MICHIGAN |
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From Wisconsin, I headed north. I was making my way up and around Lake Michigan with my next stop Mackinaw City. I made a stop along the way at the northern most point of Lake Michigan. It was such a beautiful place. Those great lakes are huge and look like they go on forever!
Once I was in Mackinaw City, I settled in for a good night's sleep. I was going to get up EARLY the next day to catch the first ferry to Mackinac Island. I was so excited to be going to Mackinac Island as when I was younger, I loved the movie Somewhere in Time and it was filmed on the Island at the Grand Hotel. I called a good friend of mine back home who worked nights and asked for an early morning wake up call. Sure enough, I was actually out the door and on the ferry before the sun came up! I'm not much of a morning person and back then I was NOT a morning person at all, so I saw a lot more sunsets then sunrises! Fromt he boat I watched the sky turn from orange to pink, to blue and when I arrived on Mackinac Island I was not disappointed.
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The island is a quaint little village that doesn't even allow cars! People get around on horses, bicycles, and walking! I actually took a horse drawn carriage tour around the island and got an earful of history and an eyeful of the beautiful surroundings. There is an actual British fort left from the Revolutionary War on the island! It went back and forth between Bristish ownership and American ownership and obviously, we got it in the end. The town on Mackinac Island is so cute. There are many historic buildings and exhibits and plenty of shopping and I think it's the fudge capital of the world or something!
There is a ton to do on such a small island. You can explore the natural surroundings and parks, discover teh historical side of things, shop, play, whatever. It's an amazing place and definitely worth spenidng more than a half a day at. I plan to return one of these days!
Once I was back on the mainland, I was on my way to Detroit. Rock City! Whoo! Well, first I stopped to stay the night with the family of my dad's friend. I got to stay in this really amazing old brick home just north of Detroit. Then I had the next day to do the town.
Okay, Detroit was really confusing. The streets go in all sorts of directions and if you make this one right turn, you sort of end up in Canada. I don't recommend that turn. If you do end up in Canada and you come right back, be prepared to do a lot of explaining to the border patrol guys. They didn't get the whole, "I made a wrong turn" thing. After driving around in circles, I ended up in Greek Town and had some lunch. Then I was ready to find the Motown Museum. Luckily I was armed with an address and a map, so after more circles, I did actually end up at the museum.
Wow. The Motown Museum was amazing. I'm not a huge Motown fan or anything, but to stand in the studio where some of the greatest artists stood recording albums was just inspiring. It's a pretty small museum. It's in the actual home of Barry Gordy, Jr - where he started Hitsville, USA. The first thing you see is a gallery of photos, costumes, etc from the legends of Motwon. Then you actually get to go in the recording studio and see the control room. It's really an awesome experience.
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Another trippy experience was that they blew up a giant building in downtown Detroit the day I was there. I was actually watching them prepare for it and thought, "cool, I have a front row seat for this!" Then I started thinking, "this could be messy" and I decided not to watch live. I headed back to the home I was staying in and watched the implosion of the Hudson Building on TV. I saw the exact spot my car had been parked at COVERED in dust! I think watching on television was an excellent idea, but it was very interesting to see, even if I didn't see it live.
That night my host and his fiancee took me out on the town for dinner and drinks. It was kind of nice to have people to hang out with for an evening. We had a great time and I got to try some local beers at a pub they took me to. Overall, Michigan was a great success. I definitely have a lot more to see and do there when I get back someday, but the next day, I was off to Ohio...
Jennifer St.Antoine, Gather Travel Correspondent
Jennifer's column, Road Trippin' The USA: Eight Weeks Across America will be published every other Friday on Gather Essentials: Travel. On opposite Fridays, Jennifer posts her other road trip Adventures from around the country. Her Road Trippin' The USA columns chronicle her experiences on America's roads, including recommendations and warning for places to see, stay and eat.
You can find all of Jennifer's Road Trippin' the USA articles at www.gather.com/roadtrippintheusa or in Jennifer's Gather Group Road Trippin' the USA.
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Comments: 8
Did you get any michigan cherries? Should have, OMG they are good; and the best only stay in that area....you can get them in roadside stands. Enjoy your trip, everyone should do an American road trip at least once in their lives. Its an interesting country, and you only really understand the sheer size and physical beauty of it by seeing it in person.....hitting every National Park is the best way, they are real america.....b4 the 'development' that ate up the best spots. Funny how the nicest natural areas were settled first, developed, and re-developed (a few times in some cases) until the point where very few traces of the original natural space remains? We've, as humans, taken the best and done the worst with it, eh? Now all that remains is beautiful remote spots, and vast barren areas....lets do what we can to keep them, huh? :-)
Patrick, I LOVE National Parks. I saw a ton of 'em on this particular trip and more since. I've been to over 60 National parks, Monumnets, Historic Sites, etc and have a goal of hitting them ALL!!!
Our next road trip (PROBABLY IN 2009) is going to be Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica!!! I've always wanted to do it and this time it will be with my husband instead of solo. Can't wait!