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For those who enjoy hiking, one of the very best ways to experience Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is on foot. Yes, do take the Pictured Rocks Boat Cruise, which delivers splendid views of fascinating cliffs and their brilliant colors caused by groundwater seeping out through the sandstone cliff faces and leaving mineral-stained streaks behind. In fact, the only way to see the most colorful of these spectacles is from the water, so the 3-hour roundtrip voyage is time well spent. In some spots, the colors are so vivid they seem man-made, as if someone hovered above the lake with a paintbrush and hundreds of cans of blue, green, red, purple, and orange paint.

For those who want a closer look at this stretch of Lake Superior and its captivating cliffs, hiking trails run along the entire stretch of the National Lakeshore with several loops leading to waterfalls, rock formations, inland lakes, campgrounds, and beaches. Some trails are short and will satisfy an urge for a quick fix of the area’s natural beauty; others will range from a few hours worth of walking to all-day excursions.

The King of Rock n' Roll landed on the pop culture consciousness like an atomic explosion in 1955. Swiveling hips and sneering lips sending shockwaves of a sexual revolution that would engulf the youth of America in a rockabilly backbeat and play itself out in the backseat. Preachers condemned it, while radio stations couldn't get enough of it. Today, Elvis is a phenomenon unequaled in pop culture. The Elvis saga began with humble beginnings with his birth in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935 and ended with his 1977 death in Memphis, Tennessee from a drug overdose. It began at Sun Studio's in Memphis and the road took him to Las Vegas and around the world forging a legacy of pop culture revolution. That spirit is alive and well today at Elvis Fest in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti? You heard me, Ypsilanti!

Dear Michigan Travelers:

As someone interested in Michigan, we'd like to make you aware that TouringMichigan.com is in the process of organizing a travel writing contest. The rules have not been completely established yet, but would be similar to the following:

1. Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.
2. Judging would be done first by the community (to choose the finalists), then by an independent panel (to choose the winner).
3. Entries must be related to travel in Michigan and reflect positively on a Michigan destination or event.
4. All content must be original work, never before published.

If you would be interested in participating in such a contest, please let us know. Any feedback would be welcome.

Kind Regards,

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In Michigan, we spend close to six months of the year remembering, thinking of, and looking forward to summer’s bliss. Sitting on my sofa, the morning of the second day of spring 2008, looking out my living room window, I’m confronted by (of course) a fresh, six inches deep, white landscape. Why doesn’t this surprise me? The city of Dearborn has declared a snow emergency alert by sounding the snow alarm, so that we all knew that at O’ Dark thirty hours to get out of bed, get dressed and go out on the frozen tundra to move our vehicles so snow crews can plow the streets.

LAKE ERIE-- Some people call Lake Erie the "Walleye Capital of the World - in fact, I'm one of them - and, since Michigan can boast hundreds of miles of Lake Erie shoreline, that walleye capital honorific also extents to this state, particularly for those southeastern locals extending from Detroit to Monroe, and all the way to the Ohio border. There is nothing better for a walleye fisherman then trolling, jigging or drifting the reefs of Erie when the bite is on, landing these most delicious of fish and bringing home that well earned dinner fare, as though channeling the hunter-gatherer of our ancestors.