Michigan Travel Promotion … on the cheap

Picture Rocks, photo by David :0).

The state of Michigan offers some amazing travel options and has been trying to share them with the nation through the Pure Michigan campaign. Unfortunately, our budgetary death spiral is jeopardizing a campaign that reportedly brings in nearly $3 in taxes for every dollar spent.

Whatever Lansing does, it strikes me that all of us can share scenes like the one above from the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore with our family and friends and when the time comes for our own travels, make it a Michigan vacation when we can and act as a sort of virtual tourism bureau.

This photo is one of a number of gorgeous shots in David’s Pictured Rocks set (slideshow) and check out lots more from the Pictured Rocks on Michigan in Pictures.

80 years of ice on the Straits of Mackinaw

Winter Service, photo courtesy Mackinac Bridge Authority

The Michigan State Ferry Album says:

Winter service began in 1931 when the Highway Department arranged with the Mackinaw Transportation Company to carry cars across the Straits on a railroad icebreaker during the cold months. This arrangement turned out to be poor business for the State, so in 1936 the Highway Department leased the railroad icebreaker “Sainte Marie” for winter operations on a regular schedule.Winter service began in 1931 when the Highway Department arranged with the Mackinaw Transportation Company to carry cars across the Straits on a railroad icebreaker during the cold months. This arrangement turned out to be poor business for the State, so in 1936 the Highway Department leased the railroad icebreaker “Sainte Marie” for winter operations on a regular schedule.

In case you’re wondering, the ice on the Straits of Mackinaw hasn’t changed a whole lot in 80 years, as this photo from February of 2008 titled Triangles by Dominique shows. See it bigger in her Snow/Ice slideshow or check out the whole set.

Worlds (3rd) Largest Cherry Pie

Worlds (3rd) Largest Cherry Pie, photo by Allen Gathman.

February is National Cherry Month and there’s nothing more cherry than the cherry pie. The folks at Roadside America (who keep track of stuff like this) have this to say about the titanic battle for the World’s Largest Cherry Pie:

Charlevoix was the first into the mix. In 1976 a man named Dave Phillips, in a burst of bicentennial fervor, convinced local businesses in Charlevoix to bake the World’s Largest Cherry Pie as part of the town’s annual cherry festival. A giant pan was built, along with an equally titanic oven. Local farmers supplied the ingredients. The result: a cherry pie weighing 17,420 pounds. It was a world record.

Further south, the town of Traverse City had its own cherry festival. It had perhaps heard one too many boasts from Charlevoix, and in 1987 it decided to do something about it…

The Chef Pierre Bakeries went to work, and on July 25 it baked a cherry pie that put Charlevoix to shame: 28,350 pounds; 17 feet, 6 inches in diameter. As an added snub, the town had Guinness Book of World’s Records certify its pie as the largest ever. Charlevoix’s days in the spotlight were ended after only 11 years.

But time has a way of humbling the proud. The Chef Pierre Bakeries were bought out by Sara Lee. The cherry farms around Traverse City were turned into golf courses. Yuppies from downstate began invading the town, as they were invading Charlevoix. And in 1992, after only five years, Traverse City’s cherry pie crown was knocked clear into Canada when the tiny town of Oliver, British Columbia, baked a cherry pie for the ages — 39,683 pounds.

For some reason Oliver failed to save it’s pan, so you can still see the largest cherry pie pan in Traverse City here and get a sense of the scale right here.

Check Allen’s photo out bigger.

February Fun in Michigan

“Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.”
~ John Boswell

Our Michigan February Event Calendar shows that from outdoor celebrations like Houghton’s Winter Carnival, the North American Snow Festival in Cadillac, the International 500 Snowmobile Race in the Soo, Detroit’s Winter Blast and the UP 200, Midnight Run Sled-Dog Championships in Marquette to indoor celebrations like the Taste the Passion wine tour in Leelanau, the Michigan International Auto Show in Grand Rapids, the Detroit Boat Show and the Winter Wine Wonderland in Traverse City, February is the month where Michiganders throw a snowball in winter’s face and head out to enjoy Michigan!

Check this photo of one of those golden February moments along the Grand River out bigger and in Jon’s My World Set (slideshow).