Vacation 2013

10 September - 7 October 2013
Taking Joseph to Univ. of Chicago and mini-vacation in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan

Page 6

Tuesday - 24 September 2013 (Afternoon)

In St. Ignace we found that the visitor's center was closed.
The nearby Straits State Park was closed as was the
Colonial Michilimackinac Park (fort) which is on the west side of IH 75 at the southern end of the bridge.
It seems that much closes after Labor Day (2 September in 2013).
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From St. Ignace we headed West on US Hwy 2 following the south shore of the U.P. of Michigan.

There was a roadside pull-off which offered a good look back at the Mackinac Bridge.

The Mackinac Bridge

There is a deep canyon in the space between the 2 towers of the Bridge.
Thousands of years ago, when the lakes were much lower the drainage from Lake Michigan carved this canyon draining into Lake Huron.

A close up - note size of trucks on the bridge to the size of the bridge.

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Following the southern edge of the UP, following the Lake Michigan shore,
I found it rather flat as US Hwy 2 winds along the shoreline. It is wooded and seemingly calm.

We drove on to Escanaba, MI and stayed at the Sunset Lodge, and older motor hotel, owned and operated by a young family.
A family style restaurant is located next door, and
across the major boulevard in front of the motel there was a Tractor Supply store,
a good place in which to wander about and stretch one's legs after a long day of driving.

The next morning we got an early stop, heading north across the peninsula toward the Lake Superior side.
Going North on Hwy 35 we shared the road with a building (garage) coming down the road toward us.

Then a little way further down the road we found Gwinn, MI and a neat restraunt for breakfast. There they told us of KI Sawyer,
a retired US Air Force SAC (Strategic Air Command) base which was selling off buildings... such as garages.

(Gwinn, MI area)
We detoured back and drove to the KI Sawyer site.
It was turned over to civilian authorities a few years ago and now is a separate village of its own.
There is an aircraft (jet mostly) repair business in town.
It also has several Cold War era fighter aircraft on display, and a B-52 bomber.
There is also a little museum which honors the memory of the Airbase.

Convair F-106A Delta Dart - - McDonnell F101B Voodoo

Convair F-106A Delta Dart - - McDonnell F101B Voodoo - - - General Dynamics FB111A Aardvark

What are these triangular holes ? - located in front of the wheels low on the fuseloge

B52 with a sting in its tail

The Museum

Some flowers in the field where the airplanes are on display
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From there it was a short drive North to Marquette, MI, the largest town on Michigan's UP.
After being told of the remoteness of places in the UP I was surprised to find a thriving modern city.
This is not what I remembered from coming through part of the UP some 28 years ago.
Then, looking more closely, most of the buildings I was seeing were less than 28 years old.

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