MICHIGAN TRAVEL TIPS
FROM
THE HOLOGLOBE PRESS
(The 18th Edition)by
Victor Edward Swanson,
Publisherwww.hologlobepress.com
RULES OF USE
The reports and stories contained on this Web page have been put together with information taken from "The Victor Swanson Fabulous Files of Places to See in Michigan and Wisconsin" and with information obtained from operators and staffers of tourist attractions and from press releases, Web sites, and other sources. The reports and stories are provided as a public service by Victor Swanson and The Hologlobe Press. Almost all persons and entities, such as staffers of radio stations, may freely use the materials; neither AAA Michigan nor any employee of AAA Michigan may use, distribute, download, transmit, copy, or duplicate any of the material presented on this page in any way or through any means.
- - - Travel Thoughts for Everyone - - -
Let me present a scene, which is somewhat based on fact.
A few weeks ago, I was doing research at the Mardigian Library, the University of Michigan, in Dearborn. It was either during the day or during the evening. I was either looking up information on the history of "RSS" (which stands for, in one instance, "Really Simple Syndication") and weblogs or looking up information about asset-management accounts, or I could have been doing something else, such as making corrections to a manuscript, using my ten-year-old "cute" laptop computer. At some point, a library regular showed up, and that is fact, and this library regular was a woman, who I would later discover has two children. A bunch of stuff took place, and I do not know what the stuff was. Somehow, we ended up talking, and we got on the subject of my Web site for The Hologlobe Press--I think. Something got us to the subject of cider mills. It must have been talk about the Web site that got us to the subject of cider mills, and it seems I must have talked about the Michigan Travel Tips publications. Then, she noted that a guy asked her to go to a cider mill one day--sometime in the past--and she decided not to go, and the reason she did not go was she did not like cider. You should see I do not have quotation marks around any material of the previous sentence, noting what she actually said, but it is a fact she did not go to the cider mill because she does not like cider.
That completes my scene, which sets up the theme of this edition of Michigan Travel Tips.
Okay, gals, let us examine a problem that should never have happened, and, guys, the information that I pass along here is important for you to know, too.
What is apple cider? I can say that cider is apple juice, but I can also say that apple cider is not just apple juice. Putting together thoughts that I have learned over the years from people who run cider mills, I can report that the best cider is a mixture apple juice (and some apple pulp) from a variety of apples, such as around four varieties. You should see cider is not simply apple juice.
What is a cider mill? A cider mill can be a big apple orchard and farm, an example of which is Wiard's Orchards and Country Fair (Ypsilanti), and it is a place where apples are grown and cider is made. A cider mill could be a former grist mill--a place where, in the late 1800s, corn was turned into corn meal or wheat was turned into flour, and an example of such a place is Historic Bowens Mills (Middleville). And I will say that a cider mill could be a little farm, which may be run by a man and a woman who have been married for years and where a little cider is made available for purchase, put together from apples grown on the farm.
What might a cider mill have? A cider mill should have cider, of course. A cider mill is very likely to have doughnuts (or "donuts"), which do not come from bakers that supply doughnuts to grocery stores, and the doughnuts that are available at cider mills are very likely to have body to them and be rich and thick. A cider mill could have apple butter, which I had to describe to the gal at the Mardigian Library, saying it is sort of like apple sauce, but apple butter is darker than apple sauce is and is flavored in a different way. By the way, apple butter is sort of used like jelly, such as on muffins or toast. A cider mill could have carmel apples for sale. Oh, a cider mill could have apple sauce for sale. And a cider mill will probably have for sale types of apples that you find in grocery stores and types of apples that you do not find in grocery stores, and some of the types of apples that can be found in Michigan are Empire, Cortland, Gala, Ginger Gold, Ida Red, Jonagold, Northern Spy, and Paula Red.
What else can a cider mill be or have? A cider mill could have at least one bench or something on which a dating couple could sit. A cider mill could be surrounded by lovely trees, especially in October, when the leaves change colors.
I will not say anything more about what a cider mill can be or can have, since I do not want to give away surprises, and, anyway, I have already hinted at enough things.
When is the cider-mill season? It is now. Actually, cider-mill season takes place in the fall--generally speaking, from early September through late November (or, in the case of some cider mills, December).
A number of years ago, one day in the early 1980s, I received a special tour of Tom Walker's Grist Mill, Parshallville, Livingston County, and I had cider and doughnuts there, and I wish I could tell you to go there on a cider-mill trip, but I cannot, since it is not open as a cider mill, so if you wish to go to a cider mill, you will have to choose from among the many dozens that exist in the state, most of which are located at places in the lower two-thirds of the Lower Peninsula. Many of the cider mills are apple farms--places that were not actually grist mills--and some of the cider mills are places that were once real grist mills, and here is a list of only a few of the cider mills in Michigan: the Franklin Cider Mill (Bloomfield Township, Oakland County), Historic Bowens Mills (Middleville, Barry County, the southwestern region of the Lower Peninsula), Knaebe's MMMunchy Krunchy Apple Farm (near Rogers City, Presque Isle County), McIntosh Orchards (along Remus Road, a little west of Mt. Pleasant, Isabella County), Moore Orchards (Midland, Midland County), Stan's Cider Mill (Rosebush, which is near Mt. Pleasant, Isabella County), Stony Creek Orchard & Cider Mill (Romeo, Macomb County), Uncle John's Cider Mill (St. Johns, Clinton County), and Wiard's Orchards & Country Fair (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw County). The bigger cider mills or the popular cider mills, like many I have mentioned in the previous sentence, can offer visitors such special fun features as hayrides, haunted barns and the like, and animal farms (designed for children to see). To someone who is new to Michigan, I say, "See one or more of the cider mills that I have listed here." However, my persuading someone to see one or more of the cider mills that I have listed here is not done to dissuade you from seeing the places that I do not list, even a simple apple orchard.
Remember: You do not have to go to a cider mill for the cider, since you can go for the apple butter, the apple pies, the hayrides, the scenery, et cetera.
If nothing else, guys, you should take that gal to a cider mill for the romance of it, and, gals, you should accept that invitation to a cider mill for the romance of it.
And now I have special information to pass along. On Monday, August 29, 2005, I caught part of a news report on--I believe--WXYZ-TV Channel 7 in the Detroit area (Michigan) that noted that the "Mackinac Bridge Museum" (Mackinaw City, the Lower Peninsula) burned down, but I missed hearing iany nformation about whether it had burned down earlier in the day or during the weekend, and then I saw an article in the edition of the Detroit Free Press for August 29, 2005 (Shine, Kim North. "Mackinac City museum, restaurant destroyed by fire." Detroit Free Press, 29 August 2005, p. NA.) that noted that the museum burned down on Sunday (August 28, 2005). On Thursday, September 1, 2005, I went to the Mardigian Library and ran a Michigan-newspaper-database search, and I could not determine whether or not any newspapers in Michigan besides the Detroit Free Press carried a story about the fire at the Mackinac Bridge Museum (and the other newspapers were The Battle Creek Enquirer, The Detroit News, The Flint Journal, The Grand Rapids Press, The Huron Daily Tribune, Lansing State Journal, The Marlette Leader, Saginaw News, Times Herald (Port Huron), and The Vassar Pioneer Times). Since it is possible that you are unaware of what has happened to the Mackinac Bridge Museum, I pass along this note that the Detroit Free Press did report that, in essence, the Mackinac Bridge Museum, established in 1979, no longer exists (it was at 231 Central Avenue, Mackinaw City).
Your travel tips in Michigan are:
Franklin Cider Mill, Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, the Lower Peninsula.
Historic Bowens Mills, Middleville, Barry County, the Lower Peninsula.
Knaebe's MMMunchy Krunchy Apple Farm, near Rogers City, Presque Isle County, the Lower Peninsula.
McIntosh Orchards, near Mt. Pleasant, Isabella County, the Lower Peninsula.
Moore Orchards, Midland, Midland County, the Lower Peninsula.
Stan's Cider Mill, Rosebush (near Mt. Pleasant), Isabella County, the Lower Peninsula.
Uncle John's Cider Mill, St. Johns, Clinton County, the Lower Peninsula.
Wiard's Orchards & Country Fair, Ypsilanti, Washtenaw County, the Lower Peninsula.
Your special news announcement is:
The Mackinac Bridge Museum (or The Original Mackinac Bridge Museum), Mackinaw City, The Straits of Mackinac, the Lower Peninsula.
- - - Public Service Copy for Broadcasters (four pieces) - - -
Number One:
People who live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan or in the
northern half of the Lower Peninsula do travel to places in the
southern half of the Lower Peninsula, and now is when it is very
likely they will travel to places in the southern half of the Lower
Peninsula. One reason for that is most of the cider mills of the state
are in the southern region. Actually, a cider mill will be either an
apple farm or a true "cider mill," which is a place that has what can
be called a grist mill--maybe a grist mill that was used in the 1800s
and early 1900s to make flour. Some of the most-famous cider
mills in Michigan are near Bloomfield Township, Middleville, Midland,
Mt. Pleasant, Romeo, St. Johns, and Ypsilanti. The cider-mill season
is now, and you don't have to go to a cider mill for the cider--you
can go for the doughnuts, the hayrides, or the apple pies, and some
places have haunted houses. And when you do go, drive safely and
enjoy Michigan.
###
Number Two:
In the 1980s, the first cellular telephones appeared, and in the
1990s, the first PCS telephones appeared, and a few years ago,
the first wireless phones that could show moving video appeared.
Officially, the history of the telephone goes back to the late 1800s.
Montrose is a place that is a little northwest of Flint, and at Montrose
is the "Montrose Historical and Telephone Pioneer Museum." This
museum is dedicated to the telephone, and within the museum are
dozens of old phones--from dial phones to non-dial phones. It is a
place where children can see what a real "telephone booth"
is--particularly a telephone booth made of wood. The Montrose
Historical and Telephone Pioneer Museum has working hands-on
exhibits, and it's open on most Saturdays and Sundays from April
through December and on most Sundays during the remainder of
the year. To find to Montrose, find the I-75/Clio area and head
west!
###
Number Three:
And now I have a safe-driving tip from The Hologlobe Press and
(this station) . Winter is a time of the year when you can expect
roads to be slippery on at least some days, and that is because of
snow or sleet. During other times of the year, roads can become
slippery for other reasons. In the spring, for instance, parts of the
Upper Peninsula have slippery roads because of "army caterpillars,"
which can appear by the millions on roads. In the fall, some of the
roads get slippery, especially on rainy days, because of "beet trucks,"
which are moving beets out of the fields and dragging mud on to the
roads. Also in the fall, many roads of the state can become slippery
because of a mixture of rain and dead leaves. When you're traveling
on rainy days this fall, keep your speed down and don't tailgate on
those leaf-covered roads. You know, in this safe-driving tip, I
should have talked about the slippery roads that show up during
mayfly season. Enjoy your traveling!
###
Number Four:
Some tourist attractions in the Upper Peninsula, such as the Forsyth
Township Historical Museum, which is at Gwinn, are closed and will
not be open again till next summer, and, shortly, the visitors season
will end for more tourist attractions in the Upper Peninsula. One place
that will soon close for the season is the Marquette Maritime Museum,
which is at Marquette. Fayette Historic Townsite, which is at Fayette
and near Big Bay De Noc, is open till mid-October. South Range,
which is in the Keweenaw Peninsula region, is the place to find the
Copper Range Historical Museum, and it will soon be closed. And
the Wheels of History Museum is at Brimley, and you still have time
to see it this year. Of course, none of the waterfalls gets closed
anytime, so you don't have to rush to see Canyon Falls, which is near
Baraga, or Wagner Falls, which is near Munising, so slow down,
and enjoy your safe traveling in Michigan!
###
- - - Contact Information - - -
The Hologlobe Press
Postal Box 5455
Dearborn, Michigan 48128-0455
The United States of Americacopyright c. 2005
File date: 10 September 2005
To see the next edition of Michigan Travel Tips,
click on: Travel #19
To see the previous edition of Michigan Travel Tips,
click on: Travel #17
To see the catalog page for Michigan Travel Tips,
click on: Travel
To go to the main page of The Hologlobe Press,
click on: www.hologlobepress.com
###