Author Archives: mfyancey

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TART Trail to Suttons Bay

Aug
14
2020
by mfyancey | 5 Comments

What a beautiful morning for a bike ride along the TART trail to Suttons Bay!  The TART trail starts in Traverse City, but we chose a trail head closer to Suttons Bay, at Fouch Rd, only 11 miles each way.  The trail winds through farm land, hay fields, and orchards.  It is paved smooth and is off the busy roads, ideal for families and all […]

Posted in Northwest Michigan Tagged , , |
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Perseids Meteor Shower

Aug
13
2020
by mfyancey | 2 Comments

Rose and I went in search of the meteor shower last night.  We went to the Interlochen State Park boat launch on Green Lake and sat on the dock.  We had moderate success.  We saw about 5 in an hour.  We were looking southwest, perhaps not the best direction, but that was where the sky was the darkest.  Northeast points us directly at Traverse City […]

Posted in Northwest Michigan Tagged |
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Bohemian Lavender Farm

Aug
09
2020
by mfyancey | 1 Comment

It was a lovely day to visit the Bohemian Lavender Farm just outside Maple City.  The farm is off Shimek Rd, down a dirt drive to the  barn.  It was a lovely setting for lavender.   The French lavender was in full bloom.  Bees were everywhere, but so busy with the lavender they had no time to bother anyone.  Small artistic details were scattered around the […]

Posted in Northwest Michigan Tagged |
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A Lovely Morning Paddle

Aug
09
2020
by mfyancey | 1 Comment

We headed out to the lake last weekend with a couple friends from OCC.  Neither had been out yet this year, so it was great they joined us.  Here are some of the things we saw. A pair of ducks feeding along the shore.   This tern was looking for breakfast. The water lilies are magnificent this year.   Lots of shore birds   Even an […]

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Quiet Morning on the Lake

Jul
22
2020
by mfyancey | 1 Comment

We’ve been away for a couple weeks.  We finally got out on the lake yesterday morning and found it to be very quiet.  Gone were all the boats of the holiday weekend, but gone, too, was much wildlife.  It was later in the morning than our usual time, so maybe that was it.  Still, there was a lot of beauty to be seen. The water […]

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Treat Farm Trail – Sleeping Bear Dunes

Jul
04
2020
by mfyancey | 0 Comments

The Treat Farm Trail is not one of the highly publicized trails in Sleeping Bear Dunes, but one of my favorites.  The link above takes you to the SBD site describing the trail. At the trail head, there is another farm that is always very neat and tidy.  Here are some of the barns and out-buildings. After walking 0.7 mile or so through the woods […]

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Back to the Lake

Jul
04
2020
by mfyancey | 1 Comment

We made it back to the lake last weekend.  It is so good to see all the familiar sights of the lake; the birds, turtles, snakes, water lilies, and all the rest. This post covers three trips to the lake spread over about a week. Click on any image to enlarge it. First up, turtles. The turtles are abundant this year, but some mornings there […]

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Trilliums

May
28
2020
by mfyancey | 8 Comments

It is trillium season in northern Michigan.  Here are some photos from one of my favorite places for trilliums. This steep bank is full of trilliums every year.             Mark

Posted in Northwest Michigan Tagged |
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Finally on the Lake

May
28
2020
by mfyancey | 5 Comments

We were finally able to get our kayaks in the lake.  The sun was warm and the water was pretty calm.  We got out Monday evening and again Wednesday morning.  I’ve got lots to share. We found a green-winged teal standing on a downed branch.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen one up here.  They are described as “Small blotchy duck.  Breeding males have a […]

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Cross Country Skiing at Sleeping Bear Dunes

Feb
16
2020
by mfyancey | 7 Comments

It has been a beautiful day in northern Michigan.  We had a bit of fresh snow overnight, the temperature is in the upper 20s, and the sun is shining brightly.  We went cross country skiing this morning at the Old Indian Trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes.  Here’s the web link to their site.  https://www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/trailoldindian.htm.  We did the green arrow loop.  It has lots of small […]

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