Ok, so you’re down to a few hours and you want to make the most of them. How do you start your day? If you’re me then you start at the Tourist Information Office, tell them all I had done and wanted to do and then ask their help in making the most of your day. This worked very well. I learned of two museums that had been closed, I learned of facilities which had moved, and my list was prioritized. The result became my day’s agenda.
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My first full day that focused exclusively on Cardiff required an overview. I hired a bike for three hours and set out to see the city. The experience reminded me of why I take a bicycle with me on road trips. I saw ten times more than I would have walking and when I was done my feet weren’t killing me. There was a lot to see; I came away impressed.
Where I’m staying is across the River Taff from downtown so I was already getting familiar with the lay of the land in that part of the city. What I hadn’t even seen was further south, toward Cardiff Bay, where in the past 20 years a massive redevelopment project has transformed what was once the world’s busiest port.
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Highway 2 across New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine is a very different experience from Highway 2 west of Lake Superior. In the west the road was straight and wide and fast; in the east it’s curvy and narrow and slow. However, it was a beautiful green ride through the Green Mountains, the White Mountains and the Mahoosuc Mountains as I drove from Burlington to Acadia National Park. As usual, I only wish I’d had more time.
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To complete my navigation of the U.S. side of Lake Erie I needed to drive from Detroit to Erie (perviously I’ve driven the Erie to Buffalo stretch). However, I woke up in Ann Arbor and there was no way I wasn’t going to tour the University of Michigan, visit the Ford Library, and go shirt-shopping for my girls. Since bed that night was south of Pittsburg I needed an early start and many hours behind the wheel. I’m homeward bound!
Since age 16 when I worked on the Ford for President campaign I’ve been a fan. Three day earlier I had visited his President Museum in Lancing and was very impressed. It’s very well done. While there I learned of the Library in Ann Arbor so I made it my first stop. It’s much smaller, not nearly so well done, but equally supportive and respectful of President Ford. My favorite part was the corner he used for his personal office till the end.
As for the lighthouses, they’re below. You look, I’ve got lots of driving to do!
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Why do I chase these things? Why are most people intrigued by lighthouses? They’re usually remote and always isolated. Most structures are unique if only by variation on a theme. Lighthouses are always near the water and usually in distinct settings. They serve an exotic purpose, guiding ships away from danger. The lifestyle of keepers was one of loneliness and monotony, yet in the worst of weather their commitment to duty was most important. The fact that theirs is a disappearing way of life only adds to make the mix a big draw. Somewhere in all this is why I chase lighthouses.
So around Lake Michigan I went hunting. Not fixated on numbers this time, I just enjoyed getting to those that I could and paying particular attention to the noteworthy. Along 3/5th of Lake Michigan’s coastline I visited 24 of the 118 total lights. It was fun.
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The Upper Peninsula of Michigan was just about the last place I’d ever get to. It wasn’t on the way to anywhere; it’s not near where I live; I don’t know anyone who lives there. This was my chance! My plan was to follow the coast of Lake Michigan with only two detours: 1) Whitefish Point Lighthouse and 2) Sault St. Marie in Canada. That night I’d rest my head near the Macinack Bridge which connects the two great peninsulas of Michigan.
Just as I entered Michigan I picked-up a map and guide to all of Michigan’s 118 lighthouses at the Visitors Welcome Center. Did you catch that? 118! Unlike other lighthouse trips to Maine and Oregon and Prince Edward Isle, I wasn’t going to try and see them all. This trip was my UP experience and time was limited. I was going to focus on the easy and the interesting lights. <fix>
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I spent the day learning the basics of Wisconsin and Green Bay then shooting up the Door Peninsula to visit Potawatomi State Park, Sturgeon Bay, Cana Island Lighthouse, up to Northport where ferries depart to near by islands. This peninsula protrudes east into Lake Michigan, as if Wisconsin’s thumb.
In Green Bay I visited the Railroad Museum and Neville Public Museum where I focused to learn local history. Everyone knows Wisconsin is all about cheese making, brewing, and lumber but who knew that Green Bay was once very big in ice farming!? Football was big in Green Bay where the legacy of Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers lives on to the present.
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By the time I arrived at Grand Teton National Park it was getting dark but the peaks and the clouds cast a mood worthy of shooting. This disappointed me somewhat as I know from previous visits how beautiful these mountains can be. No matter, I planned on spending lots of time in the area over the following day. Little did I know that road construction would prevent me from getting back to these commanding peaks.
Like a man on a mission I shot north through the Tetons, inched along the Rockefeller Parkway (which was being resurfaced) and wound my way through Yellowstone National Park in pitch darkness to the north entrance. My mission? To get some sleep, some food and some gas. When I finally got to Gardiner, MT I checked in to my motel and found food and gas at the only store open in town, five minutes before it closed. Whew!
I love Yellowstone and wanted to see as much as possible. The road network in the park is shaped like a figure “8” with radials heading off to five different entrances. During a very long day I covered it all save one road segment and one entrance which were both closed due to road construction. Though I didn’t do much hiking, I did see a lot, and it reinforced in me a feeling of awe. By late evening I had made it out the east entrance, through Cody WY and to my hotel in Billings, MT.
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Crater Lake takes my breath away. I’ve been to many places and this one is in the top tier of picturesque settings if it’s not closed due to weather. I’ve been up the mountain four times: twice I got to the lodge only, twice I’ve made it along the west rim, never have I driven the full perimeter. Even in the worst of situations I’ve seen been stunned but what I’ve seen. Enjoy these pictures!
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The tire repair and oil change had set me back so arrival at Lassen Volcanic National Park loomed late in the day. Furthermore, the primary and more dramatic park entrance had closed the night before due to heavy snow fall. Luckily I was able to get to the north entrance before closing … but only just before closing.
Things had been slow; bad weather had kept visitors away. On my arrival, the wonderful Park Service staff practically reopened the Visitor Center for me. They turned on the video system to show me the Lassen Park overview film. They walked me personally through their displays and picture gallery. They reopened the register to sell me a DVD. It may just have been that they were hungry to see a guest but they were very helpful to me. In just 30 minutes I had learned a great deal about Lassen NP!
Within the Visitors Center, the most interesting gallery contained the work of a photographer named B.F. Loomis who documented the last eruption cycle of these volcanoes back in 1914 and 1915. On display were many of his pictures, the equipment he used, and many artifacts from the period. His work was an important contributor to the successful campaign to make Lassen a National Park. As a photographer I especially enjoyed his pictures; the one above is his second plate from the first eruption.
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