Best bets to see Mother Nature unveil her splendid palette

Autumn in Northern Michigan is a season of gold and crimson celebration – a time to enjoy our region’s bold and natural beauty.

And we do.

From two-track trails to city thoroughfares, from bicycle lanes to the paths less traveled, we wander in search of that one special place that beckons our return year after year because a mere glance might steal away our breath.

We all have one – that place where scene and setting combine to touch us in a certain way. Little gems of geography we often think of as our very own.

But sometimes the best of these picturesque gems aren’t hidden at all.

Take it from Rob Schult of Lewiston, who owns and maintains a fleet of glistening stainless-steel tankers, hauling milk from farm to dairy. While Schult has regular occasion to travel the farm roads and country lanes across Northeast Michigan and into the Upper Peninsula, the place that beckons him when the state’s horizon ablaze is far from secret. In fact, it’s arguably the most-traveled road in the north.

“On I-75, when you get to the area north of Wolverine, you are at the highest elevation in the Lower Peninsula,” said Schult. “You’re at the top of Michigan. You have maples and you have the long-distance views. You aren’t going to get views any better than that.”

Unlike that sacred fishing hole, that secret berry patch or the hallowed hollow from which we pluck morels, autumn’s splendor is a bounty for the heart – not the hand. It is a visual harvest given us to share. This is Michigan after all, where across the state and across the street stunning scenes surround us.

These splendid early days of autumn we seek that undiscovered panorama on display. Shame to keep it a secret. When you find such a special place, mention it to a neighbor, tell a friend, show a loved one on a drive, a bike ride or a hike.

In other words, announce it to the world as we do here – with an occasional assist from some friends:

The Big Loop
(328 miles, 2-3 days)

This is where going in circles really pays off. And do yourself a favor: Take it slow and easy. You can make this trip in one long day, but then you’d miss so much to see and do along the way.

Start by heading north on the Sunrise Coastal Highway (US-23) out of Tawas. Lunch in Alpena (63.28 miles into the trip) before a visit to the Thunder Bay Underwater Preserve, then head up through Presque Isle and past the New Presque Isle Lighthouse, at 113 feet, the tallest structure on the Great Lakes.

Continue on to Rogers City – home to the world’s largest limestone quarry along more than 50 miles of spectacular, undeveloped wilderness en route to Cheboygan. Pamper yourself over dinner at the Chateau Lodge Restaurant (see Page 50 for a True North review).

Spend the night at an intimate B&B, one of dozens of motels or a campsite around Mackinaw City, where there’s plenty of shops and sightseeing to do. At the tip of the mitt – precisely halfway on this journey – you’ll hang a hard left off US-23 and head south on I-75.

Be careful not to get rear-ended as you slow to enjoy the scenery. Some travelers may want to hang a left in Gaylord and take M-32 across through Johannesburg, Atlanta, Hillman and Herron before reaching Alpena. But we recommend staying south on I-75 for lunch in Grayling at Spike’s Keg O’Nails – if only for the best cheeseburger in the North. There’s also a great picnic stop at Hartwick Pines State Park just north of Grayling (about 85 miles south of Mackinaw City).

After lunch, continue south on I-75 to West Branch, and reserve a few hours for some shopping at the Tanger Outlet Mall. At West Branch, you’ll hang a left for the last 38 miles through lush farmland in Ogemaw and Iosco counties before reaching the end of your journey in Tawas and the standard perch dinner that awaits you at any of a number of great eateries.

Au Sable River Valley Tour
(58 miles, 2-4 hours)

Start in the Oscoda County town of Mio and make a 58-mile loop in a tour that offers far more than spectacular autumn colors, according to Phil Huber of Mio.

The self-guided tour provides an abundance of scenery, complete with diverse wildlife and plenty of hiking opportunities.

“It is a nice loop. Once you get about six miles east of M-33, you start to get into hardwoods – aspen, maples and oaks,” said Huber, a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service.

“There is a ruffed grouse walk and there are some river overlooks so you can maybe see eagles or ducks. There are interpretive signs out there and everything,” Huber added, suggesting extra time be allowed to see all the sights.

“It is pretty much all wild land. Plus, you can stop along the river at the auto tour sites, so there is a lot more to do than just see the colors,” he said.

In fact, the tour has 12 specific stops that are identified with the Watchable Wildlife Logo. Several of these stops have scenic overlooks of the Au Sable River, home to river otters, eagles, great blue herons and other wildlife.

For a map and more information, visit the U.S. Forest Service Web site: www.fs.fed.us/r9/hmnf/pages/warbauto.htm.

‘Surround Sounds’ Drive and Hike Tour
(75 miles, 4-6 hours)

Fuel up with a Paul Bunyan Sandwich or the Chicken Especiale at Tait’s Bill of Fare, on East Dwight Street, in Oscoda, as Peggy Ridgeway does before turning her attention further north along US-23 to Harrisville. There, she hangs a left on M-72, for about 20 miles.

To Ridgeway, president of the Michigan Audubon Society, the country drive – with its mix of hardwood forest and open farmland – is one of the best in Northeast Michigan. But Ridgeway added she would stop along the way at one of the best-kept secrets in the North: the Reid Lake Foot Travel Area.

“It is spectacular in the fall,” said Ridgeway. “There are hardwoods and softwoods on both sides of the trail that sweep across in a tall canopy. It is a beautiful place to visit.”

That canopy delivers what Ridgeway refers to as “the surround sounds” of nature, made all the more pleasant by the flaming fall colors.

Located 19 miles west of Harrisville on M-72, Reid Lake awaits at the end of a one-mile trail, but the area offers a multitude of hiking options varying in length and difficulty. Allow at least two hours for the shortest trail.

Once back in the car, continue west on M-72 to M-65 and turn left (south) through the Huron National Forest to F-30 near Glennie. Hang a left, continuing through the forest to the lakeside village of Greenbush, turning left again for the final five miles northbound on US-23 to Harrisville.

The River Runs Through It
(67 miles, 2-4 hours)

Jim Estes, a field man for the United States Department of Agriculture, Iosco County, spends his work days traveling farm to farm. But Estes doesn’t hesitate to reveal a wooded, farmless road as his favorite for fall travel: “River Road, along the Au Sable.”

Winding its way westward from Oscoda to M-65 south of Five Channels Dam, River Road parallels the Au Sable River, providing scenic vistas and natural solitude, according to Estes.

“As a matter of fact, it is a nationally designated scenic drive. It is gorgeous looking out over the Au Sable, and there a couple of scenic overlooks along the way,” said Estes, listing Lumberman’s Monument, the Canoer’s Memorial and Largo Springs as possible stopping points along the route.

Stay south on M-65 through Hale to M-55, and hang a left toward Tawas Bay for refreshments, lunch or dinner at Pier 23 – better known to the locals as simply “The Pier.” Estes calls it a must-stop, because all that sightseeing along the river can build up a mighty hunger.

Circular Sensations
(32 miles, 2-4 hours)

Count Brian Hutchins and Dick Fultz among the lucky ones. Rarely a day goes by from April to November that these biking buddies don’t hop on their bicycles and pedal around Higgins Lake.

One of the most beautiful lakes in the world, Higgins really shows off in autumn, when the maples and oaks along its shores begin to change colors.

“It’s just spectacular, a gem in the whole world,” said Fultz, 55, who owns The Bicycle Shop in Grayling.

Hutchins, retired from Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources, advises making the route clockwise because the bike paths are a little wider in spots where traffic might be a little heavier.

There are plenty of places to stop and replenish your body with the calories you just worked off.

“They call it the ice-cream run,” Fultz said. “There are three or four places to stop around the lake.”

Hutchins recommends a bite to eat at the Silver Dollar Bar and Restaurant on West Higgins Lake Drive and Nibbles, for ice cream, on East Higgins Lake Drive, about a half-mile from the beach, which can be very welcoming after pedaling for three hours – even in September.

Coastal Beauty
(95 miles, 3-5 hours)

In a career patrolling Northeastern Michigan’s roads and highways, retired State Trooper Allan Walbecq knows where to look for certain things. And on his annual autumn color tour, he never misses a chance to head south from his Alpena home to another great hidden gem, the Negwegon State Park, an undeveloped area open for hunting and hiking and perfect for brisk walk in the woods.

The park’s terrain is a mixture of lowland areas, with small ridges. It’s a mature pine forest with plenty of colorful hardwoods and aspen and some pockets of open meadows mixed in.

Try Walbecq’s roundabout route to the park from Alpena by heading west on M-32 to M-65 south all the way to M-72 at the northern edge of the Huron National Forest. Hang a left on M-72, heading east through the forest to US-23 in Harrisville. Turn left (north) and meander along the Coastal Highway through Alcona and Black River before reaching Negwegon. Now you’re ready to get out of the car and stretch.

After a pleasant walk in the park, continue driving north. By now, you’ve worked up an appetite, and, since cops know where to find good food, too, take Walbecq’s advice and stop at Connie’s Cafe in Ossineke before concluding this pleasant journey back in Alpena just a few miles north.

The Back Way
(10 miles, 20 minutes to two hours)

Pam Weaver, secretary for the Gladwin County Road Commission, had lunch in mind when she suggested her favorite fall drive – a winding loop leading the autumn sightseer past Secord Dam and along some scenic wooded back roads.

Turning east off M-30 at Secord Dam Road, about seven miles north of M-61, north on Three Rivers Road, east on Bowmanville Road and back north on Wildwood Road, will return you to M-30 south of West Branch.

“You have a particularly good view of Secord Lake right there at the dam,” said Weaver, noting you will glimpse views of the backwaters several times along the route.

“It is all pretty wild through there, with a lot of trees. And they are good roads,” she said, adding that many of he gravel roads en route can be inviting and worthwhile on a color tour.

“When you turn on Bowmanville Road, you are going to go right past Lost Arrow Resort. Stop there for lunch – the view off their deck is great that time of year,” said Weaver.

Lakeside ‘cottage’ always seems to draw a crowd

The tiny cottage Charlie and Linda Ash bought on the western shore of Houghton Lake was once part of a summer resort – one of several cabins in a tidy row; the last before reaching the lake. The neighboring lakeside lot they later purchased had served the resort’s vacationing renters who swarmed its beach in summer’s pursuits – swimming, fishing and boating in the warm water of the state’s largest inland lake.

That was 1970, the year the two were married.

Now grown to three generations, the Ash family recently tore down its beachside bungalow – the last of the original cabins – building in its place a party palace nearly 10 times larger than the cottage it replaced.

Other than that, life at the former resort hasn’t really changed all that much.

“It’s nothing to find people all over the lawn on a holiday weekend,” said Linda Ash, who still refers to the spacious vacation retreat as “the cottage.”

And everybody’s welcome. Lakeside living is about people and lifestyle as much as it is the view from all those windows. The Ashes have it all.

“You couldn’t ask for a better relationship with neighbors,” Linda Ash added. “It seems like everybody ends up down here.”

Located on a narrow jut of land bordered on two sides by canals and a third by the lake, the vacation getaway is a veritable lakeside community center – a place where neighbors gather to enjoy each other’s company and the exceptional view.

“All the neighbors have been coming up here as long as we have,” said Charlie Ash, an attorney from Plymouth whose family spends nearly every summer weekend on the lakeshore.

Among those neighbors are Barb Cook and Phyllis Simon, both of Lansing. Weekend tenants of the old resort, they purchased a cottage when the resort’s owner retired.

“My daughter was the baby of the group when we started coming up here and she is going to be 40 (this year),” said Cook. “The kids grew up here.”

“We could tell you some stories about what it has been like,” Simon added. “We raised everyone together.”

Simon said vacation planning for the youngsters includes compiling lists – drawing up rosters to see who else will be Up North. It can be a long list.

The Ashes have twin daughters, Cari and Amy, 30, and a son, Paul, 22. There are also Charlie’s fishing buddies – five granddaughters ranging in age from 3 to 11.

And while Cook and Simon have six grown children each, their most recent generation counts 18 members combined.

When the weather is nice, most are likely to be found here – on the Ashes’ front lawn – entertained by a youth talent show, taking part in the perpetual volleyball game or enjoying grilled delights.

“Just find a table with some food and take a seat,” Linda Ash said, explaining the lakeside tradition.

Of course it could rain – forcing the entourage to duck for cover. Inside or out, there is not much difference in the view of the lake.

“The best part about it is you can see the lake from any place in the cottage,” said Ash. “And it is beautiful in the morning and late in the afternoon. There isn’t any place in the cottage (where) you can’t have a great view.”

With windows taller than six feet and transom windows above those, the 10-foot walls of glass on the main floor provide a wide-open vista of the lake.

“That is what is nice about having water on three sides. We wanted to keep it as open as possible,” said Charlie Ash. “The high ceiling accomplished that while saving space for upstairs.”

A separate sunroom, a radial bay surrounded by glass, allows for solitude while preserving the panorama. Next to that is Linda Ash’s favorite room – a reading nook, complete with a gas-log fireplace and its own wet bar – the perfect exile for those cool post-Labor Day afternoons and evenings.

“When it is cold and icy outside, you can crank that fireplace up,” Linda Ash said. “We have good napping couches everywhere.”

With cherry woodwork adding richness and colonial columns and trim lending formal style, casual furnishings blend well with the lakeside setting. And while final decor is a work in progress, the Ashes know where they are headed with that.

“We plan to decorate in an outdoor theme,” said Charlie Ash, pointing to an appropriate picture of ducks landing on open water. “We don’t want it too rustic, but we like the outdoor, the Up North theme.”

An attorney with the Southfield law firm Sommers Schwartz, Charlie Ash said he will probably never completely retire. That is the thought behind another unique room – with glass on three sides, the only solid wall in his office contains a floor-to-ceiling bookcase. The room is certainly inviting – if not to work, then to take in the view.

And while lake-view preservation was what they sought, a tour of the kitchen provides other clues to the home’s design.

“For 35 years, the whole cottage was about the size our kitchen is now, and we used to put our whole family in it,” said Linda Ash.

With four bedrooms and six beds, Charlie Ash called the current accommodations limitless.

“We put in extra-thick carpet pads, so that should not be a problem,” he said, adding that before, invited guests couldn’t sleep in the house. “We used to have tents all over the yard.”

Not any longer.

At nearly 6,000 square feet, the cottage will likely handle all the guests the Ashes invite. And comparing the structure’s nearly $700,000 price tag with the original purchase price of two lots and a cottage for under $20,000 total, Charlie Ash can appreciate how lakeside property values have grown.

That the house is everything they envisioned is no surprise, according to Linda Ash, recalling that original drawings of the home were details and designs her husband sketched on napkins and scrap paper.

“Eventually we ended up at the architects’ and they pulled it all together. It helped that Bob had the same vision we did,” said Charlie Ash, speaking of builder Bob Brotebeck of Houghton Lake.

“It is not your typical Up North home,” said Brotebeck. “We could not have gotten a larger house on the lot. It is almost like a fish bowl. It’s all glass and it’s wide open to the whole lake. They have a very unique area back there.
“And they all get along so well. That is what is so unique about it.”

Don’t tell that to Charlie and Linda Ash and their neighbors. They really don’t know any different.

“It is the way it’s always been,” said Charlie. “We’re like one big family on the weekends around here.”

Imported autumn: Fixin’ to rake some leaves

So there we were, lawn tools in hand, getting a little yard work done, when our suburban Dallas neighbor – we called him Bubba and he didn’t seem to mind at all – looked over and asked, rather incredulously, “What’re y’all doin’?”

“We’re raking up our leaves,” we said, beaming.

“Leaves?” he asked.

“Yes, from trees,” my wife, Jo Ann, told him.

“Trees?” he asked, looking at the only two excuses for trees in our front yard, little ornamental things that would stay green all year long, even when the grass turned in early October. That’s how you can tell it’s fall in Texas – the grass goes from green to a dull shade of brown.

“From Michigan,” I explained. “These are leaves from trees back home. Up North. Aren’t they beautiful?”

“Ah giss,” he said, meaning, I think, “I guess,” though I was never quite certain of anything he said. I didn’t stay long enough to learn to speak Texan, leaving well before the y’alls and fixin’-tos kicked in.

Truth be told, in the four years we spent in Dallas before returning to Michigan in 2001, there were some things about home that we never stopped missing. One of them was the change of seasons, especially summer to autumn. Which is why every fall a box would arrive on our doorstep, delivered by UPS. Sent by relatives, it was packed with leaves.

Now as anybody who has been lucky enough to rake the yard knows – and trust me when I say you shouldn’t complain about that job until you no longer have to do it – you can pack a huge pile of leaves into your average 55-gallon trash bag. So imagine how many were jammed into a book box.

The thrill began as soon as we opened it up and caught a whiff of home among the myriad colors. From shades of ornate gold to deep, spectacular crimson to beautiful burnt orange – a particular favorite among the University of Texas (Hook ’em Horns) alums – they lit a lawn preparing to hibernate for the few short months of fall and winter.

Bubba never did quite understand what we were up to, and we never felt compelled to explain. All that mattered to us was that while a lot of our friends and family were hitting the road for their annual color tours, we at least got to rake some leaves into a big pile, kick our feet through them and listen to them swish and crunch and crackle, then do it again. Best of all was teaching the kids in the neighborhood how much fun a pile of leaves could be.

Whoever said absence makes the heart grow fonder must have been as homesick as we were after four years. Since returning, we’ve learned to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of each Michigan season.

There’s something mighty special – as they say in Texas – about September in Northern Michigan, when Mother Nature goes psychedelic with all those colors. It’s not enough to look out the window and be thankful that our world is an image on a postcard. We feel compelled to hop in the car, ride our bikes or take a hike to drink in as much of this beauty as our senses can handle – like nourishment that will sustain us through another winter until the buds appear on the trees again, and we whisper to ourselves, “It’s about (expletive) time.”

This issue of True North we dedicate to the most beautiful of our Michigan seasons. Turn the pages and find some special places to enjoy the splendid scenery – places recommended not so much by us, but by people who live Up North, surrounded by beauty each day but never taking it for granted.

As usual, you’ll meet some Northern Michigan people worth getting to know as well. Like Lenny Puzewicz, who learned to carve antlers and ivory among the Inuit and Eskimo natives – and took his art to new heights. Like Pam Phipps, the first golf pro at the renowned Black Lake Golf Club, who disabuses us of some of the most commonly held “rules” for that perfect swing. Like Charlie and Linda Ash, who really know how to throw a party at their Houghton Lake “cottage.” And like Del Vaughan and Barry Stutesman, who have brought Michigan, and now the nation, those homespun stories of people, history and events across our state.

Enjoy, too, another My Hometown essay, this one by Jeff Vande Zande, a poet, author and creative writing instructor at Delta College. In the latest in a series of stories about special places in Northeast Michigan, Vande Zande writes hauntingly about Flashlight Bend and Rabbit Run, places both real and mythical – and quite possibly the closest thing to utopia we have in Michigan.

We’ll meet again with our Winter 2006 edition, on newsstands in November. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to rake some leaves.