KERRY WILSON & HARRY DENNIS TRIP TO MICHIGAN by Kerry Wilson

(See photos below.) (Also, click on the hyperlinks to learn more about the places mentioned in the article. I have also placed links to the actual photographs that are described in the article.)

We left Gadsden, AL on 08/18/2007 at 6:45 pm. We rode 725 miles to Carthage, IL. We arrived at 8:45 pm, and spent the night with my Brother and Sister in Law, Dan & Liz. The route we took to Carthage was: I-59 N to I-24 E. I-24 E thru Nashville TN, Clarksville TN, and Paducah Ky. We stopped for lunch in Paducah, KY. We traveled I-64 from Mount Vernon, IL, and Hwy 4 N, from Lebanon, IL to Litchfield, IL. We took I-55 from Litchfield, IL to Springfield, IL., then I-72 from Springfield to Quincy, then I-172 W and Hwy 336 N to Carthage. 

I mounted a digital camera on the handlebars of my motorcycle, and took 274 photos on the trip. These are not award winning photos, but they are interesting. They show the different terrain, and towns that we saw along the way - all from the perspective of the motorcycle, looking over the handle bar and dash, beside the rear view mirror, and through the windshield. On a few occasions, we used the handlebar mount as a tripod, and set the timer to take photographs of ourselves. 

The next day (Sunday) crossed the Mississippi River at Keokuk, IA. We took Hwy 136 thru Memphis, Downing and  Lancaster, MO,  (where I once lived and graduated from high school) and then Iowa Hwy 2 W on toward Moravia, IA. We attended a my 98th Annual Wilson Family reunion in Moravia, then we took US Hwy 63  thru Oskaloosa, IA to Waterloo, IA. We spent Sunday night at my cousins cabin on the Wapsipinicon River near Jesup, IA. We were pulling Aspen Campers with our GL1800 Goldwing motorcycles. That night, we experienced a "good old fashioned Iowa thunderstorm" - all night. That is why we stayed in the cabin. We were happy to have a dry place to sleep.

The next day, we left for Wisconsin by way of Dubuque, IA, and Galena, IL. We crossed the Mississippi River again at Dubuque. We stopped and ate lunch at a roadside table while we enjoyed a picturesque view of a grassy meadow and a diary farm, between Dubuque and Galena. We decided to stop in Galena, IL to visit President U.S. Grants home in Galena. Galena is a very interesting town made up of mostly brick buildings dating back to 1825. It was the home of 9 Union Army Generals, during the war between the states. 

We drove on to Dodgeville, WI and visited the House on the Rock. That was a very interesting home to see. Alex Jordan had built a home in and on a rock. In addition to an interesting home, he had collected everything from steam engines, model ships, musical instruments, antique cars, to doll houses, and a miniature circus. I had visited the House on the Rock before, but Harry is still shaking his head in amazement, stating: "I don't know how one man could have that much imagination, and be able to collect so many items in one lifetime."

We drove on to Baraboo, WI, and camped in the Baraboo Hills Campground. This was a very nice Good Sam's Club Campground, that featured, biking, swimming pool, private showers, and free use of recreation equipment. Unfortunately, we were not there long enough to enjoy any of the amenities, except the good hot shower!

The next day (Tuesday), we drove straight up I-39 N thru Stevens Point, Wausau, and Merrill, WI and onto Land O Lakes, WI at the Michigan / Wisconsin Border. Even though we drove thru rain all day, we were fortunate to have avoided the floods in La Crosse, and Madison.  The temperature was 61 degrees, and even though we had experienced 3 weeks of 100 degree temperatures in Alabama, the cool and damp temperatures that day prompted me to turn on my heated grips. The heated grips kept my hands from aching and cramping.

The terrain was very rugged through upper Wisconsin and Michigan. We have GPS's mounted on our Goldwings, that recorded elevations ranging from 600 feet to 1600 feet. We expected Wisconsin to be gentle rolling grassy meadows, which it was in Southern Wisconsin. However, in Northern Wisconsin and Michigan, the landscape was like a rugged wilderness. We felt like Lewis and Clark, but instead of an Indian Princess to guide us, we had a Garmin GPS.

We arrived at Fort Wilkins State Park, in Copper Harbor, MI on the Keweenaw Peninsula at 6:00 pm, and set up our Aspen Campers. After a good seafood dinner in Copper Harbor, we found the rest to be quite peaceful that night. The next morning, we explored Lake Fanny Hooe, and Fort Wilkins. This was an Army Fort used to protect the civilians and shipping lanes in the region from 1840 to 1870. The fort was very well preserved and featured excellent displays which gave you a sense of life in the 1840's. We met a very nice couple named David and Cathie Adcock. They are farmers in IL. We exchanged photographs, and email addresses and promised to stay in touch. While at Copper Harbor, we went to the very beginning of US Hwy 41, which is marked by a monument. Harry was very interested in this marker, since he has also visited marker's counterpart in Florida.

We left Copper Harbor at noon. It was a lovely sunny day, and the temperature next to Lake Superior was 57 degrees. We enjoyed a leisurely, scenic drive to Houghton, MI. Houghton is a picturesque sea port town. We walked down to the harbor, and took some photos for an hour or so, before traveling on to Marquette. We spent the night in a campground right on the banks of Lake Superior.

Now it was time to travel on to Salt Ste Marie, Canada; cross the International Bridge; go through Canadian Customs; go back thru U.S. Customs, and then cross the famous Mackinac Bridge, which we did on Thursday! We found that to be all quite interesting and monumental. While in Salt Ste Mare, I routed the GPS toward "Home", to find that we were 1035 miles from Gadsden.

The Mackinac Bridge is the Eighth Wonder of the World. At almost 5 miles long, it is the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere. We crossed it like a couple of professionals, and without incident, even though is was foggy, and we could hardly see the surface of Lakes Superior and Huron, 199 feet below.

After crossing the bridge, we stopped in Mackinac City, MI for souvenirs, and photographs. Harry was interested in the sign that said: No Snowmobiles on the Sidewalk. We took a photo of ourselves in front of the bridge, but it was so foggy, that we could hardly see the bridge. We volunteered to take photos of some retirees from PA, with their camera's. Harry told them to "grin from ear to ear like an opossum eating briars". They thought that was quite funny, and they all "grinned from ear to ear."

We took Hwy 31, and then Hwy 26 S, and traveled the scenic route along the east coast of Lake Michigan. The sea coast towns were quite interesting and beautiful. We camped that night (Thursday) at the Honcho Rest Campground, after having a wonderful sword fish steak dinner at a local restaurant in Elk Rapids, MI.

We continued down Hwy 26 S to Stevensville, MI and enjoyed the sights of the beautiful Lake Michigan shore line and interesting towns on Friday. We got back on Hwy 31 S heading toward Indiana, and went through Southbend, IN and on toward Indianapolis, IN in a thunderstorm. We just stopped and put on our Frog Togs, and kept on traveling. We arrived at my Uncle Tony's house in Indianapolis at 11:00 pm. Tony and Ellen were gracious enough to provide a dry place to sleep that night and a good breakfast the next morning.

According to the GPS, it was 493 miles from Indianapolis, to Gadsden. We traveled south on I-65 thru Lexington and into Tennessee. Heading East, toward Mount Eagle, and later crossing the Georgia line, making the split onto I-59, and finally we crossed the Alabama line. Despite the 102 degree temperature that we experienced in Nashville, we made the rest of the journey without incident. That good breakfast in Indianapolis served us well, and we only stopped for a Subway sandwich in Cave City, KY. We arrived in Gadsden at 6:00 pm, after traveling 7 1/2 days, and 3,261 miles.

It was a wonderful trip, and a wonderful experience. We were glad that we took mostly scenic routes, so that we could see the small towns and people along the way.

Here are the photos that were taken. Most of them were take from a handlebar mounted camera. The first image is the map that was printed from the "Bread Crumbs" of the GPS, showing the route that we traveled.