Summer Photo Blog: Wisconsin Michigan

Summer Photo Blog: Wisconsin Michigan

Tour Name: Wisconsin and Michigan

Tour Date: June 16-24, 2021

Tour Director: Patti Olson

Tour Director Highlights: It was great to be on the road again with a great group of passengers. Wisconsin was warm and sunny with great natural beauty. Mackinac Island was 40 degrees cooler! But, as always, so wonderful to visit with horses and bicycles everywhere, plus some lilac trees still in bloom. It’s great to explore God’s creation again.

[Click on any photo to begin slide show. Click on gray “x” in upper right corner to return to this page.]

We’re on the road again! Heading west to Wisconsin and Michigan.

A log cabin BBQ dinner before going to the Lumberjack show in Wisconsin Dells

Yes, Paul Bunyan really is bigger than life!

If this were a real ox, I would not get this close!

A perfect morning for a boat ride through the Wisconsin Dells.

The river bank’s sandstone has been carved into interesting shapes.

This canyon was accessible by foot so we could get very close to the sandstone formations.

Nearby is Lost Canyon, only accessible by a horse-drawn carriage. Parts were so narrow we didn’t think that we would fit to go through.

Pictured Rocks along the shoreline of Lake Superior.

This arch reminded me of Cabo San Lucas in Mexico, but it is along the shore of Lake Superior.

At Tahquamenon (try pronouncing that!) Falls, a park ranger guided us to view the falls.

Natural tannin in the water makes the falls look like root beer with the amber color and foamy base.

A beautiful sunset on Lake Superior.

What do you think of when you think about Wisconsin? Cheese, of course. We visited a cheese factory along our way.

And then we got to have a cheese and crackers party on the coach to taste cheddar curds and mozzarella strands that are used to make string cheese.

For football fans, Wisconsin means the Green Bay Packers.

Passengers could reminisce about famous past players in the museum at the field.

Some tried to emulate the players’ moves!

Lambeau Field has its own unique character compared to other NFL stadiums.

What a backdrop for a group photo!

Mackinac Island, Michigan, is only accessible by ferry (or light aircraft, a rare sight).

And with no autos allowed, transportation is limited to foot, horse, and bicycle. Horse taxis are easy to hail.

Main Street before all the crowds arrived later in the day. The island was hopping with tourists glad to be able to travel again.

Tourists are called Fudgies for good reason – we all sampled lots of fudge and bought lots to bring home. Chocolate is most popular.

Mackinac Island is also famous for it’s spring lilac festival. Although we arrived after it, many lilac trees were still in bloom and smelled heavenly.

We had a guided tour by horse and carriage of the state park, which is 80% of the island’s area.

This arch rock is famous, but experts believe that in a few years deterioration of the rock may destroy this landmark.

Seen from the waterfront is the fort which today is a great living history museum and park.

Most famous of the Victorian buildings on the island is the Grand Hotel, still as beautiful as it has been through the years.

We ate lunch at the sumptuous gourmet buffet in the hotel. Here we are waiting for the restaurant to open.

The steps of the Grand Hotel make a great place for a group picture.

Across from the Grand Hotel is an historic stone church which is open to the public.

The church has a stained glass window commemorating the work of missionaries to the local native Americans.

Homeward bound, we had a delicious chicken dinner in Frankenmuth, Michigan, with its German culture of food and architecture.

The glockenspiel plays the story of the Pied Piper three times each day.

The Bavarian Inn is thoroughly German in character, and offers lots of places for a photo.

After lunch we made a surprise visit to the Silent Night Chapel nearby.

Last stop was the Warther Museum in Ohio. “Mooney” Warther was a genius carver. His life’s work is on display in the museum.

This train is carved out of walnut with the white trim carved from bone.

My favorite is the solid ivory train sitting on an ebony bridge. The bricks are made by inlaying ivory for the brick pattern.

A close-up of one of his ivory steam engines.

Warther’s wife was an artist, too, making many mosaic pictures from buttons!

Such a great time we had seeing all the amazing sights, and winning a few contests along the way, too!