Thirty-first Lighthouse Expedition

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Revision as of 15:30, 20 May 2009

May 31 - June 7, 1998 -- Return to Split Rock

May 31, 1998, Sunday

8:15 am

Left Home, temperature was 73 when we passed through West Branch.

11:20 am

Arrived in Kalkaska, temperature now 56. A bad storm went through northern part of Michigan during the night.

11:40 am

Arrived in Traverse City, temp 57. We had lunch at Burger King and then went to the Nautical Works store in downtown TC. Wonderful lighthouse stuff there.

1:15 pm

Arrived at Hazel Bennett's for a visit. Hazel is a friend from our church who has moved north.

3:05 pm

We arrived at Marv & Mary Jane Jewell's, also friends from church, who are building a new home on Lake Charlevoix. They took us to dinner in Boyne City and then drove us through Horton Bay to see his boyhood home and the church his father had served back when Marv was born.

8:30 pm

Arrived at the Boyne City Motel.

June 1, 1998, Monday

8:55 am

Left the Boyne City Motel, temp 50. (This is JUNE?)

9:15 am

Arrived in Bay View and drove around looking at the old homes - lots of "gingerbread". Part of the area is owned by the United Methodist Church and used for camping and retreats.

9:50 am

Arrived in Harbor Springs. We took a picture of Little Traverse Light from the pier along Beach road. The light is across the bay on a private peninsula. We took 119 - Lake Shore Dr. and Lower Shore Drive to Cross Village. Beautiful drive.

11:30 am

We had lunch at Mama Mias in Mackinaw City. Temp all the way up to 58. Don got FUDGE. We saw the Mackinaw Point Lighthouse. We left Mackinaw City at about 12:00 and crossed The "Big Mac" Bridge. From bridge we could see Round Island Light and St. Helena's.

2:15 pm

Passed the Munising Range Lights - temp 60.

2:20 pm

Passed the Grand Island West Channel Light in Christmas - temp 62 (It's getting warmer the farther north we go!).

3:00 pm

We could see the Marquette Harbor Light across the bay.

5:30 pm

Stopped for a Dairy Queen in Bessemer - temp 71.

5:50 pm

Arrived at the Americinn in Ironwood, MI. Left at 6:10 pm and drove to Hurley,WI.

6:30 pm

Had dinner at the Branding Iron Steak House in Hurley and left at 7:20.

7:35 pm

Arrived back at the Americinn in Ironwood. It rained during the night.

June 2, 1998, Tuesday

Times will now be CDST

9:15 am

Left the Americinn in Ironwood, MI (temp 41).

9:20 am

Now back in Wisconsin.

9:55 am

Arrived in Ashland, and took pictures of the Ashland Breakwater Light from a spot off HWY 2 The Sun is shining this am. Left at 10:00.

11:15 am

Arrived in Superior, WI.

11:25 am

Arrived in Duluth, MN.

11:45 am

Checked in at the Fairfield Inn in Duluth and had lunch at a Burger King in Two Harbors at 12:30. Left at 1:05.

1:30 pm

We could view the Split Rock Light from a wayside park.

1:35 pm

Arrived at the Split Rock Lighthouse and took the guided tour, which we highly recommend. We shopped in their wonderful gift shop and saw the video on construction of the lighthouse again. They have an outstanding museum and visitors center. Should mention here that the reason for the trip back to Split Rock is that Don was not satisified with his pictures from our previous trip in July of 1994. He hopes to capture the sun shinning on the light and it's cloudy right now. We'll be back tomorrow. Left at 4:15.

4:45 pm

Arrived back in Two Harbors and did a drive-by of that lighthouse, since we had seen it on a previous trip. Left at 4:50. Didn't get very warm today, the temp is 56.

5:40 pm

Arrived back at the Fairfield in Duluth.

6:00 pm

Went to Applebees for dinner at the Miller Hill Mall. We left at 7:30 and walked the mall to get some exercise, went to a Barnes & Noble book store, Don got a Dairy Queen and we returned to the Fairfield at 8:05 pm.

June 3, 1998, Wednesday

9:15 am

Left the Fairfield in Duluth, temp 49 and windy, but it's sunny!

9:40 am

Arrived at the Airport on Minnesota Point and Don hiked to the Minnesota Point Lighthouse ruins (about 1 1/2 miles.) We did not do this on our first trip. I opted to stay with the car. Actually I didn't want to walk that far as it was windy and cold. When he returned to the car at 10:50 and reported signs telling people to beware of poison ivy and the difficult walk along the beach in the sand, I was really glad I opted to read my book in the car! He could also see the Wisconsin Point Light. He reported that it was 10:05 when he spotted the Minnesota Point Light and 10:20 when he started back.

11:05 am

We returned to Duluth and stopped in Canal Park for shopping and had lunch at Little Angies Cantina like we did on our first trip. Left Duluth at 1:10 pm, headed north and took the North Shore Scenic Drive.

2:40 pm

Arrived at Split Rock (again), temp is 59. We spent quite a bit of time waiting for the sun to shine on the lighthouse since by the time we got here, it had clouded up again. The time when the sun is on the light is from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. We had a few rays of sunshine but gave up at 4:40. We sat in the car in the parking lot (feeling very sorry for ourselves) eating some fruit, when we noticed large portions of blue sky. We went to the state park and took pictures from the beach and then hiked back to our original picture spot on the rocks near the old tram station and then to the look out spot about half way up the cliff. We were able to get the pictures we had traveled all this way for. (We also got our exercise today and won't have to walk the Mall tonight). We left Split Rock at 5:55. This is my favorite lighthouse, and well worth the effort and the wait for a good picture.

7:00 pm

Ate dinner at Beachwoods Grill and Bar in Duluth and left at 8:00, stopping at the DQ and returned to the Fairfield at 8:20.

This is the end of the Lighthouse portion of this trip.

June 4, 1998, Thursday

9:15 am

   Left the Fairfield in Duluth, temp 52. 

12:00 pm

   Arrived in the Americinn in Bloomington, MN and checked in. Left at 12:15. 

12:20 pm

   Arrived at the Mall of America. We had lunch at the "picnic" area on the 3rd level, walked all three floors, had a DQ, did a little shopping and had dinner at the Rainforest restaurant before leaving the mall at 7:45. 

7:55 pm

   Returned to the Americinn, temp 68.

June 5, 1998, Friday.

10:15 am

   Left the Americinn in Bloomington, MN, temp 57. 

11:30 am

   Stopped in Menominee, WI at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Information center and got books and information for daughter, Andrea. 

12:35 pm

   Arrived in Chippewa Falls, WI. This is the town where my mother was born. We had lunch at Olsons Ice Cream and Deli (Don bought one of their hats). We walked and drove around town, went to Leinenkugles Brewery for a tour (Chippewa Falls is known for it's clear spring water and this brewery is over 100 years old.) We went to Irvine Park, saw Duncan Creek, the Chippewa River, the Rose Garden and several old churches. It was very meaningful for me to be in the places my Mom had talked about even though everything was so different from when she was born there 85 years ago. We left at 4:35. 

5:50 pm

   Arrived at the Best Western Arrowhead in Black River Falls, WI. When we walked into the lobby we saw Bette & Hal Kelbe and Bob & Judy Starz who were getting ready to go into the dining room for dinner. The Kelbe's and Starz's are cousins of mine that we expected to see at the family reunion tomorrow. They waited while we checked in and quickly changed clothes so we could have dinner with them. Wonderful visit at dinner catching up on lots of family news. 

June 6, 1998, Saturday

9:00 am

   We met the cousins in the lobby again in the morning and continued our family news. 

12:00 pm

   Left for Alma Center for the family reunion at home of my cousin, John Stasny. John and his wife Betty live in the house which use to belong to his parents, Frank and Gen. 

12:30 pm

   We walked to the park in the sunshine (temp 60) for our picnic. Other cousins present were: Mary Jane Waterstone and her daughters, Kristi and Debbi; Bette and Hal's son Peter and wife Carrie, and also son Philip and his daughters Erin and Jordan. Three of John's four daughters were there: Nicola, Jill and Mindy and lots of their kids. This was to have been a 100 birthday celebration for Uncle Frank, but he passed away 3 months earlier. John and Betty and Mary Jane hosted this wonderful memory celebration and family reunion. Lots of the Stasny relatives were there (more of them than us - we're the Samson side of the family), and while we are not related, it was fun meeting those whose names I had heard over the years. The only damper on the fun was a long rain shower, but we were all able to fit in the pavilion and enjoy the company which was the reason for the get together. We left the reunion at 6:00 pm. 

8:45 p.m

   Arrived at the Select Inn in Janesville, WI and had dinner at a Perkins restaurant at 9:00 returning to the motel at 9:50. 

June 7, 1998, Sunday (times now EDST)

8:50 am

   Left the Select Inn in Janesville, WI - temp 63 (This is beginning to feel warm). 

11:35 am

   Lunch at McDonalds. 

3:30 pm

   Arrived home. 

Trip Totals: 4 Lighthouses (1 New) and 6 more in passing, 1974 miles, 8 days.