Glen Arbor/Glen Haven

May 20 - June 9

The past three weeks have been filled with meeting our coworkers, learning about Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in general, and, specifically, learning about the history of the 4 buildings we are docents at. We rotate between: the Cannery, which houses boats that historically would have been on the lake and surrounding waters; the Maritime Museum, home of the US Life Saving Station and boathouse where we tell about how the surfmen and keeper lived and the equipment they used; the DH Day museum, which tells the story of the most influential man in this village, and his ventures in logging, canning, tourism, conservation, and farming; and the Blacksmith Shop, where we explain the process as the volunteer blacksmith works. Matthew and I have signed up to apprentice and have our first introduction to blacksmithing next week. 

View of Pyramid Point and, very faintly, on the left is the North Manitou Shoal Light (The Crib)

The Cannery window; our first 2 weeks here everything was swarmed with non-biting, nevertheless annoying, midges

The US Life Saving Station and boathouse

The beach is home to the endangered piping plovers (can you see it?), who lay their eggs amongst the rocks on the beach. 

Demonstrating the breeches buoy rescue

Model of the breeches buoy in action

Killdeer babies have hatched from their nest on the boat rail tracks behind the boathouse, mom in front and baby to the back left

Fawn left along fence of boathouse while mom is off foraging - this isn't zoomed in 

Surfboats and surfcar above in the Maritime Museum boathouse

The forge

The blacksmith made this for a visitor

On our days off we explore the park by car and by hiking

View of dunes off Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive

View off Stocking Road 

North Bar Lake 

The dune on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. If they have to rescue you it could cost $3,000

Alders 

South Manitou Island and the Crib viewed from Pyramid Point

The meadow hike from Pyramid Point

The dune rising behind Matthew

Those white dots are seagulls - this, Pyramid Point, is the steepest dune we've seen

Alder growing into another tree

Fog rolling in over Pyramid Point

Sometimes we just hung out at our campsite

Or we'll explore the village of Glen Arbor and shop in Traverse City

????

Signs from the Cherry Republic Brewery and Restaurant

We are good at following directions

The Cherry IPA was yummy

We enjoyed a beach fire on Cathy's last week with us 

And celebrated the 40th anniversary of our first date with live music at St Ambrose Brewery

And came home to this