Lake Michigan in St Joseph, Michigan: A Family Walkway Along the Shores

You may know of St. Joseph, Michigan (or St. Joe) as a great place for summer fun. But residents have long known the magical charm all year round. The wonderful Family Recreational Trail, a gift to the city from the John and Dede Howard Family, becomes a wonderful, winter nature walk. It's right in the city and runs along the shore of Lake Michigan. It's just when the beaches are quiet, except for the roaring of the wintry wave-when the footpath below the bluff becomes home to all kinds of magical, mythical creatures - at least in one author's mind.

St Joe is hosts an ice carving festival every February, and this year it happens to fall on Valentine's Day. And what better place to spend the day than in the city that the Detroit Free Press has named Michigan's most romantic. World class ice carvers compete to create the most fantastic glittery wonder, while the museums, library and welcome center offer warmth, welcome, and hands-on activities for the whole family. This year's festival starts on Valentine's Day, so they are promising an extra romantic event! But, what makes St Joe's festival unique year after year is that it is a magical festival!

Now if you ask me, the real magic is provided by that glorious artist, Mother Nature. And the best thing, is you don't have to go far at all to find it, for just down below the bluff is the "The John and Dede Howard Family Recreation Trail." This trail is a multi-use path connecting two beaches and the Arboretum. In the summer it is brimming with tourists, joggers, kids, families and dogs with their walkers. Great stuff, but I really love it in the winter when it is just myself and a few other hearty souls.

If you do decide to "walk the walk" be sure to dress for a winter adventure. A warm hat and gloves are must. The city usually keeps it plowed, but boots high enough to go through deep snow are advisable. I always wear a scarf that I can wrap around my nose and mouth if the wind is really cutting. I usually dress for warmth, not style, and I usually end up looking like one of the brightly dressed characters in Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen as illustrated by Mary Engelbreit.

Right now, the section between the Arboretum on the river and the beach is under construction, so I usually begin by heading down the stairs at the end of Broad Street. At the bottom is the railroad depot. I know the movie Prince Caspian begins in an urban railroad station, but fans of C. S. Lewis' book know it is set in the country. Look at the station and imagine Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are sitting there waiting for the train that will take them back to school. Quick, make a 180o turn and look at the lake, and you can feel the same surprise the children must have felt when the found themselves in Narnia on the edge of the sea.

As you walk toward the lake you can be an arctic explorer looking for Mr. Popper's Penguins or maybe A Wizard of Earthsea exploring one of the northern realms. The path follows the lake for awhile along Silver Beach, then turns back and starts to go up the bluff again. But wait, the best part of the path is yet to come. Right before the railroad bridge, you will spy a part of the path to your right, heading south. This part of the path is lined with lampposts that Lucy might have seen when she first entered Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe. The wind is not so fierce on this part of the path, as you have a row of houses between yourself and the lake. But, look up the bluff and I truly hope in your mind's eye you won't be so unfortunate as to see the poor Baudelaire orphans struggling up The Slippery Slope.

At the end of the path is the most fantastic bridge you can ever imagine. Truly, it is more fantastic than the bridge where Eustace, Jill and Puddleglum first meet the witch and her mysterious escort in their travels through wild wastelands north of Narnia in The Silver Chair. Like Jill you may think it was built for giants, or perhaps you will agree with Puddleglum that it was built for sorcerers. Actually, it was built to give handicap access to the beaches below, and it is sometimes called "The Million Dollar Bridge." You have to see it to believe it.

Now head up the bridge, and head back to town. Although you have just experienced the magic of nature, you are really not that far - only about 6 blocks. Once downtown you can stop in one of the many fine pubs or restaurants for a well-earned treat. After the stinging cold coming off the lake, you ill truly think you have died and gone to heaven -or the mythical Valhalla, at the very least!