We had another beautiful weather day, low 80s, a breeze, plenty of sunshine so we hopped on our bikes and hike the Betsie Valley Trail for a 10 mile ride from Beulah to Frankfort on mostly flat trail hugging the lake and then into the woods and back out again to Frankfort.
Dinner tonight was at The Manitou, a backwoods suppler club that was surprisingly busy at 5:30 pm (Linus dining time although there really is no great time to dine out with an 18-month-old…he kept his parents busy.) Most of us had fresh fish, whitefish, trout, perch, walleye. I never can remember one from he other but for the record I think I like whitefish and trout best, both are dry, not oily. We also had delicious whitefish dip and smoked whitefish at lunch from the Port City smokehouse in Frankfort.
Climbing up an enormous sand dune is tiring. But the view from on high of Lake Michigan to the west and Glen Lake to the east of Sleeping Bear National Park is worth the exertion. On a Wednesday the park was also not overrun with other tourists, even if it’s high season.
We also dropped by Cherry Republic, sort of a station of the cross in northern Michigan, to get some dried cherries and cherry jam. In the afternoon we discovered Esch Beach, south of Empire which turned out to be a keeper: sandier bottom than Empire Beach, beautiful setting with a high dune to the north, dog-friendly.
We took M-22 south from Frankfort to head home, a scenic two-lane road hugging Lake Michigan and dotted with farm stands. We also passed Arcadia Ice where we had good ice cream cones yesterday after our bluff hike, M-22 led us to M-31, also more interesting that 131 through Grand Rapids which we took on the way up here as a detour due to road construction.
In Pentwater, a pretty town, we stopped to picnic in the small park along a marina in town and eavesdropped on that appeared to be the results of a fishing competition. (Someone won for “best of species.”) sorry to leave up north but hope to return (to a different rental house) maybe next summer.
Elberta ‘s Farmers Market turned out to be about six tents pitched along the village’s small waterfront park and was full of great stuff, tomatoes, corn, green beans, blueberries, broccolini, peppers, peach pie, goat milk soap, I bought it all and there was a lot more including meats, tea blends, beeswax.
I checked out some of the shops along the main drag in Beulah because today was not a beach day…very windy and cloudy but it never rained and by 4 pm there was bright blue sky. The wind returned tonight but all in all I we were extremely lucky with the weather – and we missed 100 degree heat in Iowa. (It’s been in the 89s and sometimes 70s here.) we really like Beulah. It feel less touristy than other nearby towns (except Elberta) and more of a real community. There are a few cute shops, several stone/Crystal/gem stores. There was a street party tonight with live music but we were too busy to go.
later dirck and I ended up riding on the wonderful Betsy Valley Trail from Beulah to Elberta, across the water from Frankfort and a world apart, much more humble, low-key, hippie, so of course I preferred it. We stopped for homemade peach ice cream at the Conundrum Cafe, a funky place that appeared to be for sale. The other fun place is the Cabbage Shed, a bar and restaurant that has love music. next trip.
dirck, Millie and I went on a beautiful short hike in the woods at Arcadia Bluff to Mount baldy, a high dune with spectacular views of Lake Michigan and the coastal bluffs.as dirck noted, it felt like we were on Big Sur. Tonight we had another outdoor meal late in the evening after Linus went to bed and sat outside on plastic Adirondack chairs watching the sun set and the wind blowing and the waves crashing onto the shore.
we found more spectacular views from atop a ridge of dunes on the Empire Bluffs Trail and more people too, compared to yesterday’s hike at Acadia bluffs, where we saw a handful of other hikers. The weekend crowd appears to have arrived and it’s almost as hard to urn left onto two-lane Highway 31 as it is to turn left on the Sunrise Highway in the Hamptons.
The weather has gotten cold – 66 degrees at 4 pm – and very windy which ruled out a last swim in the lake but it’s fine for everything else outdoors, so no complaints. We visited a much better -appointed house in empire that may be available for renting next year. No lake view but no decrepit stairs or sleeping quarters, which rules this place out next summer. We do like being so close to the small village and it’s handful of shops and places to eat and drink. And of course this lawn and view and dog-friendly situation can’t be beat. (No dogs at the Empire house.)
A storm huffed and puffed last night but there was no blowing down this house, which has stood its ground for decades. For once I took comfort in how old this cottage is. I figured it had withstood many a storm blowing over the late. Fortunately there was not e wind than rain so the cottage didn’t get more musty and the sun was out by midday. We went to lovely Empire Beach about 20 miles north in the pretty village of Empire where I hoped to stay this year. A maybe next year.
Tonight my best friend from high school Polly and her husband Jamie who live in empire right now while their house in Glen Arbor is getting a makeover came over for a hike in the woods at Railroad Point Nature Center and then dinner of grilled whitefish (an Emma specialty) and white bean & avocado salad (a Noah speciality) and cherry pie. lovely get together up north!
JUST FYI: (This post is from a week ago…Wordpress is acting up.)
I may be allergic to something in this ancient musty cottage (my throat got clogged last night) but beyond that, we are sitting pretty, on the shores of Crystal Lake, a short walk to the town beach and small downtown which does, in fact, have a surprisingly good Jewish deli.
Our temporary home base.
We do most things outside in our enormous fenced-in yard (good for Millie the dog) and the wraparound screened in-porch with an odd assortment of ancient chairs and 3 folding beds (I may try one tonight instead of sleeping in the low ceilinged upstairs bedroom, reached by a small set of steep narrow steps that Millie and I have trouble navigating.)
Birch trees and lake along Betsie Valley Trail
Noah, Dirck and I rode on the wonderfully scenic and flat, crushed gravel Betsie Valley Trail, all along the southern shore of Crystal Lake past cottages, most modest and old, some new and fancy, but this town feels refreshingly less posh than Harbor Springs or even Glen Arbor. The weather is perfect, sunny, 80s, with a breeze. We rode almost to Frankfort on the trail from Beulah and also rode a few miles the opposite direction into the woods on a rougher gravel trail.
Lunch was excellent deli fare at L’chaim Deli in small, unassuming downtown Beulah. Pastrami on rye, Rueben sandwich, a bagel sandwich with artichokes and peppered feta (the Jerusalem). There’s a few interesting little shops including an old head shop feeling place with lots of stones and jewelry with local stones, not only petosky stones but a green stone found in nearby Frankfort and a blue stone found in nearby Leland. I also learned about a quintessential Detroit stone, “Fordite” (the Detroit agate) so-called because it was made from old congealed paint from auto factories.
I swam In Crystal Lake, walking a half block to the public beach. Warm, shallow, sandy bottom and some risk of swimmers itch, same as 10 years ago, so I showered right after getting out and walking back here. Then off to Frankfort for a swim in Lake Michigan, also sandy, shallow for awhile, calm. We went over to the Point Betsie Lighthouse, a pretty old white brick tower attached to redbrick living quarters. I’m told the Betsie stems from a mispronunciation of a French word.
I bought cherry everything at the old-fashioned Cherry Hut a few minutes away. The waitresses wear white shirts with cherry red shirts that flare out at the waist. Excellent cherry pie, cherry preserves, dried cherries, cherry danish and at a produce shop next door I got real in-season cherries, a dark wine red. tonight we grilled fresh white fish from the famous Port City Smokehouse in the nearby bigger town of Frankfort. Michigan sweet corn is pretty good too!
We found a great place to stop for lunch en route to Crystal Lake in northern Michigan, a sophisticated little cafe called the Farmhouse in Douglas outside of saugatuck. Easy in, easy out, with a nice little area in the woods behind the bakery with picnic tables, perfect for dining with a dog on a leash. And very good sandwiches.
Frisbee by Crystal Lake
We had the mufaletta and turkey club and got a takeaway pasta casserole for dinner tonight that was delicious with corn, arugula, sausage, bacon, curly pasta and red sauces.
Nice evening settling into our funky old cottage in Beulah with an enormous screened-in wrap around porch, a huge yard for frisbee playing and picnic tables directly overlooking Crystal Lake. We sat outside in plastic Adirondack chairs and watched a spectacular sunset at 9 pm, the sky bright red and orange sinking into the water on the horizon.
Great to see a line out the door onto Cottage Grove at Black Cat, the ice cream shop relocated from a window at a downtown bar to a funky old building in the Drake neighborhood. The ice cream is pricey ($5 for a dish) and not quite as good as our local favorites (Bauders on Ingersoll Ave in DSM and Outside Scoop in Ankeny and Indianola) but can’t beat the location (a healthy walk for us from our house) and great for th neighborhood. I enjoyed trying out the comfy new swing in a pocket park down the street.
I loved summer camp as a kid (I know, I know, not everyone went to summer camp and of those who did, not everyone enjoyed it – my own childhood household was divided, two kids liked; two kids disliked) so the idea of a nostalgic old-school summer camp for adults sounds fun (my husband may not agree).
I wonder if they have horseback riding, canoeing, Native American dancing (once called “Indian dancing”), macramé, Petoskey stone polishing and Birch bark decoupage? Not to mention s’mores, pancakes cooked on a Dutch oven and old cabins in the woods. Or jumping off the dock to skinny dip. Anyway, here’s two clips from Midwest Living that caught my eye for future reference!
TakeBetsywithyou 