MSNBC highlights Leelanau's Fall Color

The latest from the national desk is MSNBC.com’s feature on the Leelanau Peninsula as the best destination for Michigan color in its Autumn in America series:

“Fall color? Right here!” says retired teacher Ann Hackett of the Leelanau Peninsula, the crooked pinky on the ‘hand’ of Lower Michigan. The maples and beeches are now starting to peak, she adds, “and the contrast with the pines is just beautiful.

To experience it, circumnavigate the peninsula on Highway M-22. From Traverse City, the road winds along the shores of Grand Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan, passing historic sites, several wineries and the massive sand dunes of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Rolling hills and glacial moraines provide airy views of forests, beaches and the Manitou Islands.

Photo: Lonely tree in the morning by Jim Sorbie.