The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village are amazing!! They are situated in Dearborn only 8 miles from Detroit.  The Henry Ford Museum contains one of the nations most impressive collections of Americana and automotive history.  Talk about trains, planes and automobiles ...!

The Henry Ford Museum was formerly known as the Edison Institute, named after Henry Ford's longtime friend, Thomas Edison and dedicated to Thomas Edison on 21 October 1929, the 50th anniversary of the first successful incandescent light bulb. It began as Henry Ford's personal collection of historical objects, started in 1906.

The museum is a vast building -  12 acres under one roof - home to everything from the Kennedy limousine to a rare reproduction of the Declaration of Independence, from the chair in which Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at the Ford Theatre in 1865 to a magnificent DC3 aeroplane.

The collection of trains begins with a model train display with 10 to 12 trains of varying length running through countryside and towns, in and out of tunnels, around hills and beside rivers. What fun!

Then to one of the largest steam locomotives ever built, the 1941 Allegheny which was designed for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway.

The collection of cars was comprehensive covering more than a century.

There is a collection of early aeroplanes including that of the Wright Brothers and the displays take you through the early history of flight. There is even a display which simulates the effect of flying so that you imagine yourself soaring into the air.

Greenfield Village covers 81 acres filled with the sights, sounds and even tastes of 300 years of American life. Nearly 100 historical buildings were moved to the property from their original locations and arranged in a 'village' setting. It includes buildings from the 17th century to the present many of which are staffed by costumed interpreters who will explain whose home or factory the building belonged to and in some cases give exhibitions of craft or aspects of the industry that was conducted there.. Essentially it shows how Americans have lived and worked since the
founding of the country.

The Wright Brothers home and workshop, Henry Ford's home, Thomas Edison's Menlo Park laboratory, the courthouse where Abraham Lincoln
first practiced law just to mention a few of the buildings.



It was a huge day.  We walked from 9.30am to 5.00pm. Then we hit busy traffic coming out of Detroit the city of cars!
What a step back in time though and how lucky were we that someone on our travels suggested we visit.

Tuesday 11 September 2012

We are in Ypsilanti, Michigan. I haven't dared to ask how you pronounce that! In my mind it is just as it looks and I don't want to be disappointed. It is a lovely evening - we are listening to a chorus of cicadas and the odd frog as we are parked next to Greenfield Lake. Tomorrow we are going to Greenfield Village,
an historical museum with buildings and artifacts of historical significance. The Henry Ford Museum is there too.




We have visited Kathy who is the sister of  Ron (our friend in the Black Hills) and her family. Kathy has a lovely home on Sanford Lake. An idyllic setting!  I started typing this post looking out over the lake on a sunny morning probably about 20 degrees. I walked that morning and it was fairly cool but the day warmed up quickly.

We were welcomed warmly by Kathy and her daughters Charlotte and Anne and their families, friends and neighbours. We parked up at the home of Kathy's neighbour, Grace on her front lawn.
Scott and Charlotte  helped me with the iphone! And Courtenay and Mary Lou joined us all to play cards. They also gave us a 'grand tour' of their lovely home and grounds on the lake.
Yesterday Kathy and Trevor did some research on the next stage of our trip. It certainly is a work in progress.
We ate so well!!!  Kathy has a productive vegetable garden.. We have left Sanford with a fridge full of zucchini, squash, green peppers and tomatoes.

Thank you Kathy and family!

Our drive down to Detroit included a stop at Birch Run to have a couple of things on the RV checked out (one of the levelers).  Happily Birch Run is also where the outlet stores are at!!  First time! first time!

Friday 7 September.

Today we left St Ignace heading south west along the west side of Lake Huron. To get to Highway 23 we first crossed the Mackinac Bridge. It was quite a drive -  and I wasn't driving! Somewhat scary ... the sides seemed very low and the bridge very high!

We stopped at Mackinaw City for coffee then off on Highway 23.
We have had an uneventful drive. Again very pretty with a lake just outside the window. Grey skies, some rain and only 16 degrees C.
We have stopped at Oscoda at a KOA RV park. It is very nice. Chicken stir fry for dinner.  I must suggest to Trevor that we eat out once in a while!
Trevor lit a fire in the grate at our site.  We have noticed that a lot of campers have a fire at night.  There are strict rules about the movement of wood to try to prevent the spread of insects and diseases. Most camps provide wood for purchase to be used while at the park. Well the fire was going to be good but it started to rain a little harder!

Still we stood around it getting wet ....!

Mackinac Island, Straits of Mackinac, the Mackinac Bridge and the City of Mackinaw

On Thursday 6 September we spent a day on Mackinac Island. What an amazing day! We traveled over to the island by ferry on the Mighty Mac trip which goes under the Mackinac Bridge, the third longest suspension bridge in the world and the longest in the western hemisphere. The total length of the Mackinac bridge is 26,372 feet (yes that's more than 5 miles) and the length of the suspension part of the bridge is 8,921 feet. The length of the main span between the 2 towers is 3,800 feet. The bridge spans the Straits of Mackinac where Lakes Michigan and Huron meet.

We haven't  been to Mackinaw City yet - that is to come when we drive across the bridge on Friday.
I put that in the title to explain that all 4 names are pronounced 'Mackinaw'. The names come from Michilimackinac, the name the Native Americans gave to the hump-backed island in the waters joining Lakes Michigan and Huron meaning 'place of the great turtle'. First applied to the island, the name Michilimackinac was eventually given to the entire Straits of Mackinac region.  In time it was shortened to Mackinac. Probably Mackinaw City was so spelled to distinguish it from Mackinac Island?? Enough of that ...!

Our day on Mackinac island was just beautiful - wonderful weather, fantastic
scenery, amazing island. For me the day started with a walk and a brilliant sunrise. I then stuffed things up a bit by 'dragging the chain.' Trevor wanted us to be at the ferry at 9.00am for the 9.30 ferry in case there were loads of people. We were there right on 9 but by that time Trevor was shitty.  There were a few people already waiting but not the hordes, which made matters worse!Thankfully he got over things - you couldn't not in that setting - and enjoyed it as much as I did.

And what a wonderful place. The island covers 6 sq miles; 16 sq kms.  There are no cars on the island, not even service vehicles- all travel is on foot, by bicycle or horse. We couldn't help thinking of Rottnest and the regulations that attach to everything you want to do.  We took our bikes and spent the entire day there.  Cost $64.00 total, including tax. Amazing!
We found lovely coffee and pastries; then rode around the island, approx 8-9 miles. We did it leisurely stopping for photos, for every corner you turned produced a great vista. We even saw a snake!
I can't believe how clean the island was. Cleaners were continuously shoveling up after the horse drawn carriages. They used carts attached to push bikes. There are 300 horses and 70 carriages in use - just like the surrey with the fringe on top.  Everyone was smiling and saying hello - you couldn't help it in such a beautiful place!!
A lot of history attaches to the island including that of Native Americans, Jesuits, French and British.
Fort Mackinac commemorates the island's 18th century past as a French, British and American military
outpost.

The main street is lined with beautiful old buildings - mainly shops and hotels. Grand houses, B&B's and hotels abound. The smell of fudge almost overpowers the smell of the horses' ...

 All is topped by the Grand Hotel, the principal landmark since 1887. The hotel has the world's longest front porch - 660 feet or 201 metres!

We had lunch in town and caught the 4.00pm ferry back to St Ignace.  We then explored the Indian Museum,  did some laundry, had a meal and bed.  This travelling can be exhausting!!

Wawa was great. We discovered part way through the day we arrived, that it was Fathers Day!! Probably about the time we were biking and walking up a really steep hill to explore town. Well we will make it up some time - probably when Fathers Day is celebrated here.
Kim thought a Starbucks voucher might be the go???

Wawa is known for its 28 foot tall Canada Goose built in 1960. The name Wawa comes from the Ojibwe word 'wewe' meaning wild goose.
The Wawa RV Resort had vacancies - we stayed 2 nights. It was very comfortable with OK showers. On the second day we rode to the High Falls, a picturesque falls 75 feet high fed by the Magpie River. The round trip was 10 miles with a couple of serious hills and gravel road!

As Trevor said  '... the scenery reminds me of Dad's Field and Stream magazines every corner we turn ...'


Our next night was at Batchewana Bay - Sunset Shore Resort - a bit of a misnomer! A lot of the RV park is closed for winter and it looks as if everyone has left town. But not one inquisitive and hungry chipmunk.

 

And then we were headed for Sault Ste Marie down Highway 17 (that's Trans Canada Highway).
For the most part we were driving beside the lake and from time to time a bit inland. Overcast with the chance of rain - muggy and humid.
The lake still looks magnificent.

We received emails from Kim with photos of Mace's 25 years service presentation morning tea at Activ.  Quite something! Well done Mace! We are sorry that we missed it.

Highway 17 takes us through Sault Ste Marie, Ontario and onto the International Bridge which connects Canada with the US. Once over the bridge you come into Sault Ste Marie, Michigan - the oldest community in Michigan. But first there is a border crossing!

At the border we handed over our passports and visas. We had been warned by people in the parks on the way down that we would be checked to see if we were bringing fruit and vegetables; possibly other foodstuffs, into the US.  I was a little worried about my pot plant! Nah! We were a real problem for them. They wanted to know why we were coming to the US; how long were we out of the US; whose RV were we driving; why was Trevor given permission to make application for a Drivers Licence in South Dakota (which they indicated was impossible for a person on a Visitors Visa).
So we were taken into the office while they checked through the RV. They must have done a fairly good search for when the officer came back  he asked 'Well - was it the $92,000 RV?'  He had gone through my journal of our preparation for the trip and our internet searches for RV's.
The situation then became much more friendly - they knew we were not anyone they were looking for.

And best of all they entirely ignored the food and pot plant! It was an experience. We were treated courteously. And we are back!!

Then into Michigan.

Our first stop was the Soo Locks, one of the busiest lock systems in the world. The Soo Locks consist of 2 canals and 4 locks that allow vessels of all types and sizes to safely traverse the 21 foot drop in elevation of the St Marys River between Lake Superior and Lakes Huron and Michigan.
More than 11,000 vessels, carrying up to 90 million tons of cargo pass through the locks each year. The vessels vary in size from small passenger vessels and workboats to large 1,000 foot ships carrying more than 72,000 tons of freight in a single load. Most cargo is iron ore, coal, grain or stone.

We were fortunate enough to arrive at the locks just as a large freight liner was going through the locks - it was fascinating to watch the ship lifted up by the water and then sail on through when the water reached the required level.

Then on to a Good Sam RV Park in St Ignace where we are staying for 2 nights. We are back on dual carriage highways and wide open spaces.

We are starting to see a change in the foliage as trees, especially smaller trees, are starting to change colour.

And I caught the sunrise this morning as I set out for a walk!