Archive for June, 2009

Where’s Tyler? Oval Beach

Jun 24

Posted by Tyler in Beaches/Parks, Food | 1 Comment

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Oval Beach has been voted by Conde Nast Traveller as one of the 25 best beaches in the world and by MTV as one of the top 5 in the country.  The beach is very clean, has a large parking lot, a nice concession stand and much more.  There are very few rocks on the beach or in the water, almost no debris or shells can be found on the beach and the sand is some of the best around.  On top of a great beach, getting to the beach can be just as exciting. From downtown Saugatuck you can take an old-fashioned chain ferry across the Kalamazoo River, climb 282 stairs up Mt. Baldhead and then run down a sand dune to the beach.  There is also a large parking lot at the beach that I would recommend if you have some stuff to bring to the beach with you or have very little kids.

The last time I went to the beach I planned on taking the chain ferry across the river and then hiking up Mt. Baldhead, however, the chain ferry was not running that day. :-(  So instead I just drove around the river, and parked at Mt. Baldhead, I hiked up the Mt. and then ran down the dune to the beach.  It was a great time, but when I reached the bottom I realized an obvious fact. Sand becomes very hot in the sun!  The dune is in a shaded area but the bottom, by the beach is in the bright sun and I had left my shoes at the top of Baldy.  By the time I made it to the parking lot my feet were burning.

But still, it was a very nice day and that was not going to ruin it.  I had a hot dog at the concession stand and then sat on the beach to enjoy the day for a while.  The gentle wash of the waves on a windless day was very relaxing and the clear skies and bright sunlight felt incredible.  Several kids were skim-boarding a little ways south of the beach and I wished I had brought my board with me. I’ll have to remember that the next time I visit.  After I’d had my fill of sun I ran back through the hot sand and climbed back up the dune, grabbed my shoes, and headed down to my car.

Oval Beach is found off of Park Street in Saugatuck.  There is a large parking lot and parking costs $5 (again, I recommend taking the ferry and Mt. Baldhead).  Parking Fees are only collected from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. and the beach is open all day, year round.

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Where’s Tyler? Charlie’s Round The Corner

Jun 24

Posted by Tyler in Food | No Comments

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Charlie’s Round the Corner Ice Cream is a small ice cream joint in downtown Saugatuck on Mason Street that has been around for about 30 years.  They serve around 30 flavors of ice cream ranging from simple vanilla or chocolate to bubble gum to chocolate chip cookie dough (my personal favorite).  If you aren’t feeling like ice cream they will make a shake using any flavor of ice cream they have. (But really, when would you not want ice cream???)  Prices are about average and the staff is very nice.

I most recently went to Charlie’s after climbing Mt. Baldhead and hanging out on Oval Beach.  It was the hottest day of the year so far with temperatures of about 85°.  So an ice cream cone was definitely a must.  The air conditioning inside felt incredible and I got a single-scoop cone of chocolate chip cookie dough. It turns out that “single-scoop” means three scoops of ice cream, so that was very nice.  I sat inside in order to take advantage of the air conditioning, although they do have some nice benches outside on the sidewalk in downtown Saugatuck.  I grabbed a chair right by the window and just watched people walk by as I ate my ice cream.  The ice cream was delicious and a nice end to a day of relaxing in the Saugatuck area.

Charlie’s Round the Corner can be found at: 134 Mason St. Saugatuck, MI 49453
Map

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Where’s Tyler? Mt. Baldhead

Jun 24

Posted by Tyler in Attractions, Beaches/Parks | No Comments

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Mt. Baldhead is a 282 stair climb to the top of a 600′ sand dune in Saugatuck, MI, near Oval Beach.  At the top there are wonderful views of the Kalamazoo River to the east and Lake Michigan to the west.  The stairs on the east side lead up from Mt. Baldhead park, which includes a small museum that is worth a quick look and on the west side a shaded sand dune heads down to Oval Beach.  The sand dune is a blast to run down and I highly recommend climbing up the stairs and running down the sand dune towards Oval Beach.

Just recently I climbed Mt. Baldhead on a gorgeous June day and found it very enjoyable and rather relaxing.  The climb was a bit harder than I remembered but still only took about 10 minutes and I stopped twice on the way up.  At the top I paused to get a picture sitting on the top step where someone has carved “282″ into the step, signifying the end.  The views from the top were great and I took several photos of the Kalamazoo River valley off to the east which can be seen on my Flickr account. I then ran down the sand dune to Oval Beach.  Just a warning, I left my shoes at the top of the dune in order to run down.  This was a poor choice!  The sand at the bottom of the dune was burning hot and I burned the bottoms of my feet slightly.  So I would suggest carrying shoes down the dune if you have them with you, especially on a nice, sunny day.

Mt. Baldhead is open year round, all day.

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Where’s Tyler? Saugatuck Chain Ferry

Jun 22

Posted by Tyler in Attractions | No Comments

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This past week I visited the Saugatuck Chain Ferry, the last of its kind in the United States.  The ferry stretches 250′ across the Kalamazoo River to bring visitors from downtown Saugatuck to the Oval Beach area, one of the 25 best beaches in the country.  A quick ride on the ferry definitely beats driving around the lake and then looking for a parking spot at the beach.  Even if the beach isn’t your cup of tea it can still be a joy to just take a ride across, check out the Mt. Baldhead museum, maybe even climb up the 282 stairs of Mt. Baldhead and then head back downtown.  The Ferry is a great experience and will surely leave fond memories.

Sadly the Chain Ferry was closed when I went there due to an “insane current”.  We’ve had very heavy rainfall over the past weekend that even caused the B-93 Birthday Bash, an annual country music concert in Ionia, to flood which left hundreds of cars stranded for several days.  I expect the heavy rain is the reason for the strong current and when I drove by today it was open, the operator cranking visitors across the river.  Even though the ferry was closed I sat in Wick’s Park (right next to the ferry) and had a relaxing lunch watching the boats drive by on the channel. Even the “duck”, an amphibious vehicle that gives tours through Saugatuck and neighborng Douglas, passed by in the river.

The Ferry costs $1 for adults and is free for all kids, however, leaving a generous tip is encouraged.  The Ferry is open Memorial Day through Labor Day (give or take a few days). Monday through Friday it is open 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.  Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays it is open 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Here is a map to the ferry: Map

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