The man of my dreams has almost faded now. The one I have created in my mind. The sort of man each woman dreams of, in the deepest and most secret reaches of her heart. I can almost see him now before me. What would I say to him if he were really here? "Forgive me. I have never known this feeling. I have lived without it all my life. Is it any wonder, then, I failed to recognise you? You, who brought it to me for the first time. Is there any way that I can tell you how my life has changed? Any way at all to let you know what sweetness you have given me? There is so much to say. I cannot find the words. Except for these: I love you". Such would I say to him if he were really here.
We left off our blog in Saginaw, Michigan of auto parts for GM and country music fame. From there, we were able to take a very beautiful journey by johnboat with our captain, Wil Lenny (of Johnny Quest Tours, should you ever be in the neighborhood!) into the Shiwassee Wildlife Refuge. Wil calls this tour the Everglades of Michigan. With a small boat, we were able to explore the river and its abundance of animals and beautiful scenery. What a glorious time to be in this area when the fall colors are painting the landscape!
Sunset on the Shiwasee River
The colors of early autumn
More of that!
How beautiful could it get??
Our tour guide, Wil. He is a jack of many trades and a skilled guide. We saw so much wildlife with him.
We ate lunch at 5pm--maybe we got there a bit late. Will says there are only three things to do in St Charles: Fight, drink and "you can guess the third." I'm thinking the 3rd is eat French fries?
Stunning views like this were the order of the day!
The lone whooper (with banded leg) was out with about a dozen sandhill cranes. Obviously, we weren't all that close, but it was still thrilling.
Again, should you find yourself for any reason in Saginaw, please call Johnny Quest tours. He has a number of different ones to suit your tastes and we are so grateful we found him.
The next day, we made our way to Mackinaw City (correctly spelled in either way and sometimes seen as Mackinac. But never end it with a hard C. It's always "aw" regardless of spelling. If you say the "C," you will be called a "fudgie" which is a tourist who spends to much time in a fudge shop.) On Wil's recommendation, we stopped at Hartwick State Park, home to the only remaining virgin white pines in Michigan. Most forest here is second or even third growth. This 86 acre stretch was deemed not worth coming back to get after some economic hardship in the area and eventually purchased by a wealthy widow of a lumber company owner who died in World War I (of meningitis.) to honor him. We were basically looking for an excuse to get out of the car and walk around for a while. As serendipity often has it, we were treated to a logging museum at the park. I learned a lot about logging in Michigan. It is amazing how much timber was felled and floated down river here for loading onto railroads. These camp operations were much like the Tennessee Ernie Ford song about the company store, etc. They worked hard, slept dormitory style and bought everything from the company store. This was not an easy life! They were required to bathe and wash their clothes once every two weeks. Glad I didn't have to sleep in that dorm!
Part of 86 acres of remaining virgin white pine forest in Michigan
These tough lumberjacks worked rain or shine, snow, whatever. It wasn't easy.
These logs were carried out by horses on sleds.
Logs being rolled into the river to go downstream for processing. Later the railroad came in.
Chapel in the woods at Hartwick State Park
One of many befriended chipmunks along the way.
Before leaving the park, we went a bit down the road for a short hike along the Au Sable River, which is extremely clear but only a few feet wide.
The Au Sable River
The Bridge Over the River Au Sable
We had a stay that night at a rather inauspicious hotel followed by breakfast in a bag (oh well) and then met our next (and final for this trip) guide, Mike Fornes. Mike is a pretty colorful guy. He played hockey professionally for awhile, then became a color announcer for various professional hockey teams throughout the USA. He seems to be in a semi-retirement now where he gives tours of the Mackinac Straits area, has written 5 books about the area and, because that is not enough, has a Gordon Lightfoot tribute band and has met Gordon Lightfoot! He also has an annual get together on the shores of Lake Superior to commemorate the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Mike Fornes, Jack of Many Trades including Guided Tours
We asked Mike to take us to the Soo Locks in Sault St Marie and also to show us the Mackinac Bridge. We got a lot of great local information. Before the bridge was opened in 1957, passage to the upper peninsula was by ferry and took many hours in the summer with cars lined up interminably. This beautiful bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world when built. The actual architectural and engineering feat that it represents was emphasized by Mike who has of course, written a book about the bridge. He even knows how many babies were born on the bridge (and has met at least one and his mother and the EMT who birthed him.) 
Birthday boy and spouse on the Lake Michigan side of the bridge
Bridge across the straits of Mackinac separating lakes Michigan and Huron. Gorgeous at sunset.
Memorial to the five men who died during bridge construction which took about 3 years
We also did see the Soo Locks which is another engineering feat. We could not go to Canada due to Covid restrictions. Most of the boats coming through the locks are running iron ore.
The MV Kaye Barker passing through Soo Locks. The difference between the water height is 21 feet.
This '"random" shot is a funny store. Parishioners of the Catholic church in Sault St Marie decided to build a new church and started with this tower. Then they got outvoted. I am going to post a picture of the original church (and it is STILL the church) below. They later sold the tower as an observation point. It is a stark contrast to what was and remains the actual church. Not sure what they were thinking?
St Mary's Cathedral. These two structures stand side by side. Not exactly a matching pair
The island and hotel grounds are beautifully landscaped. The island has a perimeter road that is 8 miles around. There is a lot of history with both French, British and Native Americans occupying and fighting about the island. Of course, the Ojibwe and Odawa Indians got the raw end of that deal, but they are still in the Upper Peninsula area.
Horses do everything on the Island from garbage trucks, deliveries etc to hauling thirty tourists at a time as seen here. These horses are hard workers. They are treated very well overall and never work more than 4 hours a day or more than two days in a row. In the winter, they live in farms in Southern Michigan and Indiana and are transported back and forth by boat.
We weren't really going to take any carriages, but due to rain, we did one taxi ride to the Woods Restaurant. The horses are well trained and seem to require almost no direction from drivers.
Grand Hotel tack room
Grand Hotel Carriage omnibus. Not in use now due to being enclosed. Due to COVID, it is all open carriages.
Governor of Michigan summer residence
Fort Mackinac with fall colors
Arch Rock.
Mackinac Island lighthouse.
We had two days on the island and the first, we walked the 8 mile perimeter. We did about half on the road and half on trails. The second day we again met Mike Fornes and he gave us a nice overall tour of the island by bicycle, complete with history and how people live now as well.
Pensive Paul contemplates water clarity and beauty of Northern Lake Michigan
Mike and Paul on our bike ride.
Paul and I both highly enjoyed our time on the island. We probably wouldn't come back necessarily, but it was a great "once in a lifetime" adventure.
Things we liked were incredible scenery, beautiful fall colors, great look at the bridge, nice (if a bit gaudy) hotel , good service, nice food (some included in the hotel stay), excellent ice cream, a fantastic guide in Mike, nice hiking trails and plenty of them, amazing bike trails and NO CARS. The horses were fun to watch.
Things we were less enamored with: the hotels are pricey and the grand hotel has a grand price tag (although breakfast and dinner are included if you go to the correct hotel restaurants---there are numerous ones, not all included), in the main part of town, highly touristed (think Gatlinburg in summer infestation), fudge everywhere, horse manure and urine strikingly present in the streets and stinking to high heaven despite efforts to keep it cleaned up. Due to COVID it was also a bit challenging to find food at times as occupancy was limited. We managed, but it wasn't always without a wait.
Overall, however, we highly recommend a visit to Mackinac Island and I would suggest the fall season and not on a weekend. We feel very lucky to have been able to go there. And definitely, hire Mike Fornes. He is so knowledgeable and a nice guy to boot! He knows it all---freighters to fisherman to politicians and all in between!
For we fishers at dawn are not
ordinary men.
We embrace the food of solitude,
trolling back and forth, back
and forth,
until a sound strikes our mouths
with the taste of grace.
ordinary men.
We embrace the food of solitude,
trolling back and forth, back
and forth,
until a sound strikes our mouths
with the taste of grace.
Paul's Ponderings: It's been a pretty busy few days as the info above shows and this doesn't include the driving! We arrived at a peak time of year for Fall colors and such in Michigan and so far we have been blessed with incredible weather to boot....as in short sleeves and 70 degrees for the high! That is predicted to change as we head north, but it's not going to be freezing, just cooler.
The trip on the river was amazing and even the guide said so....we saw multiple things that even he, in his 30+ years of doing this, rarely sees including a whooping crane and up close with beavers. The photos above don't do the "everglades of Michigan" justice.
Saginaw is set in a lovely area, but it seems to be struggling still to reinvent itself. There are clearly seeds here and there, but the big green shoots are still pending. Having read all those years about things in the rust belt and the impacts of changes in the economy, it's really up close and personal in Saginaw. That said, I'm glad we stopped there and had the experiences that we did....folks were friendly and the old architecture is incredible, we had some nice meals and...well...see previous comments about the river. That trip - which took about 8 hours - was huge and memorable.
Then it was up to Mackinac and the island. Quite an interesting place. I'm very glad we did it and the trips we had with Mike were super interesting....not to mention the great weather and incredible scenery, the bridge, and much more. Definitely would recommend this as a place to check out if you are in the area.
Now it's on to Grand Marais, which is officially in the Upper Peninsula...aka UP.....aka Yoopey.
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