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Page 10
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So Monday morning we set off for Canada. First we went due west into Ohio to further explore the Amish countryside. This time we probably passed right through the heart of Amish country and we saw Amish farms, road side inns and a number of horse carriages along the road. Entering Ohio we also learned that the American Highway patrols are very kind. Leaving the highway Michael had some problems to reduce the speed and was stopped by a patrol car with flashing blue lights. After having checked all the papers and told Michael that he had exceeded the speed limit with 15 miles the officer politely asked him to drive safely. No ticket ! We continued north and came to Lake Erie at Sanduski, which is supposed to be an entertainment city. It was extremely quiet, probably because of the late time of the year. We then drove along the lake to Toledo and had a picnic at the lake. It was freezingly cold, less than 50 °F, and had also started to rain (just like in Denmark !). The rain continued every day until we returned to Pennsylvania five days later. South of Detroit we found accommodation for the night at Knights Inn, clean but not the most exciting motel (supposed to be in old English style). The next day we crossed our way up Michigan and finally drove along the coast of Lake Michigan from Frankfort to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which was our destination. The rain was steady the whole day, but further intensified when we reached the sanddunes. With an umbrella and a few dry moments we managed to see most of the park (fee 7 $). From the Visitor Center located south of the park we took the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. The dunes are quite impressive with fine views both to the large Lake Michigan and to the small Glen Lake (it would have been even better with clear sky). Most of the drive is in pine or maple forests with the road being quite steep at some places. Orange-red -brown autumn colours were just at their beginning here in the forests.
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Despite the bad weather we walked along some of the shorter trails to enjoy the fauna and the views from the sand dunes. As you see on the photos below the weather was cold and the sight was quite limited.
In Sleeping Bear Dunes |
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 Jens, freezing on a walk in the dunes |
 A miserable sight from the dunes to Lake Michigan |
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Further north there is a parking lot from where you have access to climb the dunes. At this place the rain was very heavy so Michael just posed for a nice picture at the foot of the dunes. Admitted, we stayed in the car. We also went up to the Coast Guard Museum. If you climb the dunes at this point they are supposed to look like a sleeping bear stretching southward. There is actually a Chippewa Indian legend telling that during a forest fire on todays Wisconsin shore a mother bear and her two cubs were driven out into Lake Michigan. The two cubs drowned and formed the Manitou Islands. Mother bear managed to climb the top of a bluff on the opposite shore and here she rests today sculpturing the dunes. From the park we followed route no 31 along the Grand Traverse Bay and all the way to Mackinaw City where we found a nice motel at 50 $ for the night.
