Muskegon, MI 3

“Pure Michigan” – State 39 on our list and quite a bit to see and do in this state !

A little about Michigan – The 26th state of the Union since 26 January 1837
and it is the largest state by total area east of the Mississippi River. Its capital is Lansing, and its largest city is Detroit – among the nation’s most populous and largest metropolitan economies.
Michigan is the only state to consist of two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula – where we are at the moment – is said to be shaped like a mitten. The Upper Peninsula (often called “the U.P.”) is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile (8 km) channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan.

But first thing this morning we had some Blues Brothers sites to catchup on – Wrigley Field, 1060 West Addison and the Palace Hotel Ballroom. The Palace Hotel is not on Lake Wazzapamani but is actually located south of Chicago and is known as the South Shore Cultural Centre – and it’s no longer white but a browny/orange colour.

Our day started very wet ! When we woke it was fine and even relatively clear. However within an hour, it was starting to rain and storms came and went with some intensity for most of the morning ! So we left Chicago under very grey skies but our experience there was exceptional. We had a great location and the surrounding area, with the river, Millennium Park and Navy Pier is very inviting. With the river creating space amongst the buildings, it gives you the opportunity to take in the architecture – old and new rather than be squeezed up in streets with wall to wall buildings. We would definitely come back to Chicago.

The early morning drive around the bottom of the lake therefore was very soggy as we left Illinois and across the top of Indiana for a short period (we visited Indiana further south in our 2016 tour). Our first stop was the newest National Park – Indiana Dunes National Park and thankfully we were in between showers at this stage. We took in the visitors centre and bought our Annual Pass and then drove to Portage Lakefront & Riverwalk. On a clear day – ie, not today – you can get good views across the lake to Chicago. We could just make out the city but otherwise the lake was very grey.

As we left, the rains came again and we continued through other parts of the National Park. As the shoreline is the main feature of the park, some of the surrounding areas can be a bit of a mis-match – a huge US Steel plant right beside the Portage Lakefront ! However our drive was fairly leafy and more pleasant than the interstate. As Adrienne had found Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets nearby, it was probably a good spot to spend a rainy day so we spent a bit of cash – I replenished my work wardrobe – and filled in some time. This worked well as the weather improved dramatically and as we left it was quite sunny and hot !

At its peak, the shores of Lake Michigan are said to have had as many as 247 lighthouses dotted around it. That has now reduced to around 100 that are in good condition. Seeing them can be an expensive exercise as most are in State parks which charge the normal entry fees – as much as $10 or $15 – just to park for 15 minutes. So for today we decided to do just the Big Red Lighthouse, in Holland, MI and duly paid our $10.

By now we were almost in full sun and the beaches along the lake were filled with many Sunday afternoon bathers. We had also lost an hour when we moved into Michigan (from Central to Eastern) so it was after 4pm Eastern Time when we arrived. Probably not a bad thing to lose an hour on a mostly rainy day ! As we drove between Holland and our final destination, Muskegon, the road was only separated from the lake by some spectacular real estate – Adrienne did some research and some of these places – waterfront, huge estates – were selling for US$3M and up !

We arrived in Muskegon around 5.30-6pm and are staying at the Shoreline Inn. Where we are situated is on a little bay just inside the main lake so it is very calm water nearby. There is a lovely marina and the Lake House Waterfront Grille next door was the perfect location for dinner. We had a lovely meal – Adrienne had fish fresh out of the lake and I had a cajun seafood pasta. The guy singing and playing guitar was also very good !

Tomorrow we move further north along the lake, to Traverse City ….

Today’s Tour Trivia – The Kellogg Company has made Battle Creek, MI the Cereal Capital of the World. The Kellogg brothers accidentally discovered the process for producing flaked cereal products and sparked the beginning of the dry cereal industry.