Monthly Archives: June 2008

The Betsie Valley Trail in Benzie County

The Betsie Valley Trail is a 22 mile long, hard surfaced trail. The asphalt portion is six miles long and goes from Frankfort, through Elberta, along Crystal Lake to Beulah - perfect for biking, rollerblading and walking. From Beulah to Thompsonville the trail cuts through woods and farms. This portion is 13 miles long and is a compacted aggregate surface that is great for mountain biking and all kinds of pedestrian uses (it's. Friends of the Betsie Valley Trail's great trail tour page (with photos) begins:

The Betsie Valley Trail is built on the bed of the former Ann Arbor Railroad, which carried freight and passengers from Toledo through Ann Arbor, Owosso, Cadillac, Thompsonville and Beulah to Frankfort and Elberta. From 1892 until 1982 the freight cars were carried across Lake Michigan on car ferries to Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Passenger service was discontinued in 1951 and freight service in 1985. The railroad was abandoned in 1994 and, in 1998, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) bought the rail corridor. Benzie County and the Friends of the Betsie Valley Trail have been working with the DNR since 1992 to build the Trail.

You can even ride the trail one way if you make reservations with the Benzie Bus service who will take you, your friends and bikes to any spot on the trail for $2 ($1 for seniors). For info and reservations call 231-325-3000 or visit BenzieBus.com. Here's the Betsie Valley Trail map and you can also check it out on the betsiebay.net map!

posted June 30, 2008 – 11:07 am
By betsiebay.net | Posted in Beulah, Community, Elberta, Frankfort, Media & Internet, Sports & Recreation, Thompsonville | Comments (0)

Frankfort's Garden Theater - reopening July 5, 2008 (or so)

garden opening, photo by kenlake

The Garden Theater is under new ownership and said to be opening July 5th!

From the Garden Theater web site:

The Garden Theater located in downtown Frankfort Michigan was
built in 1924 and with a few small exceptions has been in continuous
operation since that time. In June this year, The Garden was
purchased by a group of community members with the intent of
renovating the building. The new ownership will continue to show
first run movies and also hopes to expand with independent films,
foreign cinema, live theater and live music.

posted June 25, 2008 – 10:41 pm
By ken | Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Business, Community, Frankfort, Stories | Comments (1)
EVENT LISTING

Come to Vacationland … and the Elberta Summer Solstice Festival!

~Vacationland

The Elberta Summer Solstice Festival takes place next Saturday (June 21st, 2008) from 2 PM - Midnight at Elberta Waterfront Park

Activities start at 2pm and include local food vendors, kids games, pony rides, bull-train. The beer tent is open from 4pm-Midnight and features brews from Shorts Brewery of Bellaire and music by "Rusty Blaides".

You can check out Waterfront Park on our betsiebay.net map and listen to some music from Rusty Blaides at their MySpace.

About the photo: Joy took this photo titled "~Vacationland" at Elberta's Trick Dog Gallery.

posted June 13, 2008 – 7:49 am
By betsiebay.net | Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Community, Elberta, Events, Food & Dining, Lodging & Travel, Photo, Stories | Comments (0)

Fun in the Sun: Early Season Surfing, Paddle-surfing, Kayaking & Kiteboarding in Frankfort

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlgmE9abn9I

posted June 10, 2008 – 2:12 pm
By betsiebay.net | Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Frankfort, Lodging & Travel, Media & Internet, Sports & Recreation, Video | Comments (0)

Manistee River Looking West by photoshoparama

Manistee River Looking West, photo by photoshoparama

This is a 3-exposure HDR photo (High Dynamic Range).

Wikipedia's entry on the Manistee River says:

The river's name comes from the Ojibwa word Manistiqweita, meaning "Crooked River".[1] Historically, the upper river was renowned for its outstanding grayling fishery, among the finest in the world, as catches in excess of 1000 fish per weekend outing were commonly reported up until the 1880s, when extensive logging in the area ruined the habitat. Logging in the area commenced in earnest between 1880 and 1910, with peak production occurring in the 1890s. The rivers relatively large size, stable flows, and dearth of cataracts or other difficult passages made it ideal for the transportation of lumber. During this period huge numbers of white pine logs, some as large as six feet in diameter, were floated down the river to the port at Manistee and eventually on to the lumber markets of Grand Rapids, Milwaukee and Chicago where the wood was used to build the cities and towns of the Midwestern United States

Dan has a lot more photos from all across the region in his Up North Michigan set (slideshow)

posted June 8, 2008 – 10:48 am
By ken | Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Community, Lodging & Travel, Manistee, Photo, Sports & Recreation, Stories | Comments (0)

Benzie area golf course map

the 18th green

the 18th green, photo by numstead.

Our region is blessed with some amazing terrain and golfers know that when terrain isn't making you hurl your clubs, it's creating a challenge that sharpens your game and enjoyment.

In addition to our sponsor Champion Hill Golf Course (map), we have listed many more of the region's great golf courses including Crystal Mountain (pictured above), Bear Lake County Highlands, the Dunes Golf Club and Arcadia Bluffs.

Check them all out on the betsiebay.net map ans also see the Golf Benzie from the Benzie County Visitor's Bureau.

posted June 4, 2008 – 7:17 am
By betsiebay.net | Posted in Lodging & Travel, Media & Internet, Photo, Sports & Recreation, Stories, Thompsonville | Comments (0)