The Statue of Liberty was a once a lighthouse. From 1886 to 1902 the Statue of Liberty was considered a navigational aid, a lighthouse, and under the control of the Lighthouse Board. Not because it was an important navigational aid, but because of budget and politics. Even the Statue of Liberty had decades of difficulty…
Category: Michigan Road Trips
Michigan road trips to beaches, lighthouses vineyards, brew houses, restaurants sand dunes surf water unsalted vacations
May 2nd: McGulpin Point Lighthouse
Leaving our hotel in Mackinaw City, we planned to visit three lighthouses on our way back home. Plans changed as we reached our first stop. Each lighthouse has its own history and stories. Instead of running from one to another, punching our ticket, each lighthouse deserves to be savored. McGulpin Point Lighthouse provided protection to…
April 30th: UP thoughts
Leaving the Upper Peninsula, we were struck by the emptiness. Not just the lack of tourists that we had avoided by coming so early. But the lack of residents. Beautiful wilderness. Though some say the UP is dying. Just over 300,000 live in the UP, barely 3% of Michigan’s population. The UP population peaked in…
April 29th: Point Iroquois Light Station
Leaving Whitefish Point we retraced our path back south along Whitefish Bay then hugged the bay driving east. Several turn-offs along the way with close access to the shore. Hard to believe we were still gazing at Lake Superior. No wind, no waves. Slushy ice with ducks slowly searching for spots of open water. Silence,…
April 28th: Whitefish Point Lighthouse
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…
April 26th: Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse
Our first lighthouse visit on our trip was the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, completed in 1892 and guarding the dangerous turning point for ships entering the Straits of Mackinac. This is where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron come together, tho technically it is all one lake with a narrows here. Rocky shoals, high ship traffic…
April 25th: Yoopers for a day
Residents of the Upper Peninsula call themselves “Yoopers”… we named ourselves “honorary yoopers for a day”. For the first time, we crossed the bridge, beating the triple threat of the upcoming invasion of tourists, biting black flies, and mosquitos. It was supposed to be partly cloudy with a shower or two, but we battled some…
April 24th: A bridge (not) too far
We drove up to Mackinaw City today. And there is the bridge… 26,372 foot of wonder (almost 5 miles). Tomorrow we cross and enter the Upper Peninsula. They say, “you’re not up north until you cross the Mackinac Bridge”. Tomorrow we cross. For the first time. It is the longest suspension bridge with two towers…
March 25th: White River Lighthouse
It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down I had the radio on, I was drivin’ The trees went by, me and Del were singin’ Little runaway, I was flyin’ Yes, another Tom Petty cruising day. We took a short trip just north to the White River Light Station. We heard good things about…
February 21st: Should we stay or should we go?
We spent much of the day in Muskegon, of course visiting another beach, but also looking at where we might live come May. One of the many positives in no longer owning a house… we can just pick up and move. The move is also made easier by the minimalism and simplification we adopted last…