South Bar Lake and Glen Arbor

Before leaving Empire Beach on Lake Michigan we hopped across the parking lot to see South Bar Lake. This long narrow lake runs north/south just behind a dune ridge from the big lake. There are several houses on it but is relatively uninhabited.



There's a playground and a nice beach here, and we were following critter tracks on the sand when we noticed this beaver chewed stick.

In the fall beavers will fell many small poplars, or large ones and chew the branches off, and carry them back to their lodges. As winter sets in these branches will serve as their pantry--the beavers eat the bark and then discard the rest of the branch. This one must have gotten away from the lodge. Though we looked for their lodge we couldn't see it, but it was cool knowing there's an active beaver colony here.

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There were also quite a few common mergansers here, and this is the first time I've seen the male of the species.

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I would have loved to stay longer at the shore but we were hungry and daylight was short, so we headed up the road to the little town of Glen Arbor. Hosting a thriving art community, Glen Arbor is a natural place for a bunch of artists to hang out. We had lunch at Art's Tavern and then did a little shopping.

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The Glen Lake Artists Gallery features work by local artists and Lori spent some time talking with the fellow behind the counter about Susan Bullock, an artist she met while up in the area for her artist in residence.

After the gallery stop we went across the street to my favorite place, the local bookstore. I love this little shop, they are super friendly and have a great selection of books. I don't think I've ever seen a cuter shop than this! I bought Ecopsychology, a collection of essays about the importance of nature and wilderness on our psyches.

We stopped by another gallery and the local coffee house where I got a hot chocolate (don't do coffee--yuck!) and then headed out of town, thinking we were going back to Karin's. But I was behind the wheel and you just never know what might catch my eye and send me careening off to the shoulder....