Story and photos by Kevin Howell
Two issues ago, I began following Mason County’s Cultural Heritage Trails, beginning with the Maritime Trail, followed by the Barn Quilt Trail.
Thus far, my trusty navigator Jean and I have found curious and interesting sites and discovered a few surprises on each of our sojourns through the county – with nary a wrong turn.
Not so this time. My navigator was absent, waylaid by a twisted back that precluded the couple hours’ driving needed to hunt for sites along the Agricultural Trail, the third of six heritage trails.
Always double check the names of the roads before heading out. I didn’t.
I decided to travel a back way from our home near Walhalla. I missed a turn while looking for the wrong road and finally backtracked to the (wrong) road. A half hour later, I ended up asking my phone where the heck I was and where I really needed to be.
My first stop was an elk ranch a little south and east of Ludington, on what I ultimately discovered was Conrad Road, not Hawley Road. Anyway, the extended drive to Amber Elk Ranch was not without its pleasures – wandering as I did through woodlands, rolling farmlands and orchards. The sight of a wind farm near the Pere Marquette River and Lake Michigan took the sting out of my waywardness.
And the Elk Ranch was pretty cool. I didn’t see the elk – they were in the back pastures – and I was already running too late to take the tour, ($12 for adults, $8 for children and $10 for seniors). However, I learned from Emily, the young woman behind the gift shop counter, the elk business had been going for some 20 years on the 100-year-old farm. (Read “October means bugling elk at Amber Elk Ranch,” Freshwater Reporter, October 2019.)
She explained to me that there were elk steaks and burger for sale, and there was a weekly cookout.
“Every Saturday, the owner grills out and it’s open to the public,” Emily told me.
The evening meal includes elk burgers, chips, soda pop and corn on the cob in the outdoor pavilion.
I snapped a few photos, picked out a package of elk burgers and continued to the next stop – now that I knew where I was going.
One thing that brought my absent navigator and me to Michigan is the plethora of farm markets, meat and fish vendors, and specialty food shops.
The Agricultural Trail lists 18 sites and includes those specialty shops, along with other agriculture-related sites. We had been to several of them. Orchard Market, along U.S. Highway 31 near Free Soil, is a favorite. We usually run there for fresh fruits and veggies, in season, and they have a great little bakery and assorted special sauces we really like.
Now in its 54th year and third generation of family owners, the Orchard Market starts out each year as a nursery and garden center and then shifts into home-grown products as the season progresses.
Another trip had taken me to Michigan Farm Cheese Dairy and the Jam Farm, each selling delicious, locally made products. Both are on the Agricultural Trail.
After leaving the Elk Ranch – having regained my sense of direction, now that I was back in familiar territory – I headed east on Conrad for a hundred yards or so and turned north on Stiles Road, where I noted a stand of chestnut trees on the corner. A sign informed they were planted in 2002 and they looked plenty healthy, considering the species was nearly lost in the early 20th century.
Between Conrad and U.S. Highway 10, I drove past Starving Artist Brewing. (Read “Starving Artist Brewing: Masterpiece in a Pint,” Freshwater Reporter, January 2020.) Jean and I have sampled several craft brews here from time to time. Today, I stayed the course and turned east as I reached U.S. 10.
My next stop was Sanders Meats, a small, locally owned meat processor south of U.S. 10 on Custer Road in the village of Custer. According to its trail listing, Sanders has been around since 1925.
The listing states: “(Joseph Sanders) was an entrepreneur who started a micro business from scratch peddling his meat with horses and a sleigh during the winter months. He later delivered his homemade products with a Model T Ford.”
One specialty of this busy, fourth-generation business is its Butterball Ham, made from locally raised pigs. On this day, I had to stop in for a couple packages of Sanders meaty snack sticks. Deciding among jalapeño cheese, teriyaki, barbecue and other flavors, I carried out one each of teriyaki and pepper jack cheese. Yum!
Loaded up with snack sticks and elk burgers for later, I headed back to the homestead with the thought that you should always, always, always double check names of the roads you want to follow… or maybe not. Sometimes it’s just nice to wander through the countryside.
Stay tuned – there are three more trails to follow.
For information or to follow the trails, go to: http://masoncountyculture.com/trails/ On the left side of your screen, click Online Trails App to find the trail sites.
