Last Stop for Rolling Rally

 

We took our morning walk along the downtown River Walk, a very lovely park along the Elkhart River. In the past the town harnessed the power of this river to run the many mills in the area. The walk was full of public sculture and murals. What a delightful town.

As this was the last day of the Rolling Rally the group held a farewell dinner. Lots of good food and fellowship. We are all heading for the FMCA International Rally in Indianapolis. What a really fabulous adventure! Many thanks to Nick and Chip for the planning and leadership.

Elkhart, IN

We'll be here four days before heading to the FMCA rally at Indianapolis. Two more coaches have joined the Rolling Rally, we're now up to seven.

Wednesday's adventure was to Shipshewana, the Midwest's largest Flea Market in the heart of Amish Country.  Hundreds of vendors offering everything imaginable from fresh fruit to handcrafted furniture. It's open only Tuesdays and Wednesdays through October. So many shoppers, so many items for sale! We bought some kitchen utensils and fruits and veggies.

See Jack?

Right across the street we visited Menno-Hof; a non-profit center that offers visitors accurate information about the faith and life of Amish and Mennonites...part of a 500 year old tradition embracing peace, simple living and Christian service. The flowers in front are a Quilt Garden...planted in the shape of a quilt pattern. The grounds are a lovely oasis away from the bustle of the Flea Market. We explored their lifestyle and history though multi-media and experiential displays. A favorite was the tornado room where we experienced the feel of a tornado through lights, wind and sound. www.mennohof.org

On Thursday I visited the Midwest Museum of American Art....located in the center of downtown Elkhart in a beautifully renovated new-classical style bank building. There are seven galleries with lovely classical music wafting throughout..... especially noteworthy is the old bank vault containing part of the permanent collection. I was stunned and awed by the variety of genres....how did they amass such treasures in a small town with a population of 48,000? A highlight is a collection of Norman Rockwell lithographs....so uplifting and inspirational. I absolutely loved my visit to the Midwest Museum of American Art.

Around town we spotted several of these  artistic Elk!

Detroit Area

We spent brief 1-night stops at Lansing and Frankenmuth.....not much to write about. Frankenmuth, a recreated Barvarian village, has the world's largest Christmas store....this pic says it all.

Now we are located south of Detroit.....

The Rolling Rally enjoyed outstanding sightseeing at the Henry Ford Museum. www.thehenryford.org   Where American history lives...tells the stories of men and women whose vision and courage changed the world. Driving American tells about the impact of the automobile on our life. We saw a row of presidential limos from Teddy Roosevelt's carriage to Reagan's Cadillac, also the actual limo that Kennedy was riding in when shot in Dallas. Included in the museum collection is the Rosa Parks bus....on Dec.1, 1955 , Rosa Parks boarded the Montgomery city bus and inspired a new era in the quest for American freedom. We saw the red rocking chair that Lincoln was sitting in when assassinated. Truly amazing artifacts!

Part of the Henry Ford is Greenfield Village....81 acres filled with the sights, sounds and tastes of 300 years of American life. We saw the Wright Brothers workshop, Thomas Edison's Menlo Park workshop, Henry Ford's family home restored as he remembered growing up. We rode a coal-fired train around the perimeter, complete with soot. A highlight was a music hall performance of Gershwin's music....I was serenaded by the baritone.

If we thought these areas were wonderful, the big thrill was at the Ford Rouge Factory Tour. Mind-boggeling, awsome, speechless....state of the art for visitors. First a movie depicting Henry Ford's history and innovative mind, then a surround theater experience describing the manufacturing process, finally on an elevated walkway we viewed the actual assembly line making Ford trucks.

An astounding example of efficiency and time management science. Each worker has a task to complete in one minute, over and over again...well paid living robots.

Today is rest day to do laundry, etc.......

Grand Rapids

Sept. 11 found us camping near Grand Rapids...weather is mild, very nice.

A true highlight of the entire trip was our visit to Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, a 132-acre oasis of wetlands, woodlands, meadows and gardens designed by world-renowned landscape artists. There is something for everyone!   www.meijergardens.org  
                                                                               

Jack was impressed with the huge greenhouses with diverse gardens.....he is in the arid garden which showcased many species of cacti. Other areas included a lush tropical area, a carnivorous plant house, a Victorian garden.



Find Jack in pic

Jack and Friends

We successfully completed the maze in the Children's Garden. Earlier in the trip we walked a labyrinth with only one true path, a maze offers choices of directions.

For me the absolute crowning glory of the Gardens was American Horse. Humongous, breath-taking beautiful.......how did they build it?

Our next stop was to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, a wonderful review of  the history that we lived through.

Monday, Sept. 13

This afternoon was guys only to the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, MI., a world-class collection of 300 vintage vehicles. The museum's mission is to celebrate the entire span of automotive history. www.gilmorecarmuseum.org

One of Jack's favorite was a Rolls Royce, one of only four like it in the world. "I can't comprehend what it is worth! The museum is awesome and I've been to a lot of car museums,"says Jack.

Traverse City Area

Joining us for this part of the adventure are local residents Rick and Mary, friends of the Cola's. Mary is a top-notch tour director and has planned two days of sightseeing for us. On Thursday we toured the Old Mission peninsula wineries.....to taste and purchase local wines.



Peninsula Winery's tasting room is in an old schoolhouse,.I bought a yummy red wine named "Detention".

We stopped at an old General Store, it was so full of stuff one could hardly walk around. I bought a wonderful homemade garlic sour-dough loaf. This is what men do when women shop.

We lunched at the Happy Pumpkin near the shore of Lake Michigan, rumor has it the house is haunted by a former owner of the building. Made a good story! The group went on to the tip of the peninsula to see the lighthouse.

Rick and Mary, tour guides

Friday Mary planned a full day at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, first stop at the vistors center. Chip was able to add to his t-shirt collection; Sarah never has to wash, Chip merely wears a new t-shirt every day.

A great sport at this national park is climbing the dunes...some of us climbed  just so we could say we did it. Of course the views are incredible!

Next stop was Glen Haven, an historic steamship stop on Sleeping Bear Bay. The park provides maritime museum to tell the stories of shipwreck rescues. The winds were so high we saw incredible waves on the shore...I could have been at an ocean beach.

We enjoyed our picnic lunch on Glen Lake....then went to the Cherry Republic, a store selling all things cherry, in Glen Arbor for "dessert" ...the joke being that they offer so many free samples of all their products one can't eat another thing.

 

Next stop was at one of the farms on the Port Oneida Fair tour....seven historic farms demonstrating life on each of the farms in the past. Great learning experiences for children with the goal of preserving historic Sleeping Bear.

Final stop of the day was to Leland to see the historic Fishtown, very quaint wooden buildings at the marina that housed the fishing industry in the past...now full of shops for the tourists. Leland is a very popular tourist destination.

More Michigan

 Ken frying fish he caught on the trip and fellow travelers enjoying the feast. In addition to nightly happy hours complete with goodies, we often enjoy pot luck dinners.

First stop on Monday's sightseeing was to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point with the oldest active Light on Lake Superior. Shipwreck legends come to life! It was a beautiful, mild, sunny day and the the lake was incredible shades of blue. I asked all in the group to climb the lighthouse so I could take their picture.....no takers. Our lunches are typically picnics at the sites, this time no picnic tables...Ann even brought a table cloth!

Next sightseeing op was at Tahquamenon Falls State Park, billed as the largest waterfall west of Niagara Falls. The park consists of Upper and Lower Falls, many hiking trails, interpreters to guide your visit, and the usual snack bars and the first state park I've been to with a Brewery and Pub.

There are 94 steps down to the viewing platform at the brink but well worth the climb back up to see the stunning beauty of the Upper Falls.....200 feet across with a 48 foot drop. In late spring as much as 50,000 gallons a second flow over.

The Lower Falls consist of five cascades surrounding an island...visitors can rent rowboats to get up close to the falls. The Tahquamenon River empties into Lake Superior.

Tuesday, Aug. 7th...We drove over the beautiful Mackinaw Bridge into Mackinaw City to visit the Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum. Commissioned in 1944 to keep the Great Lakes shipping lanes open during WWII, The ship made it possible for the iron ore and copper from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to get to the wartime factories in the lower part of the state. The ship served for 62 years keeping shipping lanes open for commercial traffic. She was decommissioned in 2006 and converted into a floating museum.www.themackinaw.org



Group on Tour

Actual Bow Prop that would chop the ice.

Now it's tourist time...stroll the main street, eat local Fish & Chips, ice cream and caramel corn!