Pure Michigan Mackinac Island Commercial

My wife and I honeymooned on Mackinac Island and every year when our anniversary comes around I get the urge to go back to the island. There is nothing quite as unique as staying on the island after the crowds have gone home on the last ferry boat. Just the distant sound of the clip-clopping of horses pulling carriages, the hum of bicycle tires on the pavement, the soft sounds of conversation among the folks enjoying an evening on the island. Shops close up for the day and it's just this perfect peaceful quietness that I have never found anywhere else.

I can't wait to go back :).

Will higher gas prices affect your vacation plans this summer?

Our new poll question deals with the topic of summer vacations and the higher gas prices. The higher gas prices are already being seen as a boon to both Michigan state-run and private campgrounds with an 18-20% increase in reservations already. [poll id="46"]

New State Park 'Recreation Passport' is coming October 1st

You will now have an easier (and cheaper!) way to visit state parks here in Michigan. Beginning October 1st, for an additional $10 on your license plate/tab renewal you can get the "Recreation Passport" which gets you in to all 98 Michigan state parks and recreation areas. All you have to do is check 'Yes' on your license tab renewal form. The $10 fee replaces the $24 fee that was charged for the windshield sticker. I always thought it was a pretty good deal at $24, but at $10 it's a no-brainer.

You can be traveling around Michigan and pull into any state park or recreation area knowing you don't have to fork over $6 for a day pass. I know that when we have the state park pass we use it all the time by stopping in at the nearest state park when we're on the road. If you have it, you use it.

How will the Michigan State Park service know I paid the $10?

When you check 'Yes' and pay the $10 fee you will receive a sticker to place on your license plate. If you don't have the passport and decide to stop in at a state park you "will be required to purchase the Recreation Passport (for a possibly higher fee)."

Check out Michigan.gov for more information on the "Recreation Passport."

Changing perceptions of Detroit, one friend at a time

You can talk about the beautiful aspects of Detroit until you turn blue in the face. Trying to convince others with a preconceived notion of what Detroit really is using mere words just doesn't cut it. Sometimes you have to show folks the wonderful old buildings and beautiful neighborhoods to change someone's perception. Speaking of words, last week's big baseball story was not that Johnny Damon was heading back to Boston to play for the Red Sox, but that he chose to stay in Detroit and finish out the year with the Tigers. Damon has been saying all along how happy he was to be playing in Detroit and last week he had the chance to have his actions back up those words or to head east right into the thick of a pennant race instead of finishing the season with the third-place Tigers.

He chose the Tigers. He chose Detroit. And some people such as Boston Globe writer, Dan Shaughnessy, just can't fathom why on earth someone would choose Detroit over Boston. This is what Shaugnessy had to say -

Think about it: For the next five weeks, you could live in downtown Boston and your wife could shop on Newbury Street. Or you could live in downtown Detroit, amid the boarded-up buildings and the proverbial skeleton frames of burned-out Chevrolets. Is this really a tough call?

Mr. Shaugnessy, when was the last time you visited Detroit? Perhaps he only watched the Dateline NBC special report on Detroit this past spring.

Here was Johnny Damon's classy response to Mr. Shaugnessy's column -

"Detroit, you know, gets a bad rap," he said. "I love it here. My family loves it here. A bunch of the players who have been here awhile love it here. The new guys love it here. There's a lot to offer here."

So, back to the subject to which this post's title refers. Last week, we took some friends to their very first Tigers game at Comerica Park. Before last week, they had never ventured further than the airport. We changed that :).

They expected decay and a slew of vagrants. Did they see rundown buildings and a couple of homeless people? Yes.

But what they also saw were some of the wonderful buildings from Detroit's glorious past as well as the current renovation and revitalization around the Comerica Park and Ford Field area. Our friends were surprised at the beauty of the old skyscrapers. They had no idea Detroit had such beautiful old buildings.

Their perception of Detroit has changed. Do they think Detroit needs to keep revitalizing and renovating? You bet, but they also no longer feel that it is as bad as the mass media outlets would have everyone believe.

So, that's a start. I've changed the perceptions of two people. Who's next?

Visit a Michigan National Park for free this weekend

This weekend, August 14-15, you can visit any National Park across the country without paying the entrance fees. Why not make plans to visit one of Michigan's beautiful National Parks? Other than a few of the sites requesting donations/fees in the Keweenaw National Historic Park, Isle Royale National Park and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore are the only National Parks in Michigan that charge fees throughout the season.

Just a bit of trivia - did you know that Porcupine Mountains State Park qualified to be a National Park, but it was designated as a State Park in 1945 effectively protecting the virgin timber before any National Park protection would have taken effect.

Visit one of these great Michigan National Parks -

• Isle Royale National Park
• Keweenaw National Historical Park
• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Vote in the current poll for your favorite National Park in Michigan -

[poll id="44"]

Traverse City - one of my favorite towns in Michigan

I have made a promise to myself to make more of an effort to thoroughly explore Traverse City. I just love this town. It's funny, but I have never spent much time in Traverse City. It always seems like I'm just passing through on my way to a more northern destination.

I spent a bit more time there last week, but I left wishing I could have stayed longer. Plans are already underway for a lengthier stay next summer.

If most of your experience with Traverse City is during the National Cherry Festival - you're missing out. Don't get me wrong - the National Cherry Festival is a great event. But with all of the special events and activities that surround the festival I think the charm of Traverse City might get lost in the shuffle and that is a shame.

Anyone that has at least driven through Traverse City knows just how beautiful it is. What they don't know (well, at least what I didn't know) is just how friendly the people are.

I constantly met people holding doors for my family and I, smiling, and saying hello in a cheerful way. For a town of its size, Traverse City residents sure seem to have a genuine small-town charm about them.

We ate lunch at one of my favorite northern Michigan restaurants, Scalawags Whitefish & Chips. I remember when you had to go all the way to Mackinaw City to get your fix for delicious deep-fried Great Lakes whitefish. The Traverse City location is excellent and the whitefish I had was probably the best I have had at any of their locations.

Hopes of my kids not caring for it (so I could eat theirs) quickly faded and I was left with offerings of their remaining french fries. Oh well :).

You can't take a "quick" walk around downtown Traverse City. There is just too much to see and too many neat shops. We didn't have any trouble parking and I quickly became jealous of the large number of people who were biking all over town on the numerous biking trails.

Traverse City is definitely biking friendly. The other Michigan town that quickly came to my mind when looking at the biking paths was Marquette (currently tied with Traverse City as my favorite northern Michigan town).

Traverse City State Park is just a short (two mile) bike ride to downtown and is a pretty popular camping spot. I always say, "one of these days we'll camp there" and maybe "one of these days" will come soon.

Before we left town we just had to stop in for pie at Grand Traverse Pie Company. We came for the pie and ended up staying for lunch, too :). One of the super-friendly staff highly recommended the Cherry Peach Crumb pie saying, "if all they served in heaven was Cherry Peach Crumb pie, that would be all right." After eating quite a few slices I would have to agree with her.

While I was ordering our pie a gentleman was trying to find out where to get a specific flavor of Leelanau Coffee. He said he had tried to find it at one of the local grocery stores, but they didn't carry it. I told him that their store is over in Glen Arbor and it's just a nice little scenic drive along M-22 away from Traverse City. He didn't sound too interested (his loss - the drive to Glen Arbor is beautiful) so I told him he could easily order it online as well.

With a bellyful of pie and a large cup of coffee (Grand Traverse Pie Company house blend - very good!) in hand we sadly pointed the truck south and headed on home.

So, until next summer, goodbye, Traverse City, thanks for having us.