3-18-06

Mike and I got on the highway and headed for Tova’s place in Panama City. We went a short way on a heavily traveled freeway.
Freeway traffic X

It wasn’t long before we made it to highway 27, which is the same highway I took to get to uncle Mike’s when I came north from Miami. Highway 27 runs up roughly the center of Florida. Mostly it runs though rural farmland with some large towns along the way. We went through a section that is mostly large expensive horse farms. It was just like the Kentucky horse farm area but maybe not as expensive.
Horse farms on HWY 27 X

Most of the highway was more rural and undeveloped and a more relaxed pace. I really enjoyed this ride through the heart land of Florida. I have never been to Florida before but have heard stories and was really glad to see it and on such a nice day.
Highway 27 X

Uncle Mike was ridding his K75, which is kept as clean and beautiful as his other bikes. This is him pulling out to get back on the road. The bike is unusual in that it is a white one and white ones were only made for police work and had several police related special features. This one is standard white but has been ‘dressed’ up with blue accents and striping.
Uncle Mike K75

We made it to Tova’s house with no problems. She has a really nice house on a huge lot in a quiet neighborhood. Her dogs were in great shape and I was pleased to see what a nice yard they had all nicely fenced and secure. Tova had a really nice supper made for us and she is one of the best cooks around. The next day we went out to the park that she used to live and work. This was an undeveloped park when she got there and she was instrumental in designing the interpretive trail we went on. She is a true biologist and identifies all plants by their scientific name just like my dad would. This area is very unusual in that it has a fresh water lake just the other side of the dunes from the ocean. We headed out on the trail and it was sort of a gentle sheep chute. It was explained to us very carefully that it was necessary for the sheep chute as the dunes were so fragile they could not handle human traffic.
Sheep chute X

This trail is really nice and the sand here is pure white. Tova said it is the remains of the mountains in the Appalachians that washed down here in a large river. What was really neat was that the sand squeaks when you walk on it. Even with my poor hearing, I could hear it.
Trail X

Quite a few of the trees and bushes were dead along the route and it was explained that this was the result of the hurricanes that came through last year. This is a natural progression for the area and the trees will rot and make homes for birds and bugs.
At the end of the loop in the trail there was an opening in the fence where we crossed into a piece of land set aside by some nature or historical society that looks after part of an old rocket experimental station. This was a place in World War II where they were working on developing rockets like the Germans were using (V-2 rockets). They were using the natural sand dunes with concrete and steel ramps to launch these rockets out into the bay. There wasn’t much left of the infrastructure but some of the old ramps and a bunker.
Ramp X


Bunker X

This was in an area where there were quite a few very up-scale homes being built. In this area we could be on the dunes and it sure is a special area. I really enjoyed walking around and checking them out as did uncle Mike. When you get uncle Mike out in the wild country he goes a little ‘wild’ himself.
On the dunes X

We all had a good time and Tova would stop every now and then to point out something unusual like these flowers and the little red plants under them that are some sort of fly trap.
Flower flytrap X

One of the main things that Tova was working on at this park was the protection of a little beach mouse.
Beach mouse sign X

We stopped in several different places to check out the possibility of beach mouse tracks. We found quite a few and Tova was very pleased.
Mouse tracks X

This park is surrounded by large developments and when I was talking about them I accidentally called them Condoms, which really seems to be a more descriptive name.
Condoms X

With these large condoms all along the beach, when a large storm comes through, the energy is directed to this park and it really gets a double whammy. Tova said that these dunes are very old and when they are gone they will be gone forever so they are doing every thing possible to protect them. It looks like a slow death deal to me.

3-22-06

I left Tova’s on a really cold day for Florida. A big cold front was sweeping through but there didn’t look like there would be any rain or snow on my trip up north to Michigan to visit a friend. It turned out to be a very cold ride all the way.
Snow bank X

I rode for three days and I had on almost all the clothes I had with me which were mainly tropical weather stuff but I did have my silk long johns with me and this was the first time I had worn them. I like them!!!! I rode through some little rain and snow showers but noting really very bad. When I got up in the morning I found that Michigan had welcomed me with a little spring snow shower when I woke up at my friend Sheila’s.
Spring welcome X

I decided to go on up and see my brother. My brother Dan and his wife Bette live in Hancock, Michigan which is on the Upper Peninsula, just across this very cool lift bridge. I have never had a chance to see it in operation and this trip was no exception as there was still ice in the channel.
Lift Bridge X

Sheila and I took a side trip up to Copper Harbor, which is the end of the peninsula. Along the way is a town called Calumet. We drove on into town to have a look around after I saw some really outstanding rock and stone buildings.
Brick-stone X


Brick-stone 2 X

There are some really fine buildings in this town. The downtown is still alive but it looks like they depend on the tourist trade to keep things rolling.
Fire hall X

Rockwork X

This is copper mining country and all these buildings are the result of the money that came in with the copper mines. This was a really nice building and there are quite a few of these around the country.
Mine building X

I had to take a photo of this rail car that must be pushed by a locomotive for snow removal on the railroad tracks way back when. It seems unusual in that it is made of wood.
Train plow X

This area gets what is known as the ‘lake effect’ snow. The storms come across the Lake Superior and pick up moisture and dump it as snow on the peninsula. They get ten feet of snow up there and the week before we went up they had 32 inches in one day. They said it was a nice wet spring snow. The main roads were open but the little side roads were still unplowed. A lot of the houses up there are only used in the summer.
Snow road X


This was a little village we went through and you can see the result of the snow plows throwing the snow off the highway.
Snow town X

We followed along the lake shore on part of the way home and stopped to walk around.
Lake shore X

Sheila was taking photos of the lichen in this photo and I was doing the same, as it was really soft and beautiful on the rocks.
Sheila photo X

Lichen X


4-1-06

On the way back to Sheila’s home we stopped by Harwick Pines State Park near Grayling, MI. This is a park set aside with a grove of old growth forest and it has a foot trail that runs through it. We took the dog (Spice) on a long leash and wandered among this wonderful place. I had always wondered what the country looked like before it was all logged off. One of the things that a little brochure said was that there was more value in timber taken off from Michigan than all the gold taken from California. I am used to seeing huge trees in the redwood forest as well as the old growth stuff in the Rocky Mountains, which make these trees look like peckerwood but when walking through here it is a really wonderful place. The big trees were maple, beech, hemlock and red and white pine with a few dogwoods in bloom every so often.
Old growth forest X
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There was still some snow here in spots and part of the trail we walked back on is a cross-country ski route.
Snow trail X

The ground was a blanket of fallen leaves.
Leaves X


4-5-06

Sheila lives out in a rural area and has a nice wood lot as well as a huge yard. She has planted crocus and this is the season they bloom.
The girls rolling in the flowers X

The weather has been really drab and gray here with some light rain and heavy frost in the morning. This day it was nice outside and she burned the burn barrel while the grass gets to thinking about growing in the sunshine.
Fire girl X

The hint of spring was so heavy that Sheila got all fired up and went out and planted the first snow peas in her garden.
Pea planter X

Sheila is a serious gardener and even though this garden has been downsized severely, it is much larger than most people care to take on.
Garden X