Not Kipawa but thought you would enjoy the view

[600 miles north]

     The following pics are from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Northern Michigan. I couldn't believe that there could be a tropical setting with crystal clear blue water and sand this far north in Michigan. It is an unbelievable place sitting on top of this dune looking out over Lake Michigan. There is a sign at the top of the dune that warns you to take in the scenery from the top and advises you from journeying down to the bottom 450 feet away. It warns that it could take 2 hours to climb back up and any rescue will be payed for by the person being rescued. This area of The sand dunes have more search and rescue attempts each year than Glacier National park or Mount Rainier. Monica and I did the dune hike that was a round trip of 3 1/2 miles and took us 2 1/2 hours to complete while running out of water on an 85 degree day up and down hilly sand dunes. We came away with a completely different respect for these dunes when we made it back to the car, and my calves haven't been the same since. But what a beautiful place! Notice the tiny ants that are people walking up the dune and down at the lake shore... You can see the curve of the earth in the first couple pics on the lake

[CaptainCrappie]

Incredible pics!  Makes you wonder where all that sand came from and why did it decide to accumulate there. Looks like a giant cliff with sand in front. That had to take a few bazillion years to form. Mother Nature has a mind of her own for sure. Thanks 600 for posting that wonder of nature.

C.C.

[600 miles north]

C.C I was thinking the exact same thing while sitting up there looking at it. It makes no sense that that huge pile of sand was there, and how it got 450 feet up that dune is incredible! It's like some giant kid was playing in a sandbox and left a big mound of sand... amazing to say the least.

Brad

[NortonJoe]

My guess (and that's all it is) is that the glacier that dug out the lake pushed the sand up and left it deposited there when it melted and retreated.  What beautiful pictures.

[600 miles north]

     You are exactly right Joe, it's just hard to wrap your mind around the massive size and power that those glaciers had. Here is an part of an article I found about them...

EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY OF THE SLEEPING BEAR DUNES

The hills, dunes, valleys, shoreline, small lakes, and streams which you'll see throughout the area were formed by the powerful earth-moving forces of ice, wind, and water over time.

During the Ice Age, continental glaciers spread southward from Canada repeatedly burying the area under ice. Those massive glaciers enlarged river valleys and carved out the wide, deep basins of the Great Lakes. They also created "Perched Dunes" which are dunes formed by glacial sands deposited on plateaus high above the shore. The Sleeping Bear Dunes are an easily accessible, beautiful example of this type of dune.

As the glaciers melted, many of their carvings were filled with melted water and the setting we know today began to emerge.

By strolling the beaches you may see another reminder of geological time, the "Petoskey Stone." A Petoskey is a fossil colonial coral. These corals lived in warm, shallow seas that covered Michigan during Devonian time, some 350 million years ago.

Be sure, too, to read the interpretive materials you will see indoors and out as you travel through the Sleeping Bear Dunes - they will give you a great deal more information on our area's natural resources.

[johnny walleye]

great facts and hot pics thanks Brad

[rambler]

Cool pics. Pretty long walk if you want to go for a dip.

[RHYBAK]

Keep it quiet.
If my wife finds out about this place,she"ll be dragging my sorry A$$ out there for a road trip.

[Nancy]

Gorgeous pics, Brad. Thanks so much for sharing them. Poor @RHYBAK! Get your traveling shoes on, buddy!

[600 miles north]

Go RHYBAK! Northern Michigan is a beautiful place! We have a family wedding next year in the upper peninsula of Michigan so we are going to take a week to make it back from there and check out the northern part of the state and three of the great lakes. We will be stopping back to see the dunes. Google torch lake if you get a chance. I want to go snorkeling up there, its like the caribbean...

Brad