We love the beauty of this northwestern Michigan chain of lakes nestled among gentle rolling hills. We were ecstatic to find a tranquil lake we can see from almost every room (thanks to our renovation) in the cozy year-round house. (Note from Laurie: my gold standard for vacation heaven was a place where I could take a cup of coffee out onto the deck and see--and be in--the water within seconds.) We can draw or eat breakfast on the dock or in the dining room, play in the sand, take out a canoe, kayak or SUP, swim in warmer waters (instead of waiting until the end of August for the chill to subside in the big lakes), and fish. We can sled right out the back doors to the lake and cross-country ski nearby. We wander into a welcoming village to play and eat without being swarmed by overdressed tourists and overpriced food. We were delighted to find this peaceful little retreat, which offers the pleasures of an all-sports lake without the noise and chaos of one. The passing 'traffic' is generally kayaks, pontoons, and people fishing (including ice fishing in the winter).The fresh, clear water in Hanley Lake flows 75 miles thru a chain of 14 lakes. All-sports lake without the usual traffic of one! We were thrilled to discover we're just a few miles from the long sandy beaches and waves of Lake Michigan, which are great fun in every season.
We're glad to do day trips to fudgey towns like Alden, Charlevoix and Petoskey, to wander Traverse City or even more nearby Bellaire. But we love coming home, whether it's raining, snowing, or blazing hot: to play outdoors, or hang out inside doing jigsaw puzzles, playing games, making soup or brownies, or drawing the changing colors of water, sky and trees. We love going out on the placid water and paddling past kingfishers and great blue heron, turtles nestling in the tall grasses, and weeping willows along the shore, or watching the water from our comfortable cottage. It always refreshes us to get away here.