Midwest Trip, September 2025

 

Midwest trip around Lake Michigan

September 3-23, 2025

• Wed, Sept 3  Fly to Chicago, Overnight in Aurora, IL
• Thu, Sept 4  Wed Visit family and friends, overnight in Milwaukee, WI
• Fri, Sept 5   Milwaukee
• Sat, Sept 6   Sheboygan, Door County, Green Bay, overnight Marinette, WI
• Sun & Mon, Sept 7 & 8   Munising, MI
• Tue, Sept 9  Marquette (UP) MI
• Wed, Sept 10  Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
• Thu & Fri, Sept 11 & 12  Mackinaw City, MI
• Sat, Sept 13  Traverse City, MI
• Sun & Mon, Sept 14 & 15 Empire, MI
• Tue, Sept 16  Grand Rapids, MI
• Wed, Sept 17  Holland, MI
• Thu, Sept 18  South Bend, IN
• Fri - Mon, Sept 19-22  Chicago-area, IL
• Tue, Sept 23 Fly back to Seattle

Total mileage 2,127

Mon Sept 22 Chicago, IL

Today we drove into Chicago to visit the Field Museum.  And we thought Seattle had bad traffic...  I forgot how many trucks there are in the Midwest.

We met a friend of Tom's for breakfast then off to the Field Museum.  Afterward I wanted to visit the area around the museum because the park was a small airport when I lived in ILL (40 year ago).  It seems a better use as a park and they call the area the Museum Campus.  It is fairly close to Grant Park so a great place to hang out.

We did not dawdle because we had plans to meet my brother for dinner and there's traffic.  Normally in a big city like this we would take public transit if possible.  But the Field Museum is not easily accessible via transit and would have been a hassle.  Now don't get me wrong people...we've been to Japan, remember?  We can do trains.  Parking was pretty convenient, just really skinny spaces and the address of the parking garage is not really the address of the parking entrance - it's a game.  Only one 'round the block and we found it.

Dinner with my brother & sister-in-law was nice but went by quickly.  They were just returning from a weekend trip and had to get home and we had to pack.

Sat & Sun Sept 20 & 21 Chicago area, Family & Friends

Today is all about my family and friends.  No travel stuff.

This morning we had breakfast with my college friend Laura.  Then Laura & I had sometime to catch up before it was time to get dressed for my cousin's wedding.  

Link to pictures is coming

Fri Sept 19 South Bend IN to Lombard IL

We started out with a tour for the Notre Dame Campus.  Notre Dame was to play Purdue on Saturday so there was excitement for Football Friday.  We got to the campus "early" so we could get parked and sign up for a tour.  We arrive about 9:20 a.m. and the parking by the Visitor Center was already full and people everywhere.  We found street parking and had plenty of time to sign up for the tour.

Some of the highlights of the tour are the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes made 1/7th size of the actual grotto, the Main Building also known as the Golden Dome, Hesburgh Library named from their longtime president (who was the guy who opened ND to woman in '72) also known as Touchdown Jesus and the stadium which accommodates 80,000 people. 

We had lunch then it was off to the Indiana Dunes.  As a kid we would visit here during the summer sometimes.  To me it was great!  I loved running up and down the dunes.  On this vacation we had already been to the Sleeping Bear Dunes and at this point was just more sand.

Within the national park are these 5 houses called Century of Progress.  A real estate developer purchased these houses after the 1933 Chicago's World's Fair.  He moved them by barge.  I could write more but I don't want to lose my audience who could care less.  I took a picture of the sign that explains a bit more, I'll have Tom add it to his pictures.

https://www.nps.gov/indu/learn/historyculture/centuryofprogress.htm 

We parked and walked to see the houses but the road was narrow so we walked on the beach.  See the staircase to the pink house?  Why not just walk up there?  Why?!  because your shoes & socks will be covered with  burrs!  Thankfully only i walked to the house, so we only had to pull them off of my feet.

We stopped at the Hard Rock Casino in Gary, IN to get a pin for my collection.  Then it on to the Chicagoland traffic jam and we arrived in Lombard, IL.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/79q58E1061

Thurs Sept 18 Grand Rapids MI to South Bend IN

This morning we walked to the Grand Rapids Public Museum.  There were several field trips there, but kids make museums more interesting - well loud, if nothing else.  There is a renovation taking place so unfortunately the fashion exhibit I wanted to see was unbearably loud.  We took a few pictures.  It was an interesting little museum.

Then we were off to our next city.  Let me mention here that many cities/towns in the Midwest, certainly in Michigan and Illinois, are called Villages.  I grew up in the Village of Summit (Illinois).  Tom thought I was nuts, but I have been vindicated! He saw with his own eyes all the "Welcome to the Village of _______" signs.

Anyway we arrived in South Bend, Indiana.  Our first visit was to... a car museum.  (you're surprised, aren't you?) We went to the Studebaker Museum, which were made here in South Bend.  Look for more car pictures and Tom in a red Studebaker.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/79q58E1061

There's also a barouche (type of carriage) which was Abraham Lincoln's.  I believe the hearse is also for Abe Lincoln.  Studebaker was the only carriage maker who successfully transition into a successful car maker, for a time.

Wed Sept 17 Kalamazoo MI

We were off to Kalamazoo.  First stop the Gilmore Car Museum.  This museum is a clever model.  This guy (Don Gilmore) liked cars, so he bought more cars.  He had so many cars he started showing them to people.  He had lots of car friends so he let them put their cars on his property.  The result is this museum that houses cars for car clubs so some amazing collections of cars owned & maintained by various car clubs.

We took a break from cars to tour the WK Kellogg summer home nearby.  It is now Michigan State University property.  Also opened for self-guided tours and used for Kellogg events.

Then back to the car museum.  Doesn't Tom look stylish in the 1937 Cord?  (yeah, I never heard of it before either) Picture coming.

Next was the Air Zoo which is a clever name for an air & space museum in Kalamazoo.  Pictures of planes. 

Tue Sept 16 Grand Rapids MI

We started our day at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.  They state they are a world-renowned garden and I believe it could be true.  It was beautiful.

It was starting to get hot so time for the next thing.  A restored Frank Lloyd Wright house in the city.  It is the Meyer May House.  

Steelcase is a large employer here in Grand Rapids.  Steelcase bought the Meyer May House and restored it.  The restoration is a story of its own!  The house looks great.  Oh and admission is free to tour the house thanks to Steelcase.  They also use to house for events.

Next we visited the Gerald R Ford Museum.  It was an interesting museum.  Also Jerry & Betty are both buried here outside the museum.

We didn't see all the gardens so we went back to work off our dinner and see more of the gardens.  We got our hands stamped for re-enter so all set.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/xp2r852Y1X

Finally back to the hotel to catch up on pictures and the blog.  I hope you're enjoying our trip.

I want to note that the Midwesterners are as friendly as I remember.  Most every person we've passed on hiking trails said hello.  I've had many random conversations with people waiting in line or while on a tour, and I did NOT start all the conversations.  Now I know it's not "just me" that feels that NW freeze.  I confirm it's my Midwest upbringing that makes me want to talk to everyone.

Mon Sept 15 Empire to Grand Rapids MI

We did another hike at Sleeping Bear Dunes.  Really once you've seen the view it's just more sand cliffs and water, we've got more to see and do.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/66200CfGT3

We hit the road for Silver Lake Dunes on our way to Grand Rapids.  We took a dune scooter ride.  It was fun.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/tUou2qnn7f

Next stop Whitehall for laundry.  We had to do laundry at some point so might as well stop along the way where there are campers who need a laundromat.

We checked into our Grand Rapids hotel - we're back in civilization!  We got ourselves acquainted with the town by walking to the store.  Their stores here a Meijer stores, all kinds, regular, specialty and convenient.  

You get charged 10 cents or more when you buy a can/bottle of something, but can return it for your money.  But not all cans and bottles, so we just put ours in the recycle bin.

Sun Sept 14 Traverse City to Empire MI

We had breakfast out this morning then walked around Traverse City.  An Ironman competition is in town which explains why we had a tough time getting a room here.

We joined a tour of the former Traverse City State Hospital, now called The Village at Grand Traverse Commons.  What a place!  It was an asylum constructed in 1883, used until ~1960s.  These fabulous building were destined to be torn down.  It is now mixed use, retail, housing, restoration, events, tours, and seems to be thriving.  What a great story.  Take a look at the pictures of these old Victorian buildings.  Many of the tours take you into the not-yet-restored area,  including the basement and the attic.

 Then we were on our way to Empire and Sleeping Bear Dunes.  The dunes are amazing.  We did a scenic drive and short hike (but in the sand is there such a thing as a short hike?!)  

Sleeping Bear Dunes is called such because Native American legend tells us there was great suffering and famine in the land so a mama bear and her 2 cubs swam across the great water.  The mom made it to land and laid down to wait for her cubs but the great spirit took them into the bottom of the water.  As the mom waited the sand piled up around here, so she never left. I don't like this story. 😢

For dinner we had whitefish and walleye again.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/EyChzyG037

Sat Sept 13 Mackinaw City to Traverse City MI

I was happy to leave the nasty motel behind us.  We started our day with a visit to the decommissioned icebreaker USCGC Mackinaw.  It was interesting to visit it.  We've seen many ships.  This was the last of the dedicated icebreaker ships.  The newer ship mainly work with buoy deployment so they're not as good at breaking ice.

Next we went to the Iron Worker of Mighty Mac Museum.  It was upstairs of a pizza restaurant.  I'm not kidding...I thought it was a joke.  The previous owner of the restaurant was an iron worker and he loved working on the bridge.  So he collected memorabilia about the bridge and iron workers.  It was a worthwhile visit.

Then we drove to Traverse City.  We were hoping to get a tour in Traverse City but we were in traffic backup, so therefore not going to make it in time.  Instead we went to 4:00 Mass then dinner in Traverse City.

Tonight we are in another motel but this one's cute.  Kind of 50's bubble-gum style.  And it's clean and nicely decorated.

*link to pictures is the same as yesterday's.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/98h6v639Pc 

Fri Sept 12 Mackinac Island, MI

Mackinac or Mackinaw, same.  Either spelling is fine.

We took a ferry to Mackinac Island, it was ~15 min ride to the island.  Along the way we saw some lighthouses, the cutest one is the Roundhouse Lighthouse.  It looks like a regular little house.  It was restored in the 70's after it was almost complete destroyed. 

Our visit started at Fort Mackinac, almost an extension from yesterday's fort. Again they have period buildings and tell the story of life at the fort. Some of the pictures are: firing a cannon by dressed-in-period-clothing military, archeological dig ongoing at the fort, burnt floor from when the fort was abandon, McGulpin Lighthouse and the gazebo from the movie Somewhere in Time. 

After the fort we walked around and went up to the other fort at the highest point of the island.  During the War of 1812, the British captured it from the US.  But we got it back.

After lunch we rented bikes, which is a very popular thing to do here.  As you may know, there are no motorized vehicles on the island.  There are many horses (which poop on the streets) and lots of bikes, including e-bikes.  The road around the island is 8.2 miles, mostly flat.  They gave us a pretty good map and there's a spot for your phone to navigate but it's not necessary.

We visited the Grand Hotel, (the big white one with the huge porch).  Supposedly the hotel was built in 1887 in just 93 days.  The logs were brought across the Straits of Mackinac on sleds over the ice.  But the hotel opened in July, so I'm not sure about the log transportation.

The picture link is the same as yesterday's link.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/98h6v639Pc  

Our legs are jello tonight because it's been ages since we rode bikes.

 

Thur Sept 11 Sault Ste. Marie Ontario/MI

We did a Soo Lock tour this morning on the St. Mary River.  We past a huge hydro-electric plant built in 1902.  It's still producing power, just not as much.  There are ships & barges along the way.  You may see the barge Menomonee which just dropped off a load of sand for the building/expanding of the Poe locks on the American side.  Then it went to into the lake to turn around to go through the locks.

One our way back we went along the Canadian side.  There was a steel plant, it's the 2nd largest in Canada.  We came back through the Canadian locks, they are smaller and for recreational use.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/DEJ7Ag7364

After lunch we drove to Mackinaw City and toured Colonial Michilimackinac.  It is a living exhibit with historians dressed as people from the time from 1700 & 1800, relaying info about life at the fort.  It was mainly for the fur trade, not a military fort, although the military was there to help keep order.  It was very interesting.  Lots of history.  This was the predecessor to Fort Mackinaw, on Mackinac Island, because it was relocated.  That's tomorrow's visit.

The Mackinac Bridge, "Mighty Mac", is ~5 miles long and opened Nov 1, 1957.  It costs $4 each way to cross the bridge, you pay on the U.P. side.  The longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/98h6v639Pc

Wed Sept 10 Paradise MI & Sault Ste Marie MI/Ontario

We got up and had b-fast in our little cabin.  We packed up and off to Paradise.  Paradise is northeast in the U.P.  

Our first stop was Tahquamenon (rhymes with phenomenon) Falls, the upper falls.  There's been some rain so today's flow was 5,767 gallons/sec.  The first 10 or so pictures are of the upper falls.  There are 181 stairs to view the upper fall from a lower viewpoint.  Then we went to the lower falls.  Are you following all that?

We could get closer and there were more viewing spots of the lower falls, so there are many more pictures.  There's a bridge that links a small island at the lower falls.  Notice the foamy water.  Why foamy?  Three reasons 1. soft water  2. ligin-protein (similar to egg whites)  3. turbulence. 

The brown water is because of tannic acid.  No it doesn't bother fish, just basically high minerals leached out of the soil.

After the Falls we went to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point.  The Museum is a retired Coast Guard Station.  It's a great little museum, definitely worth a trip to see it. There have been more 6,000 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes!  We hear about the Edmund Fitzgerald because that's the most recent and thankfully the last one.  This museum has the ship's bell off of "The Fitz" as a memorial to the crew and they hold a memorial service every year.

Also a second-order Fresnel lens resides in the museum.  There are also a few other smaller Fresnel lens too.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/80z0BS71Z0

Once we were finished at the museum we headed to Sault Ste. Marie (Sault is pronounced Soo).  We visited the viewing platform were there were ships coming and going through the locks.  There is a 21' difference between Lk Superior and Lk Huron.  There are ~7,000 ship during a 42 week timeframe that go through the locks.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/DEJ7Ag7364

It rained most of the day but did get to 64°

We're staying the night in Ontario, more hotel choices.  Population: Ontario ~72K, MI ~13K

Tue Sept 9 Negaunee & Marquette MI, home of NMU

We awoke to rain, and it rained most of the day.  Also cool at 56° all day.  A good day for a museum and as it turns out that's what we had planned.  The Michigan Iron Ore Museum in Negaunee.  It was interesting.  A very interesting statistic is how much the Iron Industry was worth, $47 Billion.   More than the California gold rush ($995 million), MI's timber industry ($4.4 billion) or MI's copper industry ($9.6 million).

Then on to Marquette.  I say home of NMU, Northern Michigan University, because my brother went there for a couple of years.  Visiting NMU was my first taste of going away to college, I was an impressible junior high schooler.  I loved visiting the campus.  I did not recognize anything.  The one standout building has been turned into an VRBO (the same franchise as we're staying in).

We drove through Presque Isle Park and stopped to view Black Rocks and a few beaches.  But we parked and watch a ship being loaded with taconite pellets.  View the video and pictures attached.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/m3MDSt1SDV

We cancelled the rest of our visits to Mt. Marquette, Sugarloaf Mt and Lakenenland Sculpture park due to rain and mud.

Mon Sept 8 Munising MI

We are staying in a little cabin in Munising, so we had breakfast at "home" this morning.  Munising is on the north side along Lake Superior on the UP (upper peninsula of MI).

We hiked to a little waterfall near our cabin.  Then off to Pictured Rock Interpretative Center in Munising, which was in an old bank.  Then on to the Munising Fall Natl Park which we could not see (the falls) because the trail was washed out.  So on to the next site which was Sand Point Overlook, Sand Point Beach, Miner's Falls then Miner's Castle.

Next was Pictured Rocks Natl Lakeshore boat cruise. It stretches 42-miles along Lk Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes.  The name comes from all the colors of dissolved minerals; red/orange from iron, blue/green from copper, brown/black from manganese, white from limonite.  You'll see lots pictures of rock formations and an old lighthouse from Civil War times on Grand Island.  I took notes on the cruise but I can't really say what rock formation is what picture.  Just know they have names like Rainbow Cave, Battleship, Broken Flower Vase and Chapel Rock.

The last item before the boat turned around was Spray Falls.  It is reported to flow year 'round.  The plants around it freeze but there will be water flowing down the center.

 https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/4447we62B5

Interesting fact(?).  Lake Superior is the largest of the 5 great lakes and even if you put all the water from the remaining 4 lakes into Superior it still wouldn't fill it, you'd need 3 more Lake Erie's.  Here is a mnemonic for the Great Lakes, HOMES=Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior.

I did laundry today in the little cabin we're staying in.  It's a tiny washer/dryer combo that took 3+ hours.  From what I could tell there was no stopping it.  Let's say I wanted to get some items out of the dryer early - no can do.  It turned out okay, luckily we had the time.

Sun Sept 7 WI to Upper Peninsula MI

We started our day at the Michigan Welcome Center.  What an amazing place, they love tourists!  Of course my greatest need was a MI map.  Then a few other things including a nine page list of waterfalls in the UP (upper peninsula). 

Tom was amazed at how many Catholic Churches were within minutes of our hotel.  We went to mass then a drive to Escanaba for lunch.  We continued on to Palm Book State Park where Kitch-iti-kipi Spring is located.  Kitch-iti-kipi is a brilliant, emerald green fresh water spring that is ~40 ft deep and 200 ft across.  We took a hand-powered raft across the spring on a glass-bottom raft.  It is amazing to see.  You can see the water coming out of the springs, fish swimming around and lime-crusted trees.  This water flows into nearby Indian Lake which in turn flows to Lake Michigan.  No wonder Chicago water tastes so good!  I remember Kitch-iti-kipi from my childhood it was so amazing to me.  

Note Tom's Lake Superior lake going vessel, I'll let you know how far he gets.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/Q63p7343G6

Hurray,  an easy day for us.  We checked into our cabin then searched for a nearby restaurant.  We had baked fish for dinner, Tom got whitefish, I got walleye and we did a taste test.  Walleye was wonderful!  A buttery smooth tasting freshwater fish.

Most of the UP is on Eastern time, so now we're 3 hours different from home.  

Most notable today, I got stung by a wasp while on the raft at Kitch-iti-kipi.  It is almost done hurting.

Sat Sept 6 Milwaukee to Mariette WI

This morning we got up and drove to Sheboygan to meet with our friends Tom & Nancy who are here helping with Tom's mom.  We met at the Kohler Design Center where they have the Great Wall of China.  The Design Center is part showroom, part museum.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/739s6w180V 

Next we visited the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay.  Have you ever seen a Big Boy?  We seen three of them and there was one here.  From what we've read there are only eight Big Boys left.  Big Boy is the name given to the very large steam engine.  Take a look at the pictures and you'll see one.

Then it was off to Door County, on the peninsula of WI.  Take a look at the map and you'll see what I referring to.  It sounds so nice but the Native Americans called "porte de morts" which translate to Death's Door, later shortened to Door County.  We drove about halfway up the peninsula to Sturgeon Bay, we had to decide what we wanted to see so cut out the full peninsula.

We went back to Green Bay because we decided to see Lambeau Field.  We ended up taking a tour that lasted 90 mins.  It was a good tour, take a look at our pictures.  There was a game on Sunday so the place was a buzz with activity.  We also couldn't get a hotel room $$$$ so had an hour drive north to Marinette.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/b0P3uJ1343

Fri Sept 5 Milwaukee, WI

We visited the Mitchell Conservatory Domes first thing.  One dome is a Tropical Dome which had lots of tropical plant, as you might imagine.  Another dome was the Desert Dome with succulents, cactus and even a desert tortoise (our first wild animal of the trip).  The last and smallest dome was the Floral Dome, it was filled with flowers, their summer show end on the 7th.  Let me just say it could have ended today.  The weather was cool 65 degree, partly sunny but windy.

We had tickets for an 11:30 Pabst Mansion tour.  The Pabst Mansion is pretty much on the Marquette U campus.  We parked the car and walked a bit around the campus and visited the Chapel of St Joan of Arc.  It is said to be the oldest building in the Western Hemisphere which was still being used for its original purpose.  It is a lovely little chapel which mass is still said daily during the school year. 

It was then time to check in for our  Behind the Scene Tour at the mansion.  It was a great tour.  It seems like our tour guide is a Pabst historian.  Our tour lasted 2.5 hours, we visited the home then the attic and the basement.  It was an interesting story about Capt. Pabst and his home.

Our next visit was to the Basilica of St Josephat, it was ok not fabulous as basilicas go.  It was a quick visit then back to our room to reorganize for walk along the Milwaukee River to Lake Michigan.  We visited the Public Market, kind of small but nice.  Then went to dinner at the Swinging Door Exchange, good food but an upselling waiter which I find unscrupulous.  It was good food.

After dinner we walked to the Lakeshore waterfront park.  Along the lake are venues for Summerfest. We enjoyed our time in Milwaukee.

 https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/564vvLH127

Thur Sept 4 Family & Friends in ILL

 We spent the night with my friends Tricia & Greg in Aurora IL, which is a far west suburb of Chicago.  It was great to hang out with Tricia & Greg.

Today was a day of visiting!  

I visited with my Aunt Jule who is also my Godmother.  Aunt Jule is 98 years old  and looks terrific!  She still has her great sense of humor.  I loved visiting with her.  Also my cousins, Julianne & Ken, were visiting my aunt, so I got to catch up with them too.

Next it was off to lunch with my friends and Tricia's family.  Her sisters' Martha & Connie, Connie's husband Alan and the girls' mom Jean.  Another great time catching up.  For those of you wondering, we went on the Japan Rail trip with Martha, Connie & Alan.

Next was my cousin Julie and her husband Gary.  We had a great dinner with great company.  We caught up on family news and current info.

Then we were off to Milwaukee.  What a day, we were pooped. 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/564vvLH127

Tues Sept 3rd Fly to Chicago

We had a 10:40 am flight.  

We arrive in Chicago and had a slight issue with our rental car.  The guy fixed it on our way out.  It seems the car wasn't ready to be rented yet.  So we washed the windshield and we'll run through the car wash.   

Map of trip around Lake Michigan

 

Midwest trip September 2025

Midwest trip around Lake Michigan

September 3-23, 2025

• Wed, Sept 3  Fly to Chicago, Overnight in Aurora, IL
• Thu, Sept 4  Wed Visit family and friends, overnight in Milwaukee, WI
• Fri, Sept 5   Milwaukee
• Sat, Sept 6   Sheboygan, Door County, Green Bay, overnight Marinette, WI
• Sun & Mon, Sept 7 & 8   Munising, MI
• Tue, Sept 9  Marquette (UP) MI
• Wed, Sept 10  Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
• Thu & Fri, Sept 11 & 12  Mackinaw City, MI
• Sat, Sept 13  Traverse City, MI
• Sun & Mon, Sept 14 & 15 Empire, MI
• Tue, Sept 16  Grand Rapids, MI
• Wed, Sept 17  Holland, MI
• Thu, Sept 18  South Bend, IN
• Fri - Mon, Sept 19-22  Chicago-area, IL
• Tue, Sept 23 Fly back to Seattle