MICHIGAN TRAVEL TIPS
FROM
THE HOLOGLOBE PRESS
(The 26th Edition)by
Victor Edward Swanson,
Publisherwww.hologlobepress.com
RULES OF USE
The reports and stories contained on this Web page have been put together with information taken from "The Victor Swanson Fabulous Files of Places to See in Michigan and Wisconsin" and with information obtained from operators and staffers of tourist attractions and from press releases, Web sites, and other sources. The reports and stories are provided as a public service by Victor Swanson and The Hologlobe Press. Almost all persons and entities, such as staffers of radio stations, may freely use the materials; neither AAA Michigan nor any employee of AAA Michigan may use, distribute, download, transmit, copy, or duplicate any of the material presented on this page in any way or through any means.
- - - Travel Thoughts for Everyone - - -
Over the last two years or so up to this point in time, I have written the main structure of the editions of Michigan Travel Tips at one of two places. Mostly, I have used my residence to write editions of Michigan Trave Tips. On a few occasions, I have written editions of Michigan Travel Tips at a desk near the reference computers in the Mardigian Library at the Dearborn Campus of the University of Michigan.
The main structure of this report has been written at a residence of a friend who has a home along Lake Huron--specifically the Hammond Bay area of Lake Huron--of Michigan. The residence at Hammond Bay is about halfway between Cheboygan and Rogers City, and if you were to drive from this place along Hammond Bay to Cheboygan, you would discover the trip would take about twenty minutes, and if you were to drive from this place along Hammond Bay to Rogers City, you would discover the trip would take about twenty minutes. By the way, if you were to make the trip from Hammond Bay to Rogers City or the trip from Hammond Bay to Cheboygan, you would probably use US-23, and on a trip to Rogers City from Hammond Bay, you would pass by the little road that leads to 40 Mile Point Lighthouse and 40 Mile Point Lighthouse Park, and that road is not the road that is marked "40 Mile Point Road," which is a little south of the little road that leads to 40 Mile Point Lighthouse Park (which has a sign that indicates it is the way to 40 Mile Point Lighthouse). My reason for having to write the main structure of this edition of Michigan Travel Tips at the residence in the Hammond Bay area is I am working/vacationing at this place in the Hammond Bay area--mostly, I have been doing work to help the friend, such as by putting a "rat wall" (a chipmunk wall or squirrel wall) around a tool-shed-like building and putting a new roof on the tool-shed-like building (which is referred to as the "little house"), by doing general maintenance on the grounds, and by do plumbing. The residence happens to be right on the "lake" (along Hammond Bay), but I am writing the main structure of this edition of Michigan Travel Tips within the residence since it is evening, though an evening in which I could sit out on the beach near the water, the waves of which are quite calm, about the calmest that I have been able to see and hear over the past two weeks or so. Instead of writing this report on this evening, I could set up a telescope that is here and look at the stars, or I could put on boots or "rubbers" and walk out in to the water, which has a rocky bed to glide upon (the beach area does not have a wonderful bed of sand that stretches out for some distance out into the water, which would allow a person to easily walk with bare feet in the water). From the main building of the residence, which is a house, I can see a bit of the lake or the bay through trees, most of which are pine trees, and I can see, if I look in the right direction (north), a small barn-like structure, which is used to store such items as a wood chipper (a machine), a big and heavy snowblower, and a lawnmower.
The drive from the Dearborn area--or really the Ferndale area--to the Hammond Bay area makes up the underlying structure for this edition of Michigan Travel Tips (the Ferndale area is the area at which my friend and I met to start the trip to the Hammond Bay area). During the drive, I noted in a notepad the many things that a person could see if the person were to follow the same northbound route that we used to get to the Hammond Bay area, which is really several roads; we used--roughly--northbound Woodward Avenue, northbound I-75, northbound I-475 (which goes through Flint), northbound I-75 (between about Flint and Alger, a portion of road that gets called I-75 and even I-75/US-23), northbound M-33, northbound M-33/westbound M-32, northbound M-33 (without the M-32 designation attached), eastbound M-68, northbound Ocqueoc Road, and northbound US-23. Through this edition of Michigan Travel Tips, I point out many things a person should look for and should see if the person were to take the same trip as we took, and, incidentally, many of the things are not the usual things that other people may write about.
Keep in mind: If you were to take the same trip--using the same route--your watching for the things would probably make the trip more enjoyable, since you would be more alert and less bored (though the trip would not be boring if you did not look for any of the things), and if you were to take the same trip with children, you would give them a lot to do by keeping their eyes focused on what is around outside your vehicle.
Here are the things or the signs related to things that you should watch for:
1. The Pontiac Silverdome -- It is along I-75 in Oakland County and is on the left, and it is the former home for the Detroit Lions, and you should see it around the exit 77A/77B area.
2. The Palace of Auburn Hills -- It is along I-75 in Oakland County and is on the right, and this is, for one, the arena where the Detroit Pistons play basketball games when that are at home, and you should be able to see it in the exit 81 area.
3. Great Lakes Crossing -- It is along I-75 in Oakland County near Baldwin Road and is on the left, and this place is a big shopping mall that was opened in 1998.
4. The DTE Energy Music Center -- It is near the junction of I-75 and Sashabaw Road in Oakland County, and it is on the right, and, really, this place is at Clarkston, and this place is where concerts, such as by rock musicians, are regularly given in the summer.
5. Indian Springs Metropark -- It is a very short distance from I-75 in the Clarkston/Anderson/Springfield area or, officially, in White Lake Township, and it is off to the left, and it is a little south of the Holly State Recreation Area, which is a little off of I-75 and to the right in the Holly area.
6. Mt. Holly -- This place is along I-75 and is in the Holly area, and you should see it on the right, and it will look like a big hill, which happens to be used, for one, as a ski area in the winter, and, officially, the place is located at 13536 South Dixie Highway.
7. The Flint Water Tower -- This is along I-475 at Flint, which is in Genesee County, and it will be on the right.
8. Auto City Speedway -- This place for racing automobiles and other vehicles is located at Clio (which is pronounced "Cli-oh" and not "Clee-oh") of Genesee County.
9. Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad -- This place, which has been open for the summer-tourist seasons for thirty years, is reached by leaving I-75/US-23 at exit 126, which is in the Flint area, and near this exit, you should watch for what a friend of mine calls "concrete hill."
10. Bronner's Christmas Wonderland -- You should see signs around exit 136 in Saginaw County that note how you can get to Bronner's Christmas Wonderland (which is at Frankenmuth of Saginaw County), which is, for one, a store that features products related to Christmas, and you should see that one way to get to the place is by leaving I-75/US-23 at exit 136 (which is in the Birch Run area).
11. The Dixie Motor Speedway -- This place can be reached by leaving I-75/US-23 at exit 136 in the Birch Run area of Saginaw County, and the "Dixie" part of the name comes from the road along which it exists, the Dixie Highway.
12. The Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge -- This place is sort of along I-75/US-23 in the Saginaw area (of Saginaw County), and, in truth, it is a little west of I-75/US-23 and is located at 6975 Mower Road.
13. Children's Zoo at Celebration Square -- This zoo is a place for children and can be reached by exiting I-75/US-23 in Saginaw, but the Children's Zoo at Celebration Square, which has such animals as bald eagles, river otters, and wolves, is only open is in the summer and a few other weekends in the latter quarter of the year.
14. The Zilwaukee Bridge -- This is a big bridge along I-75/US-23 that you can first see from about mile marker 151 (by the way, I-75 is marked in miles, and the markings start with "one" near the Michigan/Ohio border and increase from south to north); this bridge allows traffic on I-75/US-23 to pass over the Saginaw River.
15. Delta College -- Exit 160 along I-75/US-23 is one exit that a person can use on a trip to Delta College, which is at Bay City and has a planetarium.
16. "Flag" -- Off to the left in the Wilder Road area of Bay County is an American flag made of bricks (it seems); on one side of the flag (the south side), you will see 50 stars, and on the other side (the north side), you will see 13 stars.
17. Bay City State Recreation Area -- This park run by the state of Michigan is several miles east of I-75/US-23 in the Beaver Road area of Bay County, and you cannot see it from the freeway, but you will see a sign that makes you aware of it (Beaver Road is a little north of Bay City).
18. Deer Acres Storybook Amusement Park -- This place is in Pinconning of Bay County, and one way in which to get to this tourist attraction is to leave I-75/US-23 at exit 173 (which is also known as the Linwood exit).
19. Standish Correctional Facility -- Around exit 190, you will see a sign that notes "PRISON AREA DO NOT PICK UP HITCHHIKERS," and the sign is related to the Standish Correctional Facility.
20. Oil wells -- Between Alger and Rose City, when you are on M-33, you will come across the scent of oil in the air, and if you look carefully or pay attention, you might see an oil well or oil tanks. (In parts of Michigan, oil wells are pulling out oil from the ground).
21. Historical marker -- At Rose City, which is in Ogemaw County, there is a state historical marker at the city hall, which is on the right side of the road along M-33, and, by the way, on the property of the city hall is a picnic area, and when you drive through the Rose City area, you will see a sign that gives information about Green Briar Public Golf Course, which is at Lupton, which is east of Rose City.
22. A pink elephant -- The Mio area, which is in Oscoda County, is one of the Kirtland Warbler viewing areas of Michigan, and that is one reason you will find the Kirtland's Warbler Monument at Mio (it is on the right side of the road), but when you pass through Mio on M-33, you will also see a pink elephant.
23. The "Big Chair" -- In the Fairview area of Oscoda County, M-33 is really M-33/M-72 (since M-33 and M-72 are joined for a bit), and in the Fairview area, near Smith Lake and Caldwell Road, you should look for a big chair, which is set up at a business on the left side of the road (by the way, Fairview is called the "Wild Turkey Capital"--at least in Michigan).
24. Steiner Museum -- This museum is located in the Fairview area of Oscoda County, and it is on the left side of the road along M-33, and it is a museum that is made up of several buildings. (This museum has a restored one-room schoolhouse, and you can learn about other restored one-room schoolhouses that exist in Michigan by seeing Michigan Travel Tips # 23, which you can get to by clicking on the following link: Travel 23.)
25. Michigan Magazine Museum -- In the Comins area, on the left side of the road of M-33, is this museum, which is related to a television show entitled Michigan Magazine, which has been shown on public-television stations in Michigan for many years and has information about Tommy Durden, a person who once lived in Houghton Lake (of Michigan) and helped write the famous song called "Heartbreak Hotel," and at this place, you will see a big sculpture of an Indian head (which has two feathers). (This museum also has a sculpture of an Indian head, more of which you can learn about by reading Michigan Travel Tips #19, which you can get to by clicking on the following link: Travel #19.)
Warning, Warning, Warning: You may have missed it--the "it" is a "shoe tree" that is along M-33 in the Fairview/Comins area of Oscoda County, and if you did miss it and want to see it, you will have to turn around, go south, and look for it (do not go south of Reber Road).
26. The Red Caboose -- In Comins, which is a really small town, you will be able to see a real railroad caboose, and if you stop in Comins, you can see it up close, and to first see it while driving, you have to look on the left side of the road.
27. "The roller coaster" -- A friend of mine calls a short section of M-33 (about five miles of M-33) between an S-curve place (which is in northern Oscoda County and where the top speed is only 30 miles an hour) and the Sage Lake area (which is Montmorency County) "the roller coaster," because the area has a series of quick ups and downs, like roller-coaster hills (these hills are in contrast to, for instance, the hills of M-33 that exist in the general Rose City/Mio area, which are and can be called slow rolling hills).
28. "Smokey the Bear" -- At forest ranger stations in the state, you will see signs that have a bear ("Smokey the Bear") and information about the fire danger, and one such sign is located in the Atlanta area (Did you see the one at Mio?).
29. Clear Lake State Park -- One of the many state parks, which are public parks, is Clear Lake State Park, which exists in the Mackinaw State Forest and is in northern Montmorency County, and you will see an entrance for the park on the left side of the road.when you use M-33 (the entrance is about ten miles beyond Atlanta).
Warning, Warning, Warning: Look carefully along the right side of the road near Clear Lake State Park for the sign that indicates the road that can take you to a "sinkholes"-viewing area.
30. Onaway Motor Speedway -- This is another of the places of Michigan at which guys and gals can race cars and other vehicles (mostly in the summer and on weekends), and from M-33, you cannot really see the speedway, which is off to the left, but you can see the big sign for the speedway, and, officially, the speedway is about a half mile south--or is it "west"?--of downtown Onaway.
31. Ocqueoc Falls -- This falls is located in the Ocqueoc area, and to find a way to it while on Ocqueoc Road, look for a sign posted along the right side of the road.
32. The "Ocqueoc Road Roller Coaster" -- There is another roller-coaster area on this trip, and it is located along Ocqueoc Road between M-68 and US-23.
I also report within this paragraph a few other things you might see, and I make the report without giving the specific locations of the things. Along the route, you will see yellow signs that have images in black paint, and one type of image is a profile of a truck and another type of image is a profile of a deer (body); notice how the antlers are set up on each sign that has an image of a deer, and wonder if something is wrong, and when you see a sign that shows a deer, it means you are entering an area where deer often cross the road--so stay alert and be ready to slow down or stop. From time to time, you might see signs that have a bunch of writing, the biggest word of which is "land," and you should not understand these signs are designed to show you what "land" is, but you should understand these signs, such as those that are white and have black letters, are promoting a piece of land is for purchase. Watch for a "fish" mail box at a house--which is a mail box shaped like fish--along the road. While on M-33, you may see a horse and a carriage being driven by an Amish man. And you could see a sign that notes that Atlanta is the "Elk Capital."
And that concludes my listing of things that you can see on a trip similar with a trip that I took, but I am not done with this edition of Michigan Travel Tips, having to yet pass along some special events that occurred during my trip. For one, on three different evenings, I was able to see a shooting star (a meteor); my being able to see shooting stars regularly from my residence in the Detroit area is hard to do. I was able say to hello and see the post commander at the Michigan State Police Post at Cheboygan--the post commander is F/Lt. Kenneth L. Holmes. And on Tuesday, June 6, 2006, I received first-hand information from a crewman of the old Mackinaw about the fate of the old Mackinaw, which had been a cutter in the Great Lakes for about six decades, and the crewman, who had worked in the engine room for about three years, said that the old Mackinac had been acquired for display at Mackinaw City for the years to come.
Some of your travel tips in Michigan in this edition of Michigan Travel Tips are:
Auto City Speedway, Clio, Genesee County, the Lower Peninsula.
Bay City State Recreation Area, Bay County, the Lower Peninsula.
Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, Frankenmuth, Saginaw County, the Lower Peninsula.
Children's Zoo at Celebration Square, Saginaw, Saginaw County, the Lower Peninsula.
Clear Lake State Park, the Atlanta area, Montmorency County, the Lower Peninsula.
Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad, Flint, Genesee County, the Lower Peninsula.
Deer Acres Storybook Amusement Park, Pinconning, Bay County, the Lower Peninsula.
Dixie Motor Speedway, Birch Run, Saginaw County, the Lower Peninsula.
DTE Energy Music Center, Clarkston, Oakland County, the Lower Peninsula.
Indian Springs Metropark, White Lake Township, Oakland County, the Lower Peninsula.
Mt. Holly, Holly, Oakland County, the Lower Peninsula.
Onaway Motor Speedway, Onaway, Presque Isle County, the Lower Peninsula.
Michigan Magazine Museum, Comins, Oscoda County, the Lower Peninsula.
Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, Saginaw, Saginaw County, the Lower Peninsula.
Steiner Museum, the Fairview area, Oscoda County, the Lower Peninsula.
- - - Public Service Copy for Broadcasters (four pieces) - - -
Number One:
Mostly, when a traveler uses roads to get between De Tour
Village and Ironwood--both of which are in the Upper Peninsula
of Michigan--the traveler uses two-lane roads. There are rules
about how to travel on two-lane roads as safely as possible. One
of the rules is about how to pull out on to a two-lane main road
in an area where there is no traffic light and motorists often run on
the road at speeds higher than 55 miles an hour. In such an
instance, a person who wants to pull on to such a road must see to
it that oncoming traffic is far, far down the road, which could be
over a quarter mile or more down the road, because it will take
time get up to speed and not be trouble for any oncoming traffic.
If you go to the Depot Historical Museum at Ironwood or the De
Tour Point Light at De Tour Village, be patient on those two-lane
roads, and only pull out when oncoming traffic is far down the road.
And enjoy your safe traveling!
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Number Two:
The people of Atlanta, which is in Montmorency County of the
Lower Peninsula of Michigan, boast that Atlanta is the "Elk Capital"
of Michigan, and their being able to say that is based on fact--they
are in what is considered some of the elk country of the state,
which is one reason some people like to go to Clear Lake State
Park, which is in the Atlanta area. Officially, Clear Lake State
Park became a state park in 1966, and since then, people have
used the park throughout the year. Of course, throughout the
year, a person can go to the park to try to see an elk. In the
winter, a person can cross-country ski in the park, and during the
summer-tourist season, a person can look for metal artifacts in
the sanctioned metal-detecting areas, and a person can go fishing
or swimming. The main entrance to Clear Lake State Park that
is near Atlanta is along M-33, and on the way to that entrance,
drive to enjoy your safe traveling in Michigan.
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Number Three:
Every month, The Hologlobe Press publishes a new an
Internet-only travel page entitled Michigan Travel Tips, and each
edition can be found at www.hologlobepress.com, which is the
main Web page for The Hologlobe Press. The publisher of The
Hologlobe Press, who is Victor Swanson, has this advice for you
about driving and passing on rural two-lane roads in Michigan.
In Michigan, the center line of a main rural two-lane road is really
an intermittent yellow line. When the center line has an additional
continuous yellow line on your side, you are in a "no-passing zone"
or a no-passing-allowed zone. Victor Swanson says that, even
though an area is not marked as a "no-passing zone," it may be a
bad area in which to pass, since he has found not all bad areas for
passing are marked as no-passing zones. Use good judgement
when thinking about passing in a designated passing zone to enjoy
your safe traveling.
###
Number Four:
You should realize some counties of Michigan have many more
tourist attractions than other counties have; for example, Wayne
County, which is in the Lower Peninsula, has dozens and dozens
of tourist attactions, and Menominee County, which is in the Upper
Peninsula, has only a few tourist attactions. Newaygo County,
which is in the Lower Peninsula, has enough tourist attractions that
you could not see all in one day or even one weekend. For
instance, the county has the Hardy Dam Rustic Nature Trail, which
is near Croton, and it has the Newaygo County Council for the Arts
Gallery, which is at Fremont, and it has the North Country Trail
Schoolhouse at White Cloud, and it has the Lake Loda Wildflower
Sanctuary, which is at White Cloud. If you want to find more than
enough to do in one county of Michigan, think about seeing
Newaygo County. Remember: In Newaygo County, enjoy your
safe traveling!
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- - - Contact Information - - -
The Hologlobe Press
Postal Box 5455
Dearborn, Michigan 48128-0455
The United States of Americacopyright c. 2006
File date: 10 June 2006To see the next edition of Michigan Travel Tips,
click on: Travel #27.
To see the previous edition of Michigan Travel Tips,
click on: Travel #25.
To see the catalog page for Michigan Travel Tips,
click on: Travel.
To go to the main page of The Hologlobe Press,
click on: www.hologlobepress.com.
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