Originally settled by a group of Dutch immigrants under the leadership of rev Albertus Van Raalte in the mid1800’s, Holland is located on the shores of Lake Macatawa. After settling into Holland, the industrious Dutch dug a cannel in 1860 connecting Lake Macatawa to Lake Michigan. The landmark Big Red lighthouse is located along the south side of the channel, adjacent to the lakeside community of Macatawa.

 You can’t help but notice the Dutch culture; beginning with the Victorian Dutch architecture in the historic neighborhoods. The Dutch heritage is celebrated annually in May when hundreds of thousands of visitors invade Holland for Tulip Time. The Windmill Island is another popular tourist spot, as well as the bulb gardens, displaying brilliant the brilliant flowers that make the Netherlands famous.

Along Pine Avenue there are several interesting works of art http://waterlandliving.com/index.php/2009/04/08/1049/made from junkyard scrap by Padnois recycling.

Holland is the home to Holland State Park, a wonderful park on the north side of the channel. A walk on the pier, a swim in Lake Michigan, or climbing the dune is the perfect way to celebrate a warm summer Michigan day.

Just to the north three miles on Lakeshore Drive, one will discover Tunnel Park, a county owned park named for the tunnel you walk through to access the Lake Michigan waterfront. This time I got some great shots of the sun setting reflecting of the walls of the tunnel. I felt like I was in the right place at the right time.

The wetlands are the first to show the signs of autumn. As early as August, you can see the blush of the year’s mortality tinging the swamp maples. By mid-September, the bogs, marshes, and fens are a quiltwork of scarlets, maroons, and yellows, of purple-brown heaths, lush green tamaracks, and blazing red shrubs.

About those shrubs: be careful. Poison sumac is the glory of the swamps in September and October, but resist the temptation to harvest its multi-colored leaves for a table display. They may be beautiful, but trust me, your satisfaction will be short-lived once you discover just how far the price-tag exceeds the rewards.

Just about any other plant is more gracious. In the meadows and along the roadsides and railroad tracks, bright, yellow sunbursts of Butter-and-Eggs thrust their wild snapdragon blossoms above the field grass. Prickly teasels stand at attention like British soldiers in purple hats, drawing the attention of preoccupied bumblebees. Among the weeds, an army of grasshoppers bustles and flicks. All around is color and activity, the drama of a growing season drawing to its close.

The sky, too, is a pageant of seasonal change. On Tuesday, October’s first really deep low-pressure system blew across the state—the kind whose high winds will, two or three short weeks from now, strip the leaves from the trees en masse. These are the days of crackling blue skies scoured of moisture and breathtakingly clear; and of scowling, iron-gray clouds that pour down a colder rain and make us glad to be sitting indoors with a cup of hot coffee.

Yet, while the great storms of the spring are far behind us, this time of year holds its occasional surprises. As the summer weather pattern begins to break and the polar jet shifts southward, bringing with it the first pushes of Arctic air, severe thunderstorms get a crack at a brief, second season.

A couple weeks ago, my friend and fellow storm chaser Kurt Hulst and I drove out to Holland to intercept a squall line moving across Lake Michigan. The storms were fairly low-topped, but lightning breeders nevertheless.

Setting up our cameras on a stairway down to the beach, we caught the light show as the line drew closer and closer, rocketing along at forty-five knots. Few spectacles in Michigan are as dramatic as watching a storm advance over the big waters, and this storm was a nice one. Perhaps it will prove to have been the last decent display for another six months. It kind of looks that way right now, but I hope I’m wrong. Nothing is certain until the snows fly. When you’re a weather buff, that’s an added virtue of autumn in Michigan. It is, as I’ve said, a season of contrasts. You may have a good idea what to expect, but there’s plenty of room for serendipity.

Fricano’s has been a Grand Haven landmark for decades and for good reason, the pizza can’t be beat. It’s thin crust and tasty toppings make for an economical and satisfying meal that makes you want to come back for more. The topping choices are limited, but with this pizza, you just don’t need a lot of choices. The simpler the better is the key here.  I know of nothing in West Michigan that can compare to this pizza.

The restaurant has a very large and loyal following, which is evident by the lines of people waiting   by both the front and back entrances. The line moves very quickly though, thanks to the efficient kitchen staff.

The atmosphere at the Grand Haven Fricano’s is also something that makes you want to come back. The building probably has changed very little since opened in 1949 and has a down home, mother’s kitchen feeling. The wait staff are friendly and many have been working there for years.

Along with the original Grand Haven Fricano’s now serves its famous pizza in Comstock Park, Kalamazoo, Holland and Muskegon.

Well, that time came and I was not disappointed. I enjoyed every bite!

While some corn dogs have a rather thick, cornmeal type of coating, the Grand Haven Pronto Pup was just right, light, crispy and flavorful.  For only $1.75, a fair price.

While waiting for my dog to be cooked, yes, it was cooked right before my eyes! No waiting in a steam table here!  Anyway, as I was saying, while I waited for my dog be cooked, I talked a bit with the proprietor. He told me the stand has been in the family since his father opened it in 1947. He took over the stand about 30 years ago.  The stand will close after Labor Day, but we know come spring, there will be long lines of people eager for their first Pronto Pup of the season!

But, even though the school bells say fall, the calendar still says summer, so we know there is plenty of great weather ahead. In fact,  the other night while in Grand Haven I noticed the on the Grand Theater marquee. It read “It’s Still Summer” .

So, yes, it still is summer and there is plenty of time to enjoy a Michigan lake.

“Hi! Hope I’m not missed too much. Thanks for helping me out.  Am having a nice time.  Should do this more often.  I am at the beach today (Mon.) I’d like to own a place around here-lots of money get rich in a hurry.  See U. Say “hello” to everyone. “    Helen

As I look at the front of this postcard and read the message on the back, I am reminded of how fortunate we are to live in the beautiful  state of Michigan.  We are never far from water or a day or afternoon at the beach.  We don’t have to take a trip to some exotic location and then wonder how we will pay for it. Everything we want is right here in our back yard. 

Sunday was a beautiful, warm, sunny day, so after attending church, my wife and I headed out to Grand Haven.  We  had an extra bonus that day, as there was an art fair on the downtown streets, something we both enjoy.

 But, what we really enjoy is the water , walking the beach and then up to the lighthouse.  We always feel as if we have gotten away from it all and had a mini-vacation.  We often drive to the beach on the weekend, and always on the drive home we say, as Helen did on the postcard, “We should do this more often.”

So, this summer, or better yet,  this weekend, take some time to enjoy a Michigan lake.

Just outside of Downtown Holland, along Pine Street, is an interesting and whimsical collection of outdoor sculptures all made out of scrap metal from the Padnos Iron and Metal Company.

You will find a little bit of everything from Rusty’s Dog House to a pair of boxing crankshafts, Eskimo sled dogs and many other fun and imaginative things you would not expect on your way to Lake Macatawa.

The self taught artist has work at the Meijer’s Gardens in northeast Grand Rapids, as well as the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum in downtown Grand Rapids. As I understand it, he does not sell his work, but occasionally donates it, usually in the greater Holland area.

I’m out here at Holland State Park with my friend and fellow storm chaser Kurt Hulst, traversing the jumbled terrain of Lake Michigan’s ice formations. Sunset is closing in rapidly. This will not be a colorful one, though. A gray deck of cirrostratus has robbed the sunlight, reducing land, lake, and sky to a panorama of gray and white. But this is fitting. The ice formations are a study in austere beauty—Old Man Winter’s vast sculpture garden, stretching out along over 400 miles of Lake Michigan coastline from the state line south of New Buffalo north all the way to the Mackinac Bridge.

Though ice builds up along all of the Great Lakes shores, I have a hunch that the formations reach their pinnacle along Michigan’s western coastline. I can’t prove this empirically, but it stands to reason. The formations are a seasonal expression of the same dynamics that produced the spectacular Lake Michigan sand dunes. Blowing across vast stretches of water, prevailing westerly winds build up mighty winter waves that crash against the shore, heaving spray and sand high into the air and lashing them landward. Layer by layer, the wave spray freezes over heaving, buckling chunks of lake ice.

By mid-winter, the result is an otherworldly landscape, stretching a quarter-mile and more from shore and littered with fantastic, alien shapes. Sprinkled with sand and rounded like immense boulders hung with frozen stalactites of ice, the ice sculptures look almost organic in nature—or perhaps molten, like products of volcanism rather than water, sand, and freezing temperatures.

I have been making my way toward the green-banded lighthouse at the end of the pier, but now I step out onto the ice floe in search of photos. The lighthouse itself is a prime subject. Framed among craggy ice shapes, it looks like some strange castle set on a mountaintop.

The ice here is stable, but it can be dangerous to venture too close to open water or into the wrong place on the ice pack. Slip off the ice into the water and there’s no way out. I tread where I can see by the footprints that others have already gone. And for a while, I forget about the cold. Because this place is enchanting, a cross between Antarctica and some mythical world, some frozen Narnia or Tolkienesque vista.

By and by, though, as I snap photos, my fingers grow too numb to ignore any longer. The sun has set, the gray light is receding into darkness, and the cold is growing colder. Kurt, too, looks like he’s finished farther out there on the ice. The time for photos is past—except for one last shot. Big Red, the beautiful, main lighthouse here on Holland Beach, is sending its beam out across the big lake. It just wouldn’t do to leave without getting a shot. And then it’s off to grab dinner and a beer at the Irish pub in downtown Holland.

I will be back, though. I had forgotten how beautiful and remarkable the ice formations are. But today, equipped with a camera to awaken my eyes and stir my imagination, I’ve been reminded. Some bright day, when there is plenty of sunlight to gild the wintry landscape and split itself into jewel-like refractions through the ice, I’ll return to explore another mood of Michigan’s frozen coastline.

Lake Macatawa is located along the Park and Holland Township line in Western Ottawa County.  The 1780 acre lake generally reaches depths of only10 feet, but there are some reported depths of up to 20 feet. A channel is maintained for navigation of deep ships to cross the six mile length of the lake to access the docks at the City of Holland. The channel is routinely dredged.

Lake Macatawa is fed by the Macatawa River, formerly known as the Black River, and flows into Lake Michigan.

Fisherman should find Black Crappie, Bluegill, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow Trout, Small Mouth Bass, Walleye and Yellow Perch.

There are several public access sites to Lake Macatawa.  The first is located at the Howard Dunton Park located on Howard Ave, just west of River Ave. on the North East side of Lake Macatatawa. You can launch your boat, fish from the fishing pier, or enjoy the boardwalk. 

Another boat launch, Kollen Park, is located at the west end of 12th Street in downtown Holland on the southern side of Lake Macatawa.  This public access hard surface boat launch has plenty of  parking.  You can enjoy the lakefront, picnic tables, the water fountain and watch the sunset. You may even be fortunate enough to catch some live music from the band shelter.

The Lake Macatawa launch on Ottawa Beach Road  is located between the Anchorage Marina and Eldean Yacht Basin and is the third public access site with a hard surface boat launch and  parking.  

The lakefront is mainly lined with upscale homes and public and private marinas. The far eastern portion of the Lake Macatawa lakefront is lined with a number of industrial sites. Lake Macatawa is home to the Heinz Company, a scrap yard, an aggregate yard, a pharmaceutical company as well as Holland BPW, a coal fired power plant.

Boatwerks, a hip new lake front restaurant, is located on the southeast shore of Lake Macatawa  just west of downtown on VanRaalte Ave. This is an excellent choice for enjoyable dinner.

Lake Mac, as many call it, flows into Lake Michigan through the man made channel. In the 1860s Albert van Raalte, Holland’s founder, organized the digging of the channel. On the north side is the very popular Holland State Park, with its sandy Lake Michigan beach and pier. On the south side you will find the pier with the Holland Harbor Lighthouse.

Built in 1872 at a cost of $4,000, Big Red is a western Michigan landmark. The lighthouse was not always known as Big Red, but it soon received that nickname after the Coast Guard painted it bright red in 1956.

The Holland area is rich in history and so is Lake Macatawa. During the 40’s and 50’s it was home to Chris Craft, the manufacturer of the beautiful vintage wooden motorboats.

I ran across this video of a reminder of another type of vintage water craft. Just for fun.

Pigeon River and Pigeon Lake are special as that they flow into Lake Michigan. Surrounded by lakefront cottages, year round homes and a marina, it is a picture of paradise. Yes, it does have all the requirements for paradise, but it is also home to the Consumers Power’s J.W. Campbell Complex.

I turned at the entrance on Olive Shore Drive into the 2000 acre complex and drove the mile long drive on the back side of the coal fired plant. I parked at the far end of the complex. The site reminded me of a 1950 era foundry. I wasn’t far off with that observation, as I discovered the first of three generators came on line in 1962.

I was up for the walk to the pier. On one side of the mile long boardwalk you will see Pigeon Lake and Pigeon River. On the other side there is a 200 feet high dune covered with a lush, green pine forest. Sounds so picturesque. And it would be, if it weren’t for the chain link fence that runs the distance.

I reached the beginning of the pier jetting out into the majestic Lake Michigan. And, what do I see?  A huge water intake pipe running the length of the pier surrounded by the chain link fence. I can’t believe the engineers could not have come up with a better design.

I don’t want to rant and rave here. I understand that we need energy. Man and nature must work together. The disappointing thing about the lakefront hike was all the junk and the apparent lack of interest in the property by Consumer’s Power Company. It reminded me of a bad movie set.