Fall Colors and Great Lakes - Road trip in Michigan, USA Posted on: 20 October 2018 :: Photo Credits: Pradip, Rachit, Pranav, Alankar, Alap ::
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Preface
Once again Fall is here! Like last year’s amazing Fall break road-trip in West Virginia , our quintet (Pradip, Pranav, Rachit, Alankar and I) had decided to do a road-trip in Michigan during this Fall break. The plan was to gather in Detroit and drive all the way to the upper peninsula of Michigan, stay there for one night (lookout for Auroras) and return to Detroit next night.
P.S. Thanks Rachit and Alankar for the smooth rides and Pradip for finding those amazing hotels!
Day : 1 Location : Detroit - Michigan's Upper Peninsula
After a 15hrs bus journey from Ithaca, I reached Detroit around 9 AM. Alankar had also joined in the bus connection from Toledo. Pradip and Pranav arrived by flight from DC and Rachit drove his car from Columbus. He picked all of us from the airport/bus station and our road-trip commenced.
The weather wasn’t good, rainy, foggy and cold. In some areas of Detroit, the fog was so dense that we couldn’t see even 10ft ahead of us. We didn’t stop in Detroit for food, due to the arsenic issue. (A few years ago, it was found that Detroit’s water had dangerously high arsenic levels). Once we were away from the city, we stopped at a gas station and had brunch at a Taco Bell nearby. We were back on the road around noon. The weather had become better. The rain had stopped and the sun was peeking through the clouds. We chose to go along a longer but more scenic route.
We spent the next four hours enjoying fall colors, listening to groovy songs and catching up with each other. Our first destination was McGulpin Point Light House. This historic Lighthouse protected shipping on the Straits of Mackinac against storms, fog and rocks between 1869 and 1906 [source: www.mcgulpinpoint.org ]. It has been converted into a small house museum.
Initially, we did not want to purchase the museum tickets. But after eating a lot of free cookies and drinking lots of free coffee (both kept in the gift shop), we decided to buy those (guilty conscience!). There wasn’t anything out of ordinary in the house museum, except for a creepy doll sitting on the bed of one of the rooms.
After another overdose of free cookies and coffee, we left the lighthouse. We didn’t have much time before sunset to explore the trails around the house. So, we chose a small trail that led us to the shores of Lake Michigan. The sight of this second largest ‘Great Lake’ against the backdrop of Mackinac Bridge was simply spectacular.
Then we drove over to the adjacent ‘Great Lake’ Huron and spent some time around the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, watching the vast expanse of water.
After sunset, we drove over the Mackinac Bridge towards our motel ‘Sunset Motel on the Bay’. This motel was situated along the shores of Lake Superior. We were looking forward to some aurora hunting that night. But the aurora forecast wasn’t good, and the sky was cloudy. So, we rested and prayed for a better opportunity next night.
Day : 2 Location : Michigan's Upper Peninsula - Detroit
Our day began by touching the water of Lake Superior, world’s largest freshwater lake. This completed another item on my (non-existent) bucket-list: visiting all 5 great lakes (had already visited Lake Ontario and Lake Eerie in Toronto Trip ).
After breakfast we embarked upon the most wonderful stretch of our journey. The scenic route was full of Fall Colours ranging from green to red.
We took a detour on our way to visit Tahquamenon Falls State Park. This Michigan’s second largest state park follows the Tahquamenon River as it passes over Tahquamenon Falls and drains into Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior.
There was a rowboat rental in the park to go around the waterfall. It was fun to just ‘sit-back-relax-and-enjoy the boat ride, rowed by none other than our very own Aloo.
We also visited a small island in the Tahquamenon river to get a closer look at the waterfalls. The Tahquamenon Falls include a single 50-foot (15 m) drop, the Upper Falls, plus the cascades and rapids collectively called the Lower Falls [source: Wikipedia].
On our way back to the Mackinaw City, we crossed the iconic Mackinac Bridge. With Lake Michigan on one side and Lake Huron on other, this 8km long ‘Mighty Mac’ suspension bridge is indeed an engineering marvel.
We reached Mackinaw City just in time to catch the last Star Line ferry to the Mackinac Island.
The Mackinac Bridge looked magnificent from the ferry.
The Mackinac Island was like a small European town, with paved roads, a church, and stylish villas.
We had a little more than 2hrs before boarding the ferry back to Mackinaw City. We walked along the trails of Mackinac Island State Park toward the Arch Rock.
After walking for about half an hour, we arrived at the limestone arch formation. The stunning sight was totally worth the walk!
On our way back to the dock, we walked around the Fort Mackinac. Though, we couldn’t go inside it as it was closed for the day.
Before departing from the island, we did the top to-do activity on Mackinac Island: eating the famous fudge. The sugary treat was delicious!
On our way back to Detroit, we decided to do some aurora hunting. The predictor app was showing very high chances of auroras. However, the sky was covered with thick clouds. Even after driving around for a couple of hours, we couldn’t find a clear spot. Cursing our luck, we drove back to Detroit and checked in our hotel, Springhill Suites by Marriott, around midnight. This marked the end of our two-day road trip in Michigan.
Day : 3 Location : Detroit
Against everyone’s advice, I had planned to spend one more day in the dangerous city of Detroit before returning to Ithaca. As it would have been too risky to roam around the neighborhoods all alone, I decided to spend the day inside The Henry Ford Museum. After a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel (which others had to miss due to early morning departures), I took a bus to the museum. The museum was so huge that even after spending an entire day, I couldn’t see all the exhibits. Here are some glimpses of the museum [Captions source: www.thehenryford.org] :
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in this car on November 22, 1963. The midnight blue, un-armored convertible was rebuilt with a permanent roof, titanium armor plating, and more somber black paint. The limousine returned to the White House and remained in service until 1977. The modified car shows the fundamental ways in which presidential security changed after Kennedy's death.
This massive convertible Lincoln was built for President Harry S Truman in 1950, but it is most associated with Truman's successor Dwight D. Eisenhower, who used the car from 1952 until 1960. Eisenhower added the distinctive plastic "bubble top." Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson also used this car as a spare until its retirement in 1967.
The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's massive Allegheny, introduced in 1941, represents the peak of steam technology. Among the largest and most powerful steam locomotives ever built, it weighed 1.2 million pounds with its tender and could generate 7,500 horsepower. Just 11 years later, though, the C&O began pulling these giants from service. Diesel locomotives proved more flexible and less expensive.
In November 1965 this sleek car flashed across Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats to break the world speed record for wheel-driven (as opposed to jet or rocket powered) cars. One key to its success was its long, slim shape that minimized wind resistance. The other key was the clever engineering that packed four Chrysler "Hemi" engines and the machinery to drive all four wheels inside that slim shape. Goldenrod's record of 409.277 miles per hour stood until 1991. Builders Bob and Bill Summers were part of an automobile culture unique to Southern California. This culture spawned a "hot rod economy," made up of people who made their living building cars and equipment, promoting races, operating tracks, selling equipment and accessories, and writing about cars and events. Bob and Bill's success at Bonneville allowed them to become part of the hot rod economy by starting their own business building custom transmission and driveline parts. Engines: Four Chrysler "Hemi" V-8s, overhead valves, 426 cu. in., 600hp each
The Quadricycle was Henry Ford's first attempt to build a gasoline-powered automobile. It utilized commonly available materials: angle iron for the frame, a leather belt and chain drive for the transmission, and a buggy seat. Ford had to devise his own ignition system. He sold his Quadricycle for $200, then used the money to build his second car.
The first "auto movie theatre" opened in Camden, New Jersey, in 1933, but it took time to perfect the new technology. In the 1950s, a new market of families and teenagers embraced the informality and privacy of in-car movie-watching. This sign stood at the entrance to a drive-in theatre that held 800 cars when it operated between 1955 and 1985.
This copy of the 1903 Wright Flyer faithfully replicates the original aircraft. On December 17, 2003, the replica attempted to duplicate the Wright brothers' first flight at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, exactly one hundred years after that historic feat. The attempt was foiled by bad weather, though the replica flew successfully in earlier tests.
This is an exact, precise facsimile of one of America's greatest documents. It is one of two hundred copies commissioned by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams in 1820. It is an engraving made from the original document. Two copies each were given to the surviving signers and the rest distributed to Congress, state governments and colleges and universities.
All these sticky-notes say just one thing: Today’s biggest threat to Liberty and Justice-for-all is Mr. Donald Trump!
‘Your place in time’ : Highlighting five generations that came of age in the 20th century, this exhibit presents each generation and the everyday technologies that shaped them through a series of vignettes.
Conceived by visionary architect R. Buckminster Fuller as the home of the future, the Dymaxion House was designed to be the strongest, lightest, and most cost-effective housing ever built. Over the last decade, it has assumed an iconic presence in Henry Ford Museum. To some people it’s a giant Hershey’s Kiss. Others sense a kinship with the Airstream travel trailer. Painstakingly restored, it’s the only remaining prototype in the world.
After the museum closed at 5 PM, I returned to the Greyhound Bus Station. My bus to Ithaca was delayed by an hour. So, I decided to walk around the area. There were many homeless people on the streets. When I was returning to the bus station, one of them shouted at me "You're lucky you have a home to go.". With a heavy heart, I boarded the bus to Ithaca.
I was supposed to change buses at Toledo and Rochester. But when the bus reached Toledo around midnight, I was shocked to know that I had missed the connection to Rochester due to the delay at Detroit. The next bus was after 24hrs. I had no other option than to buy the expensive Amtrack train ticket to Rochester. My first Amtrack ride, though I was sleeping most of the time! (Indian Railways are much better for night journeys). I reached Rochester around 8 AM and caught the bus connection to Ithaca.