The Lelanau Peninsula is famed for its wines, smoked fish and fruit. We hopped on our bikes to explore this cornucopia of Michigan and see for ourselves what was out there and left very impressed at its beauty and bounty. In what ended up being a nearly 20-mile bike ride, we started out on the shores of Lake Lelanau - the lake that is part of the inner harbor behind the dam past Fishtown up the Carp River.

Our bike trail for the day; the clear waters of Lake Lelanau; the Carp River behind the Fishtown dam

After we went up the road past the lake on a road that paralleled the coast of the Lake, we came to hilly orchards of peaches, apples and plums.

And finally in the mid-way point of the ride we reached the vineyards where we of course stopped for tastings and a few snacks on offer in the tasting rooms. We also of course stocked up with as much wine as we dare carry in our backpacks.

Leland also has a distillery and we bought some locally made vodka and gin, but left the moonshine. We have yet to see a bear or a dogman in Michigan.

As we returned to Leland town, we were reminded that we were halfway to to the north pole and enjoyed the greenery of the countryside that threatened here and there to show that autumn was approaching.