SUP TCMI!

Happy summer, everyone! Here's hoping you're all out enjoying the hey-day of August here in northern Michigan. It's clear that YPs John and Emily Petrovich (both of NewEra Social Marketing) are making the most of these warm, sunny days by enjoying their time on stand-up paddleboards out on the water. Check out John's article for more on this great sport!

Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) is a peaceful way to get out and enjoy our local waters without noisy motors. It can be a relaxing session or a more intense work-out experience – it’s really whatever you want to make it!

A paddleboard allows you to float right on top of the water and can take you places that no boat can go. The views of underwater roots and trees through our crystal clear local waters make you feel like you’re on the Pirates of the Caribbean movie set. During SUP adventures, we’ve explored shipwrecks, paddled among flocks of rarely-seen birds hanging out in rivers and streams as a stop along their migration paths, and even performed a rescue for a small dog that was tangled in a river marsh area. For awesome photos and videos of paddling local shipwrecks, check out Lena Olmsted’s Instagram account and this Instagram video of one of our recent discoveries in Torch Lake.

TC and the surrounding areas are an “unsalted paddle paradise.” With sandy lake beds, crystal clear waters and breathtaking shore line views, our area is truly unique here in the great Mitten state. If only northern Michigan summers were never ending! But I guess this is what we brave the winters for – and it makes summertime that much sweeter.

Travel West from TC on the beautiful M-22 route into Empire, paddle out of Empire Beach on Lake Michigan, and head south for jaw dropping views of the dunes or north to check out the pristine beach at North Bar Lake. If conditions on the big lake aren’t ideal, simply walk across the parking lot to paddle the smaller, warmer waters of South Bar Lake, or head toward Glen Arbor and check out Little and Big Glen Lake.

Travel East from TC and you'll find yourself surrounded by the teal blue waters of Torch and Elk Lake. There are numerous launch points but the 'Kayak' launch just south of the bridge in Elk Rapids is always a favorite. Paddling through the shallow waters of Elk River, you'll be awestruck by the natural beauty that surrounds you. Plus, if you feel like enjoying a pure northern Michigan sunset, you can easily pluck your board out of the water, head down the street and drop right into East Bay for a sunset paddle that never disappoints!

There are a number of local places to get your SUP gear. Wet Mitten Surf Shop and 231 Outfitters are two great brick-and-mortar SUP stores in Traverse City and you can find a handful of other dealers in the area, too. Craigslist is a helpful source for finding an affordable SUP board, both new and used. We have had our SUP ATX paddleboards for years and we love them! The company recently featured SUP’ing in the northern Michigan area in their Urban Paddle Guide with SUP Magazine. Check it out: Traverse City, MI: Urban Paddle Guide

There are also many local paddleboarding groups on Facebook that you can get involved with, both right in Traverse City and in the surrounding areas, like Elk Rapids. Some are ladies-only, some are co-ed, and all are a guaranteed opportunity to connect with both nature and fellow nature-lovers on the water.

We still have lots of summer left. Get out there and enjoy every last minute!

RAT Ride: The Ride Around Torch Lake

Summer is a busy, busy, busy time of year for us northern Michiganders. We have four (maaaaaaybe five, but more like three this year...) solid months of awesome summer weather, fantastic summer events, and time to spend in the sun before winter rolls back in. My husband and I use the summer months for all kinds of activities, but the top of our adventuring list usually comes in the form of long bike rides through some of our favorite countryside landscapes and beautiful small towns in our region.

This past weekend, we joined nearly 1,000 other cyclists for the Cherry Capital Cycling Club's annual Ride Around Torch (RAT). While we've cycled in the area before, this was our first time participating in the organized event. We've only done one other organized ride (and it was a few years ago), so we had some idea of what to expect...but the RAT surpassed all our expectations.

 If you're unfamiliar with the area, Torch Lake has a reputation for being one of the most gorgeous lakes in our region...but also the most notorious for hosting boozey parties of epic proportions on its expansive sandbar (which can be both awesome and terrible). For better or worse, Torch Lake is a gem and the epitome of summertime up north. Torch is the lake that Kid Rock sings (is that singing?) about in his "All Summer Long" song, and despite its artistic value, the song resonates with most residents here in terms of what we love about this area: summer, beaches, relaxing, livin' life to the fullest.

Any chance I get to be around a place as breath-taking as Torch Lake, I'm there. The towns are smaller just east of Traverse City, but they are wonderful, fun, and have a lot of personality...so their populations quadruple this time of year. Lucky for us, we could avoid all the traffic and hustle-bustle by joining a ton of other great cyclists and taking to the road, seeing the land in full panoramic views and taking in the sights not often seen by visitors who stick to the borders of the lakes.

We started our ride in Elk Rapids and headed north to Eastport. From there, we went down the east side of Torch Lake, through Alden and Crystal River, around the top of Elk Lake through Kewadin, and back up to Elk Rapids. We opted for the 63-mile loop, but the RAT also includes a 26-mile route and a challenging (read: HILLY) 100-mile loop. All the routes are clearly marked, and you can ride them during the year even without the helpful markers or roadside assistance that the CCCC provides for the ride. I was pretty beat after riding the 63 miles. Maybe I'll consider doing 100 miles next year...but no promises!

All along the route, we had wonderful volunteers dishing up delicious food (I think I demolished 3-4 cookies and 3 bagels without shame), plenty of pit-stops, and lots of great company. At every stop, we chatted with fellow cyclists and learned more about where folks came from, what kinds of rides they've done, and just about everything else. Everyone was friendly and supportive, which I really needed at our third food stop at mile 49!

The whole route was breath-taking. Sure, we didn't stay along Torch Lake the entire time, but I'm a big fan of rolling country hills and farm landscapes. There were some hills, but the views from the top of many of them were worth the climb. I wish I had more pictures to share the route with you, but I was too busy pedaling and taking it in with my own eyes! You'll have to try it out for yourself next year.

At the end of the ride, I gotta admit, I was really sore. The ride was about 20 miles farther than I've biked all year, so you could say my endurance is quite low for something like this. Luckily I could draft some fellow riders for the last leg and somehow made it back to Elk Rapids going the fastest speed we rode the whole trip! It wasn't just my legs, either: my neck and upper back were the most sore, so when we made it back to our car I gave myself permission to just lie on the ground for a few minutes. Not for too long, though....

...because after the ride, the CC Cycling Club hosted a fantastic BBQ! I loaded up on potato salad, pasta salad, more cookies, and a dee-lish veggie burger. Oh, and the best perk of all? A dip in Lake Michigan right at the BBQ site to cool off and get some of the sweat and grime off my body after a long ride. I wish we could've stayed all day, but alas, we had more summer activities to attend!

All in all, I highly recommend the RAT for beginner, novice, and expert cyclists. There is a course and distance for everyone, and it's a fun, well-organized event that really embodies the great community of cyclists in our region. Plus, you really can't beat the location in terms of views and varying scenery: it is not to be missed!

Conquer the Village Mountain Bike Race at the GT Commons

WOW. What a beautiful Memorial Day weekend we had up here! Sunny and seventies and plenty of great things going on.

The event Sam and I chose to attend this weekend was the Conquer the Village mountain bike race at the GT Commons. Hundreds of bikers of all ages (young kids included) and ability levels came out to race on the trails at the OldState Hospital Grounds. I’m totally foreign to the world of mountain biking, as I’m more of a road cyclist / hardcore commuter, but I tell you what…these people are MACHINES.

For one, mountain bike races are awesome events. There’s always a lot of music, beer, and beautiful bikes of all varieties. This race was no exception! Fresh brats and hot dogs were grilling, music was pumping, Bells beer was on tap, and the bikes were nothing short of gorgeous. I was in bike heaven, even though I’m somewhat terrified to attempt mountain biking…especially this course.

The trails cover some rolling hills (and some realllly big hills) all throughout the Commons area, and these bikers tackled them with amazing agility, power, and control. Dirt, gravel, mud, little wooden bridges—like the one they’ve affectionately dubbed “handlebar bridge,” because if a rider’s handlebars are too big they’ll catch on the railing—and plenty of sharp turns made for a fast-paced race.

We hiked up to watch the riders along the trail, and with such a gorgeous day we stuck around for the entire expert/pro race. One of our favorite places was along the handlebar bridge: I mean, who wouldn’t want to watch incredible bikers traverse over an obstacle like that? The views from the top of the mountain are always one of my favorite things about the Commons trails, but I have a whole new appreciation for people who choose to bike up those hills five to six times in a row.

Conquer the Village put on its second annual race this year. If you need motivation to check it out next year, all the proceeds from the race go to helping out our beautiful Hickory Hills. The ski facility is a public park, but it’s hit some tough economic times and is still searching for sustainable revenue sources so they can stay open year-round and provide a great ski experience for people of all ages during the winter (plus hiking trails and disc golfing in the non-snow months). I’m all for supporting anything that helps out Hickory Hills (which is where I used to ski race as a kid), but I’m not sure if I’ll be getting on a bike next year to race…

For more information about Conquer the Village, you can check it out online here; or, click here to read more about Hickory Hills. 

The Battle of the VASA: Skiing or Fat Tire Biking?

During many of our TCYP meetings, we talk about taking an active role in our communities and participating in conversations about issues, ideas, or events that are important to us an individuals. As a group, we don't hone in everyone's personal political preferences, but we always advocate for being at the table and getting your voice heard, no matter what stance you take on an issue. 


I've made a strong effort to take this preaching and make it my practice. I keep my ears open for opportunities that would allow me to voice my concerns or praise on a certain topic, and I seek out chances to understand larger pieces of our community. Decisions are made every day that impact our town and region, and whether those decisions are made at a local, state, or national level, I am doing my best to make sure my opinion is expressed on issues I care about.

All that said...I've never attended a public meeting. Like, ever. That's pretty embarrassing at my age. So, I decided to do something about that, and earlier this week I attended my first-ever public meeting!

The issue discussed was the VASA trial, located just east of Traverse City near Acme. For 25 years, the VASA trail has been designated as a classic and skate-style cross-country ski course. It is nationally-renowned and one the most fantastic places to XC ski in all of Michigan. In fact, this trail alone (ranging from 5K to 25K distances) is one of the main reasons I found a whole new love and appreciation for winters up north; we visit it quite often when there's snow on the ground.

But, because it is such a fantastic trail (groomed regularly by diehard volunteers and the TART Trails, with some additional funding from the Michigan DNR), it was opened up to fat tire biking every Friday if conditions were right. This past winter was the first experimental year of allowing the fat tire bikes on the trailhead, and over the course of the season, concerns about allowing the fat tire bikers on the VASA emerged from skiers. 

So, the DNR hosted a public meeting this past Monday at the Civic Center, asking people to come and share their thoughts about allowing fat tire bikers on the trail in the winter. I went to the meeting, but I didn't speak out at all because, honestly, I don't have a strong opinion on the matter either way. I think fat tire bikes are awesome and I love XC-skiing, and while I would love to endorse a multi-use trail...the VASA is such a pristine course designed specifically for XC-skiing that it seems somehow sacrilegious to allow it for anything other than skiing when there's snow on the ground. Still, the fat tire biking community needs a place to explore and call their own (and it needs to be groomed), and it would be best if everyone could have the chance to do the sport they love regardless of what it is. Like I said, I'm pretty conflicted.

The DNR was looking for public comment on the issue, but they were also looking for solutions. During the course of two hours, people brought up a whole range of ideas: designating the trail as XC-ski only, allowing the bikers on the trail on a certain day or under certain weather restrictions, developing a new fat tire bike trail in the same area as the VASA, or somehow finding a way to allow the skiers and bikers to co-exist on the trail (though that wasn't a popular opinion). 

I was amazed to see the turnout for this meeting. There must've been close to 200 people at the meeting, and many were avid cross-country skiers and fat tire bikers; it was a very active and engaged group, to say the least! As the DNR meeting facilitator said, "I feel bad for the people sitting at home on their couches!" Folks came from Cadillac and even as far as Ann Arbor specifically to speak at this meeting and have their stance heard by the DNR. Talk about integrity!
Everyone was courteous, and they were certainly engaged. Many VASA founders were present--the folks who cut and hauled trees out and leveled the trail to make it a solid XC-ski course--as well as the president of the Michigan Mountain Biking Association. I was humbled by the emotion from both sides on this issue, and how each side respected the other during the course of the evening. 

The two things both sides agreed on were the willingness to help build a new fat tire bike trail in the same woods as the VASA and the necessity for the DNR to expedite a land use contract should a new trail for biking be determined a necessity. Mark Esper, the president of the North American Vasa ski race, and Glenn Ruczynski, past president of the Northern Michigan Mountain Biking Association, took the podium together and asked the DNR to approve the building of a new trail. With this collaborative announcement--they were part of a committee formed informally of both fat tire bikers and cross-country skiers to discuss solutions for both sides--the entire room erupted in applause and people gave a standing ovation that lasted nearly two minutes. There was great energy and support in the room for this committee, who took matters into their own hands, and the DNR agreed to work with the committee to find a solution that works for everyone.

All in all, I was so glad I went to the meeting and experienced the passion of all these people for an issue they care deeply about in our community. I left the meeting feeling both informed about an important decision in our community and also empowered as a citizen for exercising my right to participate in these conversations...even though, like I said, I didn't say anything. Making an appearance can be just as powerful, though, because my presence made it clear that this was something I care about and I want to be part of the solution, not someone who sits on the sidelines while decisions are made and I'm not paying attention. No doubt this is the first of many public meetings I'll attend!

I encourage you to keep your eyes and ears open for meetings and opportunities to take a stand on something you care about. It is always better to be heard than to shy away and miss the chance to make a difference in your city or community!

Guest Blogger Michelle Elliott: Run, Walk, or Leap into Spring!

We're halfway through March and itching for warm weather, but still stuck with plenty of below-freezing temperatures. Still, it's no reason to stay cooped-up inside! YP Michelle Elliott shares her St. Patrick's Day weekend festivities, where she hung out with over 700 green-clad friends having a great time at the Leapin' Leprechaun 5K race. Check out those great costumes!

St. Patrick’s Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. I know what you’re thinking; it’s because of all the pub-crawls, shamrock shakes and green beer right? Well, not totally. For me St. Patrick’s Day has always been that sign that spring is right around the corner. In the past it has been warm and it has snowed, but regardless, there is typically a party and everyone is having a great time. 

 

This year, I got to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day weekend by working. Yes, working. It’s the nature of the beast if you’re in the event industry. Most of the time you are working while others are playing. I love it. It is rewarding to see all your hard work pay off and witness hundreds of people laughing and joking.  

I work for the National Cherry Festival which organizes the Fifth Third Bank Leapin’ Leprechaun 5K. This fun 5K is held annually on St. Paddy’s day weekend. This year was chilly but we still had over 700 people wake up early to race around town. They definitely dressed to impress in their Irish best.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a St. Patrick’s Day celebration without a gold Guinness at the post-race party. We had a heated tent set up so everyone could warm up and listen to local favorites Don Julin and Billy Strings. It was a brisk morning, but those who came out had a good time.  

There were plenty of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations around town this past week. If you are ever curious about what to do visit the Ancient Order of the Hibernians website.  They have an entire event calendar dedicated to all the Irish festivities in Traverse City. 

Cross-Country Skiing at the VASA Trail

To follow up last week’s adventure downhill skiing, I thought I’d share one of the best place to cross-country ski for this week’s post: the VASA Trail. The VASA is no secret in this town, or the country. If you’re an avid XC-skier, you’re probably familiar with the North American VASA race that takes place in Traverse City every February. It’s quite a sight to see so many skiers in one place, and they come from all over the world to compete on this course. Pretty sweet!

When it isn’t being used as a racecourse for nearly 800 people (which is essentially every day except the day of the Great American VASA race), it is one of the best places to cross-country ski. They have groomed courses for both skate and classic style, and dedicated volunteers maintain both tracks.

My favorite thing about the VASA is its versatility. There are hills if you like hills and flat meadows if that’s more your style. You can also choose from either a shorter 3K or 5K route, or really work it out on the 10K or 25K loops. The farthest we’ve skied with our classic-style skis is the 10K loop, but maybe some day we’ll really bust it and brave all 25Ks. There’s still a lot of winter left to try it out!

We love XC-skiing because it’s a great workout in winter, but it’s also a fantastic way to see all the beauty this time of year offers. The woods and meadows at the VASA are quiet, serene, and truly breathtaking if you make it out after a heavy snow. It is rarely crowded on the longer loops, so it’s a great way to see how peaceful and soothing the woods are when buried in snow.  I’m always blown away by how mentally relaxed and stress-free I am after a ski.

I encourage you to check out the VASA trail yourself this winter if you’re in TC! It’s on the east side of town and easy to access. There’s a big parking lot, and even when it fills up on the weekends you’re still not likely to run into too many other skiers so it’s a great way to escape the world. Pick a day after some snow to get up and start your morning in the woods as the sun rises on a clear day…it’s incredible, and I believe everyone should experience it at least once every winter. Get out there and see it!