Michigan, Day 2...Detroit, Rock City

 Friday, June 2, 2023

    In June of 2007, I took my first trip to Michigan.  That was a weekend in Detroit for a concert.  The Dio era Black Sabbath were touring and recording under the name Heaven and Hell.  Since they weren't playing in Atlanta, I had to go to them.  So, I bought a ticket for the Detroit show, found a cheap flight and made a weekend out of it.  

     On the flight home, I mentally counted how many states I had visited.  This made twenty-five.  That's when I decided I needed to visit them all.  And it only took eight more years.  

     I considered bypassing Detroit altogether and just driving north from Lansing.  Then I checked concert listings...  More on that later...

    

      First another note about the Quality Inn.  Not only to they offer free breakfast, they have a guy who will make yours to order.  That's Tom in the window.  It was definitely worth sticking around for.

     

     Downtown Lansing has an eight mile series of paved trails they call the River Trail, for good reason.  I decided to explore a stretch before leaving town.  I chose the trailhead at Clippert Street simply because it ran under two railroad bridges.  Perhaps I'd get lucky.

      That's the old Grand Trunk Western coaling tower in back.

      While I didn't luck out with trains, I did encounter quite a few mosquitos.  After a half hour of slapping them, I decided to turn back around and leave.

      There was just one more spot to check out before moving on,  The Grand River flows through downtown, complete with a dam. 

    Since spawning fish can't get by the dam, they built a fish ladder.  Not something you find in many cities.

     On the walkway by the dam...

     Seen on the way out of Lansing...

     I left Lansing and made my way to Detroit for the night.  One gripe with the Michigan DOT, their signage in construction zones was pretty bad.  There were small signs posted after the point where you're already committed to a travel lane.  

     Meanwhile, in downtown Detroit there were road closures and a heavy police presence.  I had checked Detroit concert listings, but not other city events.  This was the weekend of the Detroit Grand Prix.  They block off a loop of streets and then race through the city.  You can see some highlights of the race here:     

     Eventually, I did make it through the detours and found the entrance to Belle Isle State Park.   This was the first of many on this journey.  While some states have free parks, and others charge a fee, Michigan requires a pass.  Knowing this, I spent $35 for a non-resident pass beforehand.  This would save me a bundle before the journey's end.  

 

     Belle Isle is a city park in the middle of the Detroit River.  Native Americans called it Swan Island.  The French raised pigs there and renamed in Hog Island.  The island changed hands numerous times until the city bought it in 1879.  

      For reference:

      They hired Fredrick Law Olmstead to turn it into a park.  He decided to split the park into three sections.  On the western end would be the formal zone with a fountain and walkways.  The middle he considered the active zone and the eastern end would be the natural zone with limited development.

      The centerpiece of the formal zone is the James Scott Memorial Fountain, designed by Cass Gilbert.  Over the course of his career, he also designed statehouses for Minnesota, Arkansas and West Virginia.  His most famous work is the U.S. Supreme Court.

     

     The statue of James Scott sits off to the side, as if an afterthought.  That was by design. Scott was a real estate investor who seemed to like filing lawsuits against his competitors for fun.  He was considered lazy and kind of obnoxious.

     When he died, he left money to the city of Detroit to build a public landmark.  The only stipulation being, it had to include a life sized statue of himself.  Considering how people felt about him, there was debate back and forth whether they should accept the money.

      

    That's why the statue is off to the side and in the direction the wind most often blows the fountain's water.  

     Over in the natural zone,  I chose a walking trail by Blue Heron Lagoon. 

      It's an out and back that also includes the William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse.  It's the only lighthouse in America made out of marble.         

      Livingstone started a shipping business in 1865.  It was so successful he was able to buy a newspaper and a bank.  He was also president of the Lake Carriers Group which successfully lobbied the federal government for lighthouses as well as a series of locks in the St. Mary's River.  

     When I left the park, I was thinking food and a cold one.  Detroit is the home of numerous microbreweries.  So, I looked for ones with food that were far enough away from the closed streets of the race.  There was just something about the Motor City Brewing Works.  Sure, the place across the street had air conditioning and didn't rely on the breeze.  But, definitely the right choice.  

     After buying the ticket and booking a room for the night, I started seeing Detroit news pop up in my Facebook feed.  In late April, there was a story of a brewery closing just up the street from the concert venue.  One of the comments described it as being in "a weird neighborhood."  I asked the poster to define weird.  It sounded more like weird as in quirky.

     It's on the fringe of an area they call Greek Town.  It's also relatively close to Ford Field, where the Lions play, Comerica Park where the Tigers play and Little Caesars Arena where the Red Wings Play.  

    My home for the night was a short walk from the concert venue at a place called the Viking Motel.  With the name and the price, I read a lot of reviews before booking a room.  They generally boiled down to limited amenities, but fine.  

     I've never seen this at a motel before... 

     Just a few blocks away is the Masonic Temple.  The original design included three theaters.  That's where I was headed for the evening.  The cornerstone of the building was laid in 1922 using the same trowel George Washington used when the cornerstone was laid for the U.S. Capital.

     Last spring, I ended my roadtrip in Oklahoma City with a Primus concert.  Les Claypool, their singer and bass player, has numerous side projects.  One of which is the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade.  How could I pass this up.   

     The lighting isn't great, but this is the Masonic Temple.  

    You can't see it very well, but the line to get in stretched all the way to the end of the street, around the corner and two more blocks.

      My tickets were general admission in the balcony.  I was surprised I scored front row.  What an amazing venue.

     The concert opener was Neal Francis and his band.  You can see the video for his song "Can't Stop the Rain" here:  The band was really good,

    But, I've never seen a whammy bar on a keyboard setup before.  Rather odd.  You can see him use it about 2:30 into this video.

     Les Claypool came out with his band around 9P and played for a little over two hours.  They did original songs, some from their individual bands and Pink Floyd's "Animals" album start to finish.  Someone recorded their entire Buffalo show.  You can see that here:

     Touring with him on guitar, Sean Lennon.  On keyboards is Harry Waters, Roger Waters kid.  On drums is Paulo Baldi, best known for his playing in the band Cake.  On xylophone and assorted other percussion is Mike Dillon, who has played with pretty much everyone.  

Michigan, Day 1...Squirrel Side Eye

 Thursday, June 1, 2023

     Some days you simply luck out with timing.  There was no breakfast at the motel, but there was coffee.  I filled my travel mug and stopped by the front desk to report the ridiculously slow drain in the shower.  

     After leaving the lobby, I walked outside the building to the far entrance where I was parked.  Good choice.  Outside the middle entrance is a concrete wall about four feet high.  Someone had left a partially empty bag of Cheeze-its on the wall, and a squirrel was enjoying some breakfast.  

     When he realized I was watching, he took the cracker and scurried to the edge of the roof.  He watched me the entire time he was eating it.  You could almost feel the wheels turning.  Was I a big enough threat, or was the snack worth the risk.  

     He did scurry down and finish the bag, but I got some serious side eye along the way.

     Back in Atlanta, my old company is shutting things down in the CNN Center and moving back to where it all began, the old Techwood Campus.  On the ground level, outside the building's security entrance stands a giant red CNN logo.  

     This afternoon, a large group of network alumni gathered there for one last photo and a reception afterwards.  I would have loved to be a part of it.  It would have been great to see everyone again.  Instead, I drove into Michigan.

     I-75 took me north.  Hwy 23/223 took me across the state line.  Fireworks are illegal in Ohio, but not in Michigan.  As you'd expect, there are fireworks stores just across the state line.  Uncle Sam's Fireworks is just off Exit 1 in Ottawa Lake.  They claim the thirty-eight foot statue of Uncle Sam out front is the world's biggest.  It was moved here in the mid-70s from Toledo.  It had been standing in front of a restaurant called Uncle Sams.   With the gate closed, I couldn't get any closer than this.  From here it almost looked like he wasn't wearing pants.

     A few miles north,  Hwy 223 cut west and headed towards the town of Adrian.  I have a friend from high school named Andrea.  Thanks to the Rocky movies, the nickname Adrian stuck.  This is the fifth town named Adrian I've driven through.  She gets a picture every time.  

     Since the motel didn't do breakfast, I was looking.  There are a few places in town.  When I saw the name Alpha Koney Island, the choice was clear.  There was something on the menu called a Breakfast Panini.  I asked about it.  Lindsay my waitress said "it's big."  When I asked how big, she paused and described it as the "size of two Big Macs."  Yeah, a little much for me.

     My first stop was Monument Park.  There are numerous plaques commemorating local resident who have lost their lives at war.   The column used for the memorial is all that remains of the Bank of Pennsylvania.  The bank was opened in 1793. but closed in 1857.  This column was one of six in front of the bank.  

   Adrian in bloom...

        The first operating railroad in Michigan ran between Adrian and Toledo.  It started running in 1836 and the cars were pulled by horse.  Between 1900 and 1912, there were two plants building automobiles in town.   The Lion Motor Car factory went up in flames in 1912 and never recovered.  You can read about the company in this article by Street Muscle Magazine.   The Church Manufacturing Company was troubled by a lack of investors and bad management decisions.  You can see a photo of their car in an article by Lensconnect.com here:  

      The railroads are long gone from Adrian.  A few years ago the city turned one of the old trestles and depot into a city park.  

     There are also eight miles of connecting trails from the park...

      I left Adrian late in the morning and headed eventually towards Lansing.  But first, I had to make a side trip...

      That jog east was to visit a small community by the name of Hell.  

      The legend of the name goes back to 1841.  The town grew out of a sawmill owned by George Reeves.  When asked what should they name the town, he replied, "You can name it Hell for all I care.  

     There's not much to see here,  There's a gift shop of course.  The barbecue place is under renovation.   Hell Saloon was open.  I really wasn't thinking food yet.  But, I did stop in for a pint. 

     Hell in bloom...

     After leaving Hell, it was time to drive to the city of Lansing, Michigan's capital.  There are a few colorful stories as to the origin of the name.  The truth is, an early settler named Joseph North named it after Lansing, New York where he came from.

     There were twenty people living in Lansing Township when it became the state capital.  Previously the capital had been Detroit.  In 1847, the state constitution forced a relocation.  Detroit was simply too exposed.  It had fallen to the British during the War of 1812 and British Canada was still a major concern.  

     The state government was looking for something more centrally located.  Unable to reach a consensus among the larger cities, they quietly chose Lansing instead.  The historical marker in front of the capital building described Lansing as "densely wooded" and "sparsely populated."  

     The capital grounds in bloom...

      

     By this point it was fast approaching 3P.  After the drive, I was thinking about hitting a brewery.  Lansing has multiple.  I chose the one on the western side of town, closer to the motel, a place called Eagle Monk Brewery.  

    Seen out front...

    In some breweries, you pay a one time fee for your own personalized mug.  That in turn gets you discounts for life, as long as you don't break the mug.  

     I did ask the bartender if he had heard about "beer poking."  His response, "Yeah, that's Ohio."  He laughed and admitted he did own a beer caramelizer.  He just hasn't felt any urge to try it.  So yes, it is apparently a thing.  You can even buy one on Amazon.  

     I wound up spending two hours at the brewery discussing my upcoming trip with some of the regulars.  They gave me a few ideas for further down the road.  When I left, I had one more stop to go.  

    Ten minutes west is the town of Grand Ledge.  With a name like, I was intrigued.  It was easy to find Fitzgerald Park.  It sits along the Grand River.  Follow the trail down and there is in fact a rocky ledge.

     My home for the night was a Quality Inn.  It seemed pretty generic from the outside. 

     Inside, I was quite surprised.   On the sign in paper it asked about pets.  I've developed a cat allergy over the years and have had issues with pet rooms.  So, I asked.  She checked and gave me another room.  Yeah, my cat allergy got me an upgrade to a suite. Score!