October 2, 2009

Rain, rain, go away! This is the first day since leaving home that it has rained almost the entire day. It is also the first day that we have not been able to get good pictures because of the rain. We were able to see everything except the Big Sable Point Lighthouse. It requires a 1.4 mile walk each way to get to get there, and we didn’t bring any rain suits. A postcard will have to suffice for this lighthouse.

Our first stop today was in the town of Frankfort, MI which was hit hard by the blowing sand a few days ago. They had to push sand from some of the roads, and off the sidewalks. This second photo is of the Frankfort North Breakwater Light. The tower was erected in 1912.

Next, we headed to Point Betsie, MI to see the Point Betsie Lighthouse. Unfortunately, the property won’t be open until tomorrow. We managed a few pictures through the trees (third photo). Point Betsie was built in 1858, and was large enough to accommodate two keepers. This is one of the largest lighthouse dwellings on the lakes.

By now it was evident that the gods were not with us. It was time to make a decision… forget the planned day and hit the antique shops and malls! It didn’t take long to find a good place to stop, and the day immediately got better. Not only did this mall have some “good stuff”, it had the products from a local winery! Throughout the remainder of the afternoon, we hit two or three more antique shops which ended our day on a pleasant note, with some fun, and tasty, purchases.

Our fourth photo shows a portion of highway. You will notice that it looks very different in one area. Think about all we have talked about on our blog and see if you can figure out what this is and why it is on the highway. The answer is at the bottom of today’s blog.

Our sign for today was spotted near Beulah, MI. Remember this is cherry country.
Tomorrow we will be making our way across Michigan to spend the night in Sandusky, Ohio.

T&C

Answer: The highway has been covered with the same material that they put on the road at stop lights. It is called the “stop bar” and indicates the place to stop at the light. On this highway it is used to protect the road surface from the snowmobiles. Without it, the snowmobiles will wear ruts in the pavement. There are over 6200 miles of snowmobile trails in Michigan, complete with stop signs, route numbers, bridges and road crossings.