Day 64: MI + OH
Even though I didn’t get where I planned on going, not even close (which to begin with was a quite foolish goal), it was a good day, especially photographically. I will have to admit, I had very low expectations of the Midwest, especially knowing that by the time I’d get there, I would’ve seen pretty much everything else, so that’s nice to be able to say.
From Grand Rapids I headed to the Michigan Gold Coast and Saugatuck, though today it was more like the grey coast, grey and dreary. Saugatuck offered pretty much nothing of interest, so I quickly got back on the road, heading southeast towards Battle Creek. While not so much to write on, the drive did offer a few interesting bits here and there, as did Battle Creek. Past the city, to the southeast of it lies the town of Marshall, which has a historical downtown main street that actually deserves to be called historical. Considering how much of Michigan is (or is perceived) as being in a sorry state, it was nice to see a small town doing pretty good for itself.
I got on the interstate after that, and headed for Ann Arbor. Knowing I had no time for Detroit (sorry!), I figured I’d at least see some bigger Michigan city, and with Ann Arbor’s population being one third university students, I figured it would be a good bet for interesting things to see, and it was. I didn’t have much time, but I did get to see some of the very youthful downtown area, where I found a cool little shop named Acme Mercantile that sells all kinds of cool, retro stuff.
Back on the road, it was time to head for the last new state on this journey, Ohio. I had plans to head fairly south into Ohio, but time just wasn’t on my side so instead I decided to drive along the Lake Erie coast, which turned out to be a good choice. I’m only about 60 miles into Ohio, but I’ve already seen and photographed a whole lot of interesting, quirky things.
Right now I’m just outside of Sandusky, Ohio, which boasts a huge theme park, Cedar Point, which according to themselves is the rollercoaster capital of the world.
