My sister had never been to the Leelanau “ghost town” of Isadore, and I have never seen it livelier! One of the old barns is actually getting a new metal roof!
Then, when my sister wanted to get a closer look at the church we saw the priest going in. There were people praying, the scent of candles in the air, and it was obvious that a mass was in preparation at Holy Rosary. On Saturday evening there will be a music program in the auditorium.
Across the road is a sweet little place that can be rented by the week. Vacationing in Isadore would be peaceful and intriguingly different.
Next we sought out another formerly busy settlement, Port Oneida. Here is my sister, taking in the view from the top of the Basch Road hill. At our feet the first asters were blooming. The long, meandering road downhill through the forest was like drifting beneath the surface of a quiet, green sea.
We had a picnic on another bit of high ground along Pierce Stocking Drive. My pear twisted its neck in astonishment. Or something!
After viewing North Bar Lake and Pyramid Point from a gull's perspective, we came down to earth and strolled along the sidewalks of Empire through a light sprinkle, but I know my sister will be taking her husband back to Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, where there is a whole world of nature and history to explore.
12 comments:
This is so great! I love Sleeping Bear, and I would love to spend several days over there immersing myself in the historic sites. I have a gift for going there with people who want to climb the dune. A worthy outing, but . . .
This would be a great response to Scott Thomas's "travel photography" assignment.
http://stphoto.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/assignment-8-travel-photography/
We didn't climb the dune, Gerry. With my recently "bad" foot, we didn't even do any serious hiking, though the trails everywhere in the Lakeshore are wonderful. (I've never done dunes trails but love the woodsy hike from Stocking Drive and going up and down fields above Thoreson Farm.) One afternoon is definitely not long enough. A whole week would be good! Anyway, fall will be here soon, and fall is a gorgeous time for Sleeping Bear.
Thanks for the mini-vacation, Pamela!
Glad you could come along, Susan.
So where did my sister and brother-in-law go today? Just where I thought they'd go--Sleeping Bear!
Haven't been to Sleeping Bear in a long time...would love to go again. Thanks for taking me along on your adventure, it looks wonderful. I agree, staying in a ghost town for a week would be really interesting and hopefully peaceful.
Looks like you had fun! By the way, did you get high speed Internet? Did everyone in your area get it?
It was fun, Dawn. Never enough sister time, never enough Sleeping Bear time, so every moment is precious.
Kathy, we don't have high-speed at home, but there are various spots around Northport, including library and marina, so I manage.
“The hamlet of Isadore lies near the geographic center of Leelanau County. At no time, past or present, has it consisted of more than the church buildings and a few farm dwellings and outbuildings. The church stands on the summit of a sun- and wind-swept hill. On all sides the land slopes away in pasture, woodlot and crop fields. There are woods to the south and northwest; and, a mile to the west, a long, narrow, cedar swamp—actually a continuation of the great cedar swamp at the foot of Lake Leelanau.” – Lawrence Wakefield, Mystery of the Missing Nun & Other True Murder Tales of the Grand Traverse Region (1977)
What a lovely and apparently peaceful place, I am sure I would love to be there. It reminds me of my own favorite place in Denmark. Thank you for showing it.
Thank you for visiting. I enjoyed your photos of Jutland and Copenhagen as well.
Just the name of Leelanau “ghost town” of Isadore interest me. It looks like you and your sister had a great time exploring this place.
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