A Few Facts About Michigan Dunes & Forests

We enjoyed our visit to a museum in Grand Haven and learned, or perhaps were reminded of, some facts about the formation of the Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes were formed over hundreds of thousands of years by the advance and retreat of giant glaciers. Up to a mile high in some places the ice moved south from the Arctic, scouring the earth as it passed. Advancing at an average rate of a few thousand feet per year this conglomeration of ice, rock and soil took some 4,000 years to stretch from the Arctic Circle to Lake Michigan. As the glaciers spread they deepened existing valleys, the largest of which eventually formed the Great Lakes

Over a span of about a million years the glaciers underwent four major advances and retreats. As they melted and moved back north they left enormous deposits of all they had dragged south with them. Huge heaps of gravel and sand remained after the last retreat some 12,000 years ago. These deposits now serve as one of Michigan's most important natural resources.

This is especially apparent in West Michigan where they are blessed with very unique terrain at the water's edge. Wind & storms exposed the sand, allowing it to drift toward shore and creating the dune structure in the region. These are the largest freshwater dunes in the world.

Who knew that Michigan trees provided the lumber to rebuild Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871?! Actually I never even thought about it before but this is what we learned:

Starting from a few small-scale logging operations in the early 1830's Michigan became the #1 lumber producing state in the country by 1880. Primarily the lumber was eastern white pine which was preferred because it was soft, and easy to work with. Michigan's trees provided the lumber to replace homes and structures lost in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and to build houses throughout the Midwest. By 1900 Michigan forests were logged out.

GLORIOUS GRAND HAVEN

We really enjoyed our time in Grand Haven, like many or perhaps I should say most of the towns along the Michigan shoreline it in approached through a canal that is marked by a lighthouse. In this case the canal leads right into the Grand River and carries quite a lot of traffic, some of it commercial boat traffic.

The city marina is right along the canal wall and beyond the wall is a park and "main street". It proved to be a great spot to meet the local folks as well as the local boaters. Jim from "Blue Angel", a Grand Haven native, came by and introduced himself and offered to take us to the grocery store.

You might wonder if he just spends all his time walking the docks and introducing himself but that is not how it happens. Being "cruisers" themselves the Angels know that in August cruising boats will start making our way down the Lake. We belong to an organization of boaters cruising the Loop" (the AGLCA, America's Great Loop Cruisers Association) and being a member of the AGLCA entitles us to fly a little flag known as a burgee. Other boaters recognize the burgee and that is an easy way to meet others having a similar plan or interest, generally conversation flows easily from there. Boaters are generally always willing to lend a hand to others and cruisers, especially, know what you really need which is usually a way to get fresh provisions.

Here you see the Grand Haven Canal with the lighthouse in the background
Grand Haven is known as Coast Guard City USA. This stems from the time of the arrival of the Coast Guard Cutter "Escanaba" which was home ported in Grand Haven from 1932 until it was called to duty in WWII, and subsequently sunk by a German U Boat. The citizens of Grand haven organized a war bond campaign and raised over a million dollars in only three months to pay for a second Escanaba. Every August Grand Haven hosts the Coast Guard Festival. I believe I mentioned that there is some commercial traffic on the Grand River. Here you see an ore freighter backing down the river! No tug boat is hidden on the other side guiding or pushing, he is operating under his own power. This shot is not cropped up, and those small boats you see are really quite close to the freighter. This is late on a Sunday morning and there is a lot of small boat activity.
Notice the green buoys in the background, he is turning a corner as he heads from the river to the canal. We actually saw the freighter arrive the previous evening just before dark. He is so large that he is unable to turn around in the river and must exit back to the Lake by backing down the river!

The little piece of stainless steel hand rail and the rope that you see in the left foreground is the stern of "Lauren Grace"

Beautiful Charlevoix Michigan

Another spectacular sunset on Lake Michigan.

The Charlevoix Lighthouse marks the entry into the canal leading to Round Lake which then leads mariners to Lake Charlevoix. Visitors and residents stroll along the canal to enjoy the sunset.

"Fairy Houses" in lovely Charlevoix

Also called "Mushroom" houses these were designed as residences by Earl Young who often sketched the concept that he visualized and left the detailed "working drawings" for his wife to complete. Each home share a common element of whimsy in the irregular shapes, and the curvy roofs. The first of these houses was built in 1918 and there are about 30 of them in Charlevoix. Young was a great promoter of the area as a summer resort.

Young had what I suppose you might call a vision for each project. He tried to fit each home to the site that it was to be built on and he specified mostly natural building materials. He was creative in utilizing the site

The "icing" on the chimney is a recurring theme in Young's designs

THE STRAITS OF MACKINAC

In 1671 at the village of St. Ignace on Michigan's Upper Peninsula Father Marquette established his Mission in order to bring the Christian Message to several thousand Indians who inhabited this area. They were primarily of the Huron, Ojibwa and Ottawa Nations. Father Marquette named the Mission St. Ignace in honor of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order.








In 1673 Fr. Marquette made his great voyage on the Mississippi to bring Christianity to the Iroquois Indians in Illinois. During this voyage he became ill and as it became apparent that he was dying he asked his companions to help him return to St. Ignace. Fr. Marquette never made it. He died several hundred miles South of the Mission in 1675. In 1677 some Christian Indians found his grave and returned his bones to St. Ignace where they were interred. This monument marks his burial site.






Two views of the magnificent "Big Mac" as the Mackinac Bridge is sometimes called.
An engineering marvel at the time it was constructed it was the longest bridge in the world.
You can't tell from this benign shot but this bridge spans the Straits of Mackinac where there is some of the roughest water in the Great Lakes. Winter conditions here are unforgiving, and summer is short.

Views of Mackinac Island

The view from the only "highway" in Michigan that does not allow cars. Seriously this is a designated highway that circles the island and it is for bikes and horses and walkers.

The so-called "West Mansions" on Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island Ferries create quite a wake, no wonder the Straits are so "lumpy"

and...

Mackinac Bridge connecting the Upper Peninsula with the rest of Michigan

Mackinac Island Views

An Inuksuk on the shore of Mackinac Island

Remember, I can't explain the geology stuff! Anyway a picture is worth a thousand words.

But that doesn't keep me from admiring the results. I can't believe we hiked all the way up from the road you see at the bottom of this picture

And from the road looking up!

Mackinac Island Marina Views

This was the view from our sundeck, are we lucky or what? Some of these mansions date to the 1890's
Fort Mackinac as seen from the marina. It is a steep walk up that hill.

If we look the other direction we see the lighthouse and the dock master's office.