October 6, 2010

It was a great trip. Our travels took us 3895 miles through four states and two countries. We were gone 24 days and stayed in fourteen different hotels. We met countless people, and several will never be forgotten. We always look forward to our trips, but every time we go, we eventually look forward to returning home. I think that occurred on Monday of this week as we were leaving the Frederick Meijer Gardens. It was the last major attraction we were seeing, and most of the remaining trip was the 750 mile drive back to the Ponderosa. We hope you enjoyed traveling with us. This is a short list of some of the things that we liked most…hard to do, but here goes.

The Soo Locks are so important to this country and Canada. Millions of tons of cargo pass through them each year.

Big Sable Lighthouse is the tallest (112 feet) on the Great Lakes. The two mile walk through the dunes is a reminder of how harsh the weather is around Lake Michigan.

Lake of the Clouds is a special place. When you walk to the edge of the cliff, you really do feel like you are in the clouds.

Tahquamenon Falls are so peaceful. We were the only ones there, and the only thing that you could hear was the rushing water.

The Frederick Meijer Gardens’ mixture of nature and art offers something for everyone.

The Butterfly House is a connection to nature. Stand still and they will light on your head.

The Cherry Republic, so much, so good!

At Lakenenland Sculpture Park, Tom Lakenen wants to give something back to the public that is free.

The Antlers Bar and Grill and Fratello’s Italian Restaurant are a tossup. We didn’t get a photo of Fratello’s. That is just a good excuse to go back.

Until our next adventure…

October 5, 2010

Marblehead, OH is one of those places you can fall in love with. It’s really a beach town in the Midwest without an ocean. But, when you have one of the Great Lakes (Lake Erie) on three sides, people flock to the area for vacations. When you drive down Ohio 163 you pass all the little gift shops, restaurants, campgrounds and motels that are found in any small beach town.

We discovered a small restaurant in Marblehead about four years ago, and every time we pass through the area, we stop at Avery’s. There, you always find great food, atmosphere and interesting people. Most of the other restaurants close the first day after Labor Day, but Avery’s stays open all year. It is the local meeting place.

This was the fifth time we had been by the Marblehead Lighthouse, and have never been inside. It has always been closed, and today was no different. Again, this is another of the places which close the day after Labor Day. After that, they only open on select weekends. Maybe our luck will change on the next trip through the area!

Rain fell part of the night. As a result of the rain, and the windy conditions today, Lake Erie was churning up the sand to such a degree that the water looked muddy.

Although the sky was overcast, Cedar Point was visible across the Sandusky Bay.

The Canadian Steamship Lines freighter was going to Sandusky to pick up a load of coal at the Norfolk Southern loading facility.

One other thing you find in any good beach town is a multitude of signs. We have featured several from Marblehead, and we think you will enjoy the one we saw today.

Tomorrow we will make the last leg of our journey. Being in our home, and sleeping in our bed, will be oh-so-nice!

October 4, 2010

The cold brought frost to Grand Rapids this morning. All the cars in the parking lot were covered.

Our journey today took us to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids. The park covers over 118 acres. It consists of an outdoor Sculpture Park, a Children’s Garden, an Arid Garden, a Carnivorous Plant House, the largest tropical conservatory in Michigan, a Michigan Farm Garden (complete with a farm house, barn, and other out buildings), several lakes and wet lands, indoor galleries, and the Taste of the Gardens Café. Whew!

A minimum of four hours are needed to cover the gardens and galleries. Most of our time was split between the conservatory, arid garden,and carnivorous house,along with walking trails which wind through the sculpture and farm gardens.

The Arid Garden was one of our favorites. We saw a lot of plants that we have at home, and many, many more we wish we had! The Barrel Cactus collection was a favorite.

The work of world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly has been featured at the Gardens for the last five months. He is famous for his glass work which is included in over two hundred museums worldwide. You will see his work in several of the photos. The Gardens own the ceiling glass art (see photo) displayed in the café.

One of Cheryl’s favorites was the waterfall speckled with several Chihuly pieces.

The landscape includes hills, meadows, wetlands, and lakes. Wildlife roams freely.

Another favorite was The American Horse. It is in the center of the sculpture gardens, and is by artist Nina Akamu. The horse, twenty four feet tall (withers), is a recreation of a sculpture by Leonardo da Vinci. The da Vinci sculpture was destroyed before it could be cast.

Breakfast will be at Avery’s in Marblehead on Tuesday. We will then be traveling to Mineral Wells, WV to spend our last night on the road. No doubt there will be lots of laundry in the very near future!

October 3, 2010

The temperature was 37 degrees in Ludington, MI this morning and it felt good as we started out on a two mile walk to the Big Sable Point Lighthouse. The walk follows a packed sand and gravel road that winds through the sand dunes. In order to preserve the dunes, no one except keepers of the lighthouse are allowed to drive to the lighthouse. Along the way you pass through several different “parts of the dunes.” The foredune is the first dune (next to the water) and is created by pioneer grasses and slows the sand movement. Next is the trough or interdunal area. The water in this area is the result of fluctuating lake levels and can sometimes disappear for years. Grass and small trees can grow in this area. Next is the backdune, a forested area of slopes and valleys. This area provides relief from the hot summer sun and shelter from the winter storms.

As we approached the lighthouse, it appeared to stick out of the sand like a giant pencil. You do not get a complete view of the lighthouse until you round the last dune.

The structure was built in 1867 and is 112 feet tall, tallest on the Great Lakes. In 1900, due to the deterioration of the outside of the tower, a metal casing was added to the tower. Between the walls and casing there is layer of concrete. This resulted in the walls being six feet thick at the base.

The sand dunes stretch for miles, and from the top of the tower look like a golfer’s nightmare!

We left Big Sable thinking about all the great points the lighthouse has (Cheryl even made it to the top and we both got stars for making it to the top!!), and that it was worth walking the four mile round trip.

Little did we know, however, that we were on our way to see a little jewel, the lighthouse at White River. It is very small, just 38 feet tall; but, it has a multitude of exhibits that would be hard to match.

This is the only lighthouse that we have ever visited that had the basement finished and open to the public.

It also has a very unique Fresnel lens that is copper on two sides. This allowed the light to show two different colors of light, and be dark twice during one revolution.

All of this was put together by the present curator who started working at the lighthouse 27 years ago for $100 month.

One last thing we might mention is our “sign of the day”. We have become so famous in Michigan during the last three weeks that today we were selected “The Guest of the Day” by the motel. It included a two room suite with two bathrooms, breakfast in our room, and bonus points!

We are in Grand Rapids tonight and tomorrow will be going to the Fredrick Meijer Gardens. The brochure has information on a “carnivorous” section…no body snatching allowed, we trust!

October 2, 2010

The forecast for today called for a lot of rain in western Michigan. However, when we got up this morning, it was dry, and the clouds were very scattered. We have seen a lot of rain in the last three weeks, but have only been affected by it 2-3 days. Today we needed a dry day, and Mother Nature came through.

Our trip took us along the Lake Michigan coast to Point Bêtise, MI. This is a stretch of the coast that is covered in sand dunes. The roads have to be scrapped after every storm in order to remove the sand. It can pile up several feet in some places. In the middle of these dunes sits a well known lighthouse called Point Bêtise Lighthouse.

It is hard to get a good photo of Point Bêtise because the house sits on top of a dune and is only about 25 feet from the water. There is a concrete runway from the house to the top of the steel retaining wall. The runway has concrete blocks sticking up (see photo taken from tower) to break up the ice when it flows in during a winter storm. The retaining wall is all that keeps Lake Michigan from washing the lighthouse away. Point Bêtise is fortunate to have a very large volunteer group that last year alone, worked 39,000 man hours. The inside was totally renovated at a cost of over $750,000. Donations, grants, and lots of bake sales help raise the money.

The fog horn building is used now to show videos and displays. Note the retaining wall on the left of the building and how much the beach has eroded behind the fog horn building. Some of the sand dunes can be seen over top of the building.

Our next stop was to revisit Frankfort, MI and the Frankfort Breakwater Lighthouse. Last year it was raining and we did not get out of the car. The lighthouse is 44 feet tall and was built in 1912. It is still in service and owned by the Coast Guard.

Our final stop of the day was in Manistee, MI to see a very unusual lighthouse, the Manistee North Pierhead Lighthouse. Note the elevated walkway to the lighthouse. This allowed the keeper to get to the lighthouse when the waves were breaking over the pier, as they were today. The Pierhead Lighthouse, built in 1927, is 39 feet tall. Owned by the Coast Guard, it too is still in service.

Tomorrow we will be stopping at the Ludington, MI State Park and then will travel to Grand Rapids, MI.

October 1, 2010

Old Mission Peninsula sticks out 18 miles into the Grand Traverse Bay. It is the Napa Valley of the mid west with several thousand acres of vineyards and orchards, and the home of seven wineries. Since it lies on the 45th parallel, the climate is ideal for growing varietal grapes and other fruits. The photo is of Chateau Grand Traverse, one of the largest. We knew there were some vineyards on the peninsula, but had no idea of their magnitude.

Our original destination was the end of the peninsula to see the Old Mission Lighthouse. The lighthouse was constructed in 1870. Over the years it has had eight keepers. In 1933 the lighthouse was decommissioned and sat vacant until 1947 until the town bought it for $1001. In order to prevent vandalism, employees of the town lived in the lighthouse until 2008 when it was opened to the public.

Lake Michigan was very calm this morning. Water covered the entire point yesterday, and today it is dry.

On our way back to Traverse City, we spotted this barn. It looks like they had a big sale on paint at the local Home Depot! Or the Easter Bunny was trying out new colors!!

The Cherry Republic has opened a store in Traverse City, but it is just that, a store. You have to travel to Glen Arbor, MI to the Great Hall of the Republic to “live the experience”. It consists of three buildings… the café, the winery, and the Great Hall which houses the store.

The café offers up a lot of good items on its menu, all flavored with cherries. Today Cheryl had a chicken salad sandwich flavored with cherries, and I had a Cheeseburger. The burger meat was mixed with cherry juice. This made the burger very moist and flavorful.

The grounds are covered with flowers and signs. Once a year, the Republic holds its annual Cherry Pit Spitting Contest. This year the winner, Rick “Pellet Gun” Krause of Arizona, was able to launch a pit 51’ 3”. It’s time to start practicing for next year!!

Tomorrow we will be traveling down the Lake Michigan coast and will stay in Ludington, MI