After leaving Holland, we sailed overnight to Traverse City, farther north on Lake Michigan. We then took a bus to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. While sand dunes are often associated with the desert, the wave action of the Great Lakes have resulted in sand dunes on the shores of Lake Michigan, Superior and Huron. Sand dunes are mounds of sand that have been blown by the wind. They often “land” when blocked by vegetation. In Michigan, the sand is primarily quartz and comes from glacial drift. Because the sand is blown by the wind, the sand is stratified or layered. Ground water encourages the growth of vegetation – this stabilizes the dune. If more sand is later blown, it can bury the vegetation. This is the case at Sleeping Bear where there are “buried forests.” These are pictures from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Unfortunately, we only had a short time here. We would have loved the opportunity to do some hiking. But after leaving Sleeping Bear Dunes and some stops in Traverse City, we were soon on the bus back to the ship so we could leave for our next destination.