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
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