Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

That little piece of dune you can see in the photo to the left, just past the veranda of the adjoining building, is part of the Sleeping Bear dunes. The three of us girls decided to take a drive over to the dunes to drive - not walk - up to the scenic overlooks.

I suited up in layers for the trip: tank top, long-sleeved t-shirt, windbreaker, scarf, coat, and for good measure, I took along my fleece lap robe. Pretty much ready for any conditions.

The national lakeshore was a reasonably short drive from LeBear. We stopped at the gate to pay for admission. Gail searched in vain for her national park pass, so at the park ranger's suggestion, Jane purchased a new one. "Leave them in your glove box, next time!" he advised.

On the way up the dune, we passed through this little covered bridge over a leafy gully. Jane read in the tour brochure that bridges were covered for maintenance reasons: weather and outdoor conditions deteriorated wooden bridges, and it was easier to replace the bridge's roof than repair the bridge itself; hence, covered bridges.

 Jane consultes the tour brochure at the Glen Lake overlook.

Notice the multiple colors in the lake. This photo doesn't do the colors justice.

Jane and Gail Sterling at the Glen Lake overlook. The fall colors made the view extra-beautiful.

Notice in the lower left-hand corner of this photo how the sand seems out of focus? That's because the wind was tearing across the dune as we walked the short distance from the car to the Lake Michigan overlook. Fortunately, I was wearing my Yasser Arafat-esque keffiyeh scarf (from Banana Republic!) and could wind it around my head and over my face. Even so, we had about three pounds of sand in our shoes, hair, teeth, and ears when we got home.

This is the Lake Michigan overlook. Again, the picture doesn't do justice to the view, or to the velocity of the wind. As you can see below, the lake was absolutely gorgeous - every color of blue and green imaginable.

I took this picture from the Lake Michigan overlook (you can see its shadow on the lower-right side of the photo). If you look closely, you'll see some idiot in red on top of the dune "flying" like Kate Winslet  on the bow of the Titanic.

This is the view in the other direction.

This was our last stop on the tour: the North Bar Lake overlook.