Michigan seems like a dream to me now

August 8, 2015
They've all come
To look for America
All come to look for America 
                                -Paul Simon

CKLW - The Motor City

My only experience in Michigan to date has been Detroit. I was consulting a radio station located just South of Detroit in Canada. Yes, Ontario does dip down below Detroit, but that's a story for another day. When I was a boy, I would listen to Detroit's big signal radio station, CKLW The Big 8, which is actually in Windsor, Ontario. One of the highlights of my consulting business was working with their FM station. They were located in the same building. I got to spend time in the huge storage basement, where the original huge CKLW music library and all the promotional items are stored. It was fun leafing through the same records that I heard played when I was growing up listening to The Big 8.

Dolly in the Forest near Allendale

Michigan is so much more than just Detroit. We spent close to a week in Michigan, on or near the shores of Lake Michigan.  Camping on the lake is a memory I'll hang on to for a long time. After spending some time near Escanaba and Petosky, we moved farther down the peninsula to the Grand Rapids area. We stayed in a forest, surrounded by trees west of Allendale.

Up until now, nights have been very quiet. We've been sleeping in areas where it's perfectly still at night. This time, however, our sleep was accompanied by a chorus of crickets and wood frogs. They have a chirping sound, unlike anything I've ever heard before. Satch and Bebop sat by the windows looking out, cocking their heads back-and-forth wondering what the heck could be making sounds like this. Michigan Wood Frogs

Sunset over Lake Michigan is a lovely thing

As the sun sets on our visit to Michigan, we're reminded of the delightful time we had visiting. But we didn't even really make a dent in seeing everything Michigan has to offer. Next time, we need to visit the other side of Michigan, the East Side on Lake Huron. One thing that is becoming obvious on this journey, there's more to see that we possibly could do, especially considering the time restraints we have. We'll be in Pittsburgh next weekend for my nephew Demetri's Big Fat Greek Wedding. That will be fun!

It's also going to be great to spend time with my Mom, who I don't see nearly enough.

Now, it's off to Chicago to have dinner with Bill and Lola. See ya!