Sometimes the thunder of the herd haring off across the cultural landscape gives me a headache. It turns out that a successful social media campaign has led to the election of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as The Most Beautiful Place in America by viewers of ABC’s Good Morning America. The ones who voted anyway. Plus all the Michiganians who don’t generally watch GMA but participated enthusiastically in the campaign to encourage more Tourist People to visit the Third Coast.
I am all in favor of telling the world about the very pleasant ways it is possible to spend a vacation in the Mittens. I am a big fan of Sleeping Bear, which is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been in Michigan. Looky here:
But how silly is it to vote for a place as the most beautiful in America? Seriously, have you been everywhere in America? You have not. No one has. So maybe it is the most beautiful place you have seen, but that’s about all you can maintain with any integrity.
And how silly is it to say that the heart-rending glory of Big Blue spread out before you as you stand on the dune rising 400 feet into the cloudless sky . . . how silly is it to say that is more beautiful than the soul-filling majesty of the Rocky Mountains? Or the mysterious shapes and colors of the great Southwestern deserts? Or the forested wilderness of the Boundary Waters? The green, green Pacific Northwest? New England in autumn? North Carolina in springtime? The Lost Coast of California? It is very silly.
There is no one most beautiful place here or anywhere else. There is simply beauty, everywhere in the world, and to each eye one special place that is most beautiful. The song isn’t America the most Beautiful. It is America the Beautiful, and so it is, from sea to shining sea.
Might as well choose one child over the others.
[Note: PJ Grath has done a much better job of writing about this over at Books in Northport, but I decided what the heck. Waste not want not.]
Torch Lake Views 
P.j. grath
August 27, 2011
Amen! That’s all I have to say, Gerry, since you’ve said the rest.
Gerry
August 27, 2011
Well, between us we said it all, but you were much nicer and I was much crankier. It figures.
Sybil
August 27, 2011
Mom always liked you best !
Gerry
August 27, 2011
She never!
Fee
August 28, 2011
While it’s undoubtedly very beautiful, I agree with you – it would be like picking one child over another.
Ironically, my youngest kid’s school is celebrating winning a competition as well, which the local rag chose to interpret as them having “The worst school playground in the UK”. Parents are choosing to see it as “Most in need of improvement” (but then we’re a bunch of optimists) and the kids are just excited to get £30,000 of play equipment, regardless of what the grown-ups think.
Gerry
August 28, 2011
Now, see, if the GMA process involved a donation of useful equipment I’d be a lot less cranky about it! I hope the kids have a ball with the great new stuff. I’ll bet they figure out all sorts of ways to use it that the designers never thought of. Kids are ingenious.
Dawn
August 28, 2011
You make me smile. Because just about every space is the most beautiful space to someone. You are right. Still, the dunes ARE beautiful and we’re so lucky to have them near.
Gerry
August 28, 2011
They are. In fact, they would be on my personal top ten list of beautiful places in Michigan. Maybe the top three, but that changes with the weather and my mood, so who knows.
When I lived in Detroit I always had an annual state park sticker on my car. After I’d lived up here awhile, it occurred to me that I didn’t have a sticker any more. I was surprised and remarked on the oddity to Rob the Firefighter. He laughed and said “You live where you can hike through the woods or on the beach or paddle on rivers and lakes without ever going to a park.” It’s true. (Still, this year I bought the state park pass license plate tab, just to support the whole wonderful system.)
Karma
August 28, 2011
Yay, two posts from you this weekend! Hope your wordpress woes are weakening. (How’d you like that alliteration?)
Gerry
August 28, 2011
It’s still a pain, but I have more time on the weekend to horse with it. I am fond of alliteration, and one of these days when you’re least expecting it I’ll get you back.
kanniduba
August 28, 2011
I always get my rant on when People Magazine does their “most Beautiful” schtick too….It really should be called “The Most Beautiful Celebrity According to a select few.”
Right there with you Gerry.
Gerry
August 28, 2011
I find myself in excellent company!
shoreacres
August 28, 2011
What? You’re the Third Coast? We thought we were the Third Coast. Well, maybe you’re Third and we’re Third-and-a-Quarter or something.
I’ll say this – your lakes are far prettier than our Gulf, and if we see something that high in the middle distance, we just figure some developer is putting up another highrise.
I was relieved to discover you heading off in a different direction than I’d imagined. I was fearing an influx of determined tourists actually hitting the road and coming to Sleeping Bear Dunes. That is not something to be wished for, no matter what the Economic Councils say. My sleepy little fishing village on Galveston Bay is now The Boardwalk. Local seafood restaurants that had their own fleets have been replaced by Joe’s Crabshack, and there are ferris wheels, for goodness’ sake.
Sometimes blessed anonymity is best, particularly when the hordes only want to be able to say they’ve been at the “in” spot.
Gerry
August 28, 2011
I would say North Coast on account of it leaves open the possibility that we are the First Coast, but I’m trying to go with the flow. I always thought of you as the Gulf Coast, but you can have any number you want, especially since you said something nice about our lakes, which are special favorites of mine. I haven’t been to Galveston yet, but you have some seriously fine music down there.
There is a lot to be said for local seafood, too. Neighbors in Detroit who hailed from New Orleans would return from visits home with coolers packed with dry ice and fresh seafood. (Those were the days – imagine trying to get that on a plane today.) They would make gumbo and then, get this, they would invite us over to help eat it. I love those neighbors.
We like our Tourist People for the most part, but personally I think we should focus our economic development dollars elsewhere. We are overrun in July, which beats up on the infrastructure and our tempers even as it brings welcome income. Better we should encourage year-round operations. Ferris wheels, eh? We have those, too, but only in July and August. I, um, am a sucker for elephant ears.
Dawn
August 28, 2011
Well I’d be willing to come up and spend some money in the 11 mos of ‘off season.”
Gerry
August 29, 2011
Dawn, you are a connoisseur of the finer things in life. You would appreciate the Grand Traverse Region in September and October, and you would be very welcome. You might even find the whole rest of the year appealing, and the next thing you know, here you’d be, exploring the dunes on snowshoes, Katy bouncing along in excitement beside you.
Katie. I meant Katie. Although Katy would probably go snow-shoeing with you as well.
Beth Toner
August 29, 2011
See, I’m more selfish… I just don’t want them to name places up that way “most beautiful” because then EVERYONE will show up.
Gerry
August 29, 2011
You have given me an idea. I think we should vote on Best-kept Secret February Getaways and get everyone to vote for the Grand Traverse Resort. It would even out the traffic a treat, and we could use the diversion.
Anna
August 29, 2011
Yes, there is beauty in a variety of ways and landscapes throughout America, for sure. American is so diverse in its beauty too. I would love to visit and see Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Delightful post and photos. 🙂
Gerry
August 29, 2011
Thank you, Anna. You would enjoy the landscape here, and the skyscapes too. It would be interesting to see how you would capture them with your adventuresome lens.
Scott Thomas Photography
August 29, 2011
Great Lake Dunes are marvelous in their ecology as much as their beauty and I am thinking GMA had some wonderful views of sunsets/sunrises which can be spectacular. I know. 🙂
Gerry
August 29, 2011
They are marvels, aren’t they! And of course Babs and I are in agreement that you can never have too many spectacular sunsets and sunrises. Never. (Betty Jo thinks we have altogether enough photos of sunsets to last us for the rest of our natural lives and another decade beyond that.)