October 5, 2014

October 5, 2014

We hope that you have enjoyed traveling with us this year. Our trip took us over 2800 miles through five states. We were able to visit three carousels, fifteen lighthouses, several state and federal parks, two wildlife refuges, three waterfalls, the Soo Locks, and several out of the ordinary small towns. Food was never a problem with “locals” happily sharing their choice of the “best food in town”.
 
As we have said before, traveling in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is like stepping back in time. Busy small towns, friendly people, family run restaurants and stores are the norm. The lack of big box stores, chain restaurants and hotels, and empty store fronts are also the norm. Cell phone service can go undetected for miles… we actually saw people that were not carrying phones, but were enjoying the scenery.

One of the most noticeable things we have encountered while in the UP is the lack of trash along the highways and back roads. You can drive for several hours and not see any trash. Talking with  people about this, they credited it to a concentrated effort of citizens along with the fact that Michigan has a deposit on cans and bottles. Every major store has a recycle center where you are reimbursed for your returns.

We posted lots of photos over the duration of our trip, and have several more that we would like to share with you.

 

St. Joseph Lighthouse at sunset

 

One of 440 cottages in the community of Bay View, MI.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_View,_Michigan 

 

 

Polished stones along the Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore

 

 

White Fish Point at sunset

 

 

Tahquamenon River just above the Tahquamenon Falls

 

International Bridge between Canada and the US at Sault Ste. Marie, MI.

 

 

Small pilot boat leaving the Poe Lock in Sault Ste. Marie
From 10 feet to 1000 feet, they all pass through free of charge

 

 

Completed in 1902, the St Marys Falls Hydropower Plant has 74 generators running on one continuous shaft
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Marys_Falls_Hydropower_Plant 

Again, we hope you enjoyed our blog this year. We are planning another adventure next year and invite you to travel with us.

T & C

October 4, 2014

Wooster

It was cold in Mansfield, OH this morning with a temperature of 47 degrees. The wind made it feel like it was 40.

We didn’t have far to travel to our first stop of the day. We were going to the Richland Carrousel to ride on our favorite. Where the carousel at the Merry-Go-Round Museum in Sandusky is a traveling carousel, the Richland Carrousel is built to stay in one location. This carousel is larger in circumference and the horses and menagerie animals are also larger.

 Sign Announcing Opening

Richland opened in 1991 and operates year round. It is available for birthday parties, weddings and rehearsals, school groups and other meetings. Two birthday parties were setting up as we were leaving.

Inside the Carrousel Building

We love riding the many different carousels that we visit, but it is just as much fun to watch the expressions on the faces, and hear the squeals, of the small children who also come to ride.

The Young Riders

Our next stop was discovered by accident about 10 months ago. While looking for a replacement dish drainer for our kitchen, we finally located what we wanted on ebay. It was made by Rubbermaid and shipped from Wooster, OH. The name of the store is Everything Rubbermaid.

Rubbermaid (1887)

From a Google search, Everything Rubbermaid turned out to be a brick and mortar store in Wooster. This is a four story building that is chocked full of Rubbermaid, from the tiniest container to the huge cooler capable of holding a body! They also have an area set up with children’s toys and play equipment to be “tested” by tots!  Great prices and unbelievable selections.

We had lunch at the Broken Rocks Café and Bakery around the corner from Rubbermaid (suggestion by the clerk).  It was a hit…too bad they’re in Wooster and we’re not!

Broken Rocks Cafe (1875)

Wooster is a beautiful town with buildings dating back 139 years. Downtown shopping is quite varied and nearly every building is occupied. Preservation efforts are evident.  The town square is anchored by the Wayne County Courthouse built in 1879.

Court House (1879)

Our sign of the day is self explanatory. 

October 3, 2014

Long Day

What we thought would to be a relatively short day turned into a very long day.  We left Port Huron around 9:15am and headed south towards Marblehead, OH. About 30 miles later, the rain we had hoped to beat to the south side of Detroit, caught us. Combined with high winds, the rain made driving difficult in three- lane wide traffic. We had been dreading this part of the trip through Detroit, but the alternate route would have added nearly 50-60 miles to the ride.

Rain on I94

Everything went fairly well until we left I96 in the middle of Detroit and started down I75 towards Toledo. Just before we crossed the Rouge River, I75 became a parking lot. We were in a 6 mile backup caused when a semi took out a section of the concrete divider. Traffic was reduced to one lane; 50 minutes later, we finally had an open road! Along with several work zones, additional rain, and one 8 mile detour, 4 hours of driving became 6…white knuckles have returned to normal! 

Parking Lot

Our only planned stop today was Sandusky, OH at the Merry-Go-Round Museum. We have visited twice before, but always stop because they continually rotate items in the museum.

Sandusky, OH

This visit yielded several new horses. New menagerie animals had also been added to the carousel, or placed on display.

This Wolf was Carved by a Volunteer at the Museum

This carousel is a small “traveling carousel”. It was used in fairs and disassembled at the conclusion.

Then it was packed, and trucked to the next destination, reassembled, and used once again.

Traveling Carousel

While passing through the Carroll Township near Marblehead, we passed the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station.  In 1998 the station was hit by a F2 tornado, and had to rely on backup generators to run pumps for cooling until external power could be restored…nerve-wracking.

Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station

While driving through Sandusky, we happened upon this sign...now we know where they come from!!

October 2, 2014

Blue Water

Port Huron lies at the southern end of Lake Huron at the head of the St Clair River. With a population of 30,000 people, Port Huron is a major border crossing into Canada via the “Blue Water Bridge”. The bridge’s name signifies the massive amount (180,000 cubic feet per second) of water that flows under it.

The bridge is a twin span with each span just over 6100 feet long, and is the second busiest crossing between the US and Canada. The busiest crossing is the Ambassador Bridge at Detroit-Windsor which is located just 62 miles south west of Port Huron.

The Blue Water Bridge

The Algoma Hansa was down bound on the St Clair River when a “pilot” boat came along side. It picked up the pilot who had guided the ship from Sault Ste Marie. Note the ladder on the side of the ship.

Algoma Hansa

The flags of Canada and the US fly over the International Flag Plaza. There is a matching set on the Canadian side of the river.

US International Flag Plaza

Canadian International Flag Plaza

The Lightship Huron was the last of its kind used to protect other ships from rocks and shallow water. This type of ship served the same purpose as a stationary lighthouse except it could be moved to different locations as needed. Her engines and light are still operational; they are checked monthly to keep them in good working order.

Lightship Huron

The Fort Gratiot Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in Michigan, dating back to 1825. The tower stands 85 feet tall and underwent extensive repairs in 2011. The complex includes the keeper’s house, an assistant’s house, and a horn building.

Fort Gratiot Lighthouse

Keeper's House

 Tomorrow we will be leaving Michigan as we travel to Sandusky and Mansfield, OH.

October 1, 2014

Sugar Passage

We left Bay City this morning headed east with a heavy fog hanging over Lake Huron. This is an area of Michigan referred to as the “Thumb”, and is new to us.

While driving across the thumb to our first destination we happened upon The Michigan Sugar processing plant in Sebewaing.  Here, sugar beets are processed into granulated, powered and liquid, and brown sugars with one billion pounds produced annually. There are one thousand farmers growing beets on 160,000 acres for Michigan Sugar. As with the corn from an earlier post, there were fields upon fields of beets, and large dump trucks hauling them to the plant.

Michigan Sugar

We also ran across this nice old bank building in the same town. “The Bank” is now a bar!

The Bank

Our first scheduled stop, after wrong directions from the GPS, was Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse in Port Hope. Built in 1857, the tower stands 89 feet tall. The museum housed in the attached keeper’s house has an extensive collection of artifacts on display…one of the best we have seen.

Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse

Next was the village of Port Sanilac to visit the Port Sanilac Lighthouse. Built in 1886, the tower is 59 feet tall and is attached to a beautiful brick keeper’s house. The property is now listed “For Sale” for a mere $999,800.00! Where is that winning lottery ticket??!!

Port Sanilac Lighthouse

Windmills are a common sight along route M-25 in the thumb.

We have now finished our tour of the thumb and are spending two days in Port Huron.

September 30, 2014

Land of the Trolls

It was cold this morning in Sault Ste. Marie. A welcome change! We were expecting a lot of cold weather during our trip, but the near record high temperatures have been following us since our arrival in Michigan. The cold arrived Sunday and has pushed into Lower Michigan.

Our accommodations in Sault Ste. Marie were somewhat cramped but we chose them in order in be in the downtown area where we could walk to attractions and restaurants.

Lockview Motel

We stopped on the way out of town for one last picture of the St. Marys River and the islands near Mission Point.

St Marys River at Mission Point

Our first view of Lake Huron was in De Tour Village which lies at the mouth of the St Marys River. This is also an area where large amounts of limestone are mined for use in the steel industry. There are three loading facilities frequented by the freighters.

Lake Huron Near De Tour Village

We crossed the Mackinac Bridge just after 1 PM, back into the land of the Trolls.

Mackinac Bridge

We found this nice rest stop near Raber, MI.   Parking was at a premium and the line was long.

September 29, 2014

Rain

This was the second time we have had rain during our trip. Unlike the first time when it was over by noon, this was an all day affair.  We took advantage of this by getting ready for the remainder of the trip. Repacking was a must after 13 days on the road. Items purchased and clean laundry all needed a place in the car.

Full!

There were several places in town that we wanted to visit, so part of the day was spent in a book/craft store and several other gift shops.

A last trip to Clyde’s was in order for one more cheeseburger and fries…so good! If we had a Clyde’s at home, Burger in the Square and Five Guys would not get very much of our money!

Clyde's

We were lucky to catch another freighter entering the narrow channel of the St.Marys River and making the right hand turn for the trip down stream to Lake Huron.

The Algoma Discovery

Tomorrow we will bid good bye to Sault Ste. Marie. Our journey will take us through De Tour Village, MI where we will get our first look at Lake Huron.