I was at cnn.com this morning looking for more info on the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (al-Qaida’s leader in Iraq) when I saw a mention of Michigan in the travel section. They cover Michigan’s west coast towns from New Buffalo on up to Ludington. The article is packed with glowing recommendations of things to do along Michigan’s west coast and there is just too much to include even a brief snippet.

It is great to see an “outsider” have such a high opinion of places to see and things to do in Michigan. The only beef I have is that they include Grand Rapids in Michigan’s west coast, but they go no further north than Ludington. What about Manistee, Frankfort, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Traverse City, Charlevoix, Petoskey, and the numerous other great stops along our west coast?

Anyway, read the whole article here.

They also have an article on Mackinac Island in reference to the annual Lilac Festival that runs June 9 through June 18. The article is titled, “Wander the fragrant streets of Mackinac Island.” I assume they are thinking of the fragrant lilacs, but with all of those horse-drawn carriages there is another prevailing odor that adds its own unique fragrance to Mackinac Island’s streets.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Mackinac Island. I proposed to my wife there and we honeymooned there as well. I just think that people ought to know that there are three dominant things you smell when you depart the ferries. Lilacs, horse dung, and fudge.

The heat of summer melts them all together into a single scent that wafts on the cool island breezes. Bet you won’t read that in a travel brochure :).