My Adventure Landed Me at the Adventure Inn B&B!

Okay...I had a long, rainy, and hot hike the day I arrived at this beautiful B&B on the shores of Lake Huron north of Port Huron. I looked pretty roughed up, but the owners (Nicholas and Sandy) swept me into their home and installed me in the "Toy Room."

This modern house is filled with up-to-the-moment touches like WiFi, large flatscreen televisions, and generous common areas. Oh ya, and it's right on the beach!

The first photo is the view from the couch in this lovely room! Nothing but LAKE HURON as far as the eye can see.



The Toy Room is filled with antique toys (no clowns, thank goodness...they freak me out) including antique slot machines and baskets of coins and tokens to play them.





The room is flooded with light from the windows and three skylights.



There are two rooms in the B&B and the owners have also renovated the adjacent cottage for larger groups (sleeps 6) for longer stays.








The second-to-last photo is of my favorite breakfast table looking out on Lake Huron set with a gorgeous fruit and yogurt and granola parfait. Nicholas also baked scones with dried Michigan cherries.


The last photo is of The Adventure Inn from the beach.

Check out the website for The Adventure Inn!

Location:North Lakeport, MI

Vantage Point

Vantage Point is located in the Great Lakes Maritime Center in Port Huron where the Black River merges with the St. Clair River.






Three volunteers (Marlene, Ellen, and Mary in photo) sat down with me to tell me all about this special place.


With floor-to-ceiling windows facing the river, people gather here to hang out, play cards, visit over lunch or a donut, and (of course) watch the freighters pass by. Each passing boat is announced over a speaker system at the center. Volunteers broadcast information about each freighter including what they are hauling and where they are taking it.

There is no fee to go to Vantage Point and there is free access to WiFi for visitors. People come from all over the nation and world. "I've personally spoken with people from England, Scotland, Korea, Japan, and New Zealand," Marlene told me. "Last year we had 300,000 people pass through the center."






The center serves as a gathering place and offers events like a farmer's market and flower market in the warmer months. They also have activities for kids at times like teaching them how to fish.

Learn more at The Great Lakes Maritime Center's website

Location:Port Huron, MI

Sage House B&B

I stayed at the Sage House B&B in Port Huron. Since I had hiked 145 miles upon reaching the front porch, I was delighted when Joan (the owner and master baker) informed me that she had upgraded me to a room with a jacuzzi tub. Yay!




This home was built in the late 1800s and has a history tied to the Great Lakes. One owner, Albert Sage, was a conductor on the Grand Trunk Railroad. There is a tunnel underneath the St. Clair River here that allows trains to go between Port Huron and Sarnia (Ontario).




A later owner of the house was the retired Commodore of the entire fleet of lake freighters for the Great Lakes Steel Company!

From the comfortable front porch, you can watch the freighters moving up and down the river.


The house has the largest window seat I've ever seen. "I almost bought the house just for that window seat," Joan told me.
















Breakfast began with a delicious baked apple with spiced ricotta and was followed by a perfect vegetable frittata. Yum!

Location:Port Huron, MI

The Waterways Connecting Lakes Erie and Huron

The connection between Lake Erie and Lake Huron is over 80 miles of water. Huron flows into the St. Clair River that flows into Lake St. Clair, and that funnels into the Detroit River which splits around the island of Grosse Ile before blending into Lake Erie.

Two grand bridges span the rivers, making the leap to Canada. Today I caught my first glimpse of Lake Huron underneath the Bluewater Bridge!































Photos:
1. Ambassador Bridge, Detroit
2. Belle Isle Bridge, Detroit
3. Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, Lake St. Clair
4. The Heather House B&B, Marine City on the St. Clair River
5. Lighthouse at Marine City on St. Clair River
6. Bridge to Bay Trail. I hiked this trail when it stayed close to the river.
7. Freighter on the St. Clair River
8. Arriving in Port Huron
9. The Bluewater Bridge. Lake Huron flows into the St.. Clair River here.

Location:Port Huron, MI

Art from Industry

Diego Rivera was commissioned by Edsel Ford to paint a mural at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Rivera spent many weeks touring the River Rouge Plant, then he spent months painting frescos on the four walls of this massive atrium.




Sunlight streamed in as Rivera worked. Over the months he painted, Rivera lost over 100 pounds. He put himself into these frescos, and they are magnificent.





The four walls contain more than a depiction of industry. There are layers of philosophy, religion, and politics.



If you have never seen this atrium at the DIA, put it on your list. It is not to be missed.

Location:Detroit, MI

The Arsenal of Democracy

FDR called the industrial corridor south of Detroit "The Arsenal of Democracy." Planes, tanks, jeeps, and more were constructed here to aid in the war effort.



Ford's River Rouge plant still dominates the downriver area.















This is not an area hikers usually choose for a stroll, but I am fascinated with exploring and experiencing all areas along the Great Lakes.

Location:Detroit, Michigan

Alpacas and Blimps and Border Patrol!

Among the unexpected things I've seen on my hike so far:

An alpaca farm on the island of Grosse Ile.



This herd of over 50 animals (and more on the way) are bred and shorn and shown in competitions.


I was intrigued with their feet. They have a split hoof like cows and goats, but their hoof is like a claw for solid footing in their native mountains of South America.


The farm has a gift shop full of alpaca products: clothing, yarn, rugs, blankets, and socks.




"Alpaca is the best fiber," owner Gail Steffke told me, "it wicks even better than wool." I bought a pair of Paca Socks and the were very comfortable for hiking.







Another unexpected thing: the Goodyear blimp.












It flew over Grosse Ile on the way to Detroit for opening day for the Detroit Tigers.









And one more thing: all the Border Patrol vehicles between Port Clinton and Detroit. The US/Canadian border is called "The world's longest undefended border," but these patrols certainly keep an eye on that divide.




I spoke with the officer in the photo, Joshua Andrews, who told me that his movement along the waterways dividing the US from Canada are driven by intelligence gathered from many sources. That's quite a line to patrol, between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Location:SE Michigan

The Grosse Ile Pilot House

While on my adventure, I like to stay at places that have a connection to the history of their towns. On the island of Grosse Ile, I stayed at The Pilot House a place steeped in over 80 years of the island's (and the country's) history.





During WWII, the Naval Air Station on Grosse Ile was the primary training facility for naval pilots. Thousands of pilots trained here, including 1,800 of England's RAF. The building that is now the Pilot House hotel served as housing for pilots and officers and the upstairs had an officer's club and ballroom. George HW Bush was stationed here for a time during the war, and Donald Rumsfeld drilled at the base in the 60s.





The hotel boasts 12 rooms, many with a separate sitting room and some with jacuzzi tubs. They are currently renovating an enormous master suite on the second floor with a great view over the airstrip with Lake Erie in the distance.

One of the most unique features is the sprawling common areas like the one below with piano, ping pong, and giant television. It seems like the perfect place for a large family reunion.







"Yes," the owner Jim Cortis (in photo below) told me, "we get quite a few reunions here. They often rent the entire place." The Cortis family has owned the Pilot House for over three decades. Art Cortis, Jim's dad, operated a tug boat for years. The pilot house of a tug adorns the second floor in his honor.





The Pilot House website

Location:Grosse Ile, MI

An Artist's View of Lake Erie

Sally Thompson (in photos below) read my first book and contacted me about meeting up when I passed near her on this current adventure. I have met many wonderful people this way and so we coordinated schedules and set a place to meet.





Sally told me that she is an avid kayaker, so I consulted with her about how best to cross some waterways and to get around a power plant near her. She went out of her way to check out an old trestle bridge and even spoke with a power plant worker for me!


The western edge (leeward edge) of Lake Erie is incredibly marshy, so I was not able to walk the shoreline much. Sally drove me to an access point near the power plant where there was a little beach.


We even found a dead egret there and Sally procured the skull for her collection!





Okay, not as creepy as it sounds when I tell you that she is an artist and she uses the skulls to sketch and study. The photo here is of her business card featuring one of her paintings.



Sally shows her work in several galleries on the east side of the state and is looking to show on the west side (so...any of my Lake Michigan friends who have contacts at galleries looking for new artists, please connect them with Sally through her blog: Artist Sally Thompson's Blog

Location:Near Luna Pier, Michigan