“I Can See Jim from Castle Rock”
Story Behind the Name
Settle in, this one will take some time: When we were filming in St. Ignace, we got a call from Scott Brown. “How’d you like to go to the top of the Mackinac Bridge?” We’re not dumb. We know how rare of a question that is. So, we jumped at it. Jim, who is not afraid of heights, was up for the task. Tom and Eric would continue to shoot the episode in St. Ignace, and Jim would take a camera to the top of the bridge. Amazing views. Super Windy. Beautiful. Tom and Eric were at Castle Rock with a great view of the bridge. They looked through those twenty-five cent binoculars at the bridge, and there at the top of the south tower, they were able to see Jim, in his lovely bright orange traffic vest. Pretty cool.
Glen Arbor
Glen Arbor is one of those small towns that makes it on almost everyone’s list of Michigan’s most beautiful places. The people who live there love it. The people who visit there love it. And the people who haven’t been there yet, well, they just don’t know what they’re missing. The town sits on the shores of Lake Michigan, just north of beautiful Glen Lake. It’s a vacationer’s and boater’s paradise… and the western end of the lake takes you right up to one of Michigan’s most famous natural wonders, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. More than seventy thousand acres of giant sand dunes, pristine beaches and places to tire the kids out.
Everyone will agree that there is a ton of natural beauty in Glen Arbor, with its beaches, sand dunes, forests and trails. But there’s also no shortage of the man-made variety. Beauty attracts artists and artists attract other artists. Keep up this cycle, and before you know it, you have a bona fide thriving art community, and that’s exactly what’s happened in Glen Arbor.
Renowned painter Hank Feeley, Becky Thatcher of Becky Thatcher Designs and Beth Bricker of Forest Gallery are three artists who found their way to this area. Even though their art is all very different, they all came to Glen Arbor for the same reason: inspiration. They talked about the lakes, the colors, the surrounding natural beauty and how communing with nature is a great inspiration accelerator.
There are all kinds of art shops and galleries sprinkled throughout this community. So if you’re looking to appreciate, buy or even create your own art, Glen Arbor should be on your short list.
And, if there’s any question why Glen Arbor and this entire area should be at the top of your must see list, I hope we answered them all.
St. Ignace
When you come to St. Ignace, don’t just get on the ferry and go to Mackinac Island. Come to St. Ignace to see St. Ignace. Why, you ask? Because it’s a cool, funky harbor town with great views, tons of things to do and a great Native American history. It’s the first city of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula… literally!
There really is so much to discover in this town that you almost need to talk to an expert before you start exploring, and that’s exactly what we did. But, you know us, we found an expert who also happens to serve killer food.
If you’ve never been to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula before, St. Ignace is a great place to start. Not just because it’s the first place you come to, but because it really is a great place to be!