Rainy day adventures

Another day, another surprising adventure.  We left Frankenmuth a little late Tuesday because of an unseen dental emergency-Carl lost a crown.  Fortunately he found a wonderful family dental clinic, that saw him immediately, took an x-ray, and reaffixed the crown all for under $100.   

Java Joe Menu

After that, it was off to the lovely Upper Peninsula town of St. Ignace (pronounced, we learned Ignahs), which is our home base for a trip to Mackinac Island (pronounced Mackinaw), which has long been on my bucket list.  Mackinac Island allows no cars, so it is much easier to stay in St. Ignace, and then take the ferry. 

We had planned to do that today, but a rainy forecast made it seem better to put off until tomorrow.  So, our original plan had been to take an “off” day, and read, pay bills, do laundry, etc.  But, during breakfast at a local “landmark,” Java Joe’s, we read ideas printed on their menus about things to do in this area, and suddenly necessary chores took a back seat.  

Shipwreck Museum

We drove up to the Whitefish Point Lighthouse and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at the eastern end of Lake Superior.  There have been numerous shipwrecks (including the Edmund Fitzgerald) right at Whitefish Point because of the fog, and because it narrows there into a river that flows into Lake Huron.  

About this modern shipwreck

Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial

Lake Superior

The museum did a wonderful job with photos/drawings and models of the ships, and explanations of how each shipwreck occurred.  We saw a display of the lights themselves, which are huge.  Way back in the day, they were lit by oil, and then electricity.  It was up to the lighthouse keeper to make sure the light flashed at the right intervals.  

An actual lighthouse, and keeper's house

Whitefish Point Beach

Right now, it is all done by computer, so the job of Lighthouse Keeper has gone the way of buggy-whip maker, and it’s handled by the Coast Guard.  There was also a reproduction of the lighthouse keeper’s house, which connected via tunnel to the lighthouse itself.  Unfortunately the lighthouse itself was inaccessible, but the whole day was definitely better than paperwork and ironing.

So, tomorrow, the rain is supposed to let up and it is off to Mackinac Island, and I will be definitely be writing about that!

Dinner at the end of an enjoyable day