Roving Reports by Doug P: 2019-14 Lower Michigan, Alpena to Midland

2019-14

Lake Huron
Mackinaw Bridge Crossing

one hand on the wheel, on hand on the camera

Lower Michigan

lower Michigan, industry and
farm land

Alpena Michigan
Midland Michigan
Bay City, Tall Ships

Campground: Alpena County Fairgrounds. $23 plenty of sites only a few campers/tenters here. I have 30 amp, but I think other sites might have 50 amp. This is in-town. With nice walking paths along the river right from the fairgrounds, a nice plus. Water and dump station available.

Alpena Fairgrounds has three areas for camping
I'm close to the dirt road, but with river views

Campground: Midland Fairgrounds. $20 plenty of sites. Multiple 30 amp outlets on each telephone pole. Water between some sites. Dump station charge $7 even if you are camping here. Fairground are basically in town. Close to shops restaurants. Makes for nice basecamp.

Midland Mich Fairgrounds, nice grassy sites
30 amp and water available near campsites

Well it was time to leave the U.P. and head south into Lower Michigan. Winds were expected to pick up the day I crossed the bridge which is 4.995 miles, 8,038 km long. The towers are 552 ft (168m) in height. When I crossed it in the morning around 9 am, the wind gusts were around 20-25 mph and the truck and 5^th wheel camper had no problems. That and the traffic was going at only about 30 miles an hour.

I’m taking an easterly route along the Lake Huron side (my third great Lake so far) on hwy 23 to Alpena. Once a thriving lumber town it is still a nice town to explore. I’m staying at the Alpena Fairground, plenty of space and relatively quite.

There’s a nice museum, part of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Over 200 shipwrecks sit on the bottom of Thunder bay in the cold clear waters of Lake Huron. Glass bottom boat tours are available or diving excursions can be arranged. The day I arrived, there was a lecture by Dr. John O’Shea. Archaeology is now doing research on places like the underwater Alpena-Amberly Ridge in Thunder Bay. What they’ve discovered were remains of ancient human activity and stone hunting structures used to hunt caribou, thousands of years ago during the receding ice age. It was the first time these discoveries were made public and I was there. Woo Hoo!

Presque Isle 2 lighthouses
this is the first one built

volunteers do so much good work

while lighthouse was in private hands
they built this big fireplace
covering up two windows looking onto
the tower

the second larger lighthouse

great views of Lake Huron

looking at shipwrecks off shore
before lighthouses were built I'm sure

Second home required to maintain lighthouse #2

More lighthouses of course. The Great Lakes are a “great” place to visit tons of lighthouses and I’ve been able to visit just a few of them along the way. Today I drove over to Presque Isle to see two lighthouses built 30 years apart. Shipping was increasing after the first lighthouse was built in 1840. By 1870 the second larger lighthouse was built included was a fog horn. I’ve been getting my exercise climbing up all those lighthouses as well as Castle Rock.

Presque Isle has some great volunteers, one was in a window painting away. Others provide information on the lighthouse operations. The smaller lighthouse built in 1840 has a hand hewn stone steps to the top and awesome views from both lighthouses. $5 to climb both lighthouses. Although the keepers cottage for the smaller lighthouse was in private hands for many years and renovated along the way, it still contains lots of history including thick wooden doors and beams salvaged from shipwrecks washed ashore. A massive fireplace now hides two original windows that looked out onto the tower, but it is the grandest of fireplaces I’ve ever seen.

While visiting one of the sites in the U.P., I happened to talk to a retired Ford Motor Co. worker. First discussing our own retirement plans, he then mentioned that today, Ford Motor Co. no longer hires full time employees. Hiring only Part time workers. Giving them 3 day work weeks, no benefits, no health insurance, and no retirement plans. How can they plan for the future. And this is after all those companies received a permanent lower corporate taxes and of course the wealthy also received a large permanent tax reduction. Unfortunately the concept of “trickle down economics” has been proven over time that it doesn’t work. Ford being a good example of what actually happens.

Distance Traveled: 144 miles

Michigan’s state roads are not well maintained in lower Michigan. I often hear from friends and relatives living in the U.P. that all money goes to lower Michigan and nothing to the U.P. Well I can confirm that all the major roads in the U.P. are in pretty good condition. Of course they may be county roads. In any case, the camper and truck had one heck of a time bouncing along those secondary roads.

Midland Michigan

Currently hosting a LPGA tournament. First time for that here. It’s an impressive town. The downtown are looks very upscale. Very helpful Visitor/Convention center. The town is the headquarters to Dow Chemical Corp.

Alden B Dow home and studio

The Alden B Dow Home and Studio

What an awesome tour of the Alden B Dow Home and Studio. Alden was one of the sons of the head of Dow Chemical of course. He had a passion for Architecture. Getting his degree in the field, he traveled Europe, Japan and interned with Frank Loyd Wright. The Studio for his budding architectural firm was built first, eventually the home extended the place to over 20,000 sq ft.

Opening his architectural firm in 1934. By 1937 he had won the Diplome de Grand Prix. He completed his home by 1941, one of the first Mid Century Modern designs that are coveted today by many home buyers. A stunning example, wish I could have taken photos inside, but only exterior shots were permitted. Had a wonderful tour guide for the hour and a half tour.

only exterior shots were permitted

best home tour, Mid Century Modern

courtyard, car park

family home entrance

screened patio overlooking poind

maintenance worker

stepping stones designed to challenge the kids

Later I would tour the Dow Gardens and the canopy walk through the Whiting Forest. The gardens were once a part of the home and studio and of course are now open to the public. Lots of gardeners out working, having to walk around their many ATV vehicles along the paved walking paths. One could spend many hours here. I spent most of a morning here, including a stop at one of their cafe’s and coffee shops on the grounds.

nest along canopy walk

so much fun to be a kid for a day

and a walk out onto a glass view below

manicured garden walk way

lots of staff maintaining the gardens

cafe and coffee shop
best iced coffee around

A few days later I went to the Midland Center for the Arts. Not much on the art scene, the main exhibits are geared towards the kids, science themes mainly. The art displays all have a link to Dow Chemical products such as acrylic paints, plastics, acrylic water colors etc. Some of the worst art signage I’ve ever seen. Extremely small type face, many requiring the reader to bend way down or in some cases I actually sat on the floor to read the placards. Note: I would not recommend wasting your money on this museum. Next door is a live theater which I would attend if there had been a performance the time I was in town.

wonderful periodic table, flip each tile
to learn more about each element

two of the original Terracotta soldiers
400 BC

from the oriental doll collection

young boy

the mystery black dome
their idea of a planetarium

much of the art displayed
also showed off Dow Chemical paints
photography for paintings not permitted

cast of pieces of experimental
plastics

Alden Dow collected these
cast offs considering them pieces
of art

Snoopy

Haven’t even mentioned a nice group of campers I met, Loners On Wheels. They were kind enough to invite me over to a number of get-togethers they were having. A couple are full-timers, others live in Michigan and use their Rv’s, mainly Class C’s and van campers to explore part-time around the state.

a few of the Loners On Wheels
waiting for a repair truck to replace a tire
Thanks for letting me join your group this weekend

And my last stop was over to Bay City for the Tall Ships Festival. I was able to get some good shots of the boats from the bridge as the festival gates weren’t open when I got there. Apparently they have lots of music and tours of the boats once the gates open up. Tried to get a couple shots of their lighthouse on the harbor, but it’s on private land and surrounded by industrial parks. Still a fun

adventure for the early morning.