiller Collin Gaudard, a fifth-generation Leelanau Peninsula farmer whose grandfather was once keeper of the South Manitou Lighthouse. “It just feels so right to be farming here,” he says.

The team’s first planting was October of 2020—a mere hundred square feet on the old Hutzler farm. The ferry trip over was in rocking It’s never too soon to cheer a world-class whiskey in the especially this one, packed as it will be with equal parts story and flavor.

making,

and rolling autumn waves, and when they arrived at the farm, they found the field covered in Amazonian-sized poison ivy. Yet, they dug in with pioneer perseverance, gearing up in boots, long pants and long-sleeved shirts to disc the poison ivy into oblivion. They harvested that rye by hand last summer, and then used the seeds to plant the quarter-acre crop that now waves in wind at the Hutzler field. The seed from that in turn will be used to plant more acreage and so on, until 40 acres of historic rye beds will once again be cultivated. Additionally, Mammoth Distilling has leased a farm on Beaver Island, north of South Manitou, where they will grow Rosen rye.

All too soon our group had to say goodbye to the rye and the bucolic serenity of the Hutzler farmstead so we could make it back to the ferry in time. But there wasn’t one of us who wouldn’t return to the island for Rosen Rye Day when the whiskey is ready. Bloody marys be damned. On that morning we’ll all be drinking rye.

Elizabeth Edwards is senior editor of Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine. lissa@traversemagazine.com Beth Price is an editorial and commercial photographer based in Northern Michigan. She’s passionate about capturing authentic human experiences that help achieve a greater appreciation for the natural world we live in. bethpricephotography.com NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S MAGAZINE

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Waters of Enchantment

Unlike any secretive river or flashy blue ocean depths, our big water holds its own particular form of fly-fishing magic.

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY

DAVE KARCZYNSKI

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The Mitten State is many paradises within a single boundary, a truth understood by perhaps no one better than the fly angler, who in a single week might find themselves fishing trout in Crawford County, muskies in the Upper Peninsula and steelhead on the west-coast tributaries. Today, I’m leaving one paradise—my trout camp near the Manistee River—for another: A big-water bass bonanza at the end of the road. Emphasis on end. My destination is Waugoshance Point in Emmet County’s Wilderness State Park, where I’ll be fishing for smallmouth bass with Captain Ethan Winchester of Boyne Outfitters. Waugoshance is a peninsula’s peninsula. If Michigan is the Sistine Chapel, Mackinaw City is only Adam’s head; Waugoshance Point is the business end of Adam’s finger, reaching out to God. NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S MAGAZINE

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I meet Ethan and his friend, Matt Mates, at the boat launch at 9 a.m. as the cool of the night is lifting and a proper summer heat shoulders in. “The wind is perfect today,” Ethan assures, looking out across the Straits toward the bridge and the U.P. beyond. I’ve known Ethan for years, and together we’ve explored big and small trout streams alike. But we’re here to ply the Lake Michigan flats with the new boat he acquired for the mission, a Hog Is-

“The feeling of vulnerability and the prism of blues here can’t be replicated anywhere else. Maybe the Indian Ocean.”– Captain Ethan Winchester land skiff with a poling platform.

The boat is a manifestation of Ethan’s latest obsession—or rather his first. Long before he spent a decade developing Boyne’s inland trout opportunities, he was on the big water every day, working in rescue and captaining private vessels. As we curve into our first cove, I ask Ethan whence the change.

“I love the river,” Ethan says. “But the feeling of vulnerability and the prism of blues here can’t be replicated anywhere else. Maybe the Indian Ocean.”

Looking out over the expanse of water beyond our island cove, I realize he has a point. This could be the Seychelles, except for the fact that we’re surrounded not by bonefish or permit, but smallmouth bass, pike, drum and muskies. And that’s Ethan’s other draw to this lake life—native big-water fish.

“It’s not until you get out here on a

Previous spread: When navigating the flats, there’s always one best line to take between the shoals and boulders. This spread: A set of elevated eyes makes spotting and stalking fish a whole lot easier.

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Top: Crisp double hauls and laser-tight loops help deliver flies through the prevailing winds.

Bottom: While wind is a fact of life in flats fishing, a good captain can always find some fashion of lee. Right: The extreme clarity of the water creates a feeling of floating on air.

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boat that you realize what’s around in fishable numbers. There are some big muskies hanging around, as well as freshwater drum. Much like permit, they’ll gladly eat live bait while snubbing the fly.”

Then there’s the lake trout, a puzzle Ethan looks forward to solving.

“The challenge with lake trout is timing. Seas are rough in the spring and fall when lakers are closer to shore and at depths we can access with a fly rod. But we catch them in Little Traverse Bay and northern Lake Huron early and late in the year. They’re here.”

“Strip… strip… strip,” Ethan chants down from the poling platform to Matt, who is up first on the casting deck. His

song is an attempt to impress the right cadence on a proper flats smallmouth presentation, and Matt’s line hand moves slowly and rhythmically, as if he were darning a tear in a blanket. A trout angler accustomed to mixing up long quick strips with short stitches and rod tip quivers might have a hard time with this presentation, but in order to whet

the smallmouth’s appetite, a slow, steady approach is essential. All three of us stare intently at the stark blackness of the marabou leech, visible at a great distance as it inches over the sand flat.

Suddenly another, larger dark form appears behind it. The bass, perfectly attuned to its surroundings, looks like nothing more than a phantasm of sand.

Fly fishing has been described in many ways. Looking at my first bass of the day, I find myself favoring the late Gary LaFontaine’s slightly more philosophical version, that fly fishing is the pursuit of perfect moments.

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Left: The angler’s payoff: a beautiful native fish perfectly matched with its surroundings. Above: A good day on the flats can feel like a waking dream.

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But it’s towing a dark slice of shadow with it across the flat, and in the next moment that shadow eases up just inches behind Matt’s fly.

“Stop, stop… set! Set!” Ethan implores, and Matt is fast to his third fish of the day.

There’s a special beauty to this collaborative, communicative way of fishing.

It’s an approach born of saltwater fly fishing, with a guide or seer high atop a poling platform, looking for fish and moving the boat carefully with a push pole, which is far stealthier than a set of oars. But the seeing works both ways— fish can spot a boat at distance, and so casting distance is at a premium. There’s no creeping in close like on a trout stream, using broken water and riparian obstacles to camouflage your presence as you work a rising fish. Out here on the big water, which at times can feel like one huge aquarium, casts must have good distance and decent form. Land your fly directly on top of a fish, and it will certainly spook. Cast too short and it might see the boat before it seals the deal.

But gracefully plunk a fly down at 60 feet in the direction a spotted fish is swimming, and you’re in for a moment of beauty.

Then there’s the hook set.

There’s a tendency when sight fishing to jump the gun. The art of flats fishing for smallmouth requires a real sort of grace under pressure. Anticipate the eat and you will set the hook too early.

React to the eat and you can set too late.

I ask Ethan how to get the timing right. He smiles and pushes off toward fresh water.

“Be one with the fish.”

conjurings, gnomes and elves with the dark understory of pine forests, but as I get my flats eyes, it seems otherworldly things are hiding just out of sight.

“Bass,” Ethan declares, knocking me out of my stupor. “Four of them.”

It is a quirk of fish in general, and smallmouth bass in particular, to gravitate toward anything that stands out in the environment. In this case, a boulder the size of a bowling ball and tuft of reeds no larger than a bouquet of roses holds four good fish. I identify the largest and drop a long cast off to the side, hoping to peel it away from the group.

But then something strange happens.

Looking at my first bass of the day, I find myself favoring the late Gary LaFontaine’s slightly more philosophical version, that fly fishing is the pursuit of perfect moments. As I release the bass, which yaws slowly across the flat as a pair of monarchs flutter over the surface in the opposite direction, I wonder: can I stay in this perfect moment forever? Could I, at the end of the day, decline the ride back to the launch and instead make a stand on one of these unnamed islands, chasing fish all day every day like some bass-bewitched Caruso? I take quick inventory of my provisions. There are a few White

I ask Ethan how to get the timing right.

He smiles and pushes off toward fresh water. “Be one with the fish.”

After lunch, it’s my turn up on the casting deck. I strip out more line than I think I’ll need, gather the wet marabou leech up in my hand, and start scanning the water. Fly fishing, at its best, feels like a form of enchantment, and staring over the sand and stones, the glittering lattice of light on the seafloor, I’m on full alert for magic. The folk literature of the north associates 56

Like a cartoon elephant stepping out from behind a lamppost, an even larger fish untucks from the reeds and, with a few easy tail strokes, eclipses my original target and inhales my fly.

The confusion has me late to my hookset, but it’s no matter: The hook drives home and the rod bends deep.

The act of fighting my fish is a dinner call to all other bass in the area, who swarm my fish, hoping that the tussle will cause it to cough up an earlier part of its lunch, a habit of smallmouth bass. Finally, we get the fish into the net. It’s a beautiful specimen, pale with fine striations and subtle markings, a perfect big water bass, and I stare at it for a minute.

Fly fishing has been described in many ways. There’s the literal: standing in the water swishing a stick. And the comical: standing in a tub of ice-water casting 100-dollar bills into a fire.

Claws. An uneaten brownie leftover from our too-big lunch. In my dry bag, there’s a raincoat I could use for shelter.

I’d have to borrow a lighter and a knife.

Could I find enough driftwood for nightly fires? How are the black flies?

I’m still scheming when the boat swings around on its axis.

“Fish,” Ethan cries. “2 o’clock and 60 feet… 55… 50…” And so I leave my machinations aside for the time being and begin working some line into my cast, edging my bare feet out to the very edge of the bow, squinting, waiting, for the next perfect moment to swim into view.

Dave Karczynski is the author of “From Lure to Fly” and co-author of “Smallmouth.”

He splits his time between teaching writing and photography at UM-Ann Arbor and chasing the bugs Up North. Follow him on Instagram: @davekarczynski.

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inside AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022 NORTHERN

36 26

16

features

departments

16 / RURAL SENSIBILITIES

07 / EDITOR’S NOTE

Blending in with the agricultural landscape around it, this home sits on a nature preserve that was once a decaying cherry orchard.

Modern Architecture—NoMi Style

26 / BEACH GLASS

Color Our Lives with Woods, Water and Dunes

36 / NORTH BY NORTHWEST

Outdoor Kitchens

Join us for a peek into this prism of water views—big and small.

Influenced by architecture of the Pacific Northwest, this stunning house on Grand Traverse Bay is completely at home in Northern Michigan.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

MODERN ARCHITECTURE— NoMi STYLE

Custom Homes

I

can honestly say that i have waited decades for an issue like this one to come together. In these pages we offer three contemporary takes on modern architecture. Together, I see these homes symbolizing a growing trend in our region toward modern design, a style that has century-old roots, but never seems to grow old. The reasons for this timelessness are modern architecture’s fundamental tenets, among them: form-follows-function minimalism (particularly suited to this Marie Kondo clear-the-clutter era), and an emphasis on light and the natural world. This second tenet is particularly relevant in Northern Michigan with its priceless water, dune, forest and field landscapes.

The primary way to bring the outdoors and its view inside, of course, is with big glass. Traverse City-based architect Michael Fitzhugh explains the evolution of windows in modern design over the past 75 years or so: “After World War II there were many early modern houses and structures, even in Northern Michigan, with large spans of floor-to-ceiling glass and bright open spaces,” he says. “But the energy crisis of the 1970s brought an end to the popularity of this type of design since the insulation and heating systems were not able to provide comfortable cost-effective buildings. The re-emergence of the modern style is now aided by highly insulated windows, efficient heating and cooling systems and a market that provides these products at a [relatively] affordable cost.”

So now we can have modern design in Northern Michigan (and elsewhere) and have it all—efficient floorplans that lower our stress, expansive views AND homes with sustainable sensibilities. Open this issue and you’ll walk into a Fitzhugh-designed home where a floor-to-ceiling glass wall draws occupants to a magnetic view of West Grand Traverse Bay. You’ll also read about how architect Randi Thiebaut of Commonality Architecture designed an incredibly energy efficient home that practically swims in views of the three bodies of water around it.

And not to miss is the story of how contractor Jay Merchant worked with his client to design a home on a former cherry orchard that reflects the character of the agricultural buildings around it and offers huge views of East Grand Traverse Bay. The forward-thinking owners went on to turn their property into a native-species conservation project.

Welcome to this issue—and perhaps a new era in Northern Michigan residential architecture.

See our build of the featured home on page 36

Elizabeth Edwards is senior editor of Northern Home & Cottage.

Lissa@traversemagazine.com

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collections

INSIDER’S GUIDE TO OUTDOOR KITCHENS Tips and strategies for creating your favorite room … that isn’t in your house.

BY ELIZABETH EDWARDS

STUNNING EFFICIENCY The homeowner of this outdoor kitchen on Grand Traverse Bay had enough experience grilling (especially on his Big Green Egg) to know exactly what he wanted when he had the chance to completely design his new space. Here’s what he says makes his outdoor kitchen perfect: A 72-inch, 2300 CFM Trade-Wind fan to draw smoke away from the home.

Three halogen lights over the grill/work space so he can grill at night.

An electrical outlet to plug in his charcoal starter.

A professional grade Lynx gas grill to complement the Big Green Egg. NatureKast Weatherproof Cabinetry. This company is all about cooking in the outdoors—right down to the cabinet specifically tailored to hold a Big Green Egg. Enough space to be able to set pans and platters down.

The perfect position, situated directly off the indoor kitchen pantry so he has easy access to ingredients—including the rosemary, garlic, Kosher salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil that he uses in his signature smoked crown of lamb.

A view. Tucked on the corner of his deck, this homeowner feels like a king. “It’s unbelievable,” he says. “I can just relax with a cigar when I’m cooking and look out at the water.”

10

photo by Jacqueline Southby

A granite countertop that can handle hot pans and cleans up easily.

NORTHERN HOME & COTTAGE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

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INSIDER’S GUIDE TO OUTDOOR KITCHENS

EVERYTHING AND THE KITCHEN SINK When she isn’t designing dream kitchens for her clients, Angela Goodall, founder and principal designer of Kitchen Choreography, is cooking up dreamy meals for her family and friends. Summer evenings find her in her outdoor kitchen, maybe mixing up a batch of her famous margaritas (think fresh strawberries, limeade, Grand Marnier and good tequila), to pair with a platter of tequila lime chicken and black rice salad. Check out Goodall’s advice for making sure you get the most out of an outdoor kitchen:

Beverage coolers are great to have outside, but they don’t do well doubling for food refrigeration. Goodall’s solution for food—or food and beverages—is a doubledrawer refrigeration unit that fits neatly under the counter of your prep space.

Granite is an ideal countertop in an outside area.

It is handsome, water- and heat-resistant and cleans up easily.

Don’t overlook an outdoor sink—it will elevate the experience, from cooking to clean up.

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photo by Jason Hulet Photography

Take the time to research grills. Does it have all the bells and whistles you want? Does it need an electrical outlet for that rotisserie you can’t wait to use? Building your grill into cabinetry makes preparation and serving much easier, but if you do, you are going to want a grill that lasts as long as your cabinetry and vice versa.

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INSIDER’S GUIDE TO OUTDOOR KITCHENS

CLOSE TO HOME Among other accomplishments, kitchen designer Dawn Whyte, founder and principal designer of Petoskey Kitchens, has earned a reputation for her outstanding outdoor kitchen designs. Whyte, in fact, has taught a class for the National Kitchen and Bath Association called “Adventure into the Outdoors.”

Here are a few of Whyte’s top must-haves in outdoor kitchen design:

The next most important thing is to make the grill the focal point. Everyone likes to show off their culinary expertise—and to cook while they are visiting with their family and guests.

Finally, if you are making your outdoor kitchen a three-season space, you need to consider how to tie it into the architecture of your house, allow for possible heating of the space, consider wind and weather control as well as ensuring it fits into the landscape with plantings and indigenous stone.

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photo by Todd Zawistowski

The most important thing to consider is the location and proximity to the indoor kitchen. You want easy access to the indoors for dishes and utensils and for monitoring food that’s being prepped inside. This is particularly important if you are planning a limited kitchen without water, etc. If you are planning a fully operational outdoor kitchen, you need to consider the availability of gas, water lines and sewer.

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house and home

RURAL SENSIBILITIES

BUILD YOUR DREAM HOME AND MAKE THE LAND BETTER FOR IT? THIS COUPLE SHOWS HOW IT’S DONE. B y P AT T Y L A N O U E S T E A R N S Photos by JACQUELINE SOUTHBY

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F

or a few years, gera and jim looked for

a place to consolidate everything in their lives. They had a business office in Elk Rapids, a lake home north of town, their children were grown and on their own, and it was time to try something different.

One snowy day, on their way home from skiing, the couple saw a small sign that read “For Sale by Owner.” It was an old cherry orchard they’d passed by many times, always wondering what might be on the ridge beyond.

They walked up the hill and were awestruck by the panorama: A beautiful expanse of Elk Lake, East Grand Traverse Bay and cherry orchards to the west, plus a glimpse of Torch Lake as the icing on the cake.

This was heaven, but there was also a challenge: The 20-acre orchard’s cherry trees were on their last legs, and after Gera and Jim built their dream house, what would they do with the rest of the land? The unmaintained trees had become pests to two neighboring orchards, and the land needed to transition to something else.

The couple, who volunteer with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy in Traverse City, contacted Vic Lane, a senior conservation project manager there. He steered them toward a contractor and others who helped them put all the pieces together to do a

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THEY CALL THE STYLE CONTEMPORARY RURAL DESIGN , INSPIRED BY THE AGRICULTURAL SETTING AND WITH THE SIMPLE, CLEAN LINES AND MATERIALS OF FARM OUTBUILDINGS.

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conservation project that eventually will include more than three acres of native trees and shrubs with 14-plus acres of meadow filled with 30 species of native grasses and wildflowers. It’s a win-win for the region, and the couple.

“The opportunity to implement a conservation project was integral to our decision to purchase the land and build a home,” says Jim. He and Gera credit the staff at the Antrim County Natural Resources Conservation Service for their guidance and technical assistance in developing the plan to restore wildlife habitat and develop pollinator habitat after the task of removing 2,400 cherry trees. Jim has had some experience with this: He helped plant trees on his grandfather’s dairy farm near Pinconning almost 60 years ago, and his parents retired to an apple farm and farm

market, where he learned a few things about orchards.

As for their dream home, they contacted Jay Merchant of Elk Rapids’ J Merchant Builders to draw up and create their home on the ridge. They call the style contemporary rural design, inspired by the agricultural setting and with the simple, clean lines and materials of farm outbuildings: corrugated metal, steel and concrete.

“We worked together really well,” says Merchant. “Jim studied architecture in college, so he had a pretty good vision for what they were looking for, and they’re both artistic and very good communicators, so it all was very smooth. It’s nice when people enjoy the process and are creative. It keeps us challenged and thinking about new ways to do things.”

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The only hairy situation Merchant had to contend with was the weather. His team worked through winter on the ridge against a near-constant northwest wind.

“It was always blowing,” he recalls.

The couple moved into their 2,200-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home upon its completion in October 2021. The main living area is all on one level, with a second-story studio above the garage wing and an unfinished basement under half the house. Outdoors, there are a screened porch, and a patio and courtyard from which to enjoy the fresh air and mind-blowing views.

“Every room has a unique view and natural light,” NHC

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Views!

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says Gera, adding that at night they can see the glow from Traverse City, the bay and other big-sky views from the tall windows. “On our first night, when I looked out our bedroom window, I spotted the Big Dipper, perfectly framed overhead.”

“Jay understood what we were looking for,” adds Jim, whose fine arts degree is in serigraphy (he’s hoping to build a workshop and a “gentleman’s barn” soon). Gera is a retired marketing communications specialist and project manager, and now has a well-equipped, serene place to pursue her interest in fiber arts.

When the outdoor conservation project is finally finished and the day is done, Gera and Jim will not only be able to relax in their beautiful home and admire the stars, but also feel good about leaving their special piece of land a little better than they found it.

Patty LaNoue Stearns is a longtime Michigan journalist and former staffer at Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine and Northern Home & Cottage.

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house and home

WITH HUGE WATERY VIEWS, THIS DIMINUTIVE HOME FITS AS NATURALLY INTO ITS RARIFIED SITE AS A BEACHCOMBER’S TREASURE.

By E L I Z A B E T H E DWA R D S Photos by JACQUELINE SOUTHBY

BEACH GLASS 26

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I

n the morning, when the sun rises over placid South Bar Lake on their home’s east side, Barbara and John Ludlow take in the parade of wildlife just outside their wall-sized window.

Eagles, otters, beavers, muskrats, plovers and herons flit across the banks of South Bar and also along the sweet stream that lies just to the north of their home—a view framed by another floor-to-ceiling window.

As the day progresses, the couple’s focus turns west, to the epic view of Lake Michigan out another wall-sized window. Here, they can look north along the shoreline to the Sleeping Bear Dunes and south to Empire Bluff—both sites preserved in perpetuity as a part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

The Ludlows found the property their home sits on while on a stone-hunting walk about four years ago. It had been on the market for several years. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for them to realize they had found the dream site for a

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beach house. Being near water is particularly important to John who grew up in Manhattan Beach, California, and surfed before, during and after school in search of the perfect wave.

The property came with an old cottage that the sustainably minded couple hoped to renovate. To that end, they brought in architect Randi Thiebaut of Commonality Architecture, known for her streamlined, functional designs. Given that the property is included in Michigan’s Critical Dunes Area Program, which would mean navigating the Department of Environmental Quality’s rules, Thiebaut recommended builder Justin Acker of Asunto Builders who had dealt with similar projects.

Acker soon determined that, despite the Ludlows’ best intentions, the old cottage couldn’t be saved: it was sinking into the site and needed to come down.

The upside was that starting from the ground up meant

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THE DECEPTIVELY SIMPLE HOME WAS IN ACTUALITY

A FEAT OF ENGINEERING.

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the couple could have exactly what they wanted: a low-profile, energy-efficient, not-so-big home with as little structure blocking the view of the water as possible. For inspiration, they studied beach houses in Scandinavia, Australia and California. Working closely with Thiebaut they refined their vision to zero in on a minimalist floor plan centered around capturing the views of the three bodies of water.

The design was one thing; the construction, it turned out, was quite another. “We may have run into every roadblock possible,” Barbara says.

“DEQ permits, Covid, the [backed up] supply chain, lack of skilled labor and Mother Nature’s extreme elements, including wind.”

The deceptively simple home was in actuality a feat of engineering, starting from the 36 helical piers that augur 28 to 35 feet into the ground to anchor the structure to the site. The home has NHC

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no actual foundation—meaning that it can be picked up and moved if the dunes around it move—criteria of the Critical Dunes program.

Built with highly efficient thermal windows, walls of 8-inch-thick SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels), ceilings of 11-inch-thick SIPs and heated floors, the home is super energy efficient— utilities, in fact, run less than $150 per month.

The home’s interior elements are purposely understated: wood, glass and other materials in neutral tones. “The only color in the house, beside the art collection, comes from the outside world: Lake Michigan blues and South Bar greens,” Barbara says. The couple’s collection of modern furniture including pieces from Herman Miller, Knoll and Design Within Reach is perfectly suited to this minimalist backdrop.

“The simplicity of modern design inspired the warm interior decor,” Barbara adds. Last, but by no means least, John’s vintage surfboard, mounted on a wall in the great room, sums up the pristine connection to life in this home and the water around it.

With the construction struggles behind them, the Ludlows have fallen in love with the house—so much so that they’ve given up thinking of it as a vacation home. Home for them now has become this perfect little architectural lens for watching wind, waves and wildlife.

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The Swiss Army Knife of Brokers, always has the right tools on hand The Swiss Swiss Army Knife of Brokers, always has The has the the right right tools tools on onhand hand William Kaupas helped us find our lake dream

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William Kaupas Listens to his clients needs

Our family has some specific challenges, that require a specific home. William didn't just ask what we needed. He came to our old home several times to view first hand how we used the home. William understood our needs. William used that intimate knowledge, to not only find our new home. William also helped us coordinate all the specialized improvements we needed to make, so our family would be comfortable.

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house and home

NORTH BY NORTHWEST TUCKED INTO A SMALL LOT ON OLD MISSION PENINSULA, THIS HOME LIVES AS LARGE AS THE SWEEPING WEST GRAND TRAVERSE BAY VIEWS.

By ELIZABETH EDWARDS Photos by JACQUELINE SOUTHBY

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V

acant lots on old mission’s elegant peninsula

Drive are few and far between. But these homeowners, lifelong Traverse City residents, happened to run into an old friend at a fundraiser who was considering selling one. The couple saw it as a chance to build the dream home they’d always wanted.

They told their friend to please call them if he decided to sell. A couple weeks later he did. They didn’t hesitate.

Located on a point, the lot’s sight line stretches south along the shore to downtown Traverse City, and north to Power Island. The beautiful Leelanau Peninsula shoreline is due west across the bay. The couple knew from the get-go that they would use the husband’s childhood friend, Dave Guernsey of Guernsey Builders Inc., to build their home-to-be. Guernsey, who works with his two sons, is known for his high-quality work and craftsmanship—taking on just one project at a time so that the building process is meticulous.

The couple had a pretty solid idea of what style home they wanted to build on their new lot. Researching architectural styles, the wife was especially enamored with homes from the Pacific Northwest—

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marked by contemporary/modern lines including deep roof overhangs to shelter outdoor living areas from rain, and by an abundance of wood both inside and out. A friend suggested that architect Michael Fitzhugh might be a good fit for their vision. A Northern Michigan native, Fitzhugh worked in San Francisco before moving back to his hometown, Traverse City, where one of his first projects was the renovation of the State Theatre. Since then, his wide-ranging portfolio includes site-sensitive designs with modern lines and Up North sensibilities.

From their first meeting, Fitzhugh says, he and the

couple were on the same page. “They have wonderful taste and they’re well-traveled—as the saying goes, great clients make great projects,” he says. Moreover, he understood that the elements the couple loved about the Pacific Northwest style translated harmoniously in Northern Michigan with its similar climate and vegetation. The only real issue was siting the home on the lot—the same point that made the view so dramatic also limited the space on the roadside to fit the two garages and gracious entrance the couple wanted. “We just barely had enough room to elegantly fit all that in there,” Fitzhugh says. The mission,

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NORTHERN HOME & COTTAGE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

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however, was accomplished. With its deep overhang sheltering the entrance and its exterior walls clad in both cedar and Fond du Lac stone laid in a tailored geometric pattern, the home has a venerable, midcentury feel.

The stately facade belies the dramatic and thoroughly modern window that spans 36 feet, floor-toceiling, across the lakeside great room. To accentuate the effect, Fitzhugh elevated the room so that it sits several steps up from the foyer. With a mahogany ceiling (the original plan was for cedar, Fitzhugh says, but at the time of construction mahogany was, surprisingly, less expensive), walnut floor and neutral walls (including more Fond du Lac stone in the entry) the room artfully stages the watery tableau beyond the glass.

Interior designer Kristen Myers of KM Designs stepped in to help with the kitchen and baths.

“This was my second time working with [this couple] on a project so I knew they had great taste and a love for pattern and texture,” she says. “I immediately loved the vision they shared with me of a contemporary, warm and welcoming home incorporating lots of stained wood (not a white cabinet or piece of shiplap to be found!). In the open kitchen, Myers paired charcoal-stained cherry cabinets with light quartzite countertops and backsplash. A glass mosaic tile backsplash behind the coffee bar adds a dash of elegance—as does marble tile with its etched-bronze peony floral pattern in the powder bathroom. Also in the powder bath, “the pendant light made of steel wrapping around a piece of cast glass is also a stunner,” says Myers. “It’s hung on very NHC

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thin cable wires that gives it the appearance of floating.”

Dale Campbell of Urban Diversions lent his eye for design to the furnishings, fittingly choosing Milo Baughman (a leading midcentury modern furniture designer) chairs by Thayer Coggin. Among the pieces are Milo Chairs and matching ottomans covered in plushy lambs’ wool, a deep-blue velvet sofa and a conversation grouping of four tangerine-colored swivel gliders.

The designer team on this project is talented indeed—a statement that includes the homeowners themselves. From the artful placing of paintings and furnishings gathered from their travels in Europe and Asia, to the couple’s initial vision of a timeless, Northern clime house, this home bears the homeowners’ own very thoughtful stamp.

NHC

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resources Architect Michael Fitzhugh Architect, mfarchitect.com Builder Guernsey Builders, Inc., 231.883.3553 Cabinetry & Interior design KM Design, kmdesignstc.com Furnishings Urban Diversions, urban-diversions.com Mirrors & Showers TC Mirror and Shower Door tcmirrorandshowerdoor.com HVAC D&W Mechanical, dwmechanical.com Electrical Abbott Electric, 231.632.1616 Appliances Max’s Service, maxsservice.com Plumbing Fixtures Ferguson, fergusonshowrooms.com

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Landscaping & Hardscapes Down to Earth, downtoearthoutdoors.com Closets First Class Closets, firstclassclosets.com Roofing Mills Construction, 231.929.2366 Excavation Earthworks Excavation, 231.941.8692

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Masonry Great Lakes Stone Masonry 231.885.3038

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T he Cu l i nary North

“

local restaurants. craft drinks. seasonal cuisine

Our team here is world-class. They truly care about our guests.

— ALEX TRUCK, DIRECTOR OF FOOD & BEVERAGE AT ARTISAN RESTAURANT

GET LUNCH, THEN GET LOST P. 58 BUCHAN’S BLUEBERRY HILL ICE CREAM THE ARTISAN EXPERIENCE P. 59 BLISTERED SHISHITOS P. 60 WATERMELON AGUA FRESCA P. 62

P. 58

photo by Dave Weidner

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T he Cu l i nary North Grab & Go

GET LUNCH, THEN GET LOST

by CARLY SIMPSON

Hidden among the trees of Pigeon River Country State Forest you’ll find a secret treasure: sinkhole lakes.

GRAB

Food N Stuff 902 N. Center Ave., Gaylord

Jamie Korona greets customers by name at her Gaylord eatery, Food N Stuff, on Center Avenue. Come noon, a steady stream makes its way to the counter, picking up white paper bags filled with generous salads, thick sandwiches and, on the day we visit, a favorite childhood treat—dirt cups (chocolate pudding, crushed Oreos and gummy worms on top). The Hawaiian BBQ chicken wrap is a fave as is the Greek salad. Big enough to share; order both and split with a friend. foodnstuffgaylord.com GO

Lost Lake

photos by Dave Weidner

Twin Lakes Road, Corwith Township

58

Head north out of Gaylord toward Vanderbilt, then swing right and you’ll find yourself in the 109,000-acre Pigeon River Country State Forest, the largest block of contiguous undeveloped land in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. You might already know that it’s home to one of the largest free-roaming elk herds east of the Mississippi, but have you heard of its sinkhole lakes? These small, turquoisecolored gems are a beautiful spot to take a swim or float in a tube..

For details and bonus content, visit: mynorth.com/sinkholelakes.

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T he Cu l i nary North Served

D I N I N G OUT

THE ARTISAN EXPERIENCE

by CARLY SIMPSON

At Artisan Restaurant in Traverse City, no detail is too small.

photos by Dave Weidner

A

lex truck has an ambitious goal—to create the best restaurant in Northern Michigan. Once he and his team at Artisan accomplish that, he plans to be the best in the state. “That sounds very lofty,” admits Truck, who is Artisan’s director of food and beverage. “But we’re putting measures in place to try and do just that.”

The kitchen of this casual fine dining establishment is helmed by Executive Chef Andrew Wigger, who spent three years in France running the acclaimed Frame Brasserie, tucked in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Here in Traverse City, Wigger is putting his spin on Great Lakes-inspired cuisine.

“Traverse City has always been considered a foodie town; however, I think it’s even more so now,” Truck says. “We’ve found that our guests coming in, they’re world travelers, and they have expectations that require you to be able to play at the highest levels.”

With this in mind, “a lot of attention is given to every single thing that happens at a table,” Truck says. This includes beautiful plating, as well as maintaining robust guest profiles, noting their preferences from seating to food and wine.

The 177-seat restaurant located inside the renovated hotel Delamar offers several dining areas. Guests are welcomed in the tavern, with its Parisian pewter-top bar, hand-painted tree of life mural by Stockholm artist Jonas Wickman and Swedish farmhouse fireplace surrounded by comfy sofas.

The main dining room has a second fireplace (reserve the table right in front for date night). Outdoors, guests sit under a lakeside pergola, lounge by the fire or play bocce ball, and live music is slated Thursdays through Sundays this summer.

What to order: Truck recommends the “gluttonously good” French toast with lemon curd for brunch; the wagyu cheeseburger at lunch; light and flavorful halibut atop a parsnip and pea puree for dinner; and lastly, the fluffy vanilla cheesecake with caramel and flaky Maldon salt for dessert.

Artisan Restaurant 615 E. Front St., Traverse City artisantc.com NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S MAGAZINE

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T he Cu l i nary North On the Table

DINING IN

PEP SQUAD

by STACEY BRUGEMAN

Brightly flavored with a hint of heat, tiny shishitos are perfect for summer dipping.

photo and styling by Sarah Peschel

I

first discovered shishito peppers some 10 years ago in Denver at a hipster Mexican restaurant where they were served with a cilantrolime mayonnaise for dunking. I’d had their near-doppelgänger, the Padrón, more than a decade prior at a tapas bar in Barcelona, so it was easy to spot the resemblance between the two. Both blistered snacking peppers are cousins. In fact, it is said that shishitos were first cultivated from the Padrón. What I didn’t know until recently, however, is that shishitos hail not from Mexico or Spain, but from Japan. Shishi means lion in Japanese, a nod to the wrinkled tip of the pepper, and to comes from togarashi, the spicy Japanese pepper blend.

What I love most about this well-traveled little capsicum, however, is how easy it is to grow right here at home. It’s a true darling of any 45th-parallel garden.

Ages ago, I gave up on the idea of getting large bell peppers to reach maturity before first frost. I leave the big guys to the pros but love tending smaller seasoning and snacking peppers here at home—especially shishitos. They 60

have a bright, almost citrusy flavor, an earthy skin that stands up to a flash in the pan and are rarely hot (from time to time one will surprise you). My kids love them, my cocktail company loves them and, with increasing availability at farmers markets every August, Northern Michigan farmers seem to love them, too. While, of course, the true origin of all peppers is the Americas, I like serving shishitos with a nod to their Japanese nomenclature and dunk them in this sesame-ginger aïoli.

Stacey Brugeman is a Leelanau County–based food and beverage writer and editor. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Saveur, Travel + Leisure, Eater and Denver’s 5280, where she served as restaurant critic. Follow her on Instagram @staceybrugeman.

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Blistered Shishitos with Sesame-Ginger Aïoli Serves 4 as a bar snack 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 garlic clove, minced 1 egg, brought to room temperature ½ cup sesame oil, plus 1 teaspoon 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 8 ounces shishito peppers, about 4 heaping cups flake salt to taste 1. Place ginger, garlic and egg in a small food processor and whiz until the egg is foamy, about 15 seconds. Working very slowly, drop by drop at first, add ½ cup of sesame oil to the food processor while it is running. Once it is fully incorporated and the mixture has emulsified, continue running the food processor and slowly pour in the toasted sesame oil. The mixture should be thick and hold its shape on the end of your finger. Add the lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon of salt and whiz one last time without over-incorporating, which could cause the emulsification to break.

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2. In a large dry skillet set over high heat, toast the sesame seeds until golden brown, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour the aïoli in a small dipping bowl, garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and set aside.

3. Into the same hot skillet, pour the remaining 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, being careful not to accidentally use the toasted oil, which has a lower smoking point. As soon as the oil is hot, add the peppers. Let the peppers jump and crackle for about 1 minute, then shake the pan to turn them over. Cook for another 2 minutes, shaking from time to time, until the peppers are blistered on all sides but still vibrant in color. Remove from the heat and spoon them onto a serving platter, where they will continue to soften. Sprinkle with flake salt and serve with the sesame aïoli and a small discard bowl for the stems.–S.B.

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T he Cu l i nary North Last Call

THIRST QUENCHER

by STACEY BRUGEMAN

n this era of instagram and pinterest, it can be easy for us food-obsessed overachievers (it takes one to know one) to daydream about bringing one of those hand-carved watermelon baskets as our dish to pass this month. You know, the kind where you carefully carve a sawtooth edge and use your grandmother’s melon baller to get as many perfect little spheres of juicy watermelon as you can engineer. But what, we ask ourselves, would we do with all the scraps?

What about all those pieces of delicious watermelon that sit between the little holes that became balls of melon? I’m not sure if you actually want the answer or if you prefer the convenient excuse to talk yourself out of spending a half a Saturday with a watermelon, but the solution to all those scraps is easy. Blend them, add some water and a smidge of agave, pour the mixture over ice, garnish with a spring of oregano and a time-honored refresher is born: watermelon 62

agua fresca, or agua de sandia (literally, watermelon water) in Spanish.

Throughout Mexico, agua frescas are made to beat the scorching heat with anything from pineapple scraps to steeped hibiscus petals, but I love supporting Michigan melon farmers and making ours with watermelon. These alcohol-free coolers are often served in a plastic barrel known as a vitolero, but I keep it simple and pour mine into a mason jar instead.

And while we are keeping it simple, I’m definitely skipping the melon baller and just making the mocktail. Here in the North, summer’s too short for sawtoothed edges.

Stacey Brugeman is a Leelanau County–based food and beverage writer and editor. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Saveur, Travel + Leisure, Eater and Denver’s 5280, where she served as restaurant critic. Follow her on Instagram @staceybrugeman.

photo by Dave Weidner / styling by Sarah Peschel

I

Turn local watermelon into a booze-free cooler to beat the heat.

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^ Watermelon Agua Fresca Serves 1 Half of a lime

The perfect gift is right in front of you!

8 ounces chopped watermelon, about 2 cups ½ cup water 1 ½ teaspoons light agave Fresh oregano sprig, for garnish Slice a round off the lime half, reserving it for garnish. Squeeze the juice from the remainder of the lime into a blender, about 1½ teaspoons of fresh juice. Add watermelon, water and agave to the blender and whiz for a minute, until fully incorporated and frothy. Fill a 12-ounce canning jar with ice, pour the mixture over the ice, garnish with the lime round and sprig of oregano and serve.–S.B.

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love of the land

get there LOST LAKE SINKHOLE

photo by Dave Weidner

Lost Lake is one of several sinkholes located in Pigeon River Country State Forest. You should expect to lose cell service out here in Michigan’s “Big Wild,” so pack a map and your sense of adventure. The lakes are open to the public, but visitors must follow several regulations to prevent damage. View recreational guidelines and find directions at pigeonriverdiscoverycenter.org. -C.S.

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