South to Ohio

Mike at Bay City State Park
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9/18/2008

We left St. Ignace and drove south across the Mackinac Bridge then turned east following the southern shore of Lake Huron (the 2nd largest Great Lake). It amazes me how blue, clear and huge the Great Lakes are. We have never seen more trees than we have during the last week. There must be a lot of oxygen in this part of the country. We crossed the 45th Parallel (1/2 way between the Equator and the North Pole). Stopped for the night at Bay City State Park in Bay City, Michigan. It is a lovely park on the bay.

Beach at Bay City
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9/19/2008

The drive today was not our favorite. We headed south on I-75 which goes through Detroit, MI and Toledo , OH. There were road repairs and detours everywhere and the road was in terrible shape. We did make it however to Sandusky, Ohio which is a beautiful little town on Lake Erie. This is a resort area which really hops during the summer months. Our camp spot is exceptional and we will stay here a few of days to relax and play golf. We met a really nice couple from Florida and they recommended a golf course nearby.

Thunderbird Golf Course - Beautiful
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9/20/2008

We played golf today at Thunderbird Golf Course in Huron, Ohio. It was a beautiful course with 36 holes. I loved it because I shot an 88 there – haven’t done that for a while. It was especially fun beating Mike out of $25. Maybe I should keep playing only once a month. We had a wonderful time. This evening we attended a “Fish Fry” here at the campground. One of the campers caught fish and fried it for everyone – the rest of us brought a side dish. We had a great time and met a lot of the locals here.

Mike at Thunderbird GC
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9/21/2008

Took a drive along the Sandusky waterfront – it is very historic with many old buildings. There is a huge amusement park called Cedar Point on the water and it is a popular vacation spot in the summer. We drove to Catawba Point where we caught a ferry to Put-In-Bay. It was really hard to believe we were in Ohio when boating across Lake Erie – it was more like being on the ocean. Put-In-Bay is located on South Bass Island and was named by the Indians who lived here and put their canoes in the bay. It is the location of the Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial – the third highest memorial in the US – beaten only by St. Louis Arch and the Washington Monument. It is higher than the Statue of Liberty. We never knew this but a major sea battle was fought here in 1813 with the British over the control of Lake Erie and the Northwest passage. Commander Oliver Hazard Perry (only 27) was given credit for the win which led to the end of the War of 1812. The memorial is to represent the peace between the U.S. and Canada. It was build in 1915 and the three British and three American Officers killed in the battle were reinterred beneath the memorial. We went to the top and there were amazing views. The rest of the island is beautiful and although there are cars, most people get around by bike or golf cart. We had a wonderful lunch at the Upper Deck of the Boardwalk and strolled around town. While we were eating we noticed an amphibious car in the bay – it was the strangest thing to see – it floated to the boat ramp where it was driven out and on down the street. There are many small islands around here so I guess it would be the perfect transportation.