2014 Deb's WEST COAST Drive 1 - Air to Oregon

With a 5am wake-up at home and a 7:20am departure from AZO (Kalamazoo MI airport code), I was grumpy (worse than my usual mood at this time of day) and a little excited. I have not flown airline standby for about 5 years, so it felt a little unsettling. And I was by myself this time. As it was more of a girl trip, Mike decided to pass.

Upon check-in the agent said, "It does not look good for non-revving. There was heavy flooding in DTW (Detroit) and things are really messed up. The flight is oversold and we are asking for volunteers to take a later flight." I replied, "It never hurts to try!" As it turned out a group of three had volunteered, there was only one seat left and they did not want to split up. So I got on after all. Good karma and yahoo! It was a quick 1'35" flight to MSP (Minneapolis MN).

I had a 1'15" wait there, so I leisurely walked the super long corridors to the next gate. On my way I browsed the shops including a cool bookstore. I bought some bottled water to take on the flight. The brand advertised it as being NYC tap water. NYC claims to have the best water in the world and now they are bottling it for the rest of the country. It was good.

It looked quite crowded at the gate. Groan! I hoped my chances were good. Seeing my name "KIL/D" appear on the "cleared for seat" display almost made me jump for joy. It is not often things go as you plan in the airline retiree travel biz.

I had a middle seat but no probs. I was on my way to PDX. When I got to my row I found it was in "comfort" economy, near the aircraft door and with more leg room than some seats further back. Bonus! A sweet little couple actually had the window and aisle, but moved together and offered me the aisle. Can it get any better?

Once I hit PDX (Portland OR), I made my way down to baggage service to claim my bag. Riding down the escalator I spotted my Auntie Joan waiting for me at the bottom. That was a fun surprise, as we had planned to meet curbside once I called her that I was ready. Big smiles and hugs all around.

"Auntie" (I have to laugh) is only four years older than me, so we are more buddies than aunt and niece. A visit to see her and to meet some cousins on that side of the family were the impetus of my whole trip. My dear Uncle Kit passed away over a year ago. I needed a little closure as this was still a very sad thing for me. I thought talking over "stuff" in person with Joan was the best way to find some peace that he was gone.

How the Auntie came about was actually when I started calling Kit, Uncle Kit. At first it was kind of a joke as we are so close in age and he really did not like it. He agonized and discouraged me from calling him that, but after a while he started loving it and then it seemed natural for me to call Joan, Auntie Joan. None of my other Aunts are Auntie, but it fits Joan.

The drive from PDX to Salem OR, where Joan lives, was 49 miles and about an hour drive. Traffic was heavy most of the way. Part of the drive was along the Willamette (kind of like "lam"inate flooring, accent on the second syllable) River near downtown Portland.

Along the way I saw the Rose Garden Stadium (now the Moda Center) where the Portland Trail Blazers play basketball). We passed the Portland Harbor with lots of sailboats and cruisers anchored dockside. There were some cool old bridges crossing the river from the highway side to the downtown side.

There was an iconic neon "Portland Oregon-Old Town" sign with a white reindeer leaping across the top. Later I learned the sign, originally manufactured in 1941, read "White Stag-Sportswear" advertising an apparel company. The sign has a long history of changes, disputes and ownership. In 2010 the City of Portland took over its management and changed to the current verbiage. Joan said during the winter holidays, they give it a red Rudolph nose. I wish I'd had my camera in hand (it was in the trunk), but you can see it and read about its interesting history at: Portland OR white stag sign


Joan's new apartment is decorated much the same as Kit and Joan's home had been in Yuma AZ when Mike and I visited in 2012. Kit had enjoyed tumbling raw agates and other rocks and stones into shiny red and multi colored "jewels." There were also halved geode "eggs" with their ringed crystal centers. There was a wonderful collection of western Indian art and lots of framed family photos.





I renewed my friendship with her cat, Sammy, a sweet brownish tabby with white socks, nose and chin. He came right up to me when I walked in the door which surprised Joan. She said he had never done that before and usually hid under the bed when a visitor arrived. He had a plethora of toys including a stuffed rat, cardboard scratcher, multi-level cat tree, and his favorite tissue paper. Joan says he loves to roll in it, scratch it and toss it around. The attraction must be the noise it makes when it moves.

Joan had bottles of red (a Lazy Bones Winery cab franc) and chilled white Sav Blanc (which I never got to) for me to sip on as I settled myself after the non-rev experience. I sipped and we caught up with the family chit-chat. Next a little shopping excursion.

I needed a lined pad for my blog notes, so we stopped at the drugstore. Then she showed me a fabulous grocery store called Roth's. We bought some antipasti items for the next night's meal and a wild porcini mushroom infused salt. I usually buy this at Williams-Sonoma, but it was less than half their price. Hope it tastes as good.

From there we proceeded to dinner. On the way we saw what looked like a huge puff of a nuclear mushroom cloud. Joan said that it was actually smoke from the latest forest fire. There had been so many this year. Sad...

I had been hankering for a good Mexican meal, so she took me to the La Hacienda Real. It was decorated in Mexican "to the hilt" and the food was splendido. I stuffed myself like a wittle piggy wiggy with guacamole, veggie burrito, black beans and Spanish rice. All was umm-umm good.

By the time we got back to Joan's, we reminisced a bit longer, I drank another glass of wine (good sleeping potion), and I collapsed into bed. It was only 8:30pm Oregon time, but in Michigan it was 11:30pm. I'd had a long day. It was sweet dreams that night.

July 2014 MICHIGAN Upper Peninsula 4 - Bridge and Falling Waters

This morning we (Jan, Mike C and I) almost missed the boat, or I should say the bridge. I advised it started at 9:30am. Last year they did a little intro talk before the actual bridge walk, so I thought we had some leeway. This year, however, they started the walk promptly at 9:30am. We got to the starting point about 9:40am and were next to the last to join the parade of people walking the International Bridge to Canada.

It was a lovely day. Nice and sunny, but not too hot at this hour. The views of the locks, the ships, the surrounding area were fascinating, even the second time around. Lots of great photo ops.

The next photo is of the Canadian lock that we shared with the little tug boat yesterday.

Once we got to the Canadian side, we flew through customs. As we were at the back of the pack we had a long wait for the return school bus trip to the US. We heard rumor that  there was a shuttle from the nearby casino to the US for only $2. Adventurers that we are, we decided to go for it. Well, that was a mistake.

First we went to the casino. They directed us to a nearby shopping center. The info booth directed us to the shuttle stand, but they said it was not the most reliable. We waited around til long past the expected pick up time. We tried for a taxi, but they didn't go across the border, but he gave us directions to the bus station. We high-tailed it there and were advised we could pick up the shuttle there, but that they had not seen it all day and were not sure it was running...because of the bridge walk tie up.

Not having a lot of faith at this point, we hurried back to the official bridge walk bus stop and got there just in time to take the last bus back to our US starting point. Whoa! That could have been a mess if we hadn't lucked out. All in all the ordeal was not so bad as we got a walking "tour" of da Canadian side of da Soo.

By the time we finally met up with Mike at the hotel we were starved. Back to Moloney's for a quick lunch and then on to Tahquamenon Falls. This was a must-see on Jan's list. It is only 61 miles from the Soo, but an hour and 40 minutes drive time on flat but windy two laners. There is a Lower Falls area, but we opted to spend our time at the Upper Falls. It is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi with a drop of 50 feet and a width of more than 200 feet.

When I was a youngster you could walk in the rocky space under the falls, but no longer. Instead there are several viewing platforms for contemplating this water wonder. The amber shades of the water are not rust or muddiness. It is caused by tannin leached from the cedar, spruce and hemlock trees in the swamps draining into the river. It is certainly a sight to see. The falls are open year round and must be lovely in winter. For more photos and info, go to:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahquamenon_Falls

Back up the 93 steps and the trail to the parking lot we worked up a thirst on this hot and humid day...again in the 80's. Inside this State Park is the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery. We were going for a beer, but ended up slurping "brewery made root beer" floats. We've eaten in their rustic dining room in the past and the food was upscale and delish. Check it out here: www.tahquamenonfallsbrewery.com

Time to head back to the big city of SSM. J & M snoozed away in the back seat on the drive. Mike and I reminisced about other UP trips. Back at the hotel we went to our respective rooms to refresh. We got a call that Jan was down, but Mike was needing a nightcap. My Mike was down so Mike C. and I went to (guess where?) Moloney's for a couple of refreshing gin and tonics.

We split ways, but I decided to take one last look at the locks. Through the park trees I could see the sky was a lovely pink, so I raced down to see the sunset. It was sinking quickly, but a got one photo of the orange sun slipping behind the good ship Kaye E. Barker.

The next morning we did a leisurely good-bye to da Soo. Stopped in Mackinaw City for breakfast at Kensington's. J & M arrived there just as we were leaving, so we said our personal good-byes over one last cup of joe. Checked out the fudge shop next door--some for us and some for our neighbors who were watching Bella. Home at about 4:30pm. Great trip and wonderful company to enjoy it with.

July 2014 MICHIGAN Upper Peninsula 3 - Oh, Captain, My Captain

Friday night we were on the lock viewing deck watching this freighter pass though the locks. It was rather odd looking as it had an awkwardly tall tower on the back. When J & M caught up with us, they said they had briefly chatted with a gentleman and his wife who were watching this ship, the Pathfinder, with particular interest. We decided to ask him if he knew anything about this odd configuration.

It turns out, he did. He was the Captain of this very ship (or barge, in this case) for the last 13 years of his 40 year career of sailing the Great Lakes. He retired this March and this was the first time "his" 606 foot long barge had come through the locks since then. The crew was hooting and hollering, smiling and saluting from deck as they passed their Captain who stood on the other side of the security fence. Photo from his book. See below.

We asked about the tall tower on the back of his barge. He said it was actually the Dorothy Ann, a separate tug boat that was specially made to attach and work with the Pathfinder. To read more about these two interesting vessels, go to:
www.boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/pathfinder.htm

We chatted a long while, trading his stories with Mike's stories about his dad sailing the Great Lakes and seeing his dad travel through the locks when he was a tyke. "Mrs. Captain" said she was a little worried about having him home all the time. I gave her a hug and said "No worries, it will all work out." 

It was a very special and sentimental day for Captain Gary W. Schmidt and his wife, Mary. We were glad we could share a tiny bit of it with them and congratulated them both on this new chapter in their lives.

Here's a plug. Turns out the Captain has written a book about his Great Lakes experiences titled Real, Honest Sailing with a Great Lakes Captain. It received a Silver Award in the Nonfiction Book Awards of the national nonfiction Authors Association, so it must be good. 

I sounds like a great read. I'm sure you can find it several places, but here it is on the Book Nerd website:
www.boatnerd.com/books/

June 2014 MICHIGAN Upper Peninsula 2 - Lock It To Me

Guess you have to be a little older to get the pun in the title.

Friday was full of Engineers Day festivities. This day celebrates the engineers who built and maintain the locks. Much of this was a rehash of last year for us, but we still enjoyed every moment. 

After breakfast we jumped into the activities. Right off the bat we ran into a friend of Jan's who lives in Charlevoix, MI. She hadn't seen him in years. It was a quick catch-up and then on our separate ways.

The military display this year was much smaller than last. We discovered in 2013 there had been an official military "exercise" going on during Engineers Day. This year was just a regular ol' day at the Soo for the US Army Corps of Engineers. So their presence was not so obvious.

We still learned some interesting facts. One was how quickly they can construct an emergency "bridge" over the St. Mary's River to Canada, if something happened to the real International Bridge. It was amazingly less than a day.

The Corps' main duty is to keep the locks safe, secure, and in good maintenance. The up to 1,000 foot long ships that pass through the 21' drop between Lake Huron and Lake Superior are important to the economy of both the US and Canada.

What a thrill to walk across the locks and see a big freighter headed right toward us! We also toured the old and elegant Davis administration building which is still in use. Displayed there are photos of all the old Lockmasters (we saw our Aunt Carol's dad's plaque who was the Lockmaster during 1950-1959), and historical and current data about the locks, cargo, and ships that pass through. The rooms and furnishings remain much the same as they were originally. And it was fun to see the viewing stand (as close as you can normally get) from across the lock. Definitely a different perspective.

Read about Engineers Day and the Soo Locks here.

Our next stop was the Cloverland Electric Hydroelectric Power Plant, a few miles down the road. (We passed by Mike's childhood home en route.) The plant is 112 years old and operates with pretty much the same equipment used from day one of its existence.

The building itself is of Romanesque design, a quarter mile long, and 80 feet wide. For you techies, the hydro plant consists of 74 three-phase generators. Each 60-cycle generator operates at 4400 volts, 180 RPM and 600 to 850 KVA (600 KVA is enough power to supply two big box retail stores).

Read more at about Cloverland Electric Hydroelectric Power Plant here.

We made a quick wet-your-whistle stop at Moloney's (is this becoming our hang out?) before boarding the 2pm Soo Locks Boat Tour. On this 2-hour tour we actually traveled through the locks on both the US and Canadian sides; saw a steel smelting mill, viewed riverside marine businesses, the city skylines and other significant points of interest; and cruised under the International Bridge between the US and Canada. We shared a spot in the Canadian lock with a beautifully refurbished tug boat, the Regan.




After we got our land legs we were in search of the American Legion (Post 3) in da Soo. One reason Mike joined the Legion (Post 221) in Frankfort was to get a discount on our reunion rental earlier this summer. So we decided to take advantage of the membership here. A fellow going into the hall, said if we didn't have a card we could be his guests. We had our own card, so we were all set.

It was FUN. Number one was  the view from the bar. It was wall-to-wall of very clean glass windows looking over the St. Mary's River and all the ship traffic. Number two was the hospitality of the members. After a few rounds we were being invited to people's homes, shown painted mailbox craft projects, toasting to this person or that, and having some all around interesting and hilarious conversations.

At this point, we needed to pile a little food on top of the alcohol we had been tippling all day. We ended up at Karl's Cuisine. Mike and I discovered this place several years ago when it was featured on the Under The Radar TV show, which features interesting places to visit in Michigan. It is probably the best food in town unless you want pasties, venison, ribs, or other hearty meaty fare. We all enjoyed the feast.

After some more wandering to walk off some of those delicious calories, we went to our separate corners for a wind down to a very full day.

PS - I have to add that we met Jan when we hired her to do our window coverings in our new loft when we moved from San Francisco to Michigan. We had her do a second decorating job when we moved to the condo building just next door. We always knew she was talented, but she really showed her stuff this weekend.

The room they were assigned was on the third floor of the hotel. It did not have normal windows but angled dormer windows that were uncovered. As soon as the sun came up this morning, it was too bright for them to sleep.

Now I'm not sure why Jan was carrying craft paper on her vacation, but she was. She decided to creatively solve the morning light problem by "decorating" the dormer windows with the craft paper. On Saturday morning we were told it did the trick. They were able to sleep in...almost to the point of missing the bridge walk!!!

June 2014 MICHIGAN Upper Peninsula 1 - So Soo Me

The last Friday in June (the 27th this year) is always Engineers Day in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan (nicknamed "da Soo," like da Bears!). We attended the many activities last year with family that live in the Soo and shared the fun stories with family and friends in Kalamazoo (da Zoo!).

A number of folks said, "Let's do this next year," but only two actually followed through. They are our crazy friends Jan and Mike C. This trip was much the same as was reported on our blog last year (check June 28, 2013), with a few fun change-ups.

We took separate cars up due to schedule variations, but both arrived on Thursday, June 26. WE left at 9:25am. Temp was at 72 degrees at departure in Kalamazoo.

It is always hard to tell what to pack when traveling Up North. We opted for lighter attire with optional layers. We are talking above the 46th parallel, with Canada just across the St. Mary's River. On June 13th there were still small ice flows floating around Lake Superior per the newspaper, so we were not sure what to expect weather wise.

We had great driving weather as it was overcast with only a scant scattering of showers. No windshield glare. Stopped for lunch in Higgins Lake, MI at the Silver Dollar Saloon. Clean, diverse menu, up northy log cabin. We'd recommend it. I had a veggie quesadilla gooey with cheese and Mike had a perfectly cooked burger. And they pour a mean Meyer's Cuba libre. We were both satisfied when we left. On the big screen we watched some of the World Soccer match with USA vs Germany. We learned later the score that day was 0-1 Germany.

One goal on this trip was to find the elk herd observation areas advertised along the way. We had seen the markers a number of times on other trips and often wondered about their habitat in Michigan. We followed the signs into Gaylord and again into Indian River. The signs led us off the freeway, but once we got into the towns we hit a dead end. No signs to follow. It was disappointing, but we will get better directions next time we head that way.

We got into the Soo about 3:50pm. The temp was 81 degrees. Yay! Elevation 602. (Kalamazoo is 784 at its highest). We wandered the park along the locks, the ship viewing area, the locks museum, the tourist and fudge shops. Through the park side of the security fence, we see the Herbert Jackson passing through the locks.

We caught up with J & M at Moloney's Alley Irish Pub across the street from the Ramada Ojibway (an historic hotel), where we were all bunking. We had a few adult beverages there, strolled a bit more long the locks, and ended up at the Saloon Palace for a great Mexican meal. The drink special of the evening was red-white-blue margaritas. They looked cool and creative and tasted wonderful.

www.MoloneysAlley.com
www.ThePalaceMexicanRestaurant.com
www.ObjiwayHotel.com



We took a last lap around the area to walk off some of that heavy (but great) Mexi food. Then because it had been a long driving day for us all, we turned in at 10:30pm.

2014 MICHIGAN Frankfort - Family Ties

One year ago almost to the day, Mike and I were visiting Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, to enjoy Engineers Day--a one day annual event where you can walk across two of the Soo Locks, visit the St. Mary's River electric generator plant, and do other fun things. That day we spent time with Mike's cousins Chris and Don.

At that time Don suggested holding a family reunion, as we had not had one in several years. We decided to go for it. So Mike, Don, Chris, and I have been planning and prepping for about six months. This past weekend was the family gathering.

The event was held in the American Legion Hall in Frankfort, Michigan (one way is 195 miles and about 4 hours driving time), in the northwest corner of the lower peninsula. This is where most of the oldest generation lived, grew up, and went to school in. Two of them still live there. Another two are close by. Only one was not able to attend from that generation.

It took a lot of research to get in touch with family members. We contacted about 75 people, got responses from 65, and headcount at the party was about 50.
We had four folks 82 years or above (at right Mike's mom at 93 was the oldest). The youngest was age 2. We had people from Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. We had a minister, several college professors and educators, retirees, students, housewives, and a Greyhound bus driver.

On the way up Mike, his sister, and I picked up most of the groceries in Cadillac. The car was packed to the brim and we passengers had food stacked under our feet and on our laps. Not the safest hour-and-a-half of driving, but we made it.

While folks gathered, we served appetizers, including some terrific smoked fish provided by cousin Don. Next relatives scarfed up a huge feast of steaks, chicken tenders, hot dogs, burgers, grilled onions, numerous salads, baked beans, mac'n'cheese, and more. Thank goodness Mike's sister tackled the grill with all the meat and onions because I was lost there. Dessert was birthday cake and ice cream to honor Emily (Chris and Don's cutsie granddaughter). So those that are keeping track, can see why I gained poundage last week!

We had only seven kids under 12, but Chris had them all set up with colored markers and drawing paper, jump ropes, bubbles, etc. They were happily entertained all afternoon.

We also had a "genealogy" table. Mike's mom's generation had ten children, so we had an area marked with each of their names. Relatives brought old and new photos and put them under the appropriate ancestor name, so we could see the descendants of each matriarch / patriarch. This was a huge hit!

Family stories were flying, some quite exaggerated, but that's typical under these circumstances. Lots of laugh and a few tears. What a wonderful day was had by all. It ended much too quickly.

Thanks everyone for helping or just being there to join in the fun.

2014 - Brother Goes Bushy to Bald

My youngest brother Kevin has tons of thick, silver, curly locks on his head. (and man, am I jealous.) Kevin is not only a handsome dude, but also a loving, caring, great-hearted kind of guy.

One of his youngest son's buddies discovered he has cancer. For a long time Kevin has been a big supporter of this teen and his family while Mitchell fights the fight.

Recently at a cancer awareness event in their hometown, Kevin was a huge part of Team Unstoppable, raising money for cancer research in honor of Mitchell.

The event included fund-raising tents for each team (selling food and doo-dads), games, and educational displays. There were also dozens of luminary candle bags lighting walkways to honor survivors or remember cancer losses.

Part of the live entertainment today was The Kinetic Affect, made up of duo Gabriel Giron and Kirk Latimer. They use personal experiences to create live spoken word poetry. As Gabe lived through horrific cancer trauma himself, their performance today was particularly powerful and touching.  

But back to my brother Kevin. Some time ago he committed to shaving off his head of precious silvery locks, if he could raise at least $3,000 toward the cause. Well, today was the head-shaving day. One thing...he was about $400 shy of the three grand. Kev was going to go ahead anyway, but the Master of Ceremonies put out the word and raised the last $400 (plus more) to reach Kevin's goal. Yahoo!

So Kev and about six others had their heads shaved. Besides Kevin there was his work colleague Corby and a long lost friend Steve that came all the way from Ann Arbor to join the cause. (These two played high school football together!!) Here are some photos from the event.

 Mitchell takes the first swipe at shearing Kevin's curls.

 A local barber-ette takes over.

Almost gone. OMG, is that me? Feels so bare.

Kevin and Corby in the aftermath.

 Kevin and his high school buddy, Steve.

Kevin and wife Stevie hugging at the end.

She still loves him even though he's BALD!! Yay!

We know it will grow back, but for Kevin this was a biggie anyway.

I'm so proud of you, bro, and love you very much.
And you are still looking great in my eyes.

PS - I grabbed some of those silvery curls from the ground to have as a keepsake.

MICHIGAN Lansing - Lowdown on Lansing

In early spring my bro Bob let us know the touring version of The Book of Mormon was playing at Michigan State University's Wharton Center. We held our breath til the day we could buy tickets, punched the computer button one second after purchasing opened, and got four front row balcony seats--two for them and two for us. Tickets were $100 each but way better than the $350 each price we saw on Broadway in NYC last year.

A few months later June 11th finally rolled around. We drove up to Lansing, a 75 mile and 1-1/2 hour journey. There we checked into the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, a bit dated but clean and comfortable. We had a lovely corner room with windows on two sides overlooking the MSU campus.

We were supposed to meet my brother and his wife Lo at Hop Cat Brewery in the "action" district about 10 blocks way. It was hot, but we enjoyed a lovely stroll along the campus grounds. As it turned out Bob was delayed due to unexpected events at work, so the three of us downed beers and appetizers. Bob joined us two beers later, enjoying his own pint and the leftover appi's.

Hop Cat Lansing has a different vibe than Hop Cat Grand Rapids, where we have visited before. GR is in an old, but updated building with a smallish bar and restaurant. Lots of wood and beams and weathered construction. Lansing Hop Cat is much newer with lots of steel and industrial touches. Both interesting in their own way.   www.hopcat.com

Next we went to Dublin Square, an Irish pub. This place is beautifully appointed with new construction that looks old, dark wood, Celtic decor, fireplace, warm and welcoming. Our nephew, Kendall, joined us there. Mike and Bob ordered Irish whiskeys and we all had a taste. Not my style!  www.dublinsquare.net

Last stop before the play was Beggar's Banquet for dinner. This was kind of a sentimental stop. Years ago when my younger brother Kevin was about 14, we took him on a trip up north to Frankfort, MI. Our mom gave us $50 to feed him (big eater) on the long weekend. We stopped at BB and spent the whole $50 in one meal. Not to worry. We didn't starve the rest of the weekend because eating Up North was pretty cheap some 40 years ago.

Prices had gone up, of course, but atmosphere was essentially the same. Food got mixed reviews at our table. The place did not seem as great as we remembered, but there must be something to it having thrived for 40+ years.   www.beggars banquet.com

Lo bowed out on the play because we only had four tickets. As we zipped over to the theatre, Bob gave us a little tour as he had graduated from MSU and knows his way around. We found a convenient parking spot, entered the theatre, and waited in anticipation til the curtain rose. This Broadway play was written by the creators of South Park--Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez. That tells you something right there.

This religious satire musical is the winner of nine Tony awards including Best Musical in 2011. The play got mixed reviews in our group. The three guys LOVED it and I mostly loved (in lower case) it. The story is insightful and hilarious (but a little raunchy and too far-out-ish for me). That is typical, however, of these creative genius creators. Read more at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Mormon_(musical)

The next morning Mike and I took a stroll through the campus grounds. We saw the MSU Stadium, the famous Sparty statue, and the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden. This garden was established in 1873, shortly after the MSU Agricultural College was established.

This outdoor laboratory was created for the study and appreciation of plants. It is laid out in separate areas of the main collection, endangered species, forest, landscape, wetlands, plant families, useful plants, and non-flowering plants. There is a live growing sample of more than 2,000 different plants, each with a sign stating the name and a little about it. We spent about an hour perusing. It was totally fascinating. Avid gardeners would LOVE (in caps) it.
For more info: www.cpa.msu.edu/beal/

That ended our Lansing and MSU trip this time around, but we are inspired to return. Go Green! (Sorry, other brother Kevin who is a U of Michigan fan.)