Hello Everyone and greetings from Copper Country. I’m coming to you this week from the Keweenaw Peninsula – the northern peninsula of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This area is known historically for its incredibly rich copper loads which were mined from the 1840s right up until World War II. The towns up here certainly have traces of their former glory, though when the copper industry left, so did most of their economy. Today they depend more heavily on tourism as people come here for mining history and beautiful Lake Superior beaches in the summer and hunting in the fall. It’s a fascinating region and one that I’ve really been enjoying. I actually came up here once or twice as a kid with my dad, so there is some vague familiarity to it, but it’s definitely all new ground for me as an adult. When most of y’all are reading this, I’ll be out on Isle Royale where I’ll be spending three nights in America’s least visited National Park. I’ve been looking forward to going to Isle Royale for a very long time, and I hope to come back with some great photos and stories to tell. Since I’ll be catching the ferry bright and early Wednesday morning, I’m going to finish up with this week’s This Week post a little earlier than usual. That being said, even with a short week, I’ve certainly seen and done a lot so let me tell you what I’ve been up to.
When I left you all last week I was on my way out of Munising after two wonderful days in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. I headed south from there to Manistique, a pretty little town on the northern shores of Lake Michigan. I got there just before it started to rain and it rained through the night. I spent the night at the casino just outside of town and won about $50 playing quarter keno.
Thursday morning was gloomy so I was in no big rush to get up and moving. When I did I went down to the beach to eat my breakfast and then wandered out on the breakwater to see the Manistique Lighthouse, which is still active. Dark red in color, the lighthouse really stood out against the grey background of the sky. I took a quick dip in the lake which woke me up more than my coffee did and then headed out of town. I ventured up to Palms Book State Park, home of Kitch-iti-kipi Spring, the largest of Michigan’s freshwater springs. Big Spring, as it is also called, pumps out 10,000 gallons of water every minute at a constant 45 degrees Fahrenheit and is about 40’ deep in the center. The water is a beautiful greenish turquoise and was really quite something to see. The park loads passengers onto a huge raft with a glass floor in the middle so people can look down into the spring, but there were so many people there in line that I decided to pass. I enjoyed the view from the shore and will wait for the raft adventure for another time.
From there I headed out onto the Garden Peninsula which juts out into Lake Michigan and protects Big Bay de Noc on its western side. About 20 miles down on the bay side is Fayette State Historic Park which I thought was really cool. During the second half of the 19th century, Fayette was an iron smelting town, turning raw iron ore into pig iron in its giant furnace. The town attracted immigrants to work at the furnace and in its heyday had a population of around 500. When the furnace shut down in the 1890s, the town was all but abandoned except for the hotel which operated until World War II and the post office which served the area until the 1950s. The town was eventually acquired by the state of Michigan and now serves as an historic site interpreting life in a 19th century company town. Some of the old buildings are still standing, some have been restored or rebuilt altogether while some are nothing but ruins. By the time I reached Fayette, the weather had cleared and it turned into a beautiful day – perfect to explore this old town site. I thought it was a really interesting place and definitely worth a visit.
Beaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan and is home to a year-round population of around 650 people. Beaver Island has an interesting history for such a small place. It was originally settled by Irish immigrants, but in 1848 a group of Mormons, led by James Strang, came to the island and took up residence. After the death of church founder Joseph Smith, most Mormons recognized Brigham Young as his successor, but a small group known as “Strangites” believed Strang should lead the church. They named the main town St. James in his honor and he declared himself king of the island, pushing many of the original Irish settlers who wouldn’t convert back to the mainland or to Mackinac Island. In 1856, Strang was assassinated by two of his former followers as he walked down the main street in the town named after him. When news of his death reached the mainland, the Irish exiles returned to reclaim “their” island. More Irish immigrants would come to Beaver Island after being exiled from their island of Arranmore in County Donnegal and many of their descendants still live on the island today. I only spent one night on Beaver Island, but it was long enough to explore the St. James area and get a feel for the island and its people. If I had another day, I would have rented a car and gone further afield, but it was still a nice day.
I love islands and their distinct characteristics and quirks, and Beaver Islands was no exception. The islanders like to use the word “boodling” which I’ve seen loosely translated as “to roam in a carefree and loosely structured manner, often with beer”. Apparently they sometimes boodle by throwing a picnic table in the back of a pickup truck (somehow legal on the island), and drive from place to place enjoying beers and snacks. The next time I’m there I will have to try it out. I really enjoyed the two museums on the island - one about local history and the other about the maritime history of the island (the docent there said I got the record for most time ever spent in that museum). I happened to be there during Museum Week which meant that the night I was there had a performance called Music on the Porch, which brought out the island’s musicians to perform from the porch of the old Mormon Print Shop (the local history museum). It was wonderful to be a part of and I really admired those who were perhaps less talented who still got up to perform. I had a great time out on Beaver Island and I hope you enjoy these photos from Michigan’s Emerald Isle.
South Haven, Michigan is a charming little port town where the Black River flows into Lake Michigan. Originally inhabited by the Potawatomi people, the first settlers arrived in the 1850s. Like many towns along this coast, South Haven started out as a lumber town, supplying the trees to build the towns as the United States expanded westward. As the trees were cleared, farmers took advantage of the open fields to plant fruit, and the area grew to be a major supplier of fruit to the Great Lakes region and beyond. Today there is still plenty of traffic moving up and down the Black River and in and out of Lake Michigan, but South Haven has also made tourism a major industry. The beach is warm and welcoming, the downtown area is clean and lively and there is definitely plenty to keep you busy on a short or long stay. Of course, sunset is the highlight of every day along the Sunset Coast of Michigan. I was there over the 4th of July weekend and while it was probably busier than usual, South Haven maintained its small-town cool and handled the busy weekend well. I really enjoyed my stay in South Haven and hope you enjoy these photos from my visit.
Tiny Marshall, Michigan sure has a lot to see in a very small area. Most of the downtown area is part of the National Historic Landmark District which includes over 850 buildings, a staggering amount for a town of just 7,000 people. It is not easy to maintain a town in the condition Marshall is in, and I really take my hat off to those who are working so hard to keep it the way it is.
Marshall was founded in 1830 and grew as a transportation hub catering to road, rail and river travelers with several historic inns and restaurants in the city dating back to those early days. The town was named for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall and of the more than 20 towns named after Marshall, this was the only one so-named before his death. Marshall became an early innovator in the public schools movement and their model was copied across the country. The town was also one of the final contenders to become the State Capital when it was moved from Detroit, but lost out to Lansing in the end.
Today, Marshall is incredibly well maintained. I loved that I could pick up a map outside of their tourism office at any time of day and the music playing on the street made me smile. There were historic walks laid out on the map, and markings on the sidewalks to help guide you along. The buildings downtown were well preserved and some truly transported me back in time. The homes in the surrounding neighborhood were equally historic and also well cared for. My favorite was Honolulu House which offered a wonderful guided tour. I came to Marshall planning on spending an hour and ended up there for more than half the day. It was definitely the cutest town I saw in all of southern Michigan and I am definitely looking forward to returning in the future. If Marshall isn’t on your list of Michigan small towns to visit, it certainly should be. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Marshall, Michigan.
Hello Everyone. It’s been a sunny and beautiful week here in Michigan, and I’ve been out exploring the peninsula that juts out into Lake Huron and is lovingly referred to as “The Thumb” of the state. If you’ve never looked closely or thought too much about it, Michigan is shaped like a mitten, and if you ever meet someone from Michigan they will inevitably point out wherever they are talking about on their hand, which is really quite endearing and very Midwestern. It is a quiet and less populated part of the state with some great small towns and tremendous lake views. I finished off the week with a run of old industrial towns and the Bavarian village of Frankenmuth. It’s been considerably cooler this week and it’s often been down in the 50s when I’m going to bed which is just perfect for me. I’ve seen some great spots this week and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
When I finished this post last week, I headed out of Port Huron and made my way north to the quaint little lakeside town of Lexington. I spent some time wandering the streets and taking some photos which you can see here. I thought it was a great little place and I really enjoyed my stroll. From there I moved up the coast through Port Sanilac to Forester Park. I don’t normally stay in campgrounds, but I decided I wanted to stay on the lake for a couple of nights and not worry about it. When I went to make the bookings, this site looked like it was right on the lake, but on arrival it was actually behind a row of private homes which blocked any possible view of the lake. The map was somewhat deceiving and I was pretty disappointed with the whole thing. Soon after pulling in, I got word that my very good friend’s father passed away, and while it wasn’t sudden or unexpected, it was still hard news to get, especially just days before Father’s Day. It was a bit of a rough afternoon and I went for a walk around the campground to clear my mind a bit. When I came back to my site, there was a big 5th Wheel pulled in right next to me. I introduced myself to the man who it belonged to and we had a wonderful chat for an hour or so. I really needed a bit of companionship in that moment and just like that, it was there. I felt a whole lot better afterwards and cooked up some dinner which I enjoyed from the picnic area which was overlooking the lake.
Thursday I meandered up the coast and spent some time in Harbor Beach, a town with a massive manmade harbor which was built to provide a safe haven for ships caught out in bad weather between Saginaw Bay and the St. Clair River at Port Huron. The town had a nice lighthouse, a pretty little beach and a long pier out into the harbor. I enjoyed a stroll to the end of the pier and then went for a wander around downtown. I particularly liked the library which had an incredible set of murals on it which paid tribute to local history and people. It seems the most famous person to come out of Harbor Beach was Frank Murphy who served as Mayor of Detroit, Governor of Michigan, Governor General of The Philippines, Attorney General of the U.S. and finally as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. During World War II he was serving on the high court and moonlighting as an army officer (seriously). Apparently his most noteworthy action on the court was writing the descent against the internment of Japanese-Americans during the war which he called out for the blatant racism which it absolutely was. Harbor Beach was interesting and learning about Murphy was as well.
In the afternoon, I headed further up the coast to Lighthouse County Park, right where the thumbnail would be on The Thumb. Everything that Forester Park wasn’t, Lighthouse Park was and then some. My campsite was right on the lake with an expansive view in every direction. It was just beyond the shadow of the Pointe Aux Barques lighthouse and right on the outside edge of the park...
Port Huron is a lovely mid-sized town where Lake Huron empties into the St. Clair River. Originally inhabited by the Ojibwa people, the site was settled during the War of 1812 with the establishment of Fort Gratiot. People moved to the area for jobs in the lucrative lumber and shipbuilding industries. While he was born in Ohio, Thomas Edison spent his formative years in Port Huron, selling candy and newspaper on the Grand Trunk Railroad route to Detroit. Today, Port Huron is a quiet town with a beautiful lighthouse, a charming downtown area and a wonderful riverfront walk that takes you right under the Bluewater Bridge which connects Port Huron to Sarnia, Ontario. I had a great stay in Port Huron and absolutely stunning weather while I was there. I hope you enjoy these photos from my time in this lovely waterfront town.
Chagrin Falls is a charming little town in the outer suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. The Chagrin River runs through the heart of town and once turned the waterwheels of early industry here. The namesake falls are quite stunning and there are nice viewing platforms on either side of the river. There are some wonderful art projects around, including the crocheted trees at the art center that stopped me in my tracks. Chagrin Falls is full of adorable local businesses, none more-so than the Chagrin Falls Popcorn Shop pictured above. My very good friend Mike Vasko lives in Chagrin Falls, so I’ve been fortunate enough to visit more than once. It really is a wonderful place and if you’re ever in the area, stop through for a wander. I hope you enjoy these pictures from the tiny town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio.
From 2010-2012, I lived and worked in a tiny fishing village in Southern Japan. My town, Usuki, had a beautiful historic core, a lovely industrial waterfront, an old castle ruin and some wonderful restaurants. In the two years I was there, we even got a 7-11 and a McDonalds. I lived in a beautiful, old, to-big-for-me apartment a few blocks from the water. During the week, I taught English in rural Japanese public schools. I worked in three different Junior High Schools and seven Elementary Schools. It was tough to move around so much, but I did enjoy the variety of it. Sadly, many of my days I spent very few hours in the classroom and was absolutely bored to tears most of the time. On the weekends I would spend time with friends or traveling the countryside. Our little corner of Japan was very rural, but also beautiful - especially when the rice was being planted. I found small communities to join, like a dance class in my town and a scuba diving shop in the next town up. I went to the beach and climbed mountains and visited the major cities. I also bought my first DSLR camera - at a pawn shop about an hour from my apartment. I didn’t learn to use it very well when I was there, but I took my first steps into the world of digital photography. It was also in Japan that I conceived the idea for this project and began to work to build this website. I made some wonderful friends while I was there, one of whom recently asked me if I had any photos of Japan that she could use to build a website for her business. That had me do a deep dive into my photo archives and dig up these old pictures. Some of them are actually pretty good, so I thought I would share them, and this story, with you here. Sadly, after a decade, I don’t remember where many of them were taken so not many of them are captioned. But I hope they can give you a feel for the time I spent there and some of the beauty of the country. Enjoy!
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, and that’s saying something. Second only to Montana’s Glacier National Park in my heart, Wrangell-St. Elias is America’s biggest National Park, encompassing an area of over 13 million acres. Wrangell-St. Elias was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 and a National Park in 1980. Plate tectonics, volcanic activity and glaciation all worked together over time to form this magnificent landscape, but it was copper that brought people into these mountains in the early 20th Century. The Kennecott copper mines produced over $200 million worth of copper between 1911 and 1938 ($3.6 billion in today’s dollars)
Today you can drive on the old rail line until you get to the “end of the road” where you will have to cross the river bridge on foot. From there you can catch a shuttle to Kennecott and explore the park from there. Glacier Walks, Mill Tours and Ice Climbing are all on offer, or you can simply go for a hike. The hikes to the old mines high on the mountains aren’t long, but they’re pretty strenuous. After a long day in the park you can find good meals at the Kennecott Lodge or in the old town of McCarthy down the road. Alternatively, the north end of the park is accessible along the beautiful Nabesna Road. The season in Alaska is short, and there isn’t much happening once the businesses close so summer is definitely the right season to visit the Wrangells. I hope you enjoy these photos I took in the park during the last summer I spent guiding there (2017).
I had a wonderful Thanksgiving in New Hampshire last week and got out to do a little bit of exploring and to take these photos. It was lovely to drive around the small towns in the south of the state and I enjoyed seeing what they had to offer. Beautiful New England spires were ubiquitous, but I also found some stoic old industrial buildings and some incredibly still water to get some reflections shots. I hope you enjoy these photos from southern New Hampshire as much as I enjoyed taking them.
A couple of weeks ago my mom and I set out to explore Maryland’s Lower Susquehanna Scenic Byway. This beautiful road started at the Concord Point Lighthouse in Havre de Grace where the river meets the Chesapeake Bay. From there, we headed on to the old 19th century Lock Keeper’s House which stands watch over what was once the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal. On to Susquehanna State Park where we explored the historic village of Rock Run with its working grist mill and old Jersey toll house. We learned about the life of Confederate Brigadier General James Archer who grew up in the Archer Mansion overlooking the river. Crossing over at the Conowingo Dam, we cruised into the fascinating old town of Port Deposit before winding up in Perryville where the Principio Furnace and Rodgers Tavern offered up a final dose of history for the day. Standing on the west bank of the Susquehanna River we watched the sun set before turning our headlights towards home. It was a beautiful day cruising the wonderful Lower Susquehanna Scenic Byway in northeast Maryland and I hope you enjoy these photos I took along the way.
By 1852, the central section of Washington D.C. was developing quickly and the local citizenry wanted to be sure what land was available was available for the living. They therefore banned any new cemeteries from being established within the city center. Soon thereafter, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, then the overseer of Washington’s catholic churches, purchased 40 acres in the surrounding countryside and established Mount Olivet Cemetery. This cemetery was and is the largest catholic cemetery in Washington D.C. and was also one of the first racially integrated cemeteries in the city. With commanding views over the city, it is a beautiful place for a wander, and as long-time readers know I very much appreciate funerary art of which there are some stunning examples in Mount Olivet. Mount Olivet is the final resting place of such notable people as White House Architect James Hoban, Supreme Court Justice Joseph McKenna, and Lincoln assassination conspirator Mary Surratt, the first woman executed by the U.S. Government.
