MAPLE CITY -- When she needed a break from caring for her terminally-ill husband, Laurie Goggin decided to travel up north with a friend to see Leelanau County.
"We didn't have a clue, except what we could tell on the map, of what it was like," said Goggin, of Mattawan near Kalamazoo. "But we knew the colors must be nice."
That's where Leelanau Day Trips came in. Owned by Doug Hart and Michelle Hart Jahraus, the 6-month-old business offers half- and full-day guided tours of the coastal shorelines, small villages and scenic roads that draw people to the area season after season.
The business is the latest in a trio of ventures the couple began to share their love for the county while making a living. Both are fifth-generation natives of the area whose great-great grandfathers homesteaded fewer than 15 miles apart.
"We're both passionate," Doug said. "We love Leelanau County and this is the best way to show it."
The couple married at Pyramid Point four years ago after meeting at a farm market. Doug had spent years in the heating and air conditioning business; Michelle was a decorative painter whose passion had always been fine art. Both were ready for a change.
They opened a gallery in downtown Cedar, where Michelle sells her acrylic and watercolor paintings of the region, and turned the former studio on their Maple City property into a year-round vacation rental. Eventually, that led to the tour business.
"When renters would come, I'd put on the concierge hat," said Doug, who invariably found himself answering questions about the area, spreading out maps and giving suggestions for day trips. "Then we thought, instead of telling them, show them Leelanau County."
While they already knew Leelanau County well from their own drives and hikes and from their daughters' cross-country practices around the area's fields and dunes, they researched Leelanau County's history and their genealogy at local libraries and the Grand Traverse Heritage Center.
Now Doug drives 100 or more miles a day in the van outfitted with chairs, beach towels, binoculars, field guides and refreshments, including cold drinks. There are even coloring and activity books children can complete for a "junior ranger" badge.
Having the van ready and gassed up and drinks in the cooler at a moment's notice can be a challenge, said Doug, who charges $125 to $225 for the tours. But it's worth it when he hits the open road with a group of people eager to see the region.
"You become friends," he said. "People are up here, they're on vacation. They're already in a good mood."
The insider tours allow visitors to see the county on limited time or to learn about places to return to later in their stay, the couple say. They're also a way to get some local flavor and history and to discover out-of-the-way places visitors wouldn't have the time or knowledge to find on their own -- like the couple's favorite mushrooming spots, back roads with breathtaking vistas of the Manitou and Fox islands, or the best hunting grounds for Leland Blue, a porous rock.
While half-day trips often follow a planned route, Doug said he customizes them as he learns more about his clients. For instance, they can include stops for apple cider, cherry products, shopping or hikes up to Pyramid Point and across the dunes from North Bar Lake to Lake Michigan. The most popular destinations are maple syrup retailers, Fishtown, Manitou Island overlooks and the Sleeping Bear Dunes, whose legend Doug shares.
Doug said he hopes to take the business through the winter.
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