Just Another One

Just Another One                             

By John W. Vander Velden

On a bright summer late afternoon, Craig drove a bit too fast on the country road.  The slanting sun piercing the row of tall hardwoods with shafts of brightness across his route, the flash, flash, flash of brilliance came through the driver’s window annoyed the man determined.  He had miles to go.  Yet there was no real need for his haste.  No one in particular expected him.  None stood checking their watch waiting for the man that drove so feverishly.  But he drove on as if the world would end if he did not reach the place he chose at the time he had set.

A soft brown doe stood, not ten yards from the roadside with her two, yet spotted fawns, watching as the man in the BMW passed by obvious.  The great white clouds, sailing ships of the sky looked down as Craig roared onward.  The man drove past ancient barns, rolling fields dotted with great green bales of hay, a grand cock Ring Neck Pheasant peaking from the road’s edge, a child sitting on her front steps licking an ice cream cone as she raced its melting, and the old white pickup truck with a man stretched beneath the open hood along the very road he sped, and Craig did not notice.

At journey’s end, the man felt content that he had met his deadline.  Craig climbed out of the car parked along a street of a small town whose name escaped him.  He moved quickly among gawkers and shoppers annoyed that they slowed his pace.  Glancing at the shop fronts, catching but a glimpse of wares displayed, the man shook his head as he wondered what it was that brought the throngs to this “burg”.   Later in a small café, Craig frowned as he sat waiting for a common meal ordered in what he felt a common place as he was served by cheerful, courteous, common people.

When he entered his leather upholstered white automobile Craig frowned.  He must write his review…just another one… It was his job…but ….   (345 Words)

Just a Parcel

Just a Parcel                              9-16-2014

By John W. Vander Velden

 

 

When we think of all that we have, those things that make us, we consider the objects acquired and sometimes the items lost, but too seldom we contemplate the most important thing we have been given…our life.  For each of us has received that gift…just a parcel of time. 

Should we dwell upon the years behind or worry that the number of years ahead grow shorter.  Too often those thoughts creep into our consciousness, but I say allow regrets to remain in the past, for all have memories of the things we wish we had done differently.  And to stare into futures mists, concerned with difficulties yet unborn, does us no good.  Enough problems come, there is no need to fear imagined situations.  For to wallow in the past or fear the future steals from the now! 

We remain here among our neighbors, friends and especially family for a time, and the number of years we have been allotted, we do not know.  But He who gives good gifts, has presented us with this parcel…just a parcel of time.  Whether the bulk of that parcel lies before us or behind, whether that parcel is days or decades, it is a gift of great worth.  For each moment contains possibilities…grand possibilities that present themselves…or grand possibilities that need to be sought.  Though we have allowed many to slip between our fingers like sand, countless others await.  So draw a breath, thank the GOD that made you, for this day, smile, and take hold of this bit of your life and seek the challenge to do something.  And though it might seem that “something” is meaningless, be assured it is not!  For the lowly brick seems of little value, yet when stacked, brick by brick, grand edifices stand…depending upon each stone.    

For our lives is so much more than a measure of time, and yet time is one of the greatest gifts we have been given.  Time is an element we share with those around us, should we not reach out to do and to care, to use the thousands of moments of that gift in the millions of possibilities that remain before us.  As I stand awestruck facing the dawning sky, I thank GOD for this day…just a parcel of my life he has given, and pray that I use that gift well.

(399 Words)

Do You Remember?

Do You Remember?

By John W. Vander Velden             

Do you remember the first moment you knew?  The first moment you heard or saw.  The first moment your heart believed what your ears or eyes revealed.  How did you feel then?  Was it shock, fear, anger or did your heart break at the loss of the brave and innocent.  How did you feel…then?

How do you feel now?  Remembering the attack upon US soil…the attack on our way of life…the attack that killed so many…drew ordinary people into another’s war.  How do you feel?  Each time you travel… waiting in what seems endless lines…asked to remove you shoes…seeing armed men.  Do you feel anger at those that brought fear into your every day…those that allow hate to drive their actions…those that do not value their own lives?  How can they value others?  How do you feel?

The world changed that day…the day that hate found places to strike.  Do we return hate for hate?  Do we allow the world to spiral down the path other have chosen.  Do we grovel in fear?  Hide as we wait for some other atrocity to strike the defenseless.  What do we do?  Our actions show more than our words.  

In a confusing world of blurred lines, we search for simple solutions to complex questions.  We wonder what made our country the target.  Why others shake angry fists our way.  Each day the rhetoric grows…each day blame cast…each day tensions fester...and we wonder.

The towers fell and a new building stands defiant.  We have not surrendered…but at what price.  The violence comes closer.  Metal detectors and guards stand in our courthouse.  Schools are locked down.  And though these may seem unrelated to that September day, can we say they are fueled by different problems…different mentality.  Was the actions of Sandy Hook, Columbine, and Oklahoma City not driven by hate and aimed against the innocents?  Were they not some grand way to gain attention for some confused or mad soul as they lash out in places long considered safe.  What do you think? 

 So we live our lives, think about tomorrow, hope that somehow…someone…returns sanity to a troubled world.  And wonder, just wonder what the new normal might be.  But today, on this September day, I ask…Do you remember?

(386 Words)

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, Michigan...Oh Yeah! Part 4

Yes, Michigan?...Oh Yeah

Part 4

By John W. Vander Velden

Sunny days with cool temps, blue skies over broad expanses of water lapping on rock strewn beaches, these things might describe our time to the north.  But it seems all good things must come to their conclusion…

 

We looked one final time at the sign along the road, in front of our hotel, “Guests check in…Friends check out”.  It is a fitting slogan for our time in St. Ignace.  We had not stayed on the north side of the straits on past visits to the region -- I expect we will next time we choose to venture this part of Michigan’s wonderland.

On the northern tip of the
lower peninsula, stands this castle-like
lighthouse.

But our adventure had not ended -- merely moved south.  The morning held great promise as we crossed the Mackinac Bridge that Friday.  Entering Mackinac City we, soon found ourselves in a parking lot of another thing on this year’s bucket list -- The Old Mackinac Lighthouse.  It had been sixteen years since the last time I had walked those grounds with Nick.  The photographs I had taken in 98 left much to be desired, and armed with new equipment and good light I hoped to photograph the unique light again.

How things had changed!  The whole area has been redone.  Before the keepers quarters only housed a small gift shop, and now they allow visitors to climb the tower.  The light station is a proper museum with the keeper’s quarters restored, the outbuildings housing their own displays, and curators dressed in costumes of the lighthouse’s era, answering all questions.

Looking down on the fog horn building and
Lake Huron.

The light had been decommissioned in 1957, so it no longer sheds its beam across the straits.  With the light removed, we were permitted to climb into the lamp room -- that glass walled portion at the towers peak.  Though I enjoy standing upon the catwalks of other lighthouses, this held a different thrill.  But the lighthouse park was but half of our historical adventure, for a short walk led to Historical Fort Michilimackinac, a rebuilt replica of the 18^th century fort and settlement.  We found the history fascinating and spend several hours moving through the buildings.

 



You can almost hear the voices
of years past.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The old fort originally built by the French and modified by the British.
The site now reflects the early British era before the fort
moved to the Mackinac Island.

 

 

For those willing to spend the time,
there is much to see at
Fort Michilimackinac

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the old style multi face
outdoor clocks.

The afternoon found us strolling the downtown of Mackinac City.  The town has changed to please the tourist.  That is more shops -- many more shops --  than we found on our past visits.  We did not walk the streets alone as we shared the sidewalks with throngs of folks that have all come from other places.  We stepped inside many interesting shops including the Mackinac Kite Store.   Last time, when Nick was small, we bought a kite there, so a return visit seemed necessary.  The store had grown over the years and handled many things it did not years ago -- games and such.  But they yet had the large colorful kites hanging overhead -- a fun place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were told since the structure had been
lived in all those years, the county found it in good shape.

 

We left the town in the late afternoon with one more stop on our agenda.  Would you like to guess what it might be?  Why McGulpin Point Lighthouse, just west of Mackinac City.  The light station has only recently become open to the public.  For nearly a hundred years the lighthouse has been privately owned.  It had been in the same family during that time and used as a home.  The present public fascination with lighthouses has fueled the county, and they have done wonders returning the light station into a place that merits a visit.

McGulpin Point made the twelfth lighthouse we visited on this trip -- sounds a bit crazy, but we enjoy them.  How they were built and of course they stand on beautiful locations.  We were able to climb seven of the towers on this trip, each with unique breathtaking views of the lake.  I managed to get some pretty good photos -- that can’t be bad.  We had not come only to see

Another set of stairs.  Who knows how many steps I
tread up and down that week.

lighthouses -- we saw so much more, but we did see some amazing lighthouses.   

We spent our final night in Gaylord, Michigan, about an hour south of Mackinac City.  The traffic in that town seemed greater than we would have expected for the location.   We were told that the bumper to bumper typical for a summer day.  I am not certain what causes the roads to overflow in that town.  As for us, it was our jumping off place for the homeward trek.

We took the trail down to the shore of
Lake Michigan to see McGulpin Rock.
A boulder of some fame that has been used for years
to measure the height of the lake's water.

Saturday morning we headed south, going a different route, moving west to Ludington.  Many times we have traveled US 31 up the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, so once we headed south of Ludington the road was familiar.  Being strangely ahead of schedule -- that just doesn’t happen -- we thought a stop in South Haven might be fun.  But arriving in the middle of some kind of festival -- tents traffic and scant parking -- sent us scurrying for a quieter local.  Saugatuck was not that place!  If we thought South Haven insane, Saugatuck had the keys to the asylum.  After getting turned around three times, we escaped planning a return on a weekday -- soon.

Well friends, we made it home.  I guess you knew that -- or how would I be posting this stuff.  1835 miles and more than 1300 photos give you an idea of the pace.  I expect it will take month to go through all those pictures – but the memories – well, they will last a lifetime.

Thanks for joining us on this journey.  Who knows where we go next – I’m certain I don’t…

(908 Words)

Yes, Michigan…Oh Yeah! Part 3

Yes, Michigan…Oh Yeah!

Part 3

By John W. Vander Velden

The sun came up in an early morning overcast sky

 

After four “restful” days, I thought I might get up early Wednesday.  Our room faced the harbor to the east and I wanted to see the sunrise.  I purposely left the drapes open so the day’s first light would awaken us.... It woke Jackie first… She made certain I didn’t oversleep.  So we sat on our balcony watching the new day begin.  Another glorious morning.

Point Iroquois Lighthouse was one of the sights we had
picked before we left home.

We were on the road heading to Iroquois Point Light House by nine-thirty.  The detour the evening before, took us very close so we had a good idea of how to get there.  The morning’s overcast burned off and it became a beautiful day to walk the lighthouse grounds, climb yet another tower, and stroll the Lake Superior shore.  I took pictures…OK, you knew that already…but I did.

The straights between the Upper Peninsula and Drummond Island
were narrow.  I gave a great view of the ships that passed

The north shore of Lake Huron.
The shores we visited varied.
From the sandy beaches one might expect, to
rock strewn stretches, or places where the grassy
almost marshes edged the grand expanse of water

We ate lunch in the finest restaurant of the trip, in a small place called Bay Mills.  Our table gave grand views of the lake, Whitefish Bay actually, as we watched boats on the glass smooth water.  The afternoon brought our next adventure.  I have traveled the Upper Peninsula going west from I 75 but never east, so that was the direction we chose.  The country changes at the interstate.  The west is mostly forest…trees, trees, trees, made up of National and State Forests, cabins nestled between the trees… You get the idea.  However the eastern point of the peninsula is much more developed.  There were farms…if you can believe it…hay fields everywhere.  Also you come across small towns…what we might call normal looking towns.  You know the ones with hardware, groceries, and drug stores.  We ended up following the Lake Huron shore to the eastern point.  Had we arrived a couple of hours earlier, we would have taken the ferry to Drummond Island.  You know there’s a light house out there.  We were amazed how many vehicles they could load on the ferry…and quickly.  While we watched a freighter passed through the narrows.  We had seen several…strange, they all look pretty much the same.  However this one definitely needed repainting.  The ships are older than I might have thought…many with over sixty years of service of hauling iron ore, limestone, and the like southward.  I’m not certain what they bring back.

St. Ignace only recently gained this beauty 

We followed the shoreline west completing our journey’s circle in St. Ignace and spent the remainder of the day in that small town.  We walked the breakwater had supper, finishing the day on our balcony, as we watched Wednesday fade over the bay. 

Thursday morning came with a plan.  We intended to visit the lighthouse that graced the cover of our guidebook.  Seul Choix Point Lighthouse, some seventy miles west, just off scenic highway 2.  The route followed the northern shore of Lake Michigan with many turnoffs giving breathtaking views.  We made our way to Manistique, an area of lumber processing and shipping.  We found the shore there covered by sawdust which they claim had been dumped long ago.  I wonder…  The sun shown in the blue sky overhead as we walked the boardwalk and breakwater, greeting others, some with their dogs, and talked to the men that were painting the lighthouse… They do it for a living…paint lighthouses that is. 

We stumbled upon this one as we searched for another.
The painters were just finishing a new paint job. 
They were bound for Alpena the next lighthouse on their agenda

Studying the map at dinner, I realized we had gone too far.  So back we went looking for a side road that would lead us up the peninsula to Seul Choix Point.  The turnoff was at a small place called Gulliver we had passed in our travels.   Don’t ask me how to pronounce Seul Choix either.  All I remember is that the sound of the S and the C are reversed, if that makes any sense.  Four mile of dust road took us up to the very tip of land that juts into Lake Michigan.  On that very tip stands the monument we had driven past and back…driven through four miles of dust to see. 



The northern Lake Michigan Shore on Seul Choix Point
was covered by a layer of shells.

The view from the top of Seul Choix was magnificent.  You could look back down the ribbon of land that connected the point to the Upper Peninsula and the water all around.  To the north the limestone works was visible.  And to the south we could pick out four or five islands in the distant haze.  We stood there for several minutes just absorbing the grand vista.

The lightkeeper’s quarters had been beautifully restored.  The doors are trimmed out with copper, the only lightkeeper’s residence known to have copper on all the doorways, even the closets.  At one time three families called the point their home.  We found it interesting to see the appliances and furniture of long ago, revealing a lifestyle left behind and forgotten. 

Wandering down to the lakeshore we found a beach covered by a thick layer of what appeared tiny clam shells…Zebra Mussels I believe.  I mean more than a foot in depth.  The shore was not very inviting and any idea of wading out to get some lake into my pictures of the lighthouse vanished.  Well in any case we wandered the grounds and I took my pictures on another wonderful afternoon.



A visit to Seul Choix Point Lighthouse will explain why
the lighthouse graced the cover of our guidebook.

On our drive back we stopped to see “Big Mac” from the west.  And knowing it would be our last night in the place that had been our base of adventures, we wandered around the tourist part of St. Ignace, visiting several shops as our Thursday came to its conclusion, worn but pleased with all we had seen and done.

 

 

 

 



For more than fifty years the bridge has spanned the straights,
connecting the two parts of Michigan.

 

  

The final installment comes next week.

 

I hope not!
One of the thousands of shirts offered in  the shops.

Jackie standing on our balcony.
We will remember this hotel and perhaps one day return

Yes, Michigan?...Oh Yeah! Part 2

Yes, Michigan?...Oh Yeah!

Part 2

By John W. Vander Velden

 

            I don’t know what you think of Michigan.  But when we think of Michigan, we think of mile upon mile of forestland, hundreds of lakes, endless stretches of Great Lake shorelines, and lighthouses.  Michigan has more light houses than any state in the union…well over a hundred.  However there was one thing we had over looked in the Great Lake State, waterfalls…until this year.  On our list of “to do’s” for this trip, that natural spender became a required part. 

The lower Tanquanenon Falls

There are many waterfalls of various sizes in the state most found in the Upper Peninsula.  Distance from our base camp, Best Western Harbor Point, St. Ignace, eliminated many.  However near the top of the ten best…who made up that list I have no idea…was Tanquanenon Falls.  Try saying that ten times quickly…or even once for that matter.  I asked the woman at the gift store how it was pronounced.  I practiced saying the word for twenty minutes.  Jackie laughed at me as I walked with the syllables rolling off my lips again and again.  I told her that by the time we reached the car the word would be lost…and it was.  So please do not ask me how to say “T-quan…er…something, something something…rhymes with phenomenon I am told.

Jackie took my picture as we walked the island

Masses of ferns lined the roadside. 
As we walked the trail, I loved
 how the light played on this one

Tanquanenon Falls State Park was a bit down the road…more than an hour and half’s drive.  The park covers a substantial area.  The entrance to the lower and upper falls are separated by four miles.  We reached the lower falls first.  Though the park was not crowded, we certainly were not the first to arrive.  We found the fall remarkable and we walked the trail to the main falls…breathtaking.  To reach the other falls…other lower falls that is…required a boat to reach the island in the river’s middle .  We rented the flat bottom row boat and I used all the skills I had…hmmm…I am not the best mariner…and reached the island quite directly, the distance greater than it appeared from the shore.  Once safely…and dry…yes, we arrived dry…upon the island that separated the two portions  of the lower falls, we walked the trail while watching others wade in the rapids.  Returning to our worthy craft, I rowed the river for a time and arrived at our point of beginning, yet dry.  Now it shouldn’t be that surprising.

As you can clearly see, Jackie remained dry...

After a light lunch we made our way to the upper falls.  There things became interesting.  After three circuits around the overfull parking lot, I grew bold enough to park on the grass.  Best way I can describe the place was crowded…I mean all those cars didn’t drive themselves.  We joined the throng on the trail that led us…all of us…through the forest, offering views of the falls and the river below.  The route led to a pair of platforms built for spectators, which hung from the canyon wall near the thundering waters.  The grandness of the lower falls was overshadowed by spectacular upper falls.  I can see why Tanquanenon Falls are considered a “must see”…even if I can’t pronounce the word.

Our first glimpse of the upper falls...wow!

It was not a long drive from the Tanquanenon Falls to another state park…Whitefish Point Light Station.  I don’t need to point out the pattern here do I?  The light house at Whitefish Point had never been on my “need to visit” list.  The pictures I had seen…well it just doesn’t look like a light house.  But we were near and thought the view of Lake Superior alone would make the drive worthwhile.  On arriving it became apparent that the pictures did the place an injustice.  We spent our time moving about the Shipwreck Museum, saw the beautiful 2^nd order Fresnel lens, climbed the light house and walked the beach on a magnificent late afternoon.  Closed the place down.

The first thing that caught our eyes
inside the Whitefish Point Shipwreck
Museum was this magnificent
2nd order Fresnel Lens.

It had nearly become seven when the two of us in our trusty Chevy left for the long drive back to St. Ignace.  It was a pleasant drive following the two lane highway that cut through the forests of pine and hardwoods.  However when we had gone most of the way, a policeman stopped us as we approached the only railroad crossing of the route.  He kindly told us that the train had struck a semi and it would be three hours…minimum…until the crossing could be cleared.  “You’ll need to go back to highway 28”, he said.  “Only eleven miles,” he told us.  “28 will take you to the interstate.”  He didn’t tell us that it would very nearly take us all the way to Sauté Saint Marie to reach I 75…more than an hour out of our way.  Life is an adventure, so we began off in the direction we had just come. 

Whitefish Point Light Station.
Though the tower might appear modern,
It was built in 1860.

We received a guided tour to the top of  this
light house.  From there we had a wonderful view
of Lake Superior.

After a quick Wendy’s stop in Sauté Saint Marie, the light was fading as we began our southbound trek, confident that the forty some odd miles would pass quickly on the interstate.  Surprise!  Just began “book’n” when we came to a detour.  I mean they closed down the whole Interstate.  Sent us two miles west, then south on the Mackinac Trail…the road that the interstate replaced…for eleven miles, jogged back east to I 75, and homeward again.  

With each stop we saw Sea Gulls.
Here posts have been placed to weaken the waves
on Whitefish Point

 

We arrived at our room well after nine and that ended our Tuesday…at least I think it was Tuesday, another restful day…well maybe not restful, but a fantastic day all the same.

The adventure continues next week

(926 Words)

  

From the top of the light house we saw this freighter,
"The Burns Harbor".
Thought it was cool that the ship carried its name
from an Indiana port.

 

Yes, Michigan?...Oh Yeah!

Yes, to Michigan?...Oh Yeah!!!

By John W. Vander Velden

 

 

A week north bound.  A week trekking the forests and lakeshore, waterfalls and light houses.  A week of delightful weather of sunrises when we woke to enjoy them, and of sunsets as we sat side by side.

Cheboygan, MI Crib Light

 

This summer saw us return to an area from where we have been parted too long.  Months ago when Jackie asked where we might go on our vacation, I reminded her that it had been sixteen years since our last visit to Mackinac Island.  The summer had been hectic…it seems each season drives us at a rushed pace…so the planning for the actual trip occurred later than usual.  I am in charge of “the planning”.  So I take full responsibility, especially when things go well…which they did.  (I’ll try not to dislocate my shoulder as I pat myself on the back.)



This 1940 La Salle owned by a delightful man
we met our first morning in Michigan, one of only two
of this model know to be in existence.

We left on the first Saturday morning in August.  Taking to the road we headed northward, 358 miles later we reached our hotel in Cheboygan before four, which offered us our first opportunity to explore the shores of Lake Huron.  After a short drive along the shoreline and photographing the first two…I did say first…light houses and a quiet supper, we sat in the park on the shore, watching the sun slowly abandon us in a blaze of glory.  That was the first day, and a sign of the pace we drove ourselves all the days on this “restful” escape. 



     The following day included a short drive to Alpena…it was only seventy-eight miles…with stops along the way.  On a day of brilliant blue skies we followed the shoreline and visited three…yeah three…light houses.  We strolled the grounds of those sentinels and climbed the two at Presque Isle, the new and the old.  After lunch we spent several hours in and around the Shipwreck Museum in Alpena.  The day ended with a return drive back the way we had come and across “Big Mac”…what a grand engineering marvel…to settle into our hotel and base camp in St Ignace.  The Inn on the Lake Huron shore was a delightful place.  At nine PM each night they have a bon fire on the grounds, and we joined the party and watched the children roast marshmallows.  So ended our second restful day….Do you see the trend here?

The Old Presque Isle Light House was unique
by having steps made of  hewed stone.
We found it one of the hardest to climb.

We had already driven six hundred miles so Monday we decided to give our noble steed, the Malibu, most of the day off.  You could measure our Monday’s drive in yards, just down the street to the ferry dock.  The 9:30 passage to Mackinac Island began our day afoot.  The morning’s mist lifted an hour or so after we disembarked revealing blue cloudless skies, another day of light breezes and pleasant temperatures.

 

Mackinac Island...Bicycles, Bicycles, Bicycles!

     For those that have never gone to the island…it was our third trip…the place is quite unique.  They work hard to keep it special.  Most know about the lack of motorized vehicles and it seems the fudge capital of the world, yet there is so much more to the place.  What astounded us were the bicycles.  Oh on past visits, we had seen all the places that rented the two wheel pedal powered machines.  We knew that people used them to get around on the island.  But what surprised us on this trip was the sheer number…thousands and thousands of bikes…some moving down the streets in their own traffic congestion and many more parked along the sidewalks.  It required care to cross the major streets as we dodged all the cyclists…their spouses and children, on their singles, tandems, and bikes with what they called towable seats that had pedals of their own.  There were bicycle delivery people, and law enforcement bikes.  Bikes, bikes, everywhere.  Except us.  I thought we might rent a tandem

Beautiful flowers graced each place we visited

but walked instead…walked and walked and walked.  We walked to see the Frigate Niagara, a tall ship on its last day at the island.  We walked to the butterfly house.  We walked up the shore as far as Arch Rock.  We walked to St Anne’s Church, to a restaurant, to about a hundred and fifty shops that sold many things, including fudge.  We walked part way around the south side of the island, up the hill to the Grand Hotel…had some of the most fantastic ice cream there.  Yeah, I cheated a little…but I had been walking…a lot.

After we walked some more, shopped some more, walked some more, and had a light supper, we caught the next to the last ferry home, the end of a wonderful day.  Like I said until you have spent some time on Mackinac Island you can’t understand…completely.  With aching calves we finished day three, sitting on our balcony and watching the day fade away.

Without motor vehicles other means are needed...
 

Our vacation story will continue next week.

      







So many butterflies floated all around us in the
 "The Original Butterfly House". 
The Red Doris were kind enough to pose.


 



Though we watched many Blue Morphos
flit about with their wing tops a brilliant blue, I found them
difficult to photograph with wings spread. 
However one took a liking to Jackie's hat.
Perhaps a Purdue fan...