State of Michigan Travel Blog | Pure Michigan Blog

Manistee’s Annual Tight Lines for Troops Event

April 25, 2013

The 4^th Annual Tight Lines for Troops event is happening in Manistee, Michigan on May 18^th. Today, guest blogger Maralee Cook fills us in on what the day will entail.

Veterans from 165 communities across the state of Michigan will have the opportunity to land a record catch during Manistee’s 4^th Annual Tight Lines for Troops on Armed Forces Day, May 18. Take part in saluting them as they return to port, as well as enjoying a day of special events in downtown Manistee.

Sixty private and charter boat captains will donate their boats, crew and time to host 240 Vets for a day of fishing on Lake Michigan. Manistee County’s Explore the Shores program makes many of the fishing piers, beaches and the city’s Riverwalk universally accessible as well, for those additional 60 Vets who fish the Shore Division. Veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Panama, the Cold War, plus Vets from conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo and Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan are expected to join in the fun.

The boats, crew and Vets will head out on Lake Michigan from the Manistee River basin at dawn. While the Vets are fishing, downtown shopkeepers and business people will host a variety of activities and specials for the Vets’ families, including the Farmers Market, entertainment, SOS Cook-Off, Customs ‘N Classics Car Show, Art of the Military Art Exhibit, and more. At noon the fishing teams will return to the channel to make the two-mile trip upriver to Seng’s Marina on Manistee Lake, saluted by the welcoming cheers of thousands of flag-waving onlookers from the piers, Riverwalk and drawbridges.

Charter boat captain and event founder Bob Guenthardt, with the help of Manistee’s Little River Casino Resort, created Tight Lines for Troops to produce an event that would show appreciation and offer an entertaining day of fishing, fish tales and life stories. Manistee area boat captains and crews also have the chance to share their passion for fishing Lake Michigan’s premier fishing destination with Vets who might not otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy the experience.

Over 500 sponsors and volunteers contribute to the success of the program. Veterans pay no charter fees or entry fees. Residual proceeds from donations benefit the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Manistee County Veterans Endowment Fund and the Veterans Program at Brain Injury Association of Michigan. For more information, call the Manistee County Visitors Bureau at 877.626.4783 or visit www.visitmanisteecounty.com.

Maralee Cook is a freelance writer living in Manistee, Michigan.

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Five Stunning Pure Michigan Instagram Fan Photos from April

April 24, 2013

in Posts by Region

Pure Michigan fans share stunning photos year-round, and April has been no exception. If you follow Pure Michigan on Instagram, you’ve probably noticed that we feature a number of these fan photos each week. Here’s a roundup of just a few of our favorite photos that have been shared on Instagram over the last month.

For more, see our March Instagram roundup and be sure to follow Pure Michigan on Instagram.

Chapel Rock at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Photo by @pashanno:

A unique view of the Mackinac Bridge. Photo by @mikenapoletano:

The lighthouse at New Buffalo Beach. Photo by @stevenbrisson:

A beautiful South Haven sunset. Photo by @nremynse:

A view of Lake of the Clouds at Porcupine Mountains. Photo by @k_thomas7:

If you’re on Instagram, follow us @puremichigan! If you’d like us to share your photos from across the state, please tag them with #PureMichigan to give us permission to repost.

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Help Pure Michigan and Founders Brewing Co. Choose a Pure Michigan Beer Style

April 23, 2013

in Events

UPDATE: This contest has closed. Vanilla Stout will be featured on tap at Founders Brewing Co. this July. Thanks to everyone who voted!

With the craft beer craze continuing to sweep the state of Michigan and summer approaching, Pure Michigan and Founders Brewing Co. have teamed up to give fans and craft beer enthusiasts a chance to pick a Founders beer style that best represents Pure Michigan. Now through Friday, May 3, fans can vote on the beer style they want to see available in the Founders tap room – Vanilla Stout, Apple Ale or Wheat IPA. To vote, simply use the form below. Participants must be 21 years of age to vote.

The beer chosen by fans will be featured in the Founders tap room in downtown Grand Rapids throughout July as part of Michigan Craft Beer Month. For more details, visit michigan.org.

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Motorcycling the Leelanau Peninsula

April 22, 2013

in Guest Blogger,Outdoors

During the week, Brad Van Dommelen is president of the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau — but on weekends he loves to get on his Harley and explore the back roads of the Grand Traverse region. Here he shares one of his favorite rides: the beautiful Leelanau Peninsula.

One thing about riding a motorcycle: it teaches you that sometimes a ride is more than just a way to get from one place to another, that there are times when the journey is more important than the destination.

Of course, there are also those rare times when the journey and the destination are equally exciting. And that’s when you know you’ve found a biker’s paradise.

I’ve found that kind of riding experience here in the scenic countryside around Grand Traverse Bay. Roads that twist and bend around wooded hillsides, past lakes and bays of clear turquoise and deep blue, through towering sand dunes and small towns with rural “Up North” charm.

Traverse City, at the southern end of the bay, serves as a natural hub for this magnificent region, with a wide variety of lodging choices, restaurants, pubs, shopping and entertainment. And the area offers so many touring options that my toughest decision at first was choosing where to start. Fortunately, no matter which way you’re headed you’re almost guaranteed a great ride.

Just a short distance to the northwest, for example, M-22 provides a great day ride along the coastline of the beautiful Leelanau Peninsula. Heading north along the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay, there are picturesque villages like Suttons Bay, Omena and Northport with plentiful dining and shopping options, as well as the Indian community of Peshawbestown, home to the Leelanau Sands Casino.

Personally, I can’t help riding to the northernmost tip of the peninsula, where the Grand Traverse Lighthouse stands guard over the rocky shoals just has it has for nearly 150 years. There’s also a secluded Lake Michigan beach nearby at Christmas Cove, and some fine views from the high bluffs at Peterson Park.

From here, M-22 heads south again – this time along the peninsula’s Lake Michigan shore, through the lakeside village of Leland with its picturesque Fishtown district — a unique fishing port whose old shanties and sheds are now filled with galleries and gift shops. Just a few miles to the south, the road enters one of America’s most beautiful natural areas: the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. One of my favorite side trips here is the seven-mile Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive with its beautiful views of the lake and dunes. You might even stretch your legs with a climb up the dunes, though I don’t recommended trying this in riding boots!

One can’t-miss stop in the Sleeping Bear area is Cherry Republic in the village of Glen Arbor, the world’s largest exclusive retailer of cherry products. After all, the Traverse City area produces about 75 percent of the world’s tart cherries! I love browsing through their amazing stores. A few miles farther on, in the village of Empire, is a great public beach and a laid-back little restaurant, the Friendly Tavern, where I usually stop for a burger and some cold wet refreshment before picking up M-72 for a fast ride back to Traverse City.

The M-22 loop is a great way to see the edges of the Leelanau Peninsula, but it doesn’t begin to exhaust the wonders of that beautiful place. In fact, some of the best riding in the Traverse City area is on the interior roads that circle Lake Leelanau or the two Glen Lakes and pass through villages like Lake Leelanau, Cedar and Maple City. Here, as you wind your way among vineyards and orchards, the pace is more agricultural. (And there are lots of wineries offering tastings.)

Take it from me: riding the Leelanau Peninsula is a treat no biker will soon forget. But it will only whet your appetite to try other rides through this beautiful region. Maybe the Old Mission Peninsula? Antrim County’s beautiful Chain of Lakes? Hard to make choices here in Michigan’s True North.

Brad Van Dommelen is president of the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau, but he’s been riding motorcycles for many years, both on road and off road, starting at the young age of 10 with his Bonanza mini-bike. His current ride-of-choice is a 100^th anniversary edition 2003 Harley Fat Boy.

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Stocking Steelhead in the Red Cedar River (Part 2)

April 19, 2013

in Fishing,Guest Blogger,Outdoors

Last week, Elyse Walter of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources gave us a preview of what was in store for Michigan anglers in the East Lansing area in Part 1 of her post. Today, Elyse fills us in on details of the April 15^th event where 3,000 steelhead were stocked in the Red Cedar River at Michigan State University.

On Monday, April 15, nearly 3,000 steelhead (a variety of rainbow trout raised in captivity) were stocked in the Red Cedar River on Michigan State University’s campus. This activity marked an ordinance change by the MSU Board of Trustees this past December that now allows fishing on campus for the first time since the 1960s.

Because of this ordinance change, hook-and-line fishing is now allowed on the north bank of the Red Cedar River between the western edge of Brody Complex and the Sparty bridge. Previously the river was off limits for more than 50 years due to the entire campus of MSU being considered a preserve and therefore, hunting, fishing and gathering were off limits.

The steelhead stocking was conducted in an effort to enhance future angling opportunities on the Red Cedar. Numerous dignitaries were on hand to assist in the effort by dumping buckets of the six- to eight-inch-long steelhead fish directly into the river.

These dignitaries included: Sparty, MSU Trustee Dianne Byrum, MSU Acting Provost June Youatt, DNR Commissioner Tim Nichols, DNR Director Keith Creagh, Michigan Trout Unlimited’s Bryan Burroughs, Michigan United Conservation Clubs’ Amy Trotter, former DNR directors Howard Tanner and Gordon Guyer, and various MSU students and faculty.

Monday’s stocking occurred at the bridge located off the southeast corner of the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center’s parking ramp. The 3,000 steelhead that were released were part of the nearly 19 million fish the DNR will stock throughout the state this spring. The DNR uses stocking to restore, enhance and create new fishing opportunities in Michigan’s inland lakes, streams and the Great Lakes.

The steelhead recently put into the Red Cedar will now make their way to Lake Michigan and potentially return to the river to spawn in one to three years.

For interested anglers, fishing the Red Cedar River’s designated area will now be allowed during a three-year test period. Please note a fishing license is required to fish the Red Cedar River. If anglers plan to target trout and/or salmon they will need to purchase an All-Species license.

GO GREEN and pay MSU’s Red Cedar River a visit the next time you’re in town – you never know what you might catch!

Learn more about fishing opportunities around the state at michigan.org.

Elyse Walter is a communication specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. She specifically works with the DNR’s Fisheries Division to help educate and promote the state’s fishing opportunities and aquatic resources.

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