Listing Through Life

We passed this lighthouse on our way out of Ludington Harbor on our trip across Lake Michigan on the S.S. Badger car ferry. The lighthouse was built in 1924.

We didn’t get anywhere near this lighthouse either. Here’s what it would look like if we did.

We arrived at Sleeping Bear Dunes after a very long day of sight-seeing and driving. We drove the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, but we only got out of the car at a few of the stops.

The Sleeping Bear herself sleeps at stop #10, and when we got there, we discovered we would have to walk. It wasn’t a long walk, and I knew that if I went to Sleeping Bear Dunes without seeing the sleeping bear, I wouldn’t be able to sleep (bare or otherwise). Here’s what’s left of her.

The Chippewa Indians explained its origins this way: “Long ago, along the Wisconsin shoreline, a mother bear and her two cubs were driven into Lake Michigan by a raging forest fire. The bears swam for many hours, but eventually the cubs tired and lagged behind. Mother Bear reached the shore and climbed to the top of a high bluff to watch and wait for her cubs. Too tired to continue, the cubs drowned within sight of shore. Sleeping Bear Dune marks the spot where Mother Bear waited. Her hapless cubs are the Manitou Islands.”

What I don’t understand is this: If the mother bear was sleeping, how could she be watching? And if she was watching, why couldn’t she see her cubs? After all, they were a whole lot larger than she is. Anyway … the dune doesn’t look much like a bear anymore. At one time it was a large mound covered with dark vegetation, but it is wearing away quickly due to natural erosion. I wonder how the Chippewa explain that? If you look just above the highest point of the bear, you can see the South Manitou Lighthouse (built in 1871 — right on one of the bear cubs).

We also got out at stop #9 to see the bluffs. A sign at the top of the bluff warned that the lake was 450 steep feet below and that the climb back up was strenuous. As you can see, there were several people dopey enough to climb down. We enjoyed watching them climb back up — two feet up, one-and-a-half feet back, repeat, then sit and pant. We were willing to let sleeping bears lie.

We walked to this fort from our hotel along the shore of Lakes Huron and Michigan and under the Mackinac Bridge. It’s been restored and is operated by the State of Michigan, and I was very impressed.

The original fort was built in 1715 by the French as a trading post. The British took it over when they defeated the French and took over their North American possessions. The Indians decided they didn’t like the British. As part of Pontiac’s rebellion, they attacked the fort. It happened on the king’s birthday. The Indians started a ball game, and when their ball went close to the front gate, they suddenly turned on the British and killed or captured them all. Soon thereafter, British troops burned the fort and moved their operation to Mackinac Island.

The fort has been carefully reconstructed using maps, historical documents and archaeological digs, so it looks very much like it used to. A dig was going on while we were there, and some areas have even been left alone to be explored with the advanced archaeological technology of the future. Men and women in period costume interpreted life in the 1700’s. Some buildings contained exhibits on Indians, trading, the life of troops, etc.

We took our time and explored everything. As the morning went on, tourists flocked in. The place was crawling with people, but to get away from the crowd all we had to do was go into an exhibit area where reading and thinking was required.

Here’s the front gate, where the Indian attack took place.

The building in the foreground in the next photo is a row house where traders lived.

The roped-off area in the photo below (with the tables and barrels) is the current dig.

This woman was growing succotash. Really. She planted beans around the base of corn stalks so as the corn grew, the beans could climb up the stalks.

As we were wandering about, we came upon a soldier organizing a militia company made up of tourists’ children. He was explaining the importance of allegiance to the king. He asked if anybody knew who the king was. There was a pause, then one kid tentatively asked, “Elvis?”

After vacationing with my parents in Wisconsin, we took the scenic route home through the Upper Peninsula. We crossed the Mackinac Bridge and got a hotel room in Mackinaw City. (Incidentally, whether it’s spelled “Mackinac” or Mackinaw,” it’s pronounced “Mackinaw.”)

The Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse was in a park right across the street. It was advertised as a maritime museum, accessible on the admission ticket for Fort Michilimackinac. It was closed for renovation, but they forgot to lower the price of the admission ticket for the fort.

The lighthouse began as a foghorn station in 1890 and remained in operation until 1957 when the Mackinac Bridge (visible on the right in the top photo) opened.

Incidentally, the bridge is the dividing line between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Which caused me to wonder — Did they build the bridge on the exact line or has the man-made structure taken on geographic significance? And what is the record for most times an individual fish has crossed from one lake to the other?

The Copper Harbor Lighthouse is on a small mainland peninsula, but is only accessible to tourists by boat. This was my younger daughter’s first boat ride — she sat on her Grandpa’s lap and seemed to enjoy herself. The ride took about 15 minutes.

The light went into service in 1849, just five years after copper was discovered in the region, but the current building was built in 1867. In 1933, the light itself was moved to the top of a skeleton tower (visible in the photos).

The brochure said the boat ride would be narrated and the lighthouse tour would be guided. The boat driver said a few words before we left the dock but added nothing at all during the trip. We were met at the lighthouse dock by a girl who muttered a few words about the building then said she’d be available for questions. She then disappeared for the duration of our visit.

The downstairs of the lighthouse was filled with exhibits and models of ships that have sunk in the area. The second floor has been restored to its probable appearance as a keeper’s residence. We weren’t allowed into the tower. We walked a short trail around the point then sat on the dock and waited for the boat to return. It was thundering, and it began raining just as we boarded for the trip back. The driver had a supply of parkas, and we huddled down during a fairly hard downpour. We were just glad we weren’t part of the tour that had just gotten dropped off at the light.