032626 ~ Spring Things! - Nick Nerbonne

It's the springway of doing

things on our pure Michigan

moment. The Lucian Lanshow

1290 W L B Y Nick Nurban

back with us. He is media

and digital director at

Travel Michigan through the

MEDC, the Michigan Economic

Development Corporation. They

have the folks behind the

pure Michigan campaign. Nick

we made it around the bend

and we said a due to winter.

We were excited and for

me there were some warm

temperatures over the weekend

and it's been continued

this week and it's really

inspired me to think about what

are some of those spring

traditions that we can get out

and do. As you can imagine,

spring means flowers and we

certainly have a bevy of those

that are about to bloom here in

the state of Michigan. One

of my favorites is the delicate

spring. I'm going to

reveal this really secret

unique trail. It is a great

place for walking along and

seeing the entire forest floor

carpeted with trillium. When I

lived up in Traverse City, I

would go out to the Pyramid

Point Trailhead in

Slipping Badoon's

National Lakeshore and there

are a couple of hillsides

that the entire hillside would

be blanketed with these white

trillium. If you find that time of

spring, it is spectacular. Oh,

you talked a little bit last week

about those and they're just so

beautiful. I didn't know how wide

spread they are and that fact

that when you come across it,

it really is a little bit

unusual because to see that on

full bloom, they kind of stick

to one area and it looks

really glorious, doesn't it? Yeah,

it does and it's one of those

things that to me, it's like

this is an official sign that

I'm like, yeah, warmer

temperatures and everything, the

snow is melted, but when you start

to see those flowers blooming in

the wild, that is absolutely a

beautiful site. Next, the

cherry blossoms. Tell us about

those. Speaking of blooming, I

lived in Traverse City for a long

time with the cherry capital

of the world. Michigan produced

over 60% of the nation's cherry

crop, the tar cherry crop, and

around the Traverse City region,

to go out and explore and just

kind of drive some of the back

roads, especially on old mission

peninsula where there are just

still cherry orchards up and down

the rolling terrain, overlooking

the bay. And so when you find

one of those viewpoints, you come

over a hill and on each side of

the road are those pink and white

blossoms with the turquoise waters

of east and west bay in the

distance. It's just an incredible

site that you really cannot see

in the past. The

cherry tree is a beautiful

garden with cherry trees. The

tradition of the Japanese gift of

the cherry tree is to the

title based in Washington, D.C.

It inspired that at my

garden. Another great place to see

the cherry blossoms. Also on

Belaya, they have cherry blossoms.

A really fun spring activity and

beautiful as well. I love that

that so many of us take

photographs of these scenes

around the great state of Michigan.

They have a cell phone to do so

back when I was growing up. You

had to have your camera nearby

in order to take photos. And

of course, now it's so

instantaneous to post them

everywhere. Has that really

changed the game when it comes to

marketing the state of Michigan?

So many people want to share it

with other people, Nick. It's

changed travel. The way we share

our experiences along the way

and throughout our journey.

Share it afterward with our friends

because we would develop our film.

You know, with digital

photography, the availability of our

mobile devices and all of the

social media profiles that allow us to do

that. I personally love Instagram

Stories. Excuse me because that

allows me to share things as I'm

traveling that day. And if I want to

share a little bit larger collection

later, I can do that. But it has

changed the way we discover new places.

But also share them with our friends and family.

The great sites in Michigan that

are so photographable.

The great lakes, light houses.

Oh, absolutely. I think over in

Port Huron, Fort Greshet

Lighthouse, Michigan's oldest

lighthouse built in 1414.

So another great example there right

at the mouth, basically, of the

St. Clair River that flows out of

Port Huron out of, excuse me,

out of Lake Huron down in that

area all the way up to the

Mackinac Ridge. If you wanted to do a

big lighthouse road trip, you can go

up through Harbor Beach and Lexington

up to Port Austin down through

Case Fill around Saginaw Bay to

Tawas Point. Going to Great Lakes

Lighthouses is such a fantastic

activity all year round. But as the

spring warms up and it's not quite

time to swim, getting some of those

great photos to share on social of the

lighthouse. This is a lot of fun. Yeah,

that's a good point. We also have a lot

of state parks in Michigan. How many

do you think? 103 state parks across

the state, including Waterloo

Recreation Area in Chess, Chess,

Chelsea, just outside of at Harbor, which is one of

the largest, it's the largest in lower

peninsula. There are so many unique

places like when I first moved down state

from Traverse City to come to work for

Michigan and Lansing, I said, you know what?

I've never been to Sleepy Hollow

State Park. It's just about 20 minutes north

of Lansing. And I went over there. It's got

lakes, it's got trails. It's even got an

accessible fishing pier. So any one of

the ability ability can go out there and

go fishing right on one of the legs

there. So just go on to the

Michigan.gov and search for the state

parks and see what's out there.

There are so many unique places to see.

Talking with Nick Nurbin from the

state of Michigan's pure Michigan

moment and travel Michigan on the

Lucian Lanshow, 1290 WLBY. As we're

celebrating the beginning of spring

and all the great wonderful sites

in our state. Let's go back to flowers

in Holland, Michigan.

Quite a spectacle coming up.

I think we'll talk more about this

as this wonderful event

approaches, but two of time is

a spring tradition for many

not just in Michigan, but around the

country and beyond.

Six million tulips are blooming

in Holland and downtown and

Windmill Island gardens with home

of the famous historic Dutch

Windmill that was transported across

the Atlantic to Michigan.

And I'm telling you, if you have

not walked along eighth street

and downtown Holland to see all

of the ornate tulip gardens

as they line the street,

it is a site to see.

It's very beautiful. I broadcast

from tulip time once many years ago

and I couldn't believe what I was

looking at there. And by the way,

as I talk about this every year

and I love it, I still have

in my closet my little Dutch

shoes. My, what do they call

them?

It has my name burned into it.

They will do that for you there.

Isn't that cool?

The conditions are wonderful and they

even have during tulip time.

They have dancing lessons. You can

make your own pair of clogs like that.

They have all kinds of things

really representing the Dutch heritage in the area.

Yeah, I was a little girl when we had that done.

So I've been there a few times.

Next, let's go over to eastern

market. Do you know I have never

loved it? And flower day is one of

the biggest days for eastern

market. Everyone what this is.

This is a long time tradition in Detroit.

And flower day is like you can go

and pick it. I want to buy some flowers

for my mom for Mother's Day.

Okay, you can go do that. But if you

wanted to get plants for your entire

backyard, you can do that too.

150 plus growers have all different

types of

agriculture and beautiful

flora.

You can find there at eastern

market throughout the entire property there.

It is definitely a tradition for many

because it's so large scale.

And it's only one day.

So I think Lucian, you should plant on

doing that this year. I agree with you.

And not only flowers, but eastern

market has so much more, right?

Yes, absolutely, including subpoenas

pizza, some of the best.

Ooh, that sounds delicious.

Hey, bring it back home to Ann Arbor

to conclude our segment today.

I'm going to start with the

next one.

I'm going to start with the flowers.

I'm piping up my notes.

And it reminded me about the puny

garden there at Nichols Arboratum at the

arbor.

And I still thank you again two years

later for correcting me on the puny.

Thank you so much for making sure I

understand how to do that.

But I discovered that while, you know,

in Ann Arbor, you know, my sister lives

there and it's just such a unique

experience.

I think it's a great experience to

support that and taking more photos

to share with my family and friends on

social media.

Yeah, last year we had a little

problem where someone came and

destroyed many of those and it was

unbelievable.

But I think it gave everyone a new

appreciation for something they may

take for granted because it's in our

backyard, Nick.

It kind of calls attention to what a

photograph, a white and pink one to

your right turn left and there's a

bright yellow one with a different

blossom shape.

It really is something that me is

not an expert on hornaculture.

I was really blown away the first

time I saw it and I can't wait to get

back this year.

The house I grew up in on Ann Arbor Southeast

side.

My dad and mom had planted three

P&E bushes, um, pink ones for each of

the three kids in our family.

I was a little mad at myself that I

didn't dig those up and take them

with me when I moved.

But I at the same time think maybe

that's where they belong right where

they were planted there.

Yeah.

And we will go to the arb

and we can enjoy the peonies together this

year. I love that.

We will definitely do that.

I'll look for you Nick.

Nick Nurbin from Travel Michigan.

Your trip begins where?

We are going to go to the

next year.

We are going to talk about the great

state of Michigan and all we have to

offer Michigan.org.

It doesn't get any easier as a

website than that name.

We love Michigan.

And we love Nick Nurbin too from Travel

Michigan.

The folks behind that pure Michigan

campaign. He's on the air every week

right here on Ann Arbor's talk station

1290 WLBY.