Reporting from Dundee, MI
LAT 41 deg 57 min
LON 83 deg 40 min
Despite some kids in the hall, we had a decent night at th chain hotel. Up early, and on the road.
We drove into Lansing and hit a few Roadside America attractions. “Portrait of a Dreamer” aka GearMan, is an interactive sculpture (or would be if it wasn't broken).
Here’s some giant pencils for some reason.
There's a local restaurant that I guess has a giant magnet inside?
Here’s a “tall beam man” off to the Lugnuts game.
“Sparty the Spartan” is the symbol of Michigan State. This is a metallic recreation of the terra cotta original, located inside the stadium.
We then added another entry to our Statehouse tours. The place was given a major rehab back in the 80s, returning it to it’s original Victorian splendor. Also, both houses were in session--a rarity for us.
Just down the street is the Olds Transportation Museum. Oldsmobile was the first mass-produced US automobile (take that, Ford). They had dozens of cars going back to the beginning, plus a lot of artifacts.
Moving on to a cemetery in Leslie, MI, and the headstone of Frank L. White, who appeared on Cream of Wheat box for decades.
Time for lunch at the Roadhouse (sorry, no Swayze). A turkey sammich and a warm club, excellent on a rainy day.
Jiffy has been churning out baking mixes since the 1930s. While they don't have tours anymore, their mascot hangs out. High Four!
One thing I was surprised about was the number of unpaved roads in Michigan, especially near suburban areas. We had our GPS set to avoid highways, but this is ridiculous. There was one muddy road with private paved roads coming off it.
Here's some attractions from Ann Arbor. Giant carrots, the leaning tower of pizza (on the Domino’s HQ campus), and gargantuan whisks in front of a commercial bakery compound. There were add'l items in the downtown area, but unless you have a helicopter, I wouldn't recommend it.
Enough for today. Tomorrow is our final run to home.