Today is the birthday of the "Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore" of Leelanau and Benzie Counties in northwestern lower Michigan. On October 21, 1970, President Nixon signed into law an act of Congress (91-479) which established the park.
This morning, Ron Jolly did his "Northern Michigan Trivia" contest at about 8:17, as he always does. This time, he played an audio clue, which was a short segment from the "Dune" movie trailer below, which only had the woman talking about the future year and the spice Melange.
As soon as I heard it, I figured that the answer was Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. However, I could not get through on the phone. The two contestants who did get through were not science fiction fans of any kind, and they could not guess it. Ron Jolly has frequently said that he is no kind of science-fiction fan either, so I was surprised he used this clue.
Below are some old postcards of the Sleeping Bear Dunes. All are from before the area was a national park... er... national lakeshore. The first shows the actual partially-forested dune called Sleeping Bear. According to the Chippewa (Ojibwa) legend, this dune represents a mother bear. It was mailed in 1941.
This "Dune Study" postcard is also from the mid 20th century.
This one shows storm clouds over the dunes.
Also check out the "Anishinaabekwe" blog, which is from the Sleeping Bear area. There's a nice photo at the top of the page, and posts with nice photos such as this one.It is actually a national park, but it is officially called a "National Lakeshore", which I think has been a mistake, as those interested in national parks end up forgetting that Sleeping Bear and the other National Lakeshores even exist.
As soon as I heard it, I figured that the answer was Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. However, I could not get through on the phone. The two contestants who did get through were not science fiction fans of any kind, and they could not guess it. Ron Jolly has frequently said that he is no kind of science-fiction fan either, so I was surprised he used this clue.
Below are some old postcards of the Sleeping Bear Dunes. All are from before the area was a national park... er... national lakeshore. The first shows the actual partially-forested dune called Sleeping Bear. According to the Chippewa (Ojibwa) legend, this dune represents a mother bear. It was mailed in 1941.
This "Dune Study" postcard is also from the mid 20th century.This one shows storm clouds over the dunes.
7 comments:
Love this post, dmarks, but why do you say SB Lakeshore is really a park, not lakeshore? Someone from Washington once explained to me the complex bundle of national parks, monuments, lakeshores, forests, preserves, etc. Grand Sable Dunes in the U.P. is another national lakeshores, though it includes park-like features such as trails, historic sites and picnic areas, while Isle Royale is a national park--Michigan's only official national park, I believe. What did you mean that I'm missing?
Thanks for posting these. Sorry your phone call didn't get through. You deserved that!
May the spice be with you ;-)
PJ: It is run by the National Park service, and in that is run just like the other national parks I have seen. Even the style of the brochures (for trails, scenic roads, etc) is identical to what they hand out at Yellowstone and the other actual National Parks.
I don't see the distinction between a Lakeshore and a National Park, other than that the Lakeshore designation means it is left off National Parks lists.
Christine: I will try tomorrow, probably.
Cube: I suppose the sound effects of sandworms would have been too much to ask for.
Those Dunes look so cool. I've been to the Dunes in Indiana and they were fun to run around on.
Cool video clue. I hope you get through tomorrow.
What an interesting item. I had no clue that there was such a thing as a "lakeshore".
I think national parks have more legal protection than national monuments or lakeshores.
Did anyone answer the trivia question correctly?
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