On the way Home

5:48 am

Left Shipshewana early. It is unfortunate that vacation must end but we cannot live on the road forever. I have added a few pics of me and Troy together to recap/end our trip. It has been wonderful fun with my very best friend in the world. 

     First stop

    

     Bronners 

 

    

     At the Mighty Mac

    

    Carriage tour on Mackinaw island 

    

      Marquette Ore dock

    

     The wonderful Adventure mine

   

     Republic Mine

    

     Sleeping bear dunes 

     Shipshewana, Indiana with Nathan      and Tonge Kimpel

Meeting Troy's friend from childhood. That was a great day. 

We have had tons of fun and saw folks we rarely get to see. Thanks for sharing this with us. 

Goodbye for now to the UP. We will visit you again...

This was at the scenic turnout just before leaving the upper peninsula. We had to stop for one last view of the Mighty Mac.

This and all the shots below are from Sleeping Bear Dunes. OMG that is a serious climb. This first shot is me at the bottom before my climb. I knew it would be hard but just a little way into it, Troy said, "Don't be too upset if there is another one after this one. Holy Cow it was a tough climb but as you can see below, the view was well worth the blisters.

We had a really great day, even though we are making our way toward home. It is and has been an awesome trip. We do travel well together even if we do not travel light at all. We have so much stuff in the car that it is not even funny. 

Yesterday

I took a couple more unique flower pictures. I think I may have seen the second one before at home.

We also did a little rail fanning while at Escanaba too. That was pretty cool but they have such restrictions on visiting their property that we could only view from a distance. So, sorry about the sorta grainy pics.

Adventures on the Keewenaw

Today was by far the coolest mine tour we have taken. 

We were on a guided tour through a mine with just us and the guide. It was fabulous. The mine is Adventure Mine and it still has a lot of visible copper that will never be mined because it is now an historic site. I loved the whole trip through the mine. It was dark, so damp water droplets were floating in the air and most interesting was the bat population that flew around as we toured. They travel by smell, memory, and sound so net never crashed into us but they got extremely close. It wasn't frightening as you might think. They aren't really interested in people. Very cool but I do know I wouldn't want to be there without some light because when the lights go out there is absolute darkness. I never have liked the dark. I do have a fondness for mines though, but Troy likes them so much more. 

I think I had about the best grilled cheese ever today too. We have only dined at one chain restaurant since starting out and that was breakfast on day one. Michigander food is good stuff. 

Saw this little guy outside my hotel this evening. The little girl in the next room was so excited when I touched it she said I love you. She must have been around 3-4 years old. Too cute. 

Mine Giftshop

Well, all good things must come to an end and this vacation will have to end eventually. We are beginning our progress south today. It is no bummer though because we have many adventures left. Stick around. :)

Ghosts from the Past

At the first house we visited today, I snapped a picture of a picture hanging on the wall there. It was the Central Mine town and we did a good bit of walking around there. It is very interesting to go these places that were once bustling cities with much prosperity. The old mine companies built houses and towns like they would last forever and now they stand just a memory of the past. It is sad but at the same time such a joy to see. It is sad because I can tell the hope is there that the towns may again prosper but real knowledge that there is nothing here that can recreate that time. The best hope they have is to cater to the tourists and memorialize as much as possible for history. 

There are a lot of things to be learned from the cost of their prosperity too. We stopped for a picnic lunch at Torch lake today. It was a beautiful place but the water there is so contaminated that people sign a waiver when they buy acknowledging that they know not to ever drink it. Oddly, there were homes on the lake. Troy said, "maybe we won't get cancer just sitting here for lunch." I thought it funny and a shame at the same time. People didn't always know how much damage they were causing and it cannot be undone.  Still, I am enormously glad to see these things because they teach me about how I want to be. 

Ok, enough of being a bummer. I got to walk around in Lake Superior today. It was awesome. Superior is my favorite and it was not disappointing today. The water was super cold for a few seconds and I got used to it so much that I didn't want to leave. 

     

We avoided this girl and that is superb because my car is being repainted while we vacation because of a deer. :( 

We walked around Calumet for a while and on other adventures I saw new and wonderful wild flowers that aren't at home. I also picked and ate Thimbleberrys for the first time. They look like raspberries. Very seedy. 

Thimbleberrys 

We had so many adventures today. It was wonderful and beautiful. Just an aside though, Lake Linden museum was a total and complete dud. 

I think I killed the Internet

It has been a fabulous day but when I connected my computer to the White House Motel internet/wifi, I think I probably overloaded it with the 1000 + pictures uploading from my phone. Ah, well. They have all night to load and therefore, you will have to wait until tomorrow for pictures to accompany this post.

     We started out from Alger Falls at the respectable time of 8ish. From there we went to Marquette to the ore dock. When we were there we saw a ship that was unloading just a little way down. 

     Our next stop along the way was Houghton and further up the hill to the Quincy mine and smelter. We did have to stop for a pastie before all of that though.

     Both of us enjoyed the smelter thoroughly. It was pretty amazing that we could go into a place that has been so long abandoned. They made us wear hard hats and safety glasses. They were quite sporty. (kidding)
     When we visited the mine, it was just as it was the last time for me. On the way down to the mine on the incline railway, they said it was like a very slow roller coaster. I felt that the whole trip through the mine was a slow roller coaster. I mean we were over 300 feet down in the ground, even though we took a ride on a cart straight in. The tour went into a vent for water removal and we were so far inside the mine that the entrance was only a dot when we made our first stop. Then, as usual on mine tours, they turned out the lights. It is extremely dark in a mine if you have never seen one.  It is just a little creepy and to top of the creepy of being that far underground in a mine known for its collapses during operating times, then there was the thing of bats. I never saw or heard a bat but they talked a lot about them and how we needed to protect them and that we had to change clothes if we had been in other mines because of white nose disease. Then we had to step on a sponge as we were leaving to disinfect our shoes in case we were going to another mine afterward. Bats are just creepy enough all on their own.  All kidding aside though, it is more than amazing to go into these mines and know how much the men/boys that worked in them sacrificed to feed and care for their families. Also, the towns where they once prospered are sadly a lot of abandoned ruins and fabulous buildings that are going to waste because no one is there to use them anymore. It is just fascinating that these houses still exist now after so many years and the mines closing over half a century ago. I just guess you would really have to be interested in the lifestyle here to stay or feel any kinship with this place.

     I have to say for the record that the Upper Peninsula is my most favorite place in the entire world.

Rain on our parade

We stopped at the awesome Whitefish Point today. It is mainly a history of the lighthouse there and of the many notable shipwrecks in Lake Superior. I love to visit there despite the sad side of it. They show a short film about the Edmund Fitzgerald and I always cry. That is completely ok though because they all need to be remembered fondly. 

I was so pleasantly surprised by the level of the lake this time. There was practically no beach and that is so much better than our last trip. 

Otherwise, it was quite a rainy day and we didn't have much to do because everything fun is outside. Ah well, tomorrow is another day. 

Sault Saint Marie

We have spent the vast majority of our day going back and forth to the locks as ships arrived and departed. 

OMG the bugs are insane here this year. 

Yep, and they are getting worse the further north we go. Woohoo! 

This is the decommissioned Valley Camp. It is a museum ship we visited in between looking at ships. Haha. I snapped this dandy shot from a tower of history for this area. Now I'm waiting in the dark at 10:00 pm to see a thousand footer go through before we hang up ship watching for today. 

Tried to make up for the lac of pics yesterday with a couple extra today. 

The Next Day

    The Mighty Mac at dark from St. Ignace. 

Did you notice? I missed a day. It was a big one and I was pretty tired so I skipped out on posting yesterday. We took a ferry to Mackinac Island by way of an under the bridge route. It was pretty out and a beautiful day for a ride on the lake. The day before had been very windy and we were glad for calmer water. 

On the island we walked, rode in two horse drawn carriages. The carriage rides were ok but the driver on both talked constantly. We went to the fort there. I had originally not cared to go but enjoyed it in spite of myself. I'm glad we went. Of course we got fudge and visited many souvenir shops. Also just had to take a couple of pics of their library. 

It is a lovely place. Wonder if I can talk the librarian into retirement and take her job?

In the evening, we walked around Mackinac City and crossed the Mighty Mac 3 times in one day. 

After Tony's

It was a pretty awesome day. We stopped at The Cross in the Woods on the way to Mackinac City. That was very nice. At the cross they have mass several times a week and tourists can walk the paths to view the stations of the cross. It is so beautiful and peaceful.

We went on to Mackinac city and had a picnic by the Mighty Mac. I of course had to be the one to drive across that awesome structure. Troy did tell me to slow down once though because the wind was high today. So I complied against my wishes. Only 35 MPH.

We visited Fort Michilimackinac, the retired Cutter Mackinac, walked around St Ignace, and stopped in several, ok many gift shops. Going to sleep with the window open to a view of Lake Huron. Nothing better that I can think of. Photos coming.

Tony's

We are starting day four and breakfast was a delight in new and interesting ways. While I waited, I saw the cook deep fry our bacon, yes, I said deep fried bacon. The quantity was enough for four very hungry people. I must have been served 5 eggs. Needless to say, I didn't finish my breakfast. It was awesome and gigantic. I'm having such fun. 

Frankenmuth, MI

This morning we left for Frankenmuth. We started the day by shopping a little at Gordon's. They have the worlds best coneys and chili. We always bring some home. Next we hit the road. It was not a long trip but a very nice ride, 60-70 miles maybe.

This is the worlds best Christmas store. It is so good that I only get to come here every few years, because you wouldn't believe how much there is to buy here. Well, there was until I got there and cleaned them out. 

    After Bronner's, we went to Zehnder's for dinner and it was fabulous. There is almost no end to the great things they bring out. Then, my great sport of a husband went into a fabric/quilt store with me. He was even good enough to banter with the folks there while we waited in line. Love him! We walked around this beautiful German town for a while afterwards until my feet hurt and Troy's back hurt. 

     Now we are at this very cute little motel sitting outside enjoying the beautiful evening.

We are going back out at dark to see the Christmas lights at Bronner's and then down for the count. We definitely are hitting all of the best places. 

 

Awesome Day Two

     We woke up early and got ready for another super day. It started out with a trip to The Original Pancake House. Wow! Not your run of the mill pancakes there. Real cream in my coffee and a big apple pancake. I polished off about ⅔ of that delicious pancake and sat back rubbing my especially happy tummy.

     When we finished there it was off to the Detroit Zoo. It is so much bigger than the Atlanta Zoo. This beautiful bird was willing to walk right up to people with three babies on tow if food was involved. 

I wore the totally wrong shoes for the day though and my feet were ready for a break after nearly 4 hours there. So we just had to go have some coney's. Troy did make a face when I put ketchup on it but I like them that way. I never eat them like a Michigander. 

After the coney's we had to go in search of Faygo. They sell Faygo in GA but not the diet flavor so we like, so we have to get it while we are here. We are loaded up with plenty of diet rock-n-rye and cream-soda. Good stuff. I also decided I needed to try diet peach. It is good but not as worth the drive. 700 miles is a long way for a pop after all.

     To finish up the day we went to dinner with Troy's cousin Jody and her husband Dan. Wow! What a fun couple and a terrific evening. I always enjoy meeting up with them. We had so much fun walking on Main Street in Rochester after dinner and just visiting and enjoying the beautiful evening here. There was a wonderful breeze that is promising a storm through the night but it was absolutely lovely this evening. 

     Tomorrow, we are off to the north. Our stop will be Frankenmuth, Zenders, Bronners, and enjoying the awesome German town.  Good night. See you back here tomorrow.

Day one - 11 hours from GA to MI

I think it would be safe to say my day was more than 11 hours. I got woke up this morning to, "It's 1:30, do you want to go now?" I said yeah and we were off to start our long awaited vacation. By 2:03 am we were driving out of our driveway and playing the traditional "Holiday Road" to get us going. 

     When we arrived in Michigan, we made the first fun stop at Cabela's. It is a massive store with more taxidermy than I have ever seen in one location. Way bigger than those in GA. It was great fun and we made it out without spending a single penny.

  I do want to make a small point to all of my readers out there. If you have any intentions of going through the state of Ohio in the next 5-7 years, I would dismiss them now. The road is under construction from one end to the other. By the best turn of luck we went against the GPS and got around a 4-hour delay. Whew!

     After our first stop to stretch the legs at Cabela's we went to check in at the hotel. After a few minutes in the room we went on the usual trip to Meijer to buy Rock-n-Rye Faygo. Only one case so far but there are plenty of Meijer's and plenty of room in the car yet.

     Our next stop was for dinner with Troy's long time friends Dave and Sue. That was a wonderful visit. We had not seen them in 3 years and that was much too long. What a wonderful pair of friends.

     Last but not least, we stopped at the 7-Eleven for a Rock-n-Rye slushie. Mmmmmm.

So I will be updating every evening. Keep checking back.

On the Way

At 2:03 am we were on the way. That is a little later than last trip but not by much. It is a little weird how many people are out at this time. Time for loads of fun! Leaving by the light of the blue moon.