Drives with my wife have evolved over the years. The one constant being I am almost always driving. I love to drive, and my Avalon has been the perfect automobile for the road. There were the days of the music blasting. Then came the carload of kids and all the noise you could ever ask for. Then, more quiet trips with lighter music playing and teenagers with ear buds. Then just the two of us, music or talk radio to make the trip seem shorter.
Now tho, the radio stays off. I drive, my wife watches the unfolding scenery. many times switching back and forth between the outside world and her pocket super computer. And we talk. We talk a lot. The scenery, the road, what’s new on her pocket super computer, and everything that comes to our minds. With many quiet interludes between. A peaceful, pleasant way to travel. Maybe boring to some. But seems like a more natural way. How adventurers in wagon trains, or horseback were… well… minus the pocket super computers, and the luxuries of an automobile and modern road.
Our second lighthouse adventure was to the Whitefish Point Lighthouse. Leaving the empty tourist town of Mackinaw City in the rear view window, we headed north, crossing the bridge into the Upper Peninsula, and then continuing north. My wife has a moose obsession. Dating back to her favorite Kansas City Royals baseball player, Mike Moustakas, who now plays for the Milwaukee Brewers. His nickname is of course…. MOOOOSE!!! She has his jerseys from the Royals glory days… home, away, special Friday night gold lettered, etc. While she hasn’t bought Brewers jerseys, she now has a plethora of moose clothing from the local Marushka store. Marushka art covered our walls back in the 80’s. Now it is back as a clothing line.
So when the moose ahead signs started appearing, my wife kept close watch, but no moose on this trip.
Gliding thru unexpected heavy-ish rain, we talked about all the remaining snow in the woods around us. The standing black water seemingly everywhere. The occasional house, surrounded by the water. Oh the mosquitos to come!
And then we found Paradise. Yes, Paradise, Michigan. Many times we have romanticized how it would be to live in Alaska. So many TV shows make it look perfect… except the lack of indoor plumbing. Driving the countryside of the UP brought up visions of Alaska. We both agreed, Alaska and the UP were not where we would ever live. Seven months of winter, and a few weeks of a buggy summer might be Paradise for some… but not us.
And yet… what a great place to explore!
Moving up along the shore of Whitefish Bay, we reached the point, and the lighthouse. Unfortunately, the Shipwreck Museum was still closed for the season. Another trip back this fall, to learn about the hundreds of shipwrecks that lay on the bottom here. The most famous being the Edmund Fitzgerald. Just being outside at the point, was worth the trip.
