Source: articlesbase.com
Plan a trip up US 23 along the index finger of the coast of Michigan. Take your time investigating the small towns along the way. First stop in Au Gres. Go to the marina and camp ground. From there you can go on a fishing excursion for perch and walleye on Lake Huron, at least Saginaw Bay. This includes tackle, license, bait, etc. The next town on the map is Alabaster, a small village off the main highway. The homes are mostly on the shoreline. Alabaster is a home of US Gypsum quarry. This was off limits to visitors. The reason for the name of the village is because in 1893, the Colombian Exposition occurred in Chicago, IL. The fair was called the Alabaster City, on account of the white exteriors of the buildings (illuminated at night by electricity). The gypsum, which was used to color the buildings white, came from the quarry in Michigan. Thus the name Alabaster for the area of the quarry.Down, or up, the road a piece is Tawas City, another resort town. This is much larger that Au Gres and offers many opportunities for fishing, boating, etc. Tawas Point State Park has a functioning lighthouse dating from the 1860s. From the point you can look out over Lake Huron or over Tawas Bay to the West.To the Northwest of Tawas City, approximately 12 miles is a monument dedicated to the lumbermen of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) of the 1930s depression era. This is located overlooking the Au Sable River, which was a major lumber river highway in those days. The area is in the midst of the Huron National Forest. The monument has a visitor’s center with displays depicting the life of the lumbermen. This is well worth a side trip.Follow River Road, aptly named from the Au Sable River, to Oscoda. One interesting sidelight is that the homes which are built along the Lake Huron coast all face the lake and are situated somewhat off the road. Because everything looks similar, the owners have devised interesting names and signage for their residences.Head further north to Harrisville and the lighthouse at Sturgeon Point. Built in 1870, the lighthouse residence is open to the public. The lighthouse, itself is off limits, due to the possibility of vandalism. The lighthouse keeper’s home is adjacent to the lighthouse itself. This one is two stories and is fairly spacious. Living in the middle of the wilderness was pretty difficult in those days. About fifty yards from the keepers house is an one room school house. This was operational until 1942 and is open to the public too.Travel to Mio, about forty miles west of Harrisville along M72. From the flat coastal plain of Lake Huron, drive along the rolling hills of central Michigan. For the Catholic visitors to the area, the local parish, Our Lady of the Woods, has, forest river travel trailer , erected a grotto dedicated to various Marian Shrines (Fatima, Lourdes, etc).Mio also has a large Amish community. A bulk food store is about three miles north of town west on Kettle Road about a mile. Amish farmsteads are beautiful. Seeing a young lady driving a matched team of four horses in the fields with her father stacking the baled hay on the trailer is quite a sight.
John Pelley is a Geriatric Gypsy. He is retired from the rat race of working. He is a full-time RVer, who ran away from home. He began our travels on the East Coast and, like the migrating birds, seek the warmth of the seasons He has discovered volunteering with the National Park System. He has a CD he has recorded of Native American flute music., A Day with Kokopelli. For pictures, links, and more information visit http://www.jmpelley.org.
