Category Archives: History

Flying Home

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DC-2

DC-2

The preceding picture shows not the more famous DC-3, but that airplane’s similar looking predecessor, the DC-2. I earlier joked on Facebook that I would be returning to Saint Louis on it. This example is the only still flying aircraft of this 1937 model. It can be found at the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field. The following photo, showing the 737-700’s winglet is what I really returned home on. It feels good to be home again and it feels even better to hug Anne once more.

It was a fun trip. The work was a welcomed diversion from my normal day-to-day fare. The fine dining that I enjoyed with my travel partners was a welcomed treat. I’m sure that I have regained all of the weight that I managed to lose on the previous week’s Michigan bicycle trip. The best part of this Seattle visit was the time that I spent with Jay and Carl. I want to thank them both publicly and properly, for the lovely hospitality that they showed me.

Last night, I met Jay and Carl for dinner, one last time. Last night I also got my first foul taste of Seattle’s traffic, it was awful last night. We went to a Greek restaurant within walking distance of Seattle Center and the Space Needle. After dinner we walked around these landmarks. It was a nice way to finish off this trip.

Southwest Winglet

Southwest Winglet

Tall Ship’s Redux

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The Norwegian Ship Sorlandet
The Denis Sullivan Tied Up at a Soo Lock Quay
The Peacemaker Rounding Round Island
Grace, Lisi and Anne at Point Iroquois


I arrived back at the cabin last night after another marathon drive. Dan was here, but left this morning by bus for parts south, Liz and tomorrow’s flight back to LA. Anne and I put Dan on the bus to Detroit early to morning. This happened to be the same bus that Lisi and Grace, college friends of Ashlan, just happened to be disembarking from. Lisi and Grace, fellow Word-pressers, have been bicycling from Seattle. We bade goodbye to Dan and welcome to Lisi and Grace. We first took them out to breakfast at Frank’s on Portage. Next we took them to the locks. Two tall ships were immediately expected, so we hung around the little museum, even after the rain began.

It turned into a gully washer, so we waited it out watching films of COE Soo history. Eventually, the rain relented, but still no ETA on the tall ships. We headed back to the cabin, introduced the girls to the rents and waited out the rest of the rain. After it cleared, we walked the beach and watched two tall ships descend.

We went to the Dancing Crane and then the lighthouse next. Most of the lighthouse was closed for roofing work. A docent told us that Saturday at one PM all of the tall ships would gather off of Gros Cap, set sail and race towards Duluth. Dinner was a lively affair, with Kayak Women leading the charge.

Point Iroquois Lighthouse

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Iroquois Lighthouse

Iroquois Lighthouse

Yesterday, Anne bicycled from the old cabin to the Point Iroquois lighthouse. On the way, she stopped at the Dancing Crane coffee shop and bought a half-pound of beans. She cruised by the two casinos and one of two historical Native American burial grounds. Walking around the lighthouse grounds, she spied the following sign:

NO ROCK COLLECTING

Without a valid permit

The Point Iroquois Lighthouse and Site is listed in the National Register of Historical Places

With its special designation, we ask that you leave all features as they are:

  • To avoid diminishing the station’s character, do not alter the site features (taking rocks from the beach), which are important in defining the overall historic character of the property.
  • Do not remove or relocate historic light station buildings or landscape feature (rocks from the beach), thus destroying the historic relationship between the lighthouse, the buildings and the landscape.

I guess that the prohibition against relocating rocks from the beach could also include the time-honored practice of throwing rocks into the water. If this prohibition is just going up now at Iroquois, I wonder how much longer before the Whitefish Point lighthouse follows suit? Oh by the way, when I rode to the lighthouse with Anne, earlier this summer, I noticed a small sign just outside the burial grounds. It said that the use of metal detectors in this area is prohibited.

Ice Blockade, Zimmerman in lead, Soo, MI

Ice Blockade, Zimmerman in lead, Soo, MI

The lighthouse keepers log books often mention vessels delayed or stuck in the ice at the start of the spring shipping season. This postcard shows ore carriers in a Whitefish Bay spring “ice blockade” around 1910. The above photo and the following picture are both displayed on placards in an informational kiosk.

Cliffs Victory

Cliffs Victory

The ship Cliffs Victory was originally built in 1945 as a WW II “Victory ship”. She was later lengthened and reconstructed for Great Lakes use in 1951 and for a while was the fastest bulk freighter on the lakes. It was eventually dismantled for scrap iron in Korea, in 1987.

Tall Ships Challenge

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SS Sorlandet

SS Sorlandet

Anne took this photo of the Norwegian sailing ship Sorlandet yesterday. It is part of the Tall Ships Challenge, a group of sailing ships that are touring the Great Lakes this summer. This weekend the tall ships are visiting Soo, Canada. I’m not sure how many will be there. There are about a dozen tall ships in the challenge, but Bay City, MI, an earlier port of call only seemed to have four. Maybe I can ask this blog’s northern ‘cub’ reporter to bicycle into the Soo this weekend and take a picture or two. I know that the best shots could only be taken in Canada, but I can’t really ask her to bicycle across the border. I’m not sure that they even allow bikes on the International Bridge any more.

Yesterday, also had a dark and stormy night. The Mackinac Bridge is back open now after a semi tractor-trailer tipped over while crossing the bridge Thursday evening causing the bridge to be closed for hours. News reports state winds of 65 MPH. It looks to me that the bridge’s cables saved the truck from going over the side. If they had not snagged the truck, it might have shared the same fate as a tiny Yugo had years ago.

Wednesday, as this bit of weather was starting to roll in, there was a kayaking incident. Some of the kids from down the beach had kayaked out to the island. Thunderstorms with visible lighting rolled in from the south, sneaking up on the beach. The wind and waves rose. Anne and Dashie took the cabin’s kayaks out together to escort the kids back into shore. Anne’s mom and later me when I eventually heard about this was upset about this. Anne later said that no one was in any real danger. Although, she also said that the waves were higher than she was comfortable with. Anyway, no harm, no foul, except for the foul weather.