Our 2016 Adventure Planned Journey

This year’s journey takes us into the Appalacian mountains in West Virginia.  The general route we plan to take is shown in this picture.

We will begin August 31st, so check back for updates.

Our Summertime Fun

Greetings!  We are completing a 2 week outing that has taken us to western Michigan and the UP.  Yes, the UP again!  The upper peninsula of Michigan is one of our favorite places to visit (in the summer), but more on that later.

This is an annual trek for us, stopping first in the Grand Rapids area to visit our longtime good friends.  Together we visited a couple very cool destinations.  The first was Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, specifically the new Japanese Garden they opened last year.  Meijer hired an expert Japanese garden designer to lay out the garden and it is awesome. 

Upon opening, Meijer invited a large Japanese group to view the park and they were very impressed with its authenticity in capturing the Japanese culture.  A must see if you find your way to Grand Rapids.

The second interesting stop was the Gilmore Automobile Museum in Hickory Corners, near Kalamazoo.  If you are into cars and motorsports, the name Gilmore should be familiar as the sponsor for AJ Foyt during the 70s and 80s.  Donald Gilmore was a store owner, then married into the family that owned Upjohn pharmaceuticals. So, this campus, which is on 90 acres consisting of 20 beautifully restored buildings, houses 400 automobiles from early 1900s to about 1980.  Many of the cars are on loan to the museum and each have an informative plaque about them.  The cars are interesting, but it really is the story behind them that grabs you.

The 1953 Hudson, popular for stock car racing

Out the windshield of a 1923 Packard

After three enjoyable days, it was time to say goodbye, till next year. Off we went to Mitchell State Park in Cadillac.  We enjoy using our PortaBote at this park witch is situated between Cadillac and Mitchell Lakes.  We had our favorite spot on the end with our Bote tied to the seawall right by our site.

Unfortunately, the fishing really sucked and Lake Cadillac was experiencing an algae bloom.  Think of fishing in a bowl of pea soup.  We went into Mitchell, which was clear and caught a few small fish.  The bloom we heard happens nearly every year due to lawn runoff and septic tanks.  We also had several days of 90s and high humidity, whick likely contributed.   Michell does not have as much development and is larger.

We next travelled into the UP toward Manistique, at Indian Lake State Park.  Very nice park on Indian Lake.  A welcome cool breeze and temperatures here.  Our objective was to visit areas of the Hiawatha National Forest that we did not have time for last fall.  Also to explore campgrounds that might offer fishing and access to shoreline where we could keep the Bote.

Several meet our needs, however most have no hookups, or plumbed toilets and showers.  Outhouses only.  So, we need to think about it.  The little lakes are are very pretty.

While in this area and adjacent to the park is the Palms Book State Park, home to Kitch-iti-kipi, Objiwa for Big Springs.  A unique natural feature, 45 feet deep with a constant temperature of 45 degrees.  You cross over the springs in a cabled pull raft.

The water is crystal clear with easy visibility of the bottom and the springs bubbling up through the sand.

We have a couple more days planned here before returning home.

In three weeks we start out on our fall adventure.  This year we are travelling into West Virginia.  As always, we have some interesting stuff planned.

This is a Test Post

January 5, 2016

This is a test post to using Windows 7 and Open Live Writer.

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Another Lighthouse

Sunday, October 4, 2015

We know what you’re thinking. Geez, another lighthouse, nothing else to go see but lighthouses?  Well, yes, but we are interested in the many lighthouses around the Great Lakes.  They made shipping possible and we find their make-up and locations unique.  They are like a time capsule, since most date to the mid-1800s.

But first, we have to tell you about a stop in the town of Brimley on our way to today’s lighthouse.  It was a little historic museum housed in two old railway cars.

The cars themselves have an interesting history.  The passenger car came from Canada after Algoma Central ceased operation.  It was built around 1905.  The caboose is from the Detroit and Port Huron (Grand Trunk) railway. They were transported on flatbed trucks to this site.  There was concern that the caboose cupola would not clear bridges and overpasses in its journey.  We bet that caused some “rubber-necking” along the transit route.

Inside was an interesting history of Brimley and neighboring Bay Mills.  Brimley dates back to 1872 and was a railroad stop with the railroad extending to Bay Mills on a trestle across the bay.  Bay Mills had two wood mill companies (get it?… Bay Mills) one that made boxes, the other made doors and sashes. A fire in 1904 destroyed them both.  The companies left, putting most of Bay Mills and Brimley people out of work.  Both towns were essentially deserted by 1909.

Rail service ended in Brimley in 1961.  Bay Mills is now an Ojibwa community (with  2 casinos) and Brimley makes a a go of it since it is near several tourist destinations.  Check this out, it is a portion of an old wooden water main they found in Brimley.

 

A few miles past the Bay Mills Casino, was the Point Iroquois Light Station.  This location, like the Whitefish Point light, helped guide ships into the St. Mary’s River and the Soo Locks.  There are shallow shoals and rocky reefs that the ships have to navigate around in this area.  The Locks opened in 1844, this light station started operation in 1870.

It did not need a long range so it was equipped with a 4th order Fresnel.  The lens is at the Smithsonian.  It initially used a kerosene fuel wick, later changed to an intermittent acetylene lamp.  During its operating years, improvements were made to the light.  A fog horn was added and the intensity was increased.  It was electrified in 1933.  Point Iroquois Light was eventually deactivated in 1963.

The stone work fence surrounding the property was put in by Keeper Soldenski in the 1930s.  The museum inside had many stories from the 18 keepers during their stays here.

This is the last day of our adventure, we head home tomorrow.  It has been fun and as always, we’ve experienced many new and unique things.  Thanks for riding along with us and thanks for the comments, feedback, and emails. 

Until next year…..

Lighthouse and Falls

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Fall has definitely arrived in upper Michigan, it was in the low 40s this morning, cloudy with a brisk northerly breeze.  So we layered on the clothes and headed for our two objectives today.  The first was the Whitefish Point Light Station which also houses the Ship Wreck Museum.  If you have your Michigan Map handy, look for a point of land in the eastern UP about 50 miles west of Sault Saint Marie.

This little point of land seems to attract ship wrecks, partly because it lies on the course ships take as they position for entrance to the Locks and partly because a northerly blow will send ships onto the shores here.  Due to over 40 wrecks that have occurred here, a lighthouse was erected in 1861. The lighthouse went through several changes during its life.  It is an active light and is now automated with a constant white light.

In 1923, a Lifeboat Rescue Service was established here, partially because the lighthouse keepers were often involved in rescues taking them away from their keeper duties, but also they and the volunteers they summoned were not properly trained or equipped to handle rescues. 

In 1939 the Lifeboat Rescue and operation of the lighthouse came under control of the US Coast Guard.  The Lifeboat Rescue Service was discontinued in 1951, as most wrecks were now occurring too far offshore for a shore service to be of benefit.  In 1970, the lighthouse was automated and all personnel were removed from the site.

As usual, when they automated the light, they trashed the original 4th order Fresnel lens.  No one knows its whereabouts.  The original lamp was a wick lamp burning kerosene.

If it existed, this is what the lantern would look like.

The light station property was leased to Great Lakes Shipwreck Society in 1985 and restoration of the facility has been underway every since.  The Shipwreck Museum was established in 1996.

The signature piece in the museum is the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald, which sunk in November 1975.  The wreck lies about 17 miles north of the museum.

The museum documents many of the wrecks identified in the Whitefish Point area.  It was surprising to us how many wrecks were collisions.  We were told that the shipping business was crazy around the turn of the century.  Strong competition, reckless operation, and the pure number of ships at sea resulted in many shipwrecks. 

The GLSWS dives and documents shipwrecks in the area.  The equipment they have today to make this possible is amazing.  The Neutsuit makes deep and lengthy dives possible.  The Fitzgerald is in 530 feet of water.  This suit allows divers to go to those depths.

 

Of course we took the climb up the lighthouse.  The view was awesome, but 45 degrees with 25 mph wind made it a short stay.

 

Next stop was Tahquamenon Falls State Park.  The Tahquamenon River was a vital link for the booming logging industry here. Logging occurred here in the winter so they could use sleds on ice roads.  They were then stored on the river banks until spring when they would be floated out to Superior for further transport.  Guess what happens when a whole bunch of logs go over a waterfall.  Yep, they turn into a pile of tangled sticks.  It was not unusual to see a 60 foot high log jam at the base of the falls. How they managed to get the mess straightened out is beyond us.

No logs today, just beautiful falls.  Actually there are several falls.  A high falls shown here.

 

Then further downstream, an island splits the river.  The are five falls, but you need to get over to the island by boat to see the three you cannot see from the mainland.

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That pretty much completed our day.  Tomorrow we are headed to Iroquois Point and another lighthouse.  Time to get home for some hot coffee!

Newberry

Friday, October 2, 2015

Today we left the Munising area to head for Newberry, a small town 60 miles east.  The Munising Tourist Park was a nice campground despite its corny name, we would likely stay here again if in the area.

Since the trip to Newberry was pretty short, we thought we would make quick stop at Wagner Falls which is near Munising and on the way.  It was reported to be a short walk from the road and pretty scenic; it was both.  However, due to dry weather around here, the water volume going over the falls was on the low side, but they were pretty nonetheless.  Here are a couple pictures.

We arrived at the Northcountry Campground, located about 5 miles north of Newberry, a little after noon.  So after set up, we decided to drive to St Ignace, about 70 miles away, to see a museum that has some interesting Ojibwa items and some very old artifacts.  The museum, operated by the St. Ignace Historical Society, is called the Fort DeBaude Museum.  The site was actually the remains of a fort built here at the same time as the forts in Mackinaw City and on Mackinaw Island. Only the front gate remains.

According to information we found, the collection belonged to a Lansing doctor.  When he died, the Ojibwa bought the collection and gave it to the Historical Society.  Probably the most interesting pieces are some clay artifacts, the Newberry Tablet, and some large figures, all found in the Newberry area.  Some research dates these to about 800 AD, and points toward a group of people that may be the same culture as Cypress or Greece.  They were Sun worshipers.

In the museum are artifacts that indicate links between these people and the Ojibwa.  These prehistoric visitors came for the copper and reportedly took home a million pounds of it for use in weapons, tools, and jewelry There were several displays with description of various Ojibwas items.  Interestingly we saw some of the same type of clothing as we saw at the Pow-Wow we attended.

There was also an interesting antique gun collection and lithographs of Indian chiefs.  The interesting thing is the US government did portraits of Indian chiefs, 118 of them.  These lithographs were made of each painting, as a back-up.  Good thing too because the originals were destroyed in a fire in the Smithsonian in Washington.  The doctor acquired the lithographs before the fire.  They serve as the only recorded images of these chiefs.

No photography was allowed so all we have is the front of the museum.

Tomorrow we are headed to see falls and a maritime / lighthouse museum.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

We left Marquette this morning and journeyed down the road about 50 miles to Munising.  The major attraction here is it sets at the western edge of the Pictured Rocks National Seashore.  This rock formation is a series of sandstone and other sedimentary rock that forms high cliffs over Lake Superior.

They are called “Pictured Rocks” because of their multiple colors created from ground water that seeps through and over the face of these rather porous rocks, leaving stains related to the mineral content of the seeping ground water; blue/green is copper, black is manganese, and red/yellow/orange is iron.

We took the boat tour that passes by about 25 miles of the 30 mile long seashore.  It has been quite a few years since we took this tour.  It attracts people from around the world.  As an attraction, it ranks right up there with Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon, etc.  The late afternoon ride provided the perfect light to highlight the rock’s features.  We took 250 pictures along our 2 1/2 hour ride.  We have tried to pick out a few of our favorites.

Although the pictures do not show it, it was pretty rough with winds pushing 20 mph.  Going out we were on the top deck, a good 25 feet above the water and we were getting spray up there.  It was in the low 50s, so it was pretty chilly.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

In all the times we have visited Munising and taken this boat ride, we did not realize there is a whole other world connected to this shoreline.  The National Park Service has improved old logging roads, established trails, and set up visitor’s centers all along the interior of this shoreline.  So today we are going to explore a different dimension of the Pictured Rocks, that we, and venture to say, others have not experienced.

First stop was Sand Point, the site of an early Coast Guard Life Saving Service Station.  Inside there is a museum, but it had closed for the season.  This picture shows the ramp they would run their boat down to launch into the lake for rescue.  Not many of these stations still exist along the Great Lakes.

 

Next was a waterfall called Miner Falls.  This is one of the tallest in this region of the UP.  Pretty neat, although water flow was lower than it would be in the spring.

A rock feature visible from both the boat and shore is Miner’s Castle.

The Au Sable Light Station was our final stop for the day.  This is a newer lighthouse, put into service in 1874.  The lighthouse was constructed as a result of several shipwrecks occurring from grounding on a shallow sandstone reef here. 

Au Sable Point is a reference point for ships as they make way toward the Soo Locks, but if they get too close, they will ground.  The light was equipped with a 3rd order Fresnel lens, with a wick lamp that burned kerosene. 

There were three keepers, a head, and two assistants. The second assistant operated the manually cranked foghorn. Each lived here about 6 months of the year with their families.  Access at that time was only by boat.  We walked a mile and half to get to it ourselves today.  So it was pretty remote.

It was fully automated in 1958, no longer requiring a keeper.  The light is functional today, but uses a solar powered LED lamp.  It continues to be a constant white, with no rotation.

There are a few more things to see in this area, particularly in the Grand Marais area at the eastern end of the Lakeshore, but decided to leave that for a future visit.  Tomorrow we head toward Newberry.