Cadillac

Our 500th Blog Post: Let’s Take a Trip

January 31, 2012

in Northeast,Northwest,Outdoors,Posts by Region

Michigan celebrated a big birthday in January, and this blog’s 500th post gives another great excuse for cake! In honor of the milestone, we looked at roads less traveled and came up with a 500-mile (OK, 504 miles) “Top O’ The Mitten To Ya” road trip that encompasses all the natural beauty and relaxation of Pure Michigan.

Start in Muskegon, home to Michigan’s Adventure Amusement and Waterpark. If the season’s not right for the “Shivering Timbers” rollercoaster (or Muskegon’s 27 miles of beach), explore life as an old-timey lumber baron at the Hackley and Hume Historic Site.

Heading north will lead you to the beaches, trails, lighthouses and dunes of beautiful Ludington, where you (and your car) can cruise Lake Michigan aboard a real steamship. While a honey badger might not care, the S.S. Badger does.

Next, head northeast to Manistee – home to quaint Victorian shops, the world-class Arcadia Bluffs golf course and Little River Casino. Manistee County is also one of the best places in the world for rainbow trout and salmon fishing.

Again heading north, stop in at the Sleeping Bear Dunes Natural Lakeshore. Encompassing 35 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, Sleeping Bear Lakeshore is also home to an 1871 lighthouse and an extensive rural historic farm district.

Now, head east, with a quick detour north to the wine country of Suttons Bay. You won’t find a parking meter or stoplight, but you will find art, antiques and Ciccone Vineyard & Winery, owned by the family of a little-known entertainer by the name of Madonna.

Head south again for Traverse City. Grand Traverse Bay is a four-season destination, featuring 180 miles of sugar sand shoreline and extensive snowmobile and ski trails. Chances are good you’ll find cherry everything, among other delicious eats.

Continue northeast towards Charlevoix, where you can catch a ride on the Beaver Island Ferry and Petoskey, known for its fresh air, historic architecture and lending its name to Michigan’s state stone.

From Petoskey, head south towards the charming Alpine delights of Gaylord, and Grayling, for canoeing, kayaking, fishing on the AuSable and Manistee rivers, and snowboarding, sledding and ice skating in the winter. Grayling is even a great place for downhill skiing.

Head southwest towards the Traverse City Forest, and on to Cadillac. In the winter, Cadillac offers 200 miles of groomed snowmobile trails and 34 downhill ski runs with over 485 feet of vertical drop. Year-round, Cadillac offers 90,000 acres of state and national forest.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and this trip winds down in Big Rapids. One of Michigan’s better-kept secrets, Big Rapids offers swimming in the summer, gorgeous color in the fall, snowshoe trekking in the winter and lakefront picnic ground in the spring.

{ 6 comments - Read and add your own }

Connect with your Facebook Account

2012 North American International Auto Show Preview

January 10, 2012

in Events,Southeast

The 2012 North American International Auto Show opens to the public this weekend in Detroit, where you can check out more than 500 vehicles on display. The public event runs from January 14 – 22. Be sure to check out the Pure Michigan booth on the first floor of the show and head down a level to visit the Pure Michigan Ride and Drive Track–a quarter-mile indoor ride-and-drive test track surrounded by landscaped and forested terrain, where visitors can take a ride in electric and hybrid vehicles. We’ll have more on Pure Michigan at the show later this week.

Today, check out a quick summary of new vehicles and announcements from Detroit’s big three automakers – General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

General Motors
GM began its announcements on Sunday with the reveal of the Cadillac ATS, a sports sedan built on the legacy of the acclaimed CTS-V Series. The vehicle’s dynamics were refined during countless hours of racetrack testing and Cadillac expects the sedan to rival Europe’s finest vehicles.

On Monday, Chevrolet introduced two concept vehicles aimed at the next-generation of car buyers, the Code 130R and the Tru 140S. Chevrolet will take these concepts to major auto shows and other events and venues and use social media tools to gather feedback from young car buyers – in fact, people under 30 represent 40 percent of today’s potential car-buying public.

Just today, Buick introduced the 2013 Buick Encore, a luxury small crossover that has Buick’s signature styling, along with refined interior acoustics. The Encore will begin arriving at U.S. Buick dealerships in the first quarter of 2013.

Ford
During its press conference at Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings and right next to the Auto Show’s home of Cobo Arena, Ford unveiled its all-new 2013 Ford Fusion, a midsize sedan that will offer gasoline, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, each with expected top fuel economy. The car also has some helpful technologies such as a Lane Keeping System to keep you in proper lane position and Active Park Assist to help you parallel park.

Today, the Lincoln brand introduced the Lincoln MKZ Concept, a four-seat vehicle that shows the next step in Lincoln’s reinvention. Many of the team members begin working this year in a new Lincoln Design Studio in Dearborn, which began construction in early 2011 and will house more than 180 employees in a creative space.

Chrysler
On Monday, Chrysler introduced the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart, a compact sedan that is Chrysler’s first vehicle built on the Fiat Group architecture. It offers 12 exterior colors, 14 interior color and trim options, three powerful, fuel-efficient engines and three transmission choices for plenty of customization. Production of the 2013 Dodge Dart will begin in the second quarter of 2012.

Check out some photos from the show floor in our Flickr gallery below, and be sure to like the Pure Michigan Car Culture page on Facebook for more automotive news.

{ 4 comments - Read and add your own }

Connect with your Facebook Account

How did Michigan Cities Get Their Names? Part 5

December 23, 2011

in Michigan City Names

We’re happy to share with you another post in our ongoing series of how cities in Michigan got their names. Here is the naming history of five more cities, including one city whose founders’ clever thinking was able to get their city named as county seat. In case you missed them, here are Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

Marquette is surrounded by its past but also by new shops displaying artwork, restaurants serving whitefish, symphonies playing in restored historic structures, and theaters highlighting local and national talent.

Marquette

The city of Marquette was founded with a different name. It was first called Worchester by a group of miners from a city by that name in Massachusetts. In 1850, the city was renamed to honor French Jesuit missionary Jaques Marquette, who famously explored the region.

Livonia

The area that is now Livonia was known for its rich soil and abundant harvests, attracting pioneers from New England. It’s believed they named the area after cities of similar names in New York state, Pennsylvania and, possibly, after a region near the Baltic sea comprising present day Estonia and Latvia.

Saginaw

The Sauk Indians originally lived in the Saginaw area before being driven out by the Ojibwe, or Chippewa Indians. The name, however, stuck. Saginaw is believed to mean “where the Sauk were.” The first permanent settlement by those other than the Native Americans began in 1815 on the banks of the Saginaw River.

Temperance

Originally named Bedford Center in 1859, “Temperance” was suggested by one of the founding land father’s wives, who was a member of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. A petition was sent around, and the name was changed to Temperance. As you might imagine, the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages was prohibited for some time.

Cadillac

The name Cadillac comes from Native American language as “Kautawabet” meaning “Broken Tooth,” after a Potawatamie chief who signed the Great Peace Treaty of 1825. The city was first organized in 1872 and called Clam Lake Village, but a dispute with the village of Sherman ensued over which city would hold the county seat. A group of politicians thought to change the name to Cadillac, after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, an early Michigan explorer and founder of Detroit. Changing the name tricked the legislators, and Cadillac became the “new” county seat.

{ 10 comments - Read and add your own }

Connect with your Facebook Account

Fortune Bay Expedition Team’s Biking Journey

September 20, 2010

in Biking,Guest Blogger,Northwest,Outdoors,Posts by Region,West Central

As the fall season pushes forward, so do Michigan’s adventurers. Chuck Hayden and his group of bikers did just that, bicycling over 80 miles through Michigan trails. Enjoy Chuck’s account of this adventure here with Pure Michigan Connect!

It was difficult to hear each other over the crunching roar of bike tires and gravel. As we rode in formation, I watched the numbers slowly increase on my bike’s computer odometer. I looked up and to my right to glance at Ryan as he slowly pushed the pedals. Although it didn’t look like he was struggling, I could sense his fatigue. He was pulling a trailer with over one hundred pounds of gear. He was quiet. He starred at the ground just ahead of him. We were all quiet.