Kathleen was competing in a rowing regatta, specifically the USRowing Masters National Championships in Ypsilanti, MI, and I decided to tag along. At my suggestion, we took an alternate route between Central Minnesota and Central Michigan; I’ve always wanted to ride the car ferry across Lake Michigan, and this would also take us through Lansing, another state capital that I haven’t been to, and avoid weekday traffic around Chicago. Win-win-win!
Wednesday, July 15: We left St. Paul at 7:30 AM and encountered thick smoke from Ontario and Minnesota wildfires and plenty of lane closures and other Wisconsin road construction. At 1:00 PM, we arrived in Manitowoc, which means “spirit land” in the Ojibwe and Menominee languages. French fur traders were the first Europeans here and the area was a shipbuilding center from the 1840s through the 1960s, including the production of landing craft, tankers and submarines during World War II. Manitowoc is also locally famous for the September 1962 crash landing of a 20 pound chunk of the Soviet satellite Sputnik IV in the middle of North 8th Street. The town still commemorates the event with its annual Sputnikfest in September. Map link: Manitowoc, WI
Our ferry, the 410-foot SS Badger, was launched in 1952 and is the last operating coal-fired passenger vessel in the United States. Originally built for the year-round transport of railroad cars, it is a historic and popular way for people and vehicles to cross the 62 miles of Lake Michigan between Manitowoc and Ludington, MI, from May through October. We joined the line of cars at the pier, then parked and left the keys in the ignition—you're not allowed to drive your own vehicle on and off the ferry. After walking aboard, we settled in at a table in the main lounge, got some lunch at one of the two restaurants, then read, relaxed and watched the spirited Badger Bingo competition in the lounge. The seas were calm and the ride was smooth, with the steady rumble of the engines always in the background. Although the wildfire smoke and high humidity kept things a little stuffy inside, the voyage was pleasant and one that we recommend. The trip took four hours dock to dock, and I clocked our cruising speed at 17 mph, much slower than road travel, and we also lost an hour switching to Eastern Time in Michigan. Upon our arrival in Ludington, we disembarked, waited about 30 minutes for our car, then drove two hours to Portland, MI, where we stopped for the night.
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| SS Badger. Source: Wikipedia |
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| Unloading in Ludington, MI. The sun was finally visible through the wildfire smoke |
Thursday, July 16: We were up at 6:15 AM, got ready, ate breakfast, then drove 20 miles east to the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing. Detroit was the first capital city when Michigan became the 26th state in 1837, but was moved to Lansing ten years later. A wooden building was replaced by the current capitol, constructed between 1872-78, with an attractive cast-iron dome and beautiful rotunda. Map link: Lansing, MI
We also stopped by the Ransom Eli Olds Transportation Museum, which didn't open for another two hours. R.E. Olds founded both Oldsmobile and the REO Motor Car Company (maker of the REO Speed Wagon), which manufactured cars in Lansing through 1975. Nearby is the World’s Largest Lug Nut, built atop a brick smokestack as a tribute to the city’s automotive history and overlooking the minor league Lansing Lugnuts baseball stadium.
Around midday, Kathleen received word that the rowing regatta was canceled for the day due to poor air quality from wildfire smoke. We continued east to Ann Arbor, ate brunch at the Breakfast Club, then went to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library on the North Campus of the University of Michigan. Born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. in Omaha, his parents separated when he was just 16 days old. His mother, Dorothy, returned to her hometown of Grand Rapids, MI, with her only child. She later divorced her abusive husband and remarried a Grand Rapids salesman, Gerald Rudolph Ford. Although never fully adopted, the future president took the name of his stepfather, and was called “Jerry.” The only Eagle Scout to ever serve as president, Jerry excelled in football, posting consecutive, undefeated seasons and winning national titles at the University of Michigan in 1932 and 1933. Ford turned down offers to play professional football, opting for law school. He had his heart set on attending Yale, but was initially denied admission. Instead, he took a job as an assistant coach for Yale’s football team, and kept applying until he was accepted into their law program.
Ford joined the Navy following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, then successfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives following the war. He served 25 years in the House before being appointed to the vice presidency in 1973, when Spiro Agnew resigned after pleading no contest to felony tax evasion charges and under investigation for bribery. Gerald R. Ford, Jr. became the 38th president the following year when Richard Nixon resigned amidst the Watergate scandal. Ford’s popularity suffered when he granted Nixon a full pardon, suggesting a deal had been made, and he was burdened with raging inflation and the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. He narrowly defeated Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination, lost his 1976 reelection bid to Jimmy Carter, and remains the only person ever to serve as U.S. president and vice president without being elected to either office. Map link: Ann Arbor, MI
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| Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library |
After the Ford library, we took a driving tour of the University of Michigan’s sprawling campus, picked up some groceries, checked into our motel room in Ypsilanti, napped, read, then went to dinner at Basil Babe, where we enjoyed some excellent Thai food.
Friday, July 17: Today’s air quality was improved, but only from “Dangerous” to “Very Unhealthy,” and the rowing regatta was understandably canceled for a second day. We ran an errand at Target, then hung out at the public library until lunchtime.
Originally called Woodruff’s Grove, Ypsilanti was renamed in 1829 after Demetrios Ypsilantis, a hero in the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire, which ended the same year. Called “Ypsi” by locals, the city of 20,000 once produced textiles, automobiles and aircraft in great numbers. During World War II, The Ford Company’s Willow Run plant rapidly converted to aviation manufacturing and at its peak was producing one B-24 Liberator bomber every hour. The 65-acre plant paid men and women equal wages, and claims to be the inspiration for “Rosie the Riveter,” the iconic representation of the millions of American women who took industrial jobs in factories and shipyards during the war. While the identity of the actual Rosie is debated, one of the likely candidates was the Willow Run factory’s Rose Will Monroe, a riveter who was featured in a promotional film about the war effort at home. Ypsi is home to Eastern Michigan University, opened in 1849 as the state’s first teachers college, and the first Domino’s Pizza restaurant opened here in 1960 and their world headquarters is in nearby Ann Arbor. One of Ypsilanti’s most visible features is its 1890 water tower, located on the highest point in town, with a marble bust of Demetrios Ypsilantis at the base. Its unique shape is the source of much titillation—known as “the Brick Dick,” it was named the “World’s Most Phallic Building” by Cabinet Magazine in 2003. Map link: Ypsilanti, MI
We ate lunch at the Public House in Monroe, where Michigan’s famous cherries were on the menu, then spent the afternoon at River Raisin National Battlefield Park, about 30 miles to the southeast on Lake Erie. The battlefield was the site of America’s greatest defeat during the War of 1812 and was a key event that galvanized the country’s commitment to removing natives from their homelands. In January 1813, the British and their American Indian Confederation allies, led by Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, launched a surprise counterattack after being trapped at Frenchtown along the Raisin River. Nearly 400 American soldiers were killed in the fighting, with hundreds more captured. The next morning, many of the wounded captives were murdered by indigenous warriors, who had sided with the British on the promise that their lands would be protected if victorious. The killing of so many U.S. soldiers, especially prisoners, was unacceptable to the American public, and “Remember the Raisin!” became a rallying cry for troops at the Battle of the Thames in Ontario, the final engagement of the war and led by General William Henry Harrison, hero of Tippecanoe in Indiana and later our 9th president. As one historian at the park put it: “When the Americans won it was a great victory, when the Indians won it was a massacre.” The enduring hatred towards natives, calls for revenge and the desire for western expansion culminated in the Indian Removal Act of 1830, signed by President Andrew Jackson and was followed by the systematic, forced relocation of natives from their homes, known as The Trail of Tears. Map link: River Raisin NBP, Monroe, MI
The University of Michigan Rowing Team offered up their indoor, air-conditioned training facility in Ann Arbor for competitors to get some exercise during the regatta postponement, and Kathleen took advantage of it. Afterwards, we ate dinner at Tikalito in Ypsilanti, feasting on delicious Central American food, ordering off of a menu written in Spanish.
Bonus Question: What word following “push-up” anagrams to a word following “pull-up”? (answer at end of post)
Saturday, July 18: The air quality was good enough today and the regatta was a go, with postponed races from Thursday and Friday tacked on to the end of the weekend schedule. It was still hot and humid, with the wind forecast to build, but the morning heats began on time. We went to the venue, located at Ford Lake Park in Ypsilanti, met two of Kathleen’s teammates and confirmed the schedule. She wasn’t racing until the late afternoon, so Kathleen and I spent the rest of the morning sightseeing in Detroit, 20 miles to the east. On Interstate 94, we drove past the world’s biggest tire, an 80-foot structure originally built as a Ferris wheel for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City.
Detroit, population 650,000, is the largest city in Michigan, and means “strait” in French. It lies across the Detroit River from Windsor, Ontario—the waterway was once the busiest in the world and remains an important commercial shipping route, connecting Lake Erie to the south and Lake Huron to the north, via Lake St. Clair. Detroit grew rapidly in the first half of the 20th Century as the American automobile industry boomed, but fell into a long decline, which continues today, as globalization, deindustrialization and suburbanization drove jobs and residents out of the city. Detroit became a poster child for urban decay as its population declined 65% from its 1950 peak and in 2013 became the biggest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy. Map link: Detroit, MI
Our first stop was the Detroit Institute of Arts, in a sparkling neighborhood full of museums, historical buildings and the campus of Wayne State University. Our main interest in going there there was an atrium covered with 27 murals painted by Diego Rivera in 1932 with Detroit industries as the subject. The stunning frescoes were the busiest exhibit that we saw during our short stay at the large and beautiful museum.
Next we visited the Detroit Masonic Temple, the largest in the world since 1939, when the Chicago Temple was demolished. Built in the 1920s, the 16-story, neo-Gothic complex houses three theaters, three ballrooms, a drill hall, multiple banquet and dining halls, offices, lodge rooms, a swimming pool, gymnasium, handball court, bowling alley and pool hall.
We crossed town to see Michigan Central Station, the city’s former main passenger rail depot. Built in a hurry after the previous station burned down, it was dedicated and opened in 1914 before being fully finished, was the world’s tallest railroad station when completed and remained in service until 1988. After closing, the building fell into serious disrepair, and became an embarrassing example of Detroit’s downfall until it was purchased in 2018 by the Ford Family and converted into an event center. When we visited, a large Indian wedding was taking place in the main hall, reminding us of our amazing trip to India last year for Danielle and Jay’s nuptials. (post link: DragonflyBoating: India Wedding, Jan 8, 2025)
We drove into the heart of Detroit, stopping at one of three monuments to boxing legend Joe Louis; this one a 24-foot, 5,000 pound bronze fist and forearm sculpture on a downtown boulevard. The grandchild of slaves, Joseph Louis Barrow was born in Alabama in 1914. His family was part of the Great Migration, moving to Detroit after being terrorized by the Ku Klux Klan when Joe was 12. Around the time of his boxing debut at the age of 17, he shortened his name to Joe Louis, lost only three of 69 professional fights and was the world heavyweight champion from 1937-49, the longest reign of any professional boxer.
We finished our whirlwind Detroit sightseeing with a quick visit to Belle Isle, a 982-acre state park in the middle of the Detroit River. Originally called Hog Island by 18th-century settlers who used it for raising free-range livestock, it is the second-most visited state park in the country, after Niagara Falls. The island hosts an aquarium, museum, conservatory, nature center, swimming beach, golf course, yacht club, Coast Guard station, fountains, monuments and other attractions. Map link: Belle Isle, Detroit, MI
The afternoon was hot and humid, with strong winds, as predicted. I dropped off Kathleen at the race venue as wind gusts exceeded 30 mph, forming whitecaps and rollers on the lake. Races were halted, then canceled when conditions did not improve; another frustrating day of rotten luck, and Kathleen had yet to row after three days. We compensated somewhat with a big meal of our favorite comfort food at Red Rock BBQ in downtown Ypsilanti.
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| Whitecaps and blowing tent flaps |
Sunday, July 19: The weather was not only acceptable, it was near perfect—light north winds, temperatures in the 80s, lower humidity and no wildfire smoke. Racing was scheduled from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and I felt sorry for the staff, volunteers and referees who had to be there all day and then tear down the event in the evening. Kathleen and Donna Peszek raced their first heat in the Women’s G Open Double at 10:10 AM, qualifying for the final at 4:30 PM. Kathleen and I went into town for lunch, sitting at the bar at the busy Bellflower Restaurant. In their open final, Kathleen and Donna finished sixth, and then took the silver medal at 6:45 PM in the Lightweight G Double category. Yay!
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| Two drones provided amazing race footage |
After pulling their boat, named Coop de ville, from the water, the medalists immediately derigged and loaded it on the team trailer, along with riggers, oars and other gear. As more boats arrived and team members got to work, I got to watch not only the loading show, but the United Kingdom’s RAF Red Arrows, who were performing in an airshow at the nearby Willow Run Airport. And for even more fun, a MacGregor 26 (like Dragonfly) motored down the lake at the end of the day. We left Ypsilanti at 8:00 PM and drove east for two hours, stopping for the night in the small Michigan farming town of Watervliet, which means “flowing water” in Dutch.
Monday, July 20: We were out the door and in the car at 7:05 AM for the long drive home. Luckily, Chicago traffic was only bad at the interchanges, and we made good time. After stopping for lunch in the Wisconsin Dells, we were home by 2:30 PM, with another heat advisory—90F air temperature, 99F heat index and hazy skies from the continued wildfires in the Boundary Waters.
Bonus Question Answer: Push-up “bra” and pull-up “bar.”
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