We are two weeks into the second half of our adventure – and we
continue to be surprised by and appreciative of all we experience. Most of our
time has been spent in northern Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan, beautiful
locations along Lake Superior and Lake Huron.
Our first stop after leaving Duluth was Copper Falls State
Park in Wisconsin where we enjoyed some lovely waterfalls and relaxing walks
and were once again impressed with the beauty of the state. At Copper Falls,
the Bad River drops 29 feet through an outcropping of rock it has been eroding
for millions of years, creating two miles of steep canyons and rugged splendor.
Further down river at Brownstone Falls it plunges over 60 feet down the canyon.
The rocks in this area reflect the geologic history of the region – old
mountains worn away, ancient seas setting down sediment that turned to
sandstone, lava oozing through fissures in the earth’s surface and covering the
land, hundreds of feet thick, and then came the glaciers, only 1 million years
ago, scraping, flattening, depositing. Red clays, sandstone, greenstone,
granite, shale, and more – making this an absolutely gorgeous park in which to
spend a few days (while Lew recuperated from an infection).
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| Copper Falls |
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| Brownstone Falls |
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| Granite Falls |
We left this idyllic spot and drove on to Pictured Rocks
National Lakeshore. Here we were treated to the “eye candy” that is the UP of
Michigan. Pictured Rocks is seen best by boat, so we immediately booked
ourselves on a late afternoon cruise – a 2-hour experience that highlighted the
rock formations, caves and caverns, and other interesting geological wonders
along the steep sandstone cliffs of the south shore of Lake Superior. What was
most interesting were the colors in the rock, caused by the mineral enriched
waters seeping and cascading down the rocks, year after year after year.
Notable formations included Lover’s Leap, Indian Head, and Battleship Rocks,
and the Cave of Many Colors was breathtaking in its beauty.
In addition to the
sights on the cruise, we enjoyed a few hikes to waterfalls through mosquito
infested forests, explored the 200 ft high sand dunes, and Lew managed to hike
to a picturesque lighthouse; the plethora of biting flies, however, sent me
screaming back to the safety of the car where I awaited his return.
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| Dunes on Lake Superior |
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| Too many biting flies for me! |
Next stop in the UP was St Ignace (located on the UP side of
the Straits of Mackinac), but first we took a 60-mile detour to see Tahquamenon
Falls, the biggest waterfall in Michigan. It was well worth the additional few
hours of our time! Despite loads of (other) tourists, it was really a beautiful
sight to see.
St Ignace was a good jumping off point to see Sault Ste Marie
and Mackinac Island. First, we drove north to see the Soo Locks, and would have
driven into Canada if the long line at US Customs to get back into the USA
hadn’t deterred us. We enjoyed watching a large vessel make its way through the
locks and reading about the history of their construction, but our attitude is a
bit jaded. In this case, having been through the Panama Canal, these locks were
a bit underwhelming. We left Sault Ste Marie and took a significant detour to
see another picturesque lighthouse; this time we managed a short hike and a few
pictures before the skies opened up and drenched us. We did get back in time to
enjoy clear weather in St Ignace and a beautiful walk out to see and learn more
about the building of the 5-mile long Mackinac suspension bridge over the
straits that connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
The next full day we spent over on Mackinac Island – a park,
a fort, and a playground for the rich! No cars are allowed on the island, so,
of course, we took a carriage ride around the island. It was a lot of fun and
informative. In the afternoon, we hiked up to Fort Mackinac on the bluff –
cannons blasted, rifles fired, soldiers marched, and history came alive! This
fort was established by the British in 1780 to protect their fur trading
interests (during the Revolutionary War). When the Americans won the war, it
served the American fur trading interests and later commercial interests,
remaining active until 1895. Fort Mackinac is now a World Heritage Site and
most of the island is a State Park – but it was once the second National Park,
after Yellowstone, before being turned over to the state. We completed our
excursion with a relaxing stroll along the waterfront before heading back to St
Ignace on the ferry. A delightful day, our last in the UP.
In the morning we crossed the Mackinac Bridge to lower
Michigan, on our way to Traverse City. The bridge, truly an architectural and
engineering marvel, is Michigan’s single largest asset (dreamed about for over
50 years, it was finally completed in 1957 at a cost of nearly $100 million – a
lot of money in those days!) On the ferry to Mackinac Island the day before we
were lucky enough to be on a boat that made a detour under the bridge – quite
the view, from underneath!
Traverse City presented us with another surprise – wineries!
In fact, we parked among the vines for two nights at the Brengman Brothers
winery (and bought a couple of bottles for their excellent wine)! We did visit
a few other wineries in the area, but our primary purpose in stopping there was
to see Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, known for its awesome dunes. Maybe
it’s because we’d seen the dunes at Pictured Rocks, Indiana Dunes National
Park, White Sands, and the Great Sand Dunes
in Colorado,
but again (jaded
that we are), we were not as impressed as we might have been, or should have
been. But we still had an excellent day driving through the park, hiking on a
few trails, savoring the atmosphere, and finishing up at a cidery. We were
ready for something other than dunes on the Great Lakes…
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| Vineyards north of Traverse City |
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| Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore coastline |
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| A detour to the 45th parallel |
So, it was on to Grand Rapids to spend time at the Gerald
Ford Museum (the library is in Ann Arbor, but its primary purpose is research).
Although he was only president for a few short years, it was clear that he was
the right person in the right position at the right time – by happenstance. He
was respected and liked on both sides of the political aisle, with unassailable
integrity and a willingness to listen to all sides of an issue and then make a
definitive decision based on what he thought was best for America, not his
political future. Sigh.
We spent our second day enjoying Holland – Michigan, that
is. The architecture in this small city founded by Dutch immigrants in 1847 was
reminiscent of our time spent living in Europe so we thoroughly enjoyed walking
the streets, sipping coffee at a Konditorei, and appreciating the old country,
relaxed feel. We particularly liked our visit to Windmill Island Gardens, home
to the 250+ year old Windmill DeZwaan, the only “authentic” working Dutch windmill
in the United States. Our drive out to see the lighthouse at Holland State Park
was not as relaxing – there were hoards of people doing the same thing. Sigh.
Our last stop in Michigan was the Henry Ford Museum outside
Detroit. Oh, my. What an experience!
The Henry Ford, as it is called,
has three parts: A factory tour, Greenfield Village, and the museum itself. Arriving late on day one, we took the Rouge Factory Tour
first. This is where they manufacture the F-150 truck, so we got an up-close
look at the assembly line process pioneered by Ford. It was pretty cool – with
robots doing some of the work and trucks in various stages of completion moving
constantly along a gigantic, multistory conveyor belt. We also enjoyed an
excellent documentary on Ford, his life and his company.
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| Greenfield Village |
We thought we had enough time the next day for the other two
parts of the experience. Ha! Greenfield Village would take days to explore
fully – we allowed ourselves 4 hours. The village is a collection of buildings,
artifacts, and artisans that conveys the sights, sounds, and sensations of 19th
and early 20th century America. It includes a working farm, the lab
where Edison had his “lightbulb” moment, the workshop where the Wright Brothers
invented their first flying machine, a variety of period homes and businesses,
and so much more… It would take hours to explain. We needed more hours to see
everything, but had to move on to the museum itself.
The Henry Ford Museum is an ode to American Innovation. Here
you explore genius in all its forms, immersing yourself in the stories of some
of America’s greatest innovators. From automobiles to railroads to airplanes,
from agriculture to industry, from the civil rights struggle to innovations in
design – it’s all here. And more. You really must see it to believe it. Henry
Ford has provided this country with a great legacy – a must-see experience in
American history, innovation, and determination to succeed.
