sowacs

there’s been activity on a facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/3733257558/, and other articles & news on local sites.

i skied there quite a bit in ‘94-95, leaving the detroit area friday after work to stay at a friend’s cabin within sight of the mountain. saturday, sunday morning, then back down state. tore an acl there in ’99. closed since ’01, i think. see http://www.leelanau.com/blog/turning-the-page-on-sugar-loaf/ for the latest news.

been there several times from ‘95 – ’05, diving, biking, kayaking, beaches, boats, fishing, horses, hiking, camping, whatever. lots to do, wonderful little harbor town, don’t miss the crow’s nest pub, and harborside craiggie’s for breakfast.

more: 2005 blog post

very clear water, some overhead situations, but always-attentive lead and safety divers make this a non-issue. we stayed at a converted train station nearby. nifty.

they can do good business since no one else is around, so they can afford to do a great job grooming. gets a little crowded at times. ok, most of the time. but the all-night sessions (fri – sat, 9p – 3a) were great, even if it got warm & rainy. some of the old fireplaces were removed. skied there ‘99-’04-ish, season passes since it was so close.

going with large groups for the weekend was always a lot of fun. great saturday night dinner buffets as part of the package, and the same for the breakfasts. always seemed to be cold & sunny, good skiing. and tubing.

i had about 100 dives there, night and day, all seasons, while working my way up to instructor (and never quite finished). it was much better before the camp area got paved. other changes since then (dive shop burnt down…?) i have only heard about. lots of memories i haven’t visited in a while. it was part of a part of my life that’s well buried now, but still treasured.

grew up downriver, actually. even with its problems, there’s something special about this place. and michigan.

‘nuff said; i have far too much history there to ever sort it out. don’t like it ? don’t come. we’re fine with that.

i’ve had a love/hate relationship with cinci. coming from the detroit area, it was a bit of an adjustment. but i will say that it is a family friendly place, has a diverse economy, low cost of living, and plenty of cultural and low-level outdoor activities at hand. many songbirds in that area, and a hilly terrain makes it easy sometimes to ignore the urban area aspect – which isn’t all that big compared to many cities anyway.

it is a small town, in many ways. and don’t expect to catch a hockey game in the sports bars. but if you need to chill out in an easy to live in climate, this could be your place.