The Trek North – Indiana and Lower Michigan

05/02/2022 – 05/15/2022

The Journey West 2022 – Legs 2 and 3

Did I say we were headed west? We are… eventually. But for now, the journey continues north to Indiana and Michigan. We stopped over in Indiana for a quick visit with my best friend, Kathy. Our friendship began 34 years ago when I lived in Indiana with Bill while he was finishing school. We both worked at JC Penney and pretty much hit it off from the get-go, we just “clicked”. It was so nice to have a few days to catch up, do some shopping and just hang out like the old days. Bill was able to catch up with an old work buddy. We also shared a few dinners, some bourbon, wine and stories with another of Bill’s cousins and her family. GREAT TIMES!

It is time to move the party a little further north to Michigan. We arrived at Uncle Bob & Aunt Maureen’s, on Mother’s Day and enjoyed a delicious spaghetti and meatball dinner. Bill’s cousin, Brian (yep, another one) and his family were also there. It was so good to see everyone again. 30 years is far too long.

Greenfield Village

Once the work was done for the week, we headed into Dearborn, MI to visit Greenfield Village. Greenfield Village is part of the Henry Ford experience and is a collection of historic buildings that were moved from their original locations around the US to be preserved for future generations. They offer a glimpse of how Americans lived and worked during the industrial era.

The village is divided into 7 districts: Working Farms, Craftworks, Henry Ford’s Model T, Railroad Junction, Main Street, Edison at Work and Porches & Parlors. We spent the majority of our time on Main Street and Porches & Parlors.

  Henry Ford’s Model T

We started our tour along Ford Road and walked thru the storage shed where Ford built his first car. Then we walked through a replica of the first Ford factory, which housed the 15-Millionth Ford; a 1927 Model T Touring car. Just behind the factory at the loading dock you can purchase a ticket and tour the village in an original Model T.

Across the street is the boyhood home of Henry Ford. The home was originally located 2 miles from its present location. When Ford learned the house was to be demolished, he moved the house to its present location and restored it to the way he remembered it when his mom passed. This house started the preservation of other historic buildings and is how Greenfield Village began. For more history on the village read this blog from the Henry Ford website. “Exploring the Origins of Greenfield Village”

  Main Street

The journey continued along Main Street where we walked thru the Wright Brothers bicycle shop. The Wright home was also brought here and reconstruction was overseen by Orville, himself. We saw where H.J.Heinz developed horseradish and pickled goods in the basement of his childhood home that went on to become one of America’s #1 condiment producer. These are just a few of the many buildings along Main Street.

  Porches & Parlors

An eclectic collection of houses from an English cottage to a plantation home to a replica of George Washington Carver’s home. Many of the houses were not open and we were a little pressed for time so we only walked through the Noah Webster home. While living in this home, Noah published his first American Dictionary of the English Language.

  Edison At Work

One part of the village is completely dedicated to Thomas Edison. While we were in Florida, we toured Edison’s Winter Estate and learned that Edison and Ford had a very special friendship. Ford moved the original laboratory from Fort Meyers to Greenfield Village. Now… here we are. It was incredible to see replicas and portions of the original Edison laboratories from Menlo Park as well.

  Working Farms & Liberty Craftworks

By the time we made it around to the farms and craftworks we were; one – hot, two – tired and three – running out of time. Most of the craftworks were finished with their demonstrations for the day and we just missed glassblowing. Off to the Harvey Firestone Farm. As you walk up to the farm, it feels like you are actually walking into life on a farm in the 1800’s. The workers were in the process of shearing a Wrinkly Merino Sheep, by HAND… with SCISSORS. Very interesting, the sheep just sat there without wriggling around very much at all.

We spent about 3 hours here, logged over 10,000 steps and experienced about everything we set out to do. I would have enjoyed seeing some of the crafters at work but there is always next time.  

Next door is the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, which I highly recommend. When we lived in the Detroit area 30+ years ago we spent the better part of a day exploring the museum and I still carry those memories with me today.

Silver Lake Sand Dunes

Now that we are culturally enriched, it’s time to go play in the sand!! We moved the party to Silver Lake, MI; home to Silver Lake Sand Dunes. We camped with Bill’s cousin, Brian, and his family at Jellystone Park. There is an abundance of RV parks and campgrounds in the area, but Jellystone is the most centrally located to restaurants and activities in Silver Lake.

At 500 acres, Silver Lake Sand Dunes are the only dunes east of the Mississippi River that you can drive your ORV or 4×4. They have a great play area that is multi-directional and then the larger dunes are all directional, meaning everyone is going in the same direction. I felt so much better knowing this.

Leaving the staging area, a large sandy road leads you out to the dunes and that’s where the fun begins. The road opens up and immediately you see Test Hill, at approximately 140’ tall, with all types of rigs lined up and ready to climb it. Can the YJ make it? Can Brian’s 4-Runner? The first few attempts were failures. Brian finally made it up and waited for us at the top. It took Bill a few more tries before he figured out the right RPMs and gear he needed to be in to crest the dune. Yay, we made it!! Then we were off to ride the rest of the set… several times.

We spent 2 full days out here playing, saw some beautiful sunsets and enjoyed some down time sitting by Lake Michigan chillaxin’. What a GREAT time!! Click here if you would like to see some drone footage of one of the runs. Brian did a BRILLIANT job controlling the drone while bumping around in the jeep.

This wraps up our first week in Michigan. We have (or should I say had) 2 more weeks planned to explore the Great Lake State, however, Bill’s work thru us a curve ball…