It has been a walk back in time for the beginning part of week three. Joan & I left the UP (Upper Peninsula) of MI 25 years ago in a motorhome. We arrived back in a motorhome. There are several reasons for our return to the UP. One was for my artsy wife and the changing of the color of the leaves. When it happens - it usually only lasts two weeks. It had started, but With high 80's and low 90's it will take a lot longer. Currently we are in the northern NY with 90's. But I digress!
With the closing of K. I. Sawyer AFB four years after I retired from there. I thought that the local community would really be prospering. Every thing I was ever taught through Embry Riddle said that with an airport the community would prosper - not in this case. The city of Marquette is about 26 miles north of the old base. Their airport moved out to the old base (Sawyer Airport). The city of Marquette has really prospered. It has exploded. The city of Gwinn, which is just down the road from the old base, has went back in time. When I was there one of the most popular places was the American Legion. I wanted to go there to see if there where any of the people I was stationed with there - still leaving there. I went there three separate days just to come across one person who hook me up with one other. Joan has always said that you never go back to where we have previously lived. In this case it is truly accurate.
It was great traveling through the UP. It is a beautiful place. We went with one of Joan's friends who she worked with while in real estate, to a friend of theirs who was extracting the honey from their bee hives. I was able to play with them. After they scrape off the wax - that they use for a multitude of products. Then the racks are placed into a centrafuse to extract the honey. There is nothing like fresh honey.
We finally departed the UP and headed south. Our first stop was to an apple orchard - with fresh apples and apple cider. From there we headed east towards Port Huron and into Canada. It had been over forty years since Joan had been there with her girl friend from London England. The neat part of this was that her friends family came from London Canada. Obviously it is much larger now. There are five exits off of the high way. We were heading to the Niagara Falls on the Canadian side. While we were traveling along there were miles of tractors with out trailers all decked out in pink for breast cancer awareness.
As in most places we travel we try to travel on the by ways and off of the interstates. So as we drove through Canada we were impressed. As in the US there were a large amount of apple orchard, vineyards, and corn growing. We drove along lake Ontario heading toward Ontario on the lake. Then down along the river to the whirlpool heading toward the falls. What a beautiful drive. Pictures will be posted once I return home and can up load.
So we finally arrived at Niagara Falls. It is beautiful! It is also very clean and classy. We eventually went across the bridge back into the US. I felt so a shame with such a beautiful natural resource looking like a slum. We couldn't wait to get out of their!
We took the back roads up and past Rochester towards Watertown and just north to Fort Drum where we will be for eight days. We get a rental car tomorrow and head to Canada (Montreal, Quebec, and Ottawa). I will post more in another week. Please forgive the spelling - no spell check on my tablet!
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