It has taken us a while to recover from our trip to Michigan. That is a really long way to drive! After three days each way in the car, we were stiff and sore. I was also having computer problems while I was gone. At some hotels, I could not connect to the Internet. So, here, a week late are the blog entries I would have posted had not fatigue and technology issues gotten in the way.
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| Arch Rock |
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| Carriage Horses |
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| Prince and Ellie |
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)
Once we delivered the vehicle to its destination, we were free to roam about the country or in this case, the State of Michigan. We toyed with the idea of heading to West Virginia to see youngest son and his wife who are working there at a Boy Scout camp but our drive to Michigan was so darn long that we decided we were not likely to return to the state anytime soon. So, our aim became to cross a few things off my “bucket” list starting with a trip to Mackinaw City. After a brief internal meltdown over having done no research nor made hotel reservations, I accessed Trip Advisor which has become my go to guide and found a hotel on the beach of Lake Erie within walking distance of the ferry to Mackinac Island. The young women at the check in desk were very kind and helpful and not only helped us with the room, but ferry tickets. The next day, we walked to the ferry and took a trip back in time to the place where no automobiles are allowed, only horses and bicycles. The first thing I noticed when we got off the ferry was a peculiar smell of two of the things I love the most, manure and chocolate (best not mix them up!). It seemed like every other shop sold fudge shop where in wide windows candy makers swirled melted chocolate on marble slabs. I could have had fudge for breakfast, lunch and dinner! While thousands of bicycles were on display to rent and ads enticed us with miles of riding roads and trails, when choosing between bicycles and horses, I am always going to chose horses. We booked a carriage ride (really a wagon with bench seats) around the town and island which took most of the morning which was an easy way to see much of the island. We went past the Grand Hotel, which is truly grand despite having been built in only three months, several churches, the cemetery, fort and other historical sites. We also got out of the carriage to walk up to Arch Rock for some beautiful scenes of the coastline. We enjoyed the guides who had funny anecdotes about the island. We laughed and oohed and awed over the scenery for several hours, then, found a place to eat lunch, no not a fudge shop! After lunch, husband indulged me in a hour long horseback ride where we went up into a residential area and saw some huge houses where the “summer” people live and then, into a state forest. Afterwards, I had time to duck into just a few shops before we needed to catch the ferry back to the mainland. In my career as a historian, I have always said I would love to go back in time for a day then, return to my modern civilization for a shower and air conditioning. Our visit to Mackinac Island allowed me to do just that!
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| Doesn’t look as high as it was. |
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| Hoping this was the top, but it wasn’t. |
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| I am Done! |
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| Torch Lake |
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Genesis 2:24 (KJV)
A few years ago, some magazine or television show declared Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as the most beautiful place in America. And when they did, I and thousands of other people added a visit to that place to our “bucket” lists. When we left Mackinaw City, we drove along the coast of northwestern Michigan past several deep glacial lakes with romantic names such as Torch Lake and Elk Lake, Sutton’s and Traverse Bays and of course, Lake Michigan. The water colors were surprising reminding me of Caribbean waters, but when I dipped my hand into these waters, I was reminded that I was far from home. Finally, we drove into Sleeping Bear Dunes and followed the ranger’s instructions to park and try the “dune climb”. An imposing tower of sand awaited us with people dotting its sides like ants on an ant hill. We set off confidently, feet bare on the asphalt that in Florida would have burned off a layer of skin, and started uphill. We hadn’t gotten far before I realized that walking on the steep incline in bare feet was a lot harder than it looked. Every step forward meant battling the gravity that would have slid us back down through the sand. I was huffing and puffing in no time regretting the pounds I have gained in the last few months of inertia. I was mostly afraid of falling and my fear of heights kicked in quickly. I could not turn and look back without anchoring myself in a seated position. Then, I struggled to get back up. Husband took my hand, helping me balance and urging me forward as we made it past the first level and onto the second more level landing. When the incline began again so did my whining and after cajoling me forward for a while, he left me in my misery to see what was up ahead. When he returned to where I struggled almost on my hands and knees and announced that we still had “at least a mile” to go to make it to a view of Lake Michigan, I decided my bucket list included “seeing” the dunes not “climbing” them and gave up. I urged him to go on without me, but he declared that dunes were not on his bucket list at all so after a rest, we slipped and slide our way back down to the stable ground of the parking lot. Once safely in the car with the sand brushed off my feet and my shoes back on, it occurred to me that the sand dune is a lot like marriage. We start off eagerly, “in love” and excited about a life together, but if we are not careful, the slippery sands of negotiating a life together sap all our strength and romance. I would never have made it as high as I did without husband’s encouragement and help and I am grateful that he did not chose to “go on without me.”
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| Husband and Henry |
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! Psalm 133:1 (NIV)
While dune climbing or seeing was not on husband’s bucket list, one thing that was was touring an automobile factory. So, when we left the dunes, we decided to drive to Dearborn to tour the Ford Rouge Factory and also see the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. The next day, bright and early, we took the shuttle bus from the hotel to meet a second bus to go to the Ford Factory where they build the F-150 aluminum body trucks. After watching two movies, one on the history of Ford Motor Company and one, a multi media film that included simulated manufacturing and robots, husband was antsy to get into the factory. So, we skipped the observation deck and went straight to the assembly line. From our entrance to the factory, walking on elevated platforms over the four different lines, we were fascinated by the teamwork, precision and automation that takes place there. While some robots are involved with the heavy lifting of windshields, hoods, truck bodies and beds, most of the work is done by humans or a combination of humans and robots. For example, the installation of a “moon roof” in the dome of a truck takes a robot to measure, fit and lift the glass into place through the front windshield area as two men with screw guns lock it into place. In all, the process took less than a minute per vehicle. It helps that the trucks are automatically raised and lowered to the right height for a person to work on each section and at times, there are four people inside a truck inserting seat belts, carpet and dash board as the truck moves along the assembly line. Only once did we see a hold up when a piece of carpet assigned to a truck was the wrong color. Otherwise, everything ran like clockwork. I was surprised that the trucks that wind their way through the factory are a mix of types and colors. I thought that they would work on only one kind of truck at a time, but the delivery of parts to each place on the assembly line is so choreographed that a team can install doors on a two door white truck followed by a four door blue truck followed by a red truck, then, a green in no particular order. The same happens with fenders, carpets, seats and beds. Though we did not see the entire process including stamping of the body parts into appropriate shapes and painting, we watched as the bare trucks were fitted together with interiors and exterior parts until we came to the final inspection area where they test for fit, performance and durability. In the end, trucks await shipment by rail or truck transport to go all over the country. The factory tour was an amazing experience as we witnessed human ingenuity and hard work at its finest. And remembered what true teamwork looks like. Everyone knew their job and did it with skill.
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| Riding in the Model T |
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17 (NKJV)
Ever since I became a historian, I have wanted to visit Greenfield Village. The museum set the standard and invented the concept of historical villages, sometimes sarcastically referred to as building zoos. Henry Ford had the idea to save historic buildings by moving them all to one place where they could be restored and on display for visitors. While it is best to preserve a building in place, sometimes, that is not possible. A historical village gives a way to save these buildings that might otherwise be destroyed. That is exactly the reason that Henry Ford started Greenfield Village. Ironically, in 1919, the home where he was raised was threatened by a road improvement project. The very vehicles he helped to create needed new roads and his childhood home was in the way. In order to save it, Ford needed to move the house 200 yards. Not only did Ford move it to a location that eventually became Greenfield Village, he restored it to the period of 1876 when his mother was still alive. The project was such a success that Ford began collecting more buildings including those belonging to the great inventors of his time, most of Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park Laboratory buildings, the bicycle shop of the Wright Brothers and then, other buildings from around the country that represented our history and industry. The courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law, glass shops, sawmills, weaving shops, barns, train stations and plantation homes. Some of the buildings were recreated, but many are the original building and it is fun to walk through and think that you are stepping where those historical giants once walked. We particularly enjoyed the transportation component of the village, the steam driven locomotive, the Model T Ford, the horse drawn wagon and the carousel, but it is the buildings for which Greenfield Village has made its name and inspired other communities including my own to do the same. While many of the buildings are associated with famous people, most are ordinary buildings preserved to display a way of life long lost and the lives of ordinary people whose names are not recorded in the history books. I think that is what is so interesting about the historical village concept. While the mansions and large homes of the wealthy and famous are often preserved on site, historical villages focus on moving smaller buildings that others might not see the significance in. But, while the geniuses of our country might have impelled the tremendous advances in technology and innovated new ways to live, it was on the backs of the little people, the workers and laborers that this country truly became what it is today. Whether it is the cottage of a working class family, the barn of a farmer, the mill of a lumberman, these buildings are as important as the homes of the Presidents and the forts of the first explorers. So are you. No matter what you do, your work is important as well.
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