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Sleeping Bear Dunes voted "Most Beautiful Place in America"

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by qbee42, Aug 17, 2011.

  1. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    For those of you who question why I live in the frozen north, my back yard was just voted the most beautiful place in America:
    Full link: Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan Voted Good Morning America's 'Most Beautiful Place' - ABC News

    Tom
     
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  2. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Been there.
    It's a nice place, and I really enjoyed the people. A former coworker had a blown up picture of the dunes on the wall behind his desk. I really didn't get a perspective of how big those sand dunes reeeally are until I went up there!

    While I was walking through his parents front yard, I discovered a house key lying on the ground. I gave it to him, asking it if it might fit the front door on the house.
    He replied that he wouldn't know. The front door hadn't been locked in 20+ years.

    That kinda place.

    Of course.....this was August!
    My kid brother lived in Manistee for about 6 years. I've seen the winters up there.
    Nice place to visit....buuuuut! ;)
     
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    loved the 'no wind turbine' comment guy. i think they would enhance the appearence. what's the hold up?
     
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  4. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    NIMBY. We have them here too. This part of Michigan has the best average winds for the state, but still people fight it.

    Tom
     
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  5. Scummer

    Scummer Eh?

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  6. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Exactly. Asking which place is the most beautiful is like asking which woman is the most beautiful, or which food is the best to eat. There is no one best answer.

    Tom
     
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  7. dontgetit

    dontgetit New Member

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    We can only hope that those that are capable of common sense and critical thought will prevent Wind Turbine farms in Leelanau County.
    Turbines are documented as be being responsible for the killing of up to 40 million birds a year. Current thought on Turbines in Leelanau County is limited to " how much money can I make ":mad::mad::mad:

    Not very " environmentally friendly and a sure fire way to ruin the beauty of this special place.
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sorry, you're drinking the oil baron koolaid.(or, you work for an large energy corp?) :) turbines are completely environmentally friendly and turn so slowly, a bird can easily avoid them. we have them here and i know from personal experience.
     
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  9. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Exactly. The whole bird killer issue dates to earlier designs that used guy wires and were very poorly sited.

    The concern expressed about turbine farms in Leelanau County is classic NIMBY. Given the mercury levels in the Lakes, one would think people here would want to reduce the amount of coal burned. I'm sure they do, but not with turbines in their county.

    Tom
     
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  10. icarus

    icarus Senior Member

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    Ditto the NIMBY issue. Having spent time in Leland, I think three is a place for wind power. Modern wind ( large scale) suffer from the problems with earlier generation turbines, specifically Altamont Pass Ewing farm in CA. The bird strike numbers are nowhere near what they once were. Given the environmental trade off of reduced CO2 and other emissions is a very good one.

    Icarus
     
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  11. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Anyone truly concerned about bird kill would be campaigning against tall glass buildings, not tilting at windmills.
     
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  12. Rae Vynn

    Rae Vynn Artist In Residence

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    ^That is classic.
     
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  13. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    Yep. It's a big country and a big world. The pictures are very pretty, but IMO doesn't come close to the Selkirk mountains of southeastern British Columbia. The first three of these pictures are actually from the Rockies, a couple of ranges over from the Selkirks. The fourth is the Selkirks as seen from Bald Ridge in the Purcell mountains.

    Due to my lousy photographic skills I don't have a lot of good pictures, but the rest are from my favorite place in the Selkirks, a small chalet called Selkirk Mountain Experience.

    The oldest daughter, who is also a guide, and climbs like a mountain goat. Me in a field of flowers. And Durrand Glacier, just a short hike from the chalet. Then some more flowers, and a mountain goat (of which there are many there) and one of my favorite waterfalls. Lastly, an early spring picture; the chalet is behind the mound.
     

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  14. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    As the saying goes, variety is the spice of life. Few places - or people - are completely without charm, though some have more charm(s) than others. ;)

    I wish I could get up into the mountains more often. Maybe I'll be a guide when I retire. While we're sharing pictures, here are a few Rockies shots......
     

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  15. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    For natural beauty, the Rockies and the Selkirks are awfully close. And I've only hiked in about ten or a dozen areas. In the Rockies I generally find much better trails, much better maintained, and a lot more people on them. Fewer people in the Selkirks, and trails generally not as nice. B.C. Parks Service won't spend the money to maintain trails properly. Parks Canada does a much better job.

    To my eye, the wetter a place is, the prettier. I'm not a big fan of deserts, though they do have a certain beauty. Once people start building, beauty drops precipitously. I have a strong aversion for cities, and the bigger they are, the worse.
     
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  16. icarus

    icarus Senior Member

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    Calling someplace the "most beautiful place in America" is sort of like calling a woman (or man) the most attractive person in America. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,, and one can find beauty in many places.

    Icarus
     
  17. Michgal007

    Michgal007 Senior Member

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    I have been to Sleeping Bear three times now and every time it looked prettier. But, I wouldn't call it the most beautiful place, personally, Pictured Rocks national lakeshore in the upper peninsula of MI is one of the prettiest places I have been to in US (and I have been to 46 states so far). I love climbing the dunes, and then rolling down on sand. Then you can take sand off of your hair for the next few days.

    qbee, I would love to live in a small place again, Columbus is a little too big for my taste. Ann Arbor was the perfect size for me with 100k people and 16 square miles surrounded by reality (I know you call it the 'city with traffic').