Figured it wasn’t going to get any warmer and the park site visitor centers would be closed so decided to forgo the trip to the Upper Peninsula, Mackinac and Isle Royale until next spring.  Scooted across the state and drove down through the Manistee National Forest.  Found some wonderful back roads where the brilliant maples were kind enough to keep their leaves for a while longer. Also stopped to check out a pile of carrots along the road.  Found out the deer hunters have taken a tip from the fishermen and are using carrots & sugar beets as bait. 

A rainy day retreat in Holland. A bit late for the tulip festival but they promise 6,000,000 of them if you show up in the spring.  The following day was sunny so went in search of the windmill (there has to be one).  Turns out it’s an authentic one, shipped from the Netherlands.  The park that housed it was ringed by tall fences. Deer LOVE tulips.  Although the park was closed, a caretaker said timing is everything and they remove it the night before the park’s opening

Was strongly urged by the desk clerk at my motel to stop by Crane’s Orchard.  The restaurant is part-museum, part-apple pie, both worth stopping for. 

Found myself thrashing around the back roads of Indiana when I stumbled upon a narrow road along the Wabash River.  For all its beauty, it also has a dark side – it’s the Potawatomie Death Trail traveled by the Indians who were forced to leave Indiana for Kansas. Many died of disease and the cold.

On my way thru Indiana to visit an old friend in Champaign, I stopped at the Tippecanoe

Memorial for a walk through the history of the final Indian battle.  The dream of Tecumseh and his brother (called the Prophet) to form a separate Indian Confederacy died with this event.  Sadly, The Prophet had convinced the Indian fighters they would be invincible to army bullets delivered by General William Henry Harrison’s troops

Presidential candidate, Harrison also made history.  It was the first time a candidate had been nominated by a political convention and the first marketing of a candidate – Tippecanoe & Tyler Too.  Ironically, Harrison who had survived many battles died of pneumonia after only a month in office.

The great adventure (for the time being) has ended.  A trip that began last August was the joy of a lifetime and a confirmation that dreams can come true.   

So many thank you(s) need to be said.  

First, to Ken Burns whose National Parks film on PBS inspired me to begin the trip. After watching the series, I knew I had to at least try. I also said many thank yous to the people, (especially John Muir) who never gave up the dream of having a national park system.

Next to the National Park Service.  They’re truly treasures and I loved every one I saw.  People kept asking, “What’s your favorite?”  All of them.  If you visit and don’t do the Ranger Walks or Programs, you’ve missed out on hearing from some extremely knowledgeable and passionate people about the history, past cultures and geology.

Thanks also to the wonderful guide of scenic highways and by-ways put out by the National Geographic Society. Their routes, accompanied by suggested stops kept me off the interstates and took me through the most exhilarating heights, along river-edged valley floors, pine-forested and wooded trails and so many other stunning meanderings.  I felt like I was on the world’s best and longest amusement park ride.

And the beautiful state, county and city parks that preserve beautiful spaces for us to experience and enjoy.  I sat at many of their picnic tables and enjoyed the lovely surroundings. 

And foundation-sponsored historic sites that fill in the story behind the story of the people who preceded us. Some heroes, some scoundrels and some a little of both.

To the small towns who have maintained their historic downtown and museums so visitors can learn about how you came to be. Their collections are extensive and the enthusiastic volunteers who keep them open, draw you into their story.  

Thanks also to everyone who planted lovely flower gardens and decorated their lawns with interesting and amusing objects that brought a smile as I drove by.

To all those who have reconstructed and renovated the grand historic homes. You can see these magnificent structures are lovingly restored to their original beauty.

Also to the UU hosts who welcomed me into their homes and made me feel like a favored relative and the churches who warmly greeted me.

I have to include my children who resisted the urge  to have me declared incompetent and deranged and stash me someplace where I wouldn’t be a danger to myself or others. Their “Go Mom” was with me constantly.

Thought about the Billy Collins poem that talks about “you shoulda been here last week, fall, spring, etc.  I may not have been there for the “peak” season but I’ve never been disappointed. Sometimes I’ve been the lone visitor or the lone member of the tour.  A wonderful opportunity for a one-on-one conversation.

I began with a few preconceived ideas of what I would find and am very happy to say I found this is a magnificent country filled with interesting, kind and helpful people, both natives and visitors from other lands.  It can get pretty lonely traveling by yourself so was forced to get to know people along the way. Heard some wonderful stories and got great advice.  It doesn’t have to end when you return home – standing in line at the grocery, waiting for a bus, wherever; rarely ran across anyone who wasn’t willing to chat. 

Wishing you “Bon Voyage” on your adventure(s).  If a single seventy year old can do it, you can find one of your own.  Gallivantin Granny