Roaming around Carson City, I came across this old building, which I guess is some sort of grain elevator or something. I am a city kid, and not sure exactly how grain is processed, I just know I can buy stuff at the store. Anyways, I saw this old place, lonely and forgotten, missing the days the farmers would stop by for a visit.
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Standing tall in Detroit’s Corktown district, Michigan Central Station was the main intercity passenger rail depot for Detroit.. Built for the Michigan Central Railroad, it replaced the original depot in downtown Detroit, which was shuttered after a major fire on December 26, 1913, forcing the still unfinished station into early service. Formally dedicated on January 4, 1914, At the time of its construction, it was the tallest rail station in the world.
At the beginning of World War I, the peak of rail travel in the United States, more than 200 trains left the station each day and lines would stretch from the boarding gates to the main entrance. In the 1940s, more than 4,000 passengers a day used the station and more than 3,000 people worked in its office tower. Among notable passengers arriving at MCS were Presidents Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman and Franklin D. Roosevelt, actor Charlie Chaplin and inventor Thomas Edison.
During the rise of the automobile and the decline of passenger rail service after WWII the train station slowly became obsolete and by 1988 the last passenger train pulled out of the station. The station has been featured in several films Including Transformers , The Island and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
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An old barn near Lupton
Autumn in Michigan is one of the most magical places on earth, and there are lots of ways to enjoy the fall color, but this is what I have learned on my leaf peeping trips.
Seven Bridges Recreation Area near Kalkaska
The fall color map that the tourist and news website use is more of a guideline ( as captain jack sparrow would say), I find that they are a rough estimate, but never seem to be that accurate as to when the leaves peek. I think the temperature and weather controls when the leaves peak, if its a hot dry autumn, the leaves will change different, than if it’s a cold wet fall. I find that looking at current photos on Instagram is a good guide as to how the colors are coming along, you can look at hashtags ( or as us old school people call it, the pound sign) and see what photographers are posting, just makes sure they are current photos and not ones from previous years.
One thing we know is the color starts from the north, and works its way down to the southern part of the state last. So obviously head north at the beginning of the fall and then work your way down the state to maximize your leaf peeping potential. I am not fortunate enough to live in northern Michigan and my budget is a little tight, but I find that if I stay in less popular cities, I can find a good deal on a hotel room. Like Munising instead of Marquette, Cheboygan instead of Mackinac City or Acme instead of Traverse City. I find I am gonna be traveling around to find color anyways, so where I stay is not that important. Another option is camping in one of Michigan beautiful state parks, and yes I have roughed it like Matt Foley, living in a van down by the river, but it was a beautiful river in Michigan, so it was priceless.
an old church in Mt Hope
I know a lot of Michiganders like to go wine tasting, and play golf, but I that ain’t my thing, so while I am up north, I like to go exploring. You could just drive around with no particular place to go and see what you can find, but I think it’s a little more enjoyable to have a few places to visit on your trip. My favorite places to visit are Lighthouses, most are usually open to the public, and some of them for a small donation, will allow you to climb the tower. If you are in da U.P. there are plenty of waterfalls to find. Michigan historical markers can be found in every county in Michigan, and you can do a little research and find some interesting places to see, I suggest checking out www.michmarkers.com for a list and location of all of Michigan’s historical markers.
Now that you have a few places to check out on your trip the secret is how you get there, sure you could take the most direct and popular route using the interstate highway system, but I suggest taking a less direct route on back roads, and going thru some small towns along the way. One benefit of back roads is there are usually little traffic, and its not a problem if you want to stop and take a pic. Yeah I know M22 is a nice drive, but there is a lot of traffic and it’s hard to stop or ever slow down to see the sights without someone breathing down your tailgate trying to pass you.
McGulpin Point Lighthouse near Mackinaw City
Going out and finding peak fall color is kinda like going out on the lake and finding fish, I have never been fortunate enough to go up north, and had peak color in a large area like is shown on the color maps. It’s more like small patches of color and some places may still be a little green and others may be past peek, but if you keep driving around and exploring, you will find some spectacular color in places, and that is when it’s time to stop and take a photo. I have learned if the color ain’t to good then don’t try to make something that ain’t there, just keep moving on and see what is down the road.
Now lets talk about weather, my kids are still in school, and I am limited as to when I can get out and go leaf peeping. It seems like when I do get a chance to go its raining, but that’s ok, I have learned on overcast and even rainy days, that when you want to get into the woods and take photos, it the perfect time to get pics of waterfalls ( a tripod is helpful if you have one). If it’s a nice sunny day, that’s when it’s good to get some nice landscape photos with a lot of sky in the photo. It’s best if you can have the sun behind you instead of taking photos into the sun. one more tip, I find that if you bump up the saturation in your photos, it really brings out the colors in the pics.
Also remember, if you live in Michigan, you don’t have to go far from home to enjoy fall. You can always go to a nearby state park or county park or metropark. Take a nice Sunday afternoon drive to get some cider and doughnuts, and if you live in the big city like me, you can always take a drive out thru the country side, and see the barns and farm fields. I bet you will even find some nice places to get some pics not far from home.
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It’s been a while since I posted a dam photo, so here is dam number 3 on the Escanaba River. It is the 3rd, and final dam, as the river flows into Lake Michigan. I saw it while traveling down U.S. 2, on my drive into Escanaba, and I found a nice place to stop and get a pic. I can’t explain why, but I like stopping and visiting some of the old dams around Michigan. I especially like it when the spillway is open, and you can see hear and feel the power of the rushing water as it exits the spillway. I am no dam expert, but I would imagine it is still one of the best sources of generating electricity. I wonder if they knew we would have so many electronic devices to power when it was built.
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Make sure you don’t miss any new posts from Lost In Michigan. I only share older posts on Facebook and social media. Many people tell me they enjoy seeing my daily emails and look forward to receiving them.
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I found this little red school house while traveling along M55 south of Lake Cadillac. The sign out front said Hector School 1908, and it was the Clam Lake District No.5 School. Other than that, I could not find anything else about it, but I had to stop and get a pic of the little red school house.
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I was going thru some of my old photos, and I cam across this pic of this old house, or shack, or whatever it was, but I don’t remember even taking this photo. It was in with my photos from Cross Village and Levering, so it must be somewhere around there. I take a lot of photos, and I mean a lot, I can usually remember taking all the photos I have crated, but It’s rather strange that I don’t remember this one, maybe the aliens did it.
P.S. thank you for reading my posts and following me on my journeys around Michigan, even if I am loosing my mind.
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The Continental Fire Company organized in 1860 in Houghton built their new fire hall in 1883 and occupied the basement, which housed horses, and the main floor, which stored fire engines. Village offices were on the second floor. The Michigan Mining School, now Michigan Technological University, held its first classes on the second floor and in the basement from 1886 through May 1889. In the early 1900s, the building was extended to the north to store more oats and hay for the horses. In 1916, an addition was built on the western side to store two more fire engines.
The city moved its offices out of the fire hall in the 1930s. On August 5, 1966, a bronze plaque was unveiled commemorating the building as the original home of the university. In 1974, the fire department moved to a new, more centrally located fire hall along Sharon Avenue in order to accommodate larger modern equipment. The fire bell was removed in October 1975 and transferred to the new location.
The fire hall was listed as a Michigan State Historic Site on August 6, 1976.In 1978, the university purchased the building from the city to use as storage.It was sold in 2010 to a private group who renovated it into an entertainment venue, called the Continental Fire Co., which opened in February 2012.
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Named for Samuel Ingham, Secretary of the Treasury under Andrew Jackson, Ingham County was organized in 1838. In 1840 Mason became the county seat. The town’s wide public square had been designed as the county’s political and business center. The first county offices were on the sides of the square until 1858, when a courthouse was built at this location. The present building, completed in 1904, was described as a “temple of justice.” Governor Fred Warner, speaking at the dedication, called it “a meeting place for farmers, mechanics, business and professional men.” The courthouse has been the center of Ingham County’s activities throughout the twentieth century. In 1971 the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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I was watching Diners Drive Inns and Dives with Guy Fieri, and Bob Ritchie took him to the Clarkston Union Bar and Kitchen. The food was really good, well actually better than good, it was “off the hook” as Guy would say, but the remarkable thing about the Clarkston Union, is the fact that it’s in an old Church built in the 1840’s. Traveling around the state, I see many Churches that are empty, I would not say abandoned, but they are no longer being used, and I like it when I see a church that is re-purposed, to use a current buzzword.
The interior of the old church is enthralling with the sunlight coming thru the stained glass windows, and the old pews are converted into seating for the tables and booths. An old bingo board hangs on the wall, and where the altar was is the kitchen preparing foods that are like a religious experience to eat.
They are most well known for their mac and cheese, and the crispy toasty layer on top is to die for, I guess what better place then an old church. If you really want to kick it up to the next level, you can get the mac and cheese with ham or lobster. It will probably be busy when your there, but it’s not a problem if you have to wait for a table, since they have a general store next door to the restaurant, and you can do some shopping while you wait.
P.S. I don’t plan on doing many restaurant reviews on Lost In Michigan ( there are people way better than me that do them already) but I do like old churches and history, and I hope more entrepreneurs will consider converting old churches, schools and old buildings into beloved places in the community instead of them being left forgotten.
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