10/22-26 Seeking Warmer Weather in Florida!

Rome has had unseasonably cool rainy weather for mid-October, and we’ve headed south to Florida to find sunshine and warm weather.  Just kidding – not about our weather, but the reason for heading south.  We’re in Kissimmee, FL, at the 20th Anniversary Rally of the Overland Trailblazers.  Our previous motor home was an Overland, and we’ve maintained our membership with this group. 
We arrived at Tropical Palms Resort and Campground on Thursday afternoon and have been enjoying seeing the Trailblazers and all the rally events.   In addition to “just visiting,” the rally has had a catered dinner at Tropical Palms and dinner at Capone’s dinner theater Friday evening.  Today included an afternoon gathering and seeing the car show at Old Town on your own. 
In addition to rally events, we bicycled on the West Orange Trail which runs through  Winter Garden where we also ate lunch and visited the railroad museum.  Irene is enjoying riding her new bicycle which has excellent brakes, wonderful suspension, and 21 gears – though it took a lot of encouragement from George for her to “retire” her 22 or 23 year old Schwinn cruiser. 











































Saturday we bicycled from Tropical Palms to Celebration and rode around that community, returning there for dinner at the Columbia Spanish restaurant.  En route back to Tropical Palms on our bikes, we heard a crackling sound and at first thought something was wrong with George’s bicycle but soon saw the real source – an electrical fire and arcing above a transformer on a power pole.  A fire truck soon arrived and blocked off the immediate area around the pole.  Eventually, the power company apparently turned off the power and ended the “fireworks.” 

Days 50 - 53: Southeast Country Coachers Rally

 

Our last stop on this summer’s trip is the Southeast Country Coachers rally at Holiday Trav-L Park in Chattanooga.  The highlight of the rally was the dinner cruise on the Tennessee River aboard the Southern Bell.  We had great views of the city and its bridges including the marvelous Walnut Street Bridge which we had biked on the day before. The food was great too, and we were lucky that the heavy rain had stopped.   Earlier in the day, the women toured the Hunter Museum and ate lunch nearby at Tony’s.  The men’s outing was to the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame Museum.  The rally also included happy hours, pizza, info from Lee-Smith coach repair facility, and a talk on “how to save yourself from disaster” if your coach has to be towed given by SECC member John Hawkins, owner of Miller Industries, the world’s largest tow truck manufacturer.  John had a huge tow truck on site and demonstrated to the group how a Country Coach should be towed. In addition there was free time to enjoy some of the many attractions Chattanooga has to offer, and we bicycled on the river walk.

Sunday morning, we headed home to Rome on the 53rd day of our trip, having covered a little over 3,000 miles . The happy bus is in the barn, and it has been a great trip. It’s good to be home, but thankfully it is only for three weeks before we head out to Orlando for an Overland Trailblazers rally.

Sweet Appalachia

 

This morning we galloped out of the Kentucky Horse Park above Lexington and headed south on I-75. Soon we encountered  long grades taking us over 2,000 feet into Appalachian ridge country. We saw layered sedimentary rock that is characteristic of this region similar to that in the Nashville, TN area. The hazy, blue mountain vistas looked mighty good to us and the lady on the radio station didn’t have a funny accent like what we’ve heard over the last 40 some odd days.

We are at Buddy Gregg’s campground. Irene is shopping at nearby Turkey Creek Mall while George warms a leather chair in the  Panera Bread shop working on the blogg.

George and Jan Sanders are about 300 miles behind us and we are hopefull they will make Knoxville some time tonight. We’re both due to arrive in Chattanooga tomorrow for a Southeastern Country Coach Association rally which will be the grand finale for the Busbloggers Great Lakes tour.

Days 45 – 47: The Henry Ford

 

Saturday was a travel day from Holland 200 miles east across Michigan to Monroe, about 30 miles south of Detroit and Dearborn.  We arrived at our RV park, Sterling State Park on the shores of Lake Erie, in the afternoon after stopping for diesel and a few groceries en route.  Having sat all day, we set out on our bicycles on the paved trail that winds through the large state park which is sandwiched between a large coal burning power plant and two giant cooling towers that appear to be part of another power plant.  It was quite windy and white caps adorned Lake Erie. 

We came to this area to visit The Henry Ford, the collective term for the Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, and the Ford Rouge Factory Tour.  It was highly recommended to us and was compared to the Smithsonian.  Having spent Sunday at the Henry Ford Museum, we concur with that statement.  There is an amazing assortment of cars, trains, airplanes, industrial machines, agricultural equipment, furniture, and much more.  George enjoyed seeing Henry Ford’s private railcar, the Fair Lane (the same name as his home), which he used from 1921 – 1941.  Ford came to Rome in his private car to visit Berry College and made a donation which funded Berry’s Ford Buildings, originally a girls dorm, dining hall, and classrooms.  George was also impressed with the very extensive collection of antique steam engines, some of which were huge, that were housed in the museum. George commented that this must be the largest collection of steam engines in the world. We also saw a number of early R.V.’s including the one that Charles Karault used for his “On the Road” TV segments.

Tuesday morning we toured the Ford Rouge Factory.  The original Rouge complex was a mile-and-a-half wide and more than a mile long.  Henry Ford attracted employees by offering $5 a day pay, twice the going rate.  At its peak in the 1930s, more than 100,000 people worked at the Rouge.  One new car rolled off the line every 49 seconds.  

The Rouge, which now makes F-150 pickup trucks, was rebuilt in 1980 to be a “green” factory and has a roof planted with15 types of sedum which helps cool the building, protects the roof, and uses water that would otherwise  be run-off.  The plants also clean the air by using carbon dioxide and provide a habitat for birds.  Seeing the assembly line at work was the most amazing part of the tour.  It demonstrated the level of refinement and technological advancement of Henry Ford’s basic idea of mechanizing the assembly of automobiles.  It not only has evolved to a more efficient system of assembling cars, but provides safer and healthier conditions for the workers.

Our next destination was Greenfield Village which Ford began during his lifetime by collecting important historical buildings and artifacts to record the “sights, sounds, and  sensations of the American experience.”  It’s similar to Williamsburg, VA, in that it seeks to  recreate a time of the past.  In Ford’s Bagley Avenue Workshop, an early pre-assembly line  plant, we enjoyed talking with the host who had worked for Nissan in Tennessee.  He was  quite knowledgeable about Henry Ford. He showed photos of several autos Henry Ford designed, but the businesses behind them failed for various reasons. Some of his partners wanted to build an expensive car, but Ford wanted a car that was reliable and inexpensive that people could afford. His Model T was that car and the rest is history.

Now we’re leaving behind the Great Lakes region that was the focus of our trip.  We’ve seen how the economy of this region revolves around the iron ore mines of the Iron Range of Minnesota west of Lake Superior, railroads that haul the ore to processing plants where it’s made into taconite pellets, the Great Lakes freighters that carry the taconite to the end user, the automobile industry in Detroit.  There’s also the traditional fishing industry that we became aware of as we enjoyed local fish like walleye, trout, Atlantic salmon, and whitefish.  And we’ve seen much beauty and amazing geological features like waterfalls, Pictured Rocks, sand dunes, and three of the Great Lakes. 

Happy first day of fall to all!  We’ve seen a few early signs of fall in Michigan, including the maple tree in the adjacent photograph which we shot on September 14 at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. 

Days 43 – 44: Holland, MI

 

Leaving Grand Haven, we had a short drive – about 20 miles – to our next location, Holland, MI, and it was a beautiful drive with dunes, trees, and lovely homes/cottages along the way.  We arrived before lunch at Holland State Park  where we had a woodsy site a short bicycle ride from the lake.  In the afternoon, Jan and Irene drove into town and browsed in shops and enjoyed looking at the very attractive, well-kept buildings downtown.  George and George went to bicycle shops to get Irene’s flat tire repaired, to look at bicycles, and to check out better bike seats for the electric bikes. 

Friday morning we all bicycled to the beach and enjoyed the views and taking photos of Big Red, the lighthouse at the mouth of the river.  A fisherman in a passing boat landed a good-sized fish, and boats were heading out on the lake.  The sunny pleasant day added to our enjoyment.  When we returned to the campground, Jan’s sister Marilyn and her husband Ed had arrived, and we all went downtown for lunch at the 8th Street Grill, George S.’s favorite restaurant in Holland.   Later in the afternoon, Jan, Marilyn, and Irene drove south to the charming little town of Saugatuck which has tree-lined streets full of people looking in shops. 

This was the last day of our travels with George and Jan, and it’s been a great trip.  They invited us to join them to visit their favorite places in Michigan, and we totally agree that each location is outstanding.  Jan is an excellent “tour guide!”  The two Georges seem to click as buddies – both are motor home “techies” and  share a sense of humor.  What a rare and valued thing to find a great friend that you share so much in common with.  We really enjoyed traveling with them again, and look forward to seeing them again in a few days at a Country Coach rally in Chattanooga. 

Days 41 – 42: Grand Haven, MI

 

Grand Haven State Park, located on the shore of Lake Michigan where the Grand River  empties in it, has great views of the lighthouse and boardwalk making it an outstanding RV park.   While the roads and sites are paved, the fine sand blows and partially covers them.   We arrived here on Tuesday, and George and Jan and George and Irene headed out on our bikes on the boardwalk along the Grand River which is next to the park.  

Later as we sat outside talking and enjoying the view, our warm sunny day turned cool as a cold wind blew off the lake.  We went out to dinner to enjoy fried  clams and returned to the park before sunset which was impressive with the lighthouse and pier in the foreground. 

Wednesday morning was cool and windy when George and Irene bicycled to the Grand Haven farmer’s market where there was a variety of fruits, vegetables, and flowers.  We’d  passed by apple orchards throughout Michigan and were glad finally to arrive where the apples were ripe.  We bought Honey Crisp apples and raspberries.

In the afternoon, it was a little warmer and we all bicycled on some of Grand Haven’s paved bike trails and then ended up downtown for coffee and snacks.  Jan and Irene went in a few shops.  When we started back, Irene’s bike had a flat tire so she started walking (pushing the bike) accompanied by Jan who also walked.  George S. biked back to the RV park to get George who returned in the truck to pick up Irene and her lame bike.  After dinner, Jan and Irene walked down the beach to the pier, walking out to the lighthouse where people gather for sunset.  It was another great sunset, ending another great day in Michigan.

 

Shown left are bus drivers George Sanders and George Harper standing ready to receive passengers for a 17 mile run from Grand Haven, MI to Holland, MI. 

Days 38 – 40: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

 

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore is characterized by rugged bluffs rising as high as 480 feet above the lake, and many are covered with  grass and trees – not just sandy dunes.   They were created by a series of glaciers over 11,000 years ago.  The park’s Platte River Campground was full when we arrived, so our first night was spent at a nearby condo park, Indigo Bluffs.  From there we drove north along the coast with George and Jan to Glen Arbor where we enjoyed looking in art galleries and stopping for an afternoon snack.  A shop featuring “everything cherries” had dried cherries, chocolate covered cherries, trail mix with cherries, cherry salsa, cherry BBQ sauce,  etc.

On Sunday afternoon, we drove back north to Traverse City where George had planned to see a miniature 1/4 scale steam locomotive train owned by the city.  He had read about the train previously and learned that a man had built it in the 1940’s (except for the boiler), and it had been subsequently owned by two other individuals before being sold to the city.  This Sunday was the last day the train was running before closing for 2009.  George talked with the engineers extensively, and then we boarded the train for a circle tour of the park on the 15 inch  gauge rail.   It was surprisingly like the full grown thing with steam spewing up, typical chug-chug steam locomotive sounds, and whistle tooting at crossings. 

TART, Traverse Area Rails Trail, was right beside  the train track so we rode our bikes along the lake enjoying views of boats on the lake, including tall ships that were part of the Schooner Festival taking place through the weekend.  The beaches were crowded with people – quite like a view of a Florida beach.

On Monday we bicycled with George and Jan to the shore of the Platte River where we had great views of the dunes and watched fishing boats coming in.  We also saw a few kayakers.  For lunch we all headed north to Leland, a charming fishing/tourist village on the lake.  Jan told us the view from our restaurant was one of the most painted scenes in Michigan – a view of the river with docks and shops on both sides of it.  We browsed in shops (while the Georges waited) and took lots of photos before heading back toward the park and stopping at a kayak rental store for ice cream which we enjoyed sitting by the river. 

 

Days 36 – 37: Petoskey, MI

 

After a short drive south, we arrived at Hearthside Grove RV Resort in Petoskey, MI, a vacation Mecca along Lake Michigan.  Hearthside Grove is an ownership park and is top of the line with outstanding sites and landscaping.  George and Jan took us on a tour of the area including Harbor Springs, Bay View, and Charlevoix.  Harbor Springs is an exclusive, moneyed resort with grand Victorian homes, and Bay View was established by a group of Methodists in 1876-77 as a summer camp “for intellectual and scientific culture and the promotion of the cause of religion and morality.”  The chautauqua-like program continues today as the Summer Assembly.  The most remarkable views were of the “mushroom houses” in Charlevoix which seemed to be enlargements from a fairy village.  They were delightful!  We also had great views of the lake with many marinas.  Jan is a great tour guide, and we had a great tour.

On Friday morning we bicycled along the lake in Harbor Springs and enjoyed seeing the grand homes, afterwards meeting George and Jan at Stafford’s Pier Restaurant on the lake for a very enjoyable lunch.  After lunch we drove to Petoskey and bicycled on the Little Traverse Wheelway, a paved trail mostly along the lake, and then explored some shops in Petoskey.  Unfortunately, when we left the coach in the morning, we forgot the camera.

 

Days 34 – 35: Mackinac Island

 

What a bicycler’s paradise!  And what a lovely “step back in time” to see the well-preserved homes and hotels, horse-drawn carriages, and thriving gardens that adorn Mackinac Island.  On Tuesday morning – after the Labor Day crowds had left – George and  Irene boarded the 9:00 ferry to the island with their bicycles and immediately set out on  the 8 mile circumference road on a bright, clear, sunny day.  We passed a hotel lawn with Adirondack chairs facing the lake and soon came to Arch Rock.  We climbed a long flight of stairs to reach the top, and what a view when we arrived – the clear blue of Lake Huron seen through the arch.  As we bicycled we had constant views of the lake on our right and views of homes, woods, and Devil’s Kitchen (a rock formation) on our left. 

Our next destination was The Grand Hotel – and it really lived up to its name!   It sits on a hill and our first view of it was looking up the street to see the hotel’s columns, American flags, and flowers – lots of flowers.  And on the street were horse-drawn carriages – the island tours, taxis, and Grand Hotel carriages that resemble Cinderella’s carriage (but they’re not glass).   From here we went to Mary’s Bistro where we had a delicious lunch overlooking the harbor.  We then browsed in shops and bought ice cream, and of course, Mackinac Island fudge.

When we returned to the campground, we were delighted to see our friends George and Jan from Birmingham who had arrived.  They had suggested showing us their favorite places in Michigan, their home state, which is what brought us to Michigan this summer.  We spent another great day on Mackinac Island with them on Wednesday taking a bicycle tour of the island and eating lunch at the Carriage House Restaurant, part of the Iroquois Hotel.  We ate outside   in a lovely garden overlooking the lake and dock with the sun shining and cool breezes blowing. 

After lunch  we bicycled to The Grand Hotel and toured it and then relaxed in rocking chairs on the porch overlooking the gardens (what lovely, huge dahlias!)  While we think traveling in our motor home is great, The Grand Hotel is altogether a different world!  Leaving the Grand, we coasted down the hill on our bikes to Main Street and boarded the ferry back to reality.  It was another good day in Michigan.

Days 32 – 33: “The Mighty Mack”

 

On Sunday we left Sault Ste. Marie - the northernmost point of I-75 – and drove south to Mackinaw City.  We crossed the Straights of Mackinaw on “The Mighty Mack,” the bridge which connects the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan at the junction of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The Mackinac Bridge is the third longest suspension bridge in the world and the longest in the western hemisphere.   And it’s quite a sight and experience!  As we approached the bridge, Irene began snapping photos.  The bridge shows off especially well when the sun is shining on it.  While we bicycled in Mackinaw City on Monday, George had the same irresistible urge to photograph The Mighty Mack.  The 52nd Annual Mackinac Bridge Walk took place on Labor Day morning, and incidentally, we met a couple on the Agawa Canyon train last Saturday who had come from Ohio to participate in the walk.

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Day 31: Algoma Central Railway

 

Early this morning we drove over the International Bridge into Sault St. Marie, Ontario, to ride the Agawa Canyon tourist train 114 miles north into the wilderness of Ontario. Shortly after departure we had breakfast in the dining car. The Algoma Central was originally built to haul iron ore to the Algoma steel mill in Sault  Marie, Ontario. It is now owned by the Canadian National Railway. In addition to the tourist train that goes only as far as the Agawa Canyon Provincial Park, the CN operates a passenger train all the way to the French Canadian city of Hearst, some 296 to the north.  

The route goes through the Canadian shield, an area of dense rock, making the construction of the line very difficult, especially so before modern construction equipment. We saw many ponds and lakes in the conifer forests along with a few cabins and tourist camps. These places are only accessible via the train. The train passed over an impressive trestle on top of a hydro plant on the Montreal river

At the canyon we hiked up 300 stairs to a lookout platform that gave us a grand view of the valley and train. It was a nice day marred only by nearly leaving Irene in the canyon for the night. She had independently decided to hike to Bridal Veil Falls.  George had advised her when to start back, but her hike took longer and she persisted. The train was scheduled to depart at 2:30 pm. At 2:29 George headed to an adjacent car to notify the crew of Irene’s absence when the train started to roll. The crew person radioed “safety” notifying them of a missing passenger. Safety radioed back, “Is she wearing a red striped top?” George did not know the answer, but stated that she had dark brown hair. George then learned that she had been taken back on board with some other truants. George had expected to have to detrain and look for Irene as the train headed back south. He figured they would then spend a cold night on the porch of the station waiting for the next day’s train. That was not a happy prospect especially knowing that Tina would be left locked in her crate for 36 hours. 

Day 30: Biking in Soo, Ontario

 

This morning we moved from our serendipity water front site at Aune-Osborn CG to an interior site, which, though lacking the wonderful view of the river, is quite nice. After the move, we decided to explore the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario waterfront by bike and familiarize ourselves with tomorrow’s trip across the border to take the Agawa Canyon train trip. We started at the Canadian lock which is closed for repairs. We biked over the hydro plant spillway and proceeded on the boardwalk to the Station Mall where we had lunch. After lunch we walked across the street to the Agawa Railway office and retrieved our tickets for tomorrow’s trip. We also checked out the dining car breakfast menu. We have to board the train at 7:30 a.m. so we plan to have breakfast on the train.

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After lunch we continued east on the boardwalk all the way to Belleview park where we rode the bike paths and Irene looked at the botanical gardens. The total bike ride was 11.1 miles. We proceeded across the International Bridge in the truck and cleared customs where George used his new “green card” for the first time.

Day 29: Soo Locks

 

The Soo Locks are what brought us to Sault Ste. Marie, and we spent most of today learning about the locks at the Visitors Center, watching boats go through the locks, and taking a locks boat tour.  We bicycled to the Visitors Center to see the exhibits and videos and to learn when freighters were scheduled to go through the locks.  The heavy fog that covered Sault Ste. Marie in the morning and the previous night worked to our advantage here:  4 freighters would be going up bound today as they all had been at anchor during the night just east of the locks due to fog.   

St. Mary's River in Sault St. Marie joins Lake Superior to Lake Huron.  The problem is that Lake Superior is 21 feet higher than Lake Huron, and also there are rapids in the river.  So a canal was dug to bypass the rapids, and the locks were built to raise or lower the boats (depending on which way they are going).  If going to Lake Superior, the boats are raised 21 feet, so they are said to be up bound; if going to Lake Huron, they are lowered 21 feet and are thus down bound. And you can really see the difference in the height of the boats in the canal with that 21 feet (see photos at the left).  We watched one of the Locks Tour Boats go thru the canal up bound and then  return, and then a series of freighters passed through the locks up bound.  One of these was the Edwin Gott, a little over 1000 feet long.  Two of the original locks still are in use,  with the Poe lock, the longest, used for the 1000 foot freighters.  The other two locks of the four are not deep enough for today’s freighters.

During all this “lock watching,” we ate lunch at a restaurant across the street from the Locks Visitors Center, and George felt our restaurant was “the real thing” when it came to fried whitefish.  He ordered the whitefish basket and really enjoyed it. 

We ended our Soo locks experience by taking the Locks Boat Tour which was quite interesting, and after watching so many boats pass through the locks, we went through ourselves on the tour.  The shorter of the two working locks was in use, so our tour boat went in the Poe Lock, the larger one, and a 600+ foot freighter came in behind us.  Each boat is tied along side the canal while the water level is being raised – a surprisingly quick process.  We saw many sights in both Soos –  Sault Ste. Marie, MI, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario – including the  Algoma steel mill in Canada, the International Bridge, and the longest freighter on the Great Lakes, the Paul R. Tregurtha (just beyond the bridge after leaving the lock in photo above).

It was a full and enjoyable day, and it ended with a nice view from our coach – the full  moon over St. Mary’s River.

Day 28: Sault Ste. Marie

 

On leaving Tahquamenon State Park heading for Sault Ste. Marie, we decided to take the  scenic route which was part of the Lake Superior Trail.  We were delighted when we came to Point Iroquois Lighthouse overlooking Whitefish Bay and stopped to explore.  From the walkway along the bay we could see wind turbines across the lake in Canada and a freighter in the distance.  We climbed the spiral stairs to the top of the lighthouse for a great view and visited the 1950’s light keeper’s home before continuing our drive.

When we reached Aune-Osborn Campground in Sault Ste.  Marie, we were surprised and pleased that we could have a water front site for two days but would then have to move to our original site.  Almost as soon as we had parked, a large freighter came by heading toward the locks and Lake Superior.  What a sight to see from the coach! 

We bicycled to a park downtown where there was a farmers market which we'd heard advertised on the  radio.  It was interesting and varied – all kinds of veggies, fresh herbs, breads and pastries, preserves, fish, flowers,  birch baskets, used books, and note cards.  We bought choke cherry preserves, green beans, smoked white fish, and fresh salmon which we ate for dinner. The fish came from a local fisherman. George said the Atlantic salmon prepared by Irene with teriyaki sauce and brown sugar was the best fish he has ever had.

 On the way to the farmer’s market, we passed by a very striking, very large stone structure which we learned is the Edison Sault Electric Company, a hydro-electric plant built in 1902.  It’s the world’s largest horizontal shaft turbine hydro-electric generating plant – and the stone work is beautiful.

 

Day 27: Tahquamenon State Park

 

Tahquamenon State Park is largely wilderness with a number of hiking trails, but it’s two special features are its waterfalls.  The Upper Falls are nearly 50 feet high and 200 feet wide at its crest making it the third largest falls east of the Mississippi River.  In addition to its size, the color is very striking because of tannin in the  water.  There are a number of viewing points, and despite the number of stairs, we visited all of them.  The boardwalks and stairs were well constructed and built to last.

While the Lower Falls are not as high, they are also impressive with multiple lower falls divided by an island.  There was a nice boardwalk to the viewing platforms for this falls also, but no stairs, thank goodness!  While the Upper Falls are larger, we were much closer to the river and falls at the Lower Falls and the power of the river was really apparent. 

In addition to the falls, George especially enjoyed the local cafe in Paradise, MI, where we ate lunch.  The ladies there really knew how to bake a blueberry pie!

Day 26: Whitefish Point

 

We arrived at Tahquamenon State Park to find the best camp site we’ve ever had outside of the RV resort condo parks. We are in a  paved boomerang shaped pull through surrounded by Christmas trees - spruce, hemlock, and a large white pine tree.  The only flaw is that there are LOTS of aggressive mosquitoes.

Upon arrival we headed thirteen miles up to Whitefish Point to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. There we saw displays about several of the most infamous wrecks of the area which is known as the grave yard of the Great Lakes. Each display had artifacts of the wreck as well as the facts of the accident.  The renovated light keepers house was also open for tour.

Whitefish Point Light Station is the scene of the most ship wrecks on Lake Superior. It is a place where the lake narrows and ships are funneled to the locks at Sault Ste.  Marie. In the old days there were 3,100 ships on the lake with no radar. Collisions were common. Today there are about 200 big freighters. The most recent (1975),  famous, and mysterious ship wreck is the Edmund Fitzgerald. It was caught in one of the worst storms ever on the lake with 90 mph winds, 30 ft waves, and blinding snow. It is now believed the Fitz struck a shoal and gradually began to take on water.  The bow sank low shifting the iron ore load forward which, along with the stress of the waves, caused the ship to split in half and sink suddenly taking all lives aboard.

Our most interesting experience at the museum was meeting a docent, Bill, who had been a deck watchman aboard the Anderson which was following seven miles behind the Fitz. He said contributing factors to the loss of the Fitz were the light at Whitefish being out due to an electrical short, the Fitz having lost her radar, blinding snow, and the Coast Guard cutter at Sault Ste. Marie being in dry dock. The Anderson was asked by the Coast Guard to go back into the storm to look for the Fitz which it  did. Bill said the Anderson provided the first direct evidence that the Fitz had sunk as she recovered some debris with the ship’s name.

We walked out on the point and saw sand dunes and a freighter coming off the lake headed for the locks.   Unlike the rocky shores we’ve seen before, the lake looked like the Florida Gulf or the Atlantic beaches.