This wooden bridge is one of several bridges and boardwalks in the Seven Bridges Nature Area. It is located between Kalkaska and Rapid City and a wonderful place to walk around and enjoy nature. If you are ever in the area and looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life a walk through the nature area will calm your soul.
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I passed by this stone man at the end of last summer while I was looking for the ghost town of Deward. I am not sure how he ended up in the middle of the woods northwest of grayling but he made me smile. He is along the snowmobile trail so I imagine a lot of snowmobilers know where he is. If you want to know more about Deward you can see my post HERE
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I was driving down Old 27 about 10 miles south of Houghton Lake when I saw a small sign that read “Historical Marker” I looked for the marker and did not see anything. I turned around and went back and then noticed a stone marker among the leaves of the ferns and trees. It read:
Forest of Louisa St. Clair Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution Detroit Mich. A.D. 1929.
In 1928 The Louisa St. Clair chapter of the D.A.R. purchase seedlings for $503. Over the next two years, they oversaw the planting of 200 acres of trees in the forests north of Clare. This helped to regrow the forests after the timber was cut for lumber. Next time you are driving north of Clare you will remember the women who planted the trees that now grow in the forest.
P.S. It is amazing what you can learn from an old historical marker.
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The scenic drive of M-22 passes through the little town of Onekema. About a mile off M-22 down Portage Point road is a stone structure with water flowing out of it. This artesian well flows all year long. The natural spring stands next to the road and has a little parking spot next to it. The spring is a great place for travelers to stop for a drink of refreshing natural water and the pipe makes it easy to fill up a water jug or two.
Not far from this spring is another natural spring called Old Faceful, you can see my post about it HERE
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Northeast of Hesperia, deep within the Manistee National Forest, is Benton Lake. It is a small lake completely surrounded by wilderness other than a little rustic campground. As legend has it, back in 1874, a stagecoach was transporting gold coins to a nearby logging camp. The coins were to be used for payroll for the lumberjacks, but along the way, the stage was robbed.
The story that has been told for generations is the bandits feared they might be caught and be beaten or killed by the lumberjacks. They hid the gold in an old cast iron stove and then buried it between two stumps along the shoreline of Benton Lake. They supposedly never came back to retrieve the stolen loot. It is claimed that the gold coins would be worth about a half-million dollars. I am not sure if the legend is true, but if you want to look for the buried treasure, you can check out Benton Lake which is part of the National Forrest. I am not sure what the regulations are for digging on national land but in my opinion, the real treasure is the peace and solitude you will find there.
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Down the road from Lumberman’s Monument is a parking area for Iargo Springs. I say parking area and not the springs because they are way down by the Au Sable River. It is about 300 steps down to the springs but it is worth the effort. It is a beautiful secluded area covered in tall trees with the water flowing over rocks and logs down to the river. If you are ever in the area and you can make the trip down the stairway and back up again ( I had to rest a few times ) be sure to see the Iargo Springs.
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Along the Grand River in Fitzgerald Park are these magnificent rock outcroppings and cliffs. They truly are grand ledges and give the town they are located in its name. I find it strange that I have lived in Michigan for a half-century and have explored many places and I just now visited this wonderful place. I felt like I was hiking in the northwestern Upper Peninsula instead of the Central Lower Peninsula. If you are looking for someplace to explore, you need to check out the Grand Ledges for yourself, because you can’t capture its breathtaking beauty in a photograph.
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North of Gaylord is a roadside park. I small creek runs through it with a couple of bridges that cross the flowing water. The water comes from a natural spring known as the Irontone Spring. The park is Frank Wilkinson Park named in honor of Frank Wilkinson who was the first Otsego County road commissioner. He owned the property and deeded it to the county after his death.
Next time you are heading up north take a break from I-75 and travel along old 27. Be sure to stop at the little roadside park at Irontone Springs.
P.S. I found on the internets that there is a fountain with spring water that you can drink but it was not flowing while I was there. Maybe someone forgot to pay the water bill to Mother Nature.
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I made a whirlwind trip around the northern Lower Peninsula over the past few days. I stopped at the Seven Bridges Recreation Area north of Kalkaska and took this pic of the water flowing through the green trees and grass. The trees are still green other than a few random trees that started changing their leaves early. I went through Roscommon, Mio to Onaway over to Indian River, and then down to Gaylord to Kalkaska and over to Grayling. I am thinking the end of September is gonna be peak for Nothern Lower but that is dependant on the weather.
If you are looking forward to Autumn’s color show like I am you still have a few weeks unless you head up into the Upper Peninsula.
P.S. I took a lot of pics and I am looking forward to sharing them with you over the next few weeks.
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Behind the old state hospital ( which is now the Village at Grand Traverse Commons) in Traverse City is an old round building with a face painted on it. It sits up on a hill and I think it was a water tank for the old hospital. I enjoy shopping at the commons but if you get a chance be sure to hike the trails behind the buildings. It is a beautiful wooded area with trails winding through the trees. There are also a few unique and interesting places like the old water tank and the Hippie Trees. You can see my post about them HERE.
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