Sand, Stars, Wind, & Water: Field Notes from Up North

by Tim Mulherin

"Some can visit a place a thousand times and never get to know it, while others go deeper, beyond the tourist lookouts and marked trails, until they’ve learned the place by heart. Tim Mulherin is one of the latter. He 'gets' northwest lower Michigan, and his book is a rich and entertaining celebration of it. –Jerry Dennis, author of The Living Great LakesIn 2011, "Good Morning America" viewers voted Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northwest lower Michigan the “Most Beautiful Place in America.” Long before the park was ranked as a national favorite, author Tim Mulherin began exploring the region — including Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties and other points north — as a frequent visitor. Now, in Sand, Stars, Wind, & Field Notes from Up North, Mulherin tells of his love of the area and its people, and in turn encourages visitors to respect and enjoy this national treasure.

Mulherin joyfully shares his enduring, decades-long friendship with the region, born of hiking and cross-country skiing on woodland trails, dune climbing, trout fishing, sailing across Lake Michigan to camp on South Manitou and Garden islands, kayaking crystalline waters of local lakes and rivers, driving the scenic M-22 highway, and savoring downtime on Lake Michigan beaches. His essays are also a timely commentary on invasive species — both aquatic and human.Anyone who has visited this special place — or plans to — will find Mulherin’s writing a thoughtful and amusing representation of what being “Up North” is really all about."To read Tim Mulherin is to be informed, entertained, and challenged. It’s rare that one book can do all that, but Sand, Stars, Wind, & Water achieves all three and more." – Philip Gulley, author of the Porch Talk and Harmony series"Tim Mulherin takes us on a memorable walk through one of the most beautiful places in America, a place he cherishes and honors with acute observation. In telling his tales of Leelanau, he gets the biggest issue of all – the need to live with respect for the water and all living things. In accessible prose, he teaches, delights, and entertains."– Dave Dempsey, author of The Heart of the Freshwater in the Past, Present, and Future of Southeast Michigan"Anyone who’s ever had a face-to-face connection with nature, or a passing interest in the Lake Michigan wilds on the Leelanau Peninsula, will relish Tim Mulherin’s Sand, Stars, Wind, & Field Notes from Up North. With captivating use of word and language – and an engaging blend of personal recollections – Mulherin brings readers up close and personal with the region’s people, places, and nature, from Sleeping Bear Dunes through Leland, past Lake Leelanau to Traverse City." – Steven Higgs, author of A Guide to Natural Areas of Southern Indiana and A Guide to Natural Areas of Northern Indiana. "In this next best thing to an actual visit, readers will find good company. Tim Mulherin’s amiable, intelligent, affectionate essays evoke the pleasure and interest to be found Up North as it is now, tourist throngs and quagga mussels notwithstanding. In Sand, Stars, Wind, & Field Notes from Up North, Mulherin, a Hoosier visitor, offers a personal, intently observed collection of experiences in a place that so many, however long they may stay, do love.

Kindle Edition

First published June 3, 2021

Reviews

[Marieta Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a "Fudgie" as he calls us, I appreciated what Tim said about us, but am still glad my husband and I experienced Michigan (both the UP and the Lower) last summer in the way that visitors do on an extended vacation. Having never visited Michigan previously, except for a quick drive through the southern part of the state, we saw that Michigan has a lot to offer and it would be easy for someone to "get hooked" on using any of the areas around the lakes as a vacation retreat or a seasonal home.

I appreciated reading about Tim's experiences with family and his best friend, Craig.

Thank you, Tim, for introducing a non-fishing, not-hunting, non-boating reader to your trials and tribulations.

I picked up this book at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore bookstore and am glad I did.

[Janet Mulherin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great read for all readers wanting to know more about beautiful northern Michigan! From someone who truly loves the area.

[Libby Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well done and interesting but 90% about the Traverse city region.

[John Goebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dreaming of a northwest Michigan trip soon! Great writer. Hope he publishes more.