Farewell to Pure Michigan

Saturday brought a perfect summer day to our campground along the shore of Lake Erie. Temperatures were in the low 80's and there were very few clouds despite warnings of rain. We opted for a lazy last day around Sterling State Park.




We did head into the local town of Monroe for a few supplies. Monroe is the county seat in these parts and is considered more a bedroom community to Toledo, Ohio than to Detroit. It is also the childhood home to General Custer and there is quite a statue dedicated to him in town as you can see in this picture taken by Sammi from her phone from the car.

This weekend Monroe was hosting their annual Arts and Jazz Festival. There were a number of artists selling their wares on the main drag through town. We read they had a Saturday farmers market so we wandered to that... Note; it's not easy to find, it's behind a Bob's Big Boy just past the giant Custer Statue, but there were no signs to it from downtown.

On our walk back from the farmers market we passed by a very crowded bakery called "Cakes By Stephanie". We had to stop in. What a place. They have all types of cakes from simple to some of the most creatively complex cakes we have ever seen. We bought a dozen cake dots for dinner and some cookies and Sammi asked that her next cake come from there. I talked briefly to the owner, who told me they started the business out of their house 8 years ago and it just took off. You can see and smell why! If you ever happen to be driving to Detroit up I-75 take exit 15 and head downtown to Monroe street and pick us up some more cakes!



The rest of the day we spent relaxing. The kids swam and played games, I napped and Missy read.

Tonight we had a big, final night dinner with Barb Pasciolla. Barb is a friend of mine from Unisys and I have promised her for at least 10 years that I would come out to see her, so we had to have her over for dinner to make good on my commitment.



The promised thunder storms held off until after dessert. By then the sky turned black and we were treated to quite a lightning show but very little rain. It was bad enough though, that the park ranger rounded up all the tenters and forced them into the bathhouse. It was funny to watch, they would hover by the bathhouse until he left then they would come out and he would round them back up again and send them back to the bathhouse. This went on for a good half hour.



After the rain we were treated to a wonderful sunset. It was a perfect end to a perfect day! Here are a few of the pictures. Above the storm is rolling in.



Above we are looking West at the sunset, below is shot taken looking East out over lake Erie with the huge thunder clouds illuminated by the setting sun and the lake glowing red.


Tomorrow we pack up and head for home. It's about 9 hours from our present location without a stop. Unless there is a big change, this will be our final Blog on our Great Lakes RV Adventure. 2 weeks, about 2000 miles and 4 great lakes. It has been a great journey and certainly another adventure. We hope you have enjoyed keeping up with us.




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Location:Monroe, Michigan

The Henry Ford

Friday, we had quite a day at the Henry Ford complex. But before we got there, we took a short detour to see the worlds largest tire. The tire is 80 ft tall and was originally designed as a ferris wheel for the New York worlds fair but today sits quietly along Interstate 94 near the Detroit airport.



Once at The Ford, we started by going on the shuttle bus to the Rouge Ford Assembly Plant. If you have time to do just one thing at this sprawling complex, this would be it! We were able to walk along a catwalk around the final assembly floor for the Ford F100 pickup truck. It's a fascinating look into how a vehicle is assembled. There are retired volunteers along the way that answer questions and explain some of what is going on as well as videos and interactive kiosks. Everyone from kid to adult was enthralled by this self guided tour. We had particular fun trying to track then various pieces of the truck as they came together from various assembly lines.


This is the lobby of the rouge building with legacy vehicles that were all firsts for Ford in some way and produced at the Rouge plant. Below you can see me standing in front of the steam train in the village.





Here you can see some of the old Model T's going down the street in Greenfield Village. You can ride in them for a small fee.


Greenfield Village is a sprawling 80 acre complex made up of a series of "villages" and buildings acquired by Ford. There are buildings from Thomas Edison's original factory, the Wright brothers original workshop, to a Georgia Sharecroppers farmstead. We spent some time talking to the woman who was cooking in that kitchen, learning about how they cooked in those days. It smelled wonderful.


In this picture, Daniel got to manually turn the railroad turntable, by himself. All 45 tons. It's perfectly balanced which made it more difficult to stop moving than start it.

We also visited William Webster's home and Robert Frosts home, also on display and open to visitors. We then took a ride on the working steam railroad and learned that Thomas Edison, gave Henry Ford one of the steam engines as a birthday present! Ford gave Edison a model T, sounds like a fair swap between friends right? Which one of you is giving me a new car for my next birthday? We also walked through an area dedicated to trades like printing, tin smithing, pottery and much more. Below you can see Daniel trying his hand at printing.



The whole Henry Ford is like the town of Hershey on steroids, without the amusement park! We probably could have spent another two days here and still not see everything.

Back at the campground we took a swim in Lake Erie then went for a very long walk around the many lagoons and marshes they have here. We saw quite a few birds, but no other wildlife this evening.


Tomorrow, we hope to hang out around the campground and spend some time reflecting on a great 2 weeks in Pure Michigan before we head home Sunday. (Sammi took the picture below while on our walk tonight!)


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Location:Dearborn, Michigan

Lake Erie

Thursday started with quite a chill, but it warmed up fast. We packed up and began our transition from the quiet and uncrowded North Country of Michigan, to the hustle and bustle of Detroit.




Along the way we took a detour to Bay City. My great, great grandparents on my mothers side of the family came to America from Poland and settled in Bay City, where they ran a dry goods store out of their home. We were able to stop by the cemetery where they are buried and see the actual house where they lived, although the house looks like it has been significantly remodeled. It was an interesting journey through my family tree.


In the picture above is the house my great, great grandparents lived in, with a picture of my great, great grandmother taken in front of the same house about 100 years ago.

From there we decided to stop in at The Henry Ford. This is a huge complex that includes Greenfield Village, a Museum, Ford Manufacturing plant tour and more. We decided one day would not be enough, so we swung by today. Getting there was a bit of a chore as it appears the whole area is under construction and several main roads are closed or detoured.



When we finally did arrive, we headed to the Ford Museum. Originally, Henry Ford, built this complex as a tribute to His hero and peer, Thomas Edison. The museum is an eclectic collection of trains, planes and automobiles, although the car part is under construction. Of particular interest to us was the limo that Kennedy was shot in, one of the largest trains ever built and an odd house of the future called a Dymaxion built by R. Buckminster Fuller who went on to design the Epcot geodesic dome! They have a unique collection of steam, gas and water generators.



Daniel in a combine. We couldn't get him out!


Look! It's an Oscar Mayer wiener.


But, we felt the most moving and important exhibit was the actual bus that Rosa Parks rode on the fateful day that she decided not to give up her seat to a white man. The events of that day are recounted in a recording done by Rosa Parks herself. It was a hauntingly moving exhibit. Sammi sat in the same seat that Rosa herself did.



The Rosa Parks bus. With Sammi and I sitting in the seat she refused to give up.


It was only a short drive from there down to our campground for the rest of our trip, Sterling State Park. The park sits right on lake Erie and as I'm writing this, I am looking out over the lake with the moon rising right from our campsite. Daniel and Sammi have already a put their feet in the lake but we didn't have the camera with us at the time.



Here in this picture is Daniel, taking mom for a ride in a Model T.

We are looking forward to exploring the area over the next couple of days before heading for home.



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Location:Detroit, Michigan

Thunder Bay

Wednesday brought a stiff northerly breeze into our camp. The temperature stayed in the 60's most of the day. I could swear, I heard the sounds of loons on the lake, but Missy thought I was crazy. We had a mix of sun and clouds with a few rain showers but nothing big. We decided to spend the morning on the river kayaking. Campers Cove RV park also has a kayak and canoe business. They will outfit you with what you need and then transport you up the river as far as you are willing to go. We opted for the 3 hour trip. The owner of the campground took us up river by van. He's a full time fireman in the city of Alpena and he and his wife run the campground on the side.



Sammi has a waterproof camera, so was our official photographer. Here above is Daniel and I and Missy below.





Missy grabbed the camera for this shot of Sammi. Then Sammi took a picture of all of us below.


We put in at a bridge about 4 or 5 miles up river. Daniel and I took a double while Missy and Sammi each had their own. It was an easy paddle down the river past what looked like summer cottages along the banks of Thunder Bay River. Eventually the river opened up to the lake. There we were lucky enough to see a number of heron fishing and a majestic Bald Eagle!

After lunch we drove into downtown Alpena. It's a small community of about 11,000 people. They have a nice downtown and you can tell they are


working hard to improve it. We stopped in at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. The center is small, but very interesting and even better it's free! There is a full size schooner that you can go aboard. The first half is built like its in huge storm on lake Huron and as you walk through it, it really feels like you are in a storm. The floors are uneven and thunder crashes. We even felt a little sea sick! The second half of the ship is as if you are snorkeling or diving on the wreck of the ship. The rest of the museum is dedicated to the many, many ships that have sunk off Thunder Bay. In fact all of Thunder Bay is set aside as a Marine Sanctuary. You can dive to the ships, kayak over them and even snorkel over them. They are all marked on the surface with buoys so they are easy to find.

From there we drove a short distance out of our way to visit Dinosaur Gardens. This is one of those quirky off beat places we love to visit. A man, for no apparent reason decided to build life size cement dinosaurs and place them around a Michigan Cedar Swamp. He even has a giant walk in brontosaurus which we are walking into below. Daniel was very upset about the incorrect naming and depiction of the huge beasts, but we reminded him that a single man hand made these in the 40's and 50's and facts have improved since. Once inside the huge "brontosaurus" there is a picture of Jesus! Yup, right where the heart would be is a picture of Jesus with a the saying " the greatest heart."








Here is Missy, helping some of the locals with dinner! Yes, not only are there dinosaurs, but in his spare time, he made cavemen too.


Look carefully and you can see Daniel running from the T-rex.

Tomorrow, we move on to our last stop and lake Erie. Along the way we hope to stop in Bay City to try and find the home of my great grandmother on my mothers side.

We leave you tonight with sunset over the Thunder River.




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Location:Alpena, Michigan

The Great Lake Huron

Tuesday was a transition day for us. We were heading south to Alpena, along the coast of Lake Huron, the 5th largest fresh water lake in the world.

We had planned to head out around 9am, but a thunderstorm rolled in early in the morning, so we scrambled to close up the awnings and slide out and early and were on the road by 8. The kids did a great job of getting organized and moving too.









This was the only "sign" of moose we saw in the upper peninsula!

The weather was quite cool, and thunder rumbled all around us for most of the day and we hit several heavy rain storms between sunny breaks. It seemed the cold front was following us south.













Our first stop of the day, was at Castle Rock in St Ignace. Here we got to see a very rare, sitting statue of Paul Bunyan. They almost always depict him standing. According to the legend in St Ignace, When Paul had finished chopping down all the woods in the UP, he sat down here to take break and a cold wind froze him in his place. And he remains frozen here, look out toward lake Huron. We personally thought it looked like he was sitting on a giant toilet! We also, climbed to the top of Castle Rock for a sweeping view of St Ignace, Lake Huron and even the Macinac Bridge.


















Since the Ledge in Chicago, we think Daniel is truly cured of his fear of heights! Look at these two pictures of him from the top of of castle rock!

From there we drove across the Macinac Bridge. It was under construction so we had to keep to the inside lane. Typically, this is no big deal, but the inside lane is an iron grate and you can look straight through it to the water! It was an unnerving drive in slow moving traffic. Every time we would stop, I could glance out my window and see water through the grate as you can clearly see in this picture. Missy had a blast and was hanging out the window as I drove snapping these pictures.









In Mackinaw City, we took a short walk along the beach to snap a few pictures of the bridge. The attractions here, were clearly priced for tourists, with everything, including gas at least 20% more expensive than across the bridge in the UP. The city does,however have a thriving and well maintained downtown shopping district so we decided to take a walk and have lunch. We stumbled on a small, family run restaurant called Cunningham's. It was a simple looking place along the main drag. The food and service were excellent, with Daniel giving the Chicken strips a 10 plus on his scale. Missy and I each had a home made Pasty which were delicious. A Pasty is a up north delicacy. It's pronounced with a short "a", and is kind of like a Chicken or beef pot pie without the pot. They had excellent homemade desserts too!









We drove out along scenic Michigan route 23 which hugs the coast of lake Huron pulling over at a few vistas. At another Michigan state park, P H Hoeft, we dodged the rain long enough to run out and get our feet in the lake. It was then a mad dash back to the camper in the rain.









The water seemed colder here than in any of the other lakes!









Here we are running back in the rain!

We took a shortcut along a secondary road to the secondary road we were on, through the metropolis of Posner, home to the world famous Potato Festival. Unfortunately we will miss the festival this year, but were surprised by how many potato farms there are in Michigan.

We reached our campsite by 4 pm and settled in, after it took me another 6 times to back into the site the right way. I was clearly not listening to my co-pilot.

Our campsite sits along lake Winyah along the Thunder Bay River. We have a great site along a back canal and right across from a pond for Daniel and Sammi to fish. They have an indoor swimming pool that Daniel has already used.

The weather has finally quieted down here and it's in the 60s with clear blue sky.

Good night from Alpena. Yes, that's our purple flamingo.









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Location:Long Rapids Rd,Alpena, Michigan

Good Bye UP

Monday brought a fall like chill to the air. We slept with windows open and it was a chilly 60 degrees inside when we got up, so we figured it was in the lower 50's outside. We had a nice breakfast and loaded up for the hour and a half drive to Munising.

Munising, is the launching point for the Painted Rocks National Lakeshore. Painted Rocks are walls of towering sandstone along Lake Superior that in some places reach 200 feet straight up. They get there names from the colors that have been "painted" on them from the natural minerals in the ground water that leach out and drain to the lake. We took a boat tour out to see several of the neatest formations. It's a spectacular sight and was well worth the detour. Especially when he took the boat right into one of the natural caves.









Speaking of lake Superior, I don't think we mentioned that it is the largest lake by surface volume in the world. We learned today that it's the size of South Carolina and that it holds enough water to cover the entire Continental United States in 5 feet of water!



The waters of lake Superior are the cleanest of all the great lakes. Look how blue and teal the water was in this picture. You could easily see down into it clearly at least 15 to 20 feet.


Here we are inside one of the natural canyons on our boat tour! Sammi snapped this cool picture that almost looks like we are underwater.





This is one of the oldest remaining lighthouses on the lake, the east channel lighthouse. It sits on grand island and lit the safe passageway into Munising harbor.

After the boat ride in Munising, we stopped at a cute little ice cream parlor called the Frozen Flamingo. We did this for two reasons, it was right in front of a hotel with free Internet access, so we could post yesterdays blog, and they had my favorite ice-cream in the UP, the Yooper Mudslide! Missy is convinced, I'm going to go into withdrawals when I can't find it anymore. It's chocolate ice cream with chocolate chunks and chocolate sauce all mixed together. Yummy!

We've become some sort of pros this week seeking out cell and wifi locations so we can reconnect with the real world momentarily. We can now spy the cell towers miles ahead, pull out our devices and download data and send a few notes before the signal disappears. And we do it all without slowing down. There is a real art to it and both Sammi and Missy are getting good at it.

We made one detour on the way back to the falls campground, we went to visit the Oswald Bear Ranch. This is a sprawling multi acre bear compound run by the Oswald family. They take in injured and abandoned bear cubs and raise over 20 Black Bears. We got there, just as the owner was opening up the cages to feed the bears. Now let me be clear- in these pictures, there is no fence between Missy and the bears and she is less than 4 feet from 5 full grown black bears! The neat thing, he has them all trained to respond to commands in return for lollypops and Fruit Loops! We think they may all be diabetic when they grow up!



After seeing the full grown bears, we got to have our picture taken with a cub that was born in January. It was an interesting detour that could only be found in da UP!



Here we all are, as Sammi gets a bear kiss!

After dinner tonight, Missy, Windsor and I took one last stroll down to the Lower Falls, looking for a reported Bald Eagle. No eagle, but we did get to see another nice sunset over the Tahquamenon River.



We have really enjoyed our time in the Upper Peninsula and can honestly say, this is a great place to vacation. Michigan does a great job with their state parks. We will miss the fresh air and tranquility, if not the lack of cell phone coverage.



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Location:Painted Rocks National Lakeshore