Saturday, June 3, 2023
Overlooking the motel's parking lot is this billboard... Joumana Kayrouz is a personal injury lawyer here in Detroit. While the sign is a little weird, she's done quite well for herself. You can read a profile here:
Growing in the motel parking lot:
A few passing thoughts on the Viking Motel. While run down outside, my room seemed clean. Thought, I'd never impress someone staying here. One of the TripAdvisor reviews said "bring your own soap." I had to ask at the desk for it. The room did have a fridge. It even had a single serving coffee maker, just no cups. Unfortunately, my travel mug was a little too tall. Strange place.
I left Detroit via I-75 headed north. The fastest way to Mackinaw City would take me four hours. So, routes would change throughout the day. But, I knew a stop in Saginaw had to be done.
First things first...coffee. I stopped at one place that had a guy sitting outside with a cup. It turned out he just lives in the neighborhood and prefers it outside. The coffee place had closed in April.
Just a block away I did find an indoor coffee stand. Success!
The first stop was the Holy Cross Lutheran Cemetery to pay my respects to Robert Heft. He was a teenager when Hawaii became our fiftieth state. Congress held a nationwide contest to design a new flag with the new star. It was Heft's design that was accepted and is still in use today.
Saginaw is the birthplace of Stevie Wonder. This plaque sits on the site of his childhood home.
It was still fairly early when I drove out of Saginaw. North of Bay City, I had a decision to make. I could cruise on up I-75 and be in Mackinaw City in two and a half hours. Or, I could take the long way around on Hwy 23 along the Lake Huron Coastline.
Yeah, I went the long way. This turned out to be a fortuitous decision. There was a wildfire burning near the town of Grayling, about the halfway point up I-75. State officials had actually closed the interstate later in the day.
My first stop was in the town of Au Gres. I saw a sign for a boardwalk and followed it.
My next stop was Tawas City. There was a small park by the lake and a large sign saying Farmers Market. Road food does get pretty boring, so I picked up some fresh vegetables to nosh on.
My other reason for stopping was the Tawas Point Lighthouse. The original lighthouse was built here in 1853. Shifting sands were extending the coastline in front of the light to the point it was becoming useless. This is the replacement, built in 1877.
Passing through Oscado
The Sturgeon Point Light was built here in 1869, one of seventy being approved along the Michigan coastlines. That number eventually grew to 149.
Further north is the town of Presque Isle, from the french term for peninsula, or almost an island. Here in Michigan it's pronounced Preskll. Much like Tawas Point, shifting coastlines caused the original lighthouse...
to be replaced with a new one...
The 40 Mile Light was added to the coastline in 1896 to cover the gap between Presque Isle and Cheboygan.
Mackinaw City is fifteen minutes north. I found the motel and called it a day.
No comments:
Post a Comment