I started Thumbwind Publications in 2009 when utility companies were installing industrial wind turbines in Michigan’s Thumb. The entire three-county region is now designated as the Wind Energy Capital of the Great Lakes. My family had a farm near Bad Axe in Colfax township, and I’ve been coming to the area since I was born. As an adult, I see that Michigan’s Upper Thumb is a fascinating farming region combined with renewable energy production and tourism.
Every chance I get, I come to the Thumb as it offers a playground of festivals, art galleries, fairs, campgrounds, parks, beaches, agricultural exhibits, and the ability to boat and play in the lake with its sugar sand beaches along beautiful Saginaw Bay. It’s only a two-hour drive from the Detroit area, yet it’s ignored as a prime travel destination for the most part. However, it’s still a great place to get an affordable cottage on the shore, a cabin in the woods, or a bit of land to hunt.
Starting in 2015, I established Thumbwind Publications with the goal is to exploring and finding fun all around Michigan with a focus on the Upper Thumb. From Caseville’s famous Cheeseburger Festival, sailing on Saginaw Bay, discovering the art studios in Port Austin, kayaking to Turnip Rock, antiquing in Sebewaing, finding fresh farm-to-table foods, and marveling at expansive wind farms.
I’m a bit of a history nut, which I minored in while at MSU, I also conduct research and look back to the fascinating history and key events that shaped the area. For example, my research on the 1860s Ora Labora Colony took enabled me to see what this area was like while it was still wild. I’ve also met some interesting folks along the way. In short, I look for the “Best of the Thumb” and pass it on.
I invite you to like and follow Thumbwind’s Facebook Page as I cover many things above and beyond what this site offers.
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Just a little note to say thank you following thisfloridalife. I appreciate all of my followers and I hope you have a wonderful day!
I follow your posts everytime I see your email. Its turning cold here in Michigan. Watch out for the snowbirds.
Thanks for you comments and interest. Hope you don’t quit hiking.
Hi there – thanks so much for stopping by my blog!
Your welcome..its a great catagory I’m opening up to.
Thanks for following my blog! Stay warm!
Thanks…today is a snowy day. Chick soup and a fire in the fireplace are the order of the day.
Thank you for following my blog. Although I’m farther north on the sunrise side, I enjoy your posts about the thumb area and our beautiful state. Have a terrific day!
Thanks for stopping by
Thanks for the kind comments. August is a busy month for Thumbwind. You will see many updates.
I look forward to them, thank you. 🙂
Thank you for visiting my post on the Great Lakes. I’ve read with interest several of your posts.
In spite of having lived in Windsor for 4 years, I had no idea Michigan was referred to as a “thumb”. In fact I had to pull up a map of Michigan to understand this better.
Imagine my surprise! It really does look like a thumbs-up 🙂
So glad you looked in on our site which allowed us to find yours. We look forward to looking in on you.
Hello,
I could share my story about ThumbWind.com
ThumbWind started as a result of the start of wind energy development in the Thumb region. Wind farm developers were signing up and locking in lease rights to just about every square inch of Michigan’s Upper Thumb and we were concerned. We feared we would see looming 20 story wind turbines everywhere including offshore. Many of my initial posts were stories about wind development. The most popular area is our wind farm map which provides detailed information on every wind farm project in Michigan.
However, I was encouraged to expand the scope of Thumbwind and soon I was covering other local events and capturing unique places, sites and things to do in Michigan’s Upper Thumb. Readers responded positively to posts about the Cheeseburger Festival in Caseville and padding to Turnip Rock so I kept going. Today there are over 300 posts dealing with topics like art galleries near Port Austin to the wild and crazy history of the Michigan Upper Thumb region. One topic in particular, the Ora Labora colony that existed from 1862-1867 received so much attention that I created a site dedicated to its study with ora-labora.org.
I hope to expand coverage in the future to include all of Michigan’s Saginaw Bay. I’ve been looking for contributors to expand our cope to include such great towns as Tawas and Au Gres.
Thanks for the opportunity to tell our story. Let me know if you need anything else.
Mike Hardy
I found this looking for web cams, which seem to be down, but would still be interested in your wind farm feed back. They are starting a wind farm at Rogers City and there is conteoversy
Hi Joseph,
I will look into what is happening in Rodgers City. Thanks for the tip.
As to webcams. 3 out of 4 Air Advantage webcams are showing down. We don’t manage those cams. Just display them if they are up.
I reported a dead bird with crusted eyes in early July to DNR and Michigan wild life.(neither have made contact) I have also noticed several dead in my travels on the road. Michigan needs to alert other Michiganders regarding not feeding birds at this time until this disease is figured out.
Hi Dawn, We have yet to see any communication from the MDNR on the issue.