At last — moving on to a new state.   The original plan was to do about two-thirds of WI, move on to MN and then hit the lower part of WI on the way home.  We’re about four days behind schedule so it might mean lopping off the lower half of MN and the remainder of WI.  Still water, water everywhere and the young-uns continue to be ballistic.  Leading to many stops but great fun for all of us.  The end of the day’s run was at the former Marty’s Showboat (see Flickr photo tonight) where its abandoned golf course leads right to the water.  Sad but happy all at once.

The day started in Ironwood, MI — so let’s start with this sign from there:

 

Moving on to Wisconsin.  From Ashland — tell me you’re not getting sick of these vitrolite storefronts:

 

The Steak Pit in Washburn features this sign by the main road:

and this one on its rooftop which is closer to the water:

Sorry all you carnivores, that’s as close as you’ll get to a food shot of meat from me!

Ah yes, a reminder that we’re now in Packer territory — at Pagac’s Bar in Ashland:

 

From Iron Belt.  This one must have had neon originally — a couple of tubing holes still remain where the text is.  I’m glad they’re keeping the sign up — although there was probably much more detail at one time.

 

From Mercer.   I don’t know what to make of this one.  Those top and bottom pieces are clearly new.  The “BAR” part might be new or refurbished.  Perhaps the “Heart of the North” is covering a previous name?  Whatever — it’s still colorful and fun.  Still, I wish I had time to make some phone calls about every single sign, building, and statue while the people who know their histories are still around.

 

From Woodruff — stuck shooting through trees from a distance for this one:

 

From Minocqua.   When I last saw this place in 2006, it housed “LifeSpring”, a coffee bar & gallery.  Now, it’s vacant and I don’t have a good feeling about it.  It’s now pretty surrounded by modern strip malls and box stores.

 

This one from Tomahawk:

 

This was the Alamo Plaza Motel the last time I was through here.  I must have a photo somewhere but I can’t find it.  Best I can do is this loopnet image:
http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/4/0/1/xy_4012CD07-113C-4EA9-B065-6D1DA8F23D75__.jpg

As you can see, the smaller signs between the poles are gone now.  And the bare-butt-ed Indian kid was replaced:

 

A window skeleton sign from Land O’ Lakes:

 

The last couple photos for the night come with a story.  So, I was driving some long straight line distance again and trying to take it easy.  No ticket today!  But in my fatigue after 12+ hours of driving, I noticed the car in front of me had some non-human-like movement in the backseat.  At first glance I thought it was a dog — but clearly the profile was ears and horns!   A goat?  Yes — there’s a goat in that car.  When they pulled over into a gas station in Pelican Lake, I followed them in.  I went over to get a closer look and ask some questions.  Her name is Etta.  She was adopted from a Girl Scout Camp.  She doesn’t poop in the car (I even checked).  She sleeps in the house, on someone’s bed.  Hangs out on the sofa.  They were there at the Musky Mart to get Etta her favorite candy bar — a Skor bar.  I don’t think I’ve tried that one but you can bet I’ll be shopping for one tomorrow in her honor.  From Google, it’s made by Hershey’s and sounds like it’s a crunchy toffee.

Blurry here but this is how Etta likes to ride:  back feet (sorry, hooves) on back seat and front feet on the console.  She really seemed so calm and intelligent.  I have so many questions that I didn’t get to ask.

Tomorrow, we should be able to get through Oshkosh, Green Bay and a bunch of other smaller cities.  Gradually, working our way down to Milwaukee and then working back up at a diagonal towards MN over the next week or so.

Hopefully, all the bloodshed and breakdowns are behind us now for good.  Sparkle turned in another trouble-free day.  I’m ashamed to admit it but I got another ticket today in the forest of the U.P.  72 in a 55.  It’s so hard to keep it slow on those straight lines with no other cars around.  Feels like you’re crawling at 55.  And it gets really tedious with absolutely nothing to shoot or look at other than trees for more than an hour.  Again, I had to fork over $50 cash as a “deposit” towards the ticket since I’m from out-of-state.  The cop said if I didn’t have cash, he’d have to “take my license”.  Whatever that means I’m not sure!  But luckily I had just been to a cash machine and had $100.  Well, hopefully those tickets are half paid for now (have to call tomorrow to see what the prices are).  And maybe I’ll cool it a little in Wisconsin.  Poised at the border in Ironwood tonight and itching to move on.

The weather was so miserable this morning — grey & sprinkley — that I forced myself to take a little hour-long nap to wait it out.  But by then (10am) still crappy & had to get going.  Stayed pretty much grey until around 4pm when I was really driving and not shooting much.  Thems the breaks.  So much for these August roadtrips being the best chance for sunny shooting.  I guess in five or six years, I’ll be back in the U.P. to try this again.

This photo reflects the conditions.  I guess there’s a photoshop program to add pretty skies — but that would be cheating.  From Escanaba:

 

A couple of bars in Escanaba.  This one with red vitrolite and wooden signs which must have replaced something nicer:

 

I don’t know why they’ve covered up the neon sign with tarping.   Here’s a shot from a few years ago showing what’s underneath:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadtripmemories/519080116/

 

Things get awfully quiet on the long stretches — as long as there’s not lakes nearby — which is practically never in this part of the country.  Happiness is a sandy van.  Nik got thrashed around by giant waves in Lake Superior and loved every minute of it.

 

Mr. Pasty made me stop:

If you’re unfamiliar with pasties, this bag explains the whole deal:

I was limited to the veggie selection — but it was delicious and filling.  Buttery thick crust.  Spicy interior.  Reminded me of all those Swanson pot pies I grew up on — but better.

 

Neat storefront in Ishpeming:

 

Off to Marquette where I’d never been before.  I don’t think there are any really big cities in the continental U.S. that I haven’t been to.  So a new medium sized city is a thrill.  Here’s a neat building with castle details:

 

Doncker’s has been here since 1914.
http://www.donckersfudge.com/experience_it.html

That’s green vitrolite:

 

 

Candy counters:

Soda fountain:

Their specialties are fudge and caramels.  Since I still have fudge, and pie, I went with the caramels.  Dark, milk, and dark with sea salt.

Never had sea salt & chocolate together — the sweet & salty is a great contrasty though.  Like salted nuts on ice cream.  Salt and sugar should really be used together more.  The interior was smooth and melty and to die for.  I was expecting that icky elastic super chew.  But this was like butta.

 

Still in Marquette.  I was eager to finally get to see the Bunny Bread sign.  There were a few of these made in the 1950s.   The only other one known to still exist was located in Anna, IL until 2010:
http://www.agilitynut.com/10/9/bunnyb2.jpg
That one is now at the Bundy Museum of Baking Arts in Urbana, OH.  It is being restored so the ears will move again.

The one in Marquette was saved by the Children’s Museum.  I’ll be lazy and grab this excerpt from my website:

“The only other large sign was built around 1955 for the plant in Marquette, MI. That bunny head is about 15 feet tall while the sign from Anna is about 10 feet tall. The Marquette sign was removed in 1991 and placed in storage. In 1996, it was installed at the Upper Peninsula Children’s Musueum in town. The entrance lobby, partly designed by children, was built high enough to include the bunny’s ears. The sign is visible from outside the building. The bunny head is still the original colors but the neon was removed. It is now lit with blue Christmas lights. “

You can see him in the window on the left:

 

 

 

I have to say I was disappointed though.  There is no way to get a good shot of the bunny.  Blocked by the grid in the windows, the glare of the sun.  And then walls inside the museum:

The best shot I could get of him:

But at least the sign was saved and maybe it’ll get a more respectful display in the future.

Beef-A-Roo — not to be confused with the Beefaroo chain in Illinois — has two locations.  I don’t know if there were others.  This photo is of the sign in Negaunee, the other one, just like it, is in Marquette:

 

Moving on to Houghton.  I suspect the oval on top might have been neon with another name originally:

 

This one next door is obviously a retexted sign — maybe the same owners at the motel:

 

In Hancock — a real indicator of the times we’re living in.  Mom & pop stores shutting down hundred-year-old businesses all across America.  Sucky economy, retiring age owners with no kids interested in carrying on barely profitable businesses.  And that vinyl sign on the lightpost bragging about 15 new high-tech businesses in town is a real kick in the ass:

 

In Calumet.  No sign of life at this place.

 

Last photo for the night — from Mass City — another sign that was probably all originally neon, then updated later with some plastic:

 

So, it’s been swell Michigan.  Despite all the challenges, lots of great memories and thousands of photos to add to the website this winter.  We’re not quite halfway through this trip though — so stay tuned.

Really put some miles in today.  About 70% of the day was heavy grey clouds — the rest was sun.  I indulged the dogs in beach time much too much.  But it makes me so happy to see them so happy.  I realized looking at the map later that they swam (well, all but Grippie) in three of the five Great Lakes today.

My second foray into Canada on this trip was a major time-eater.  The trip in went quickly, but the trip back took about an hour and a half.   I believe the delay (traffic backed up the entire length of a HUGE bridge) was due mostly to the actions of one power control happy border patrol agent.  My own interrogation lasted about 15 minutes.

I didn’t get asked if I had firearms or I had purchased anything.  I got asked much more personal questions.  How long have you lived in NYC?  I bet you don’t have a front lawn there.  I have the entire State Forest for my front lawn.  Why do you live in NY?  It must be awful there.  What do you do there?  Is that like graphic design?  My sister’s a graphic designer.   What were you doing in Sault Ste. Marie?  Why do you take pictures of things?  Do you get paid for that?  No, so why do you do it?  How long have you been doing that?  Where are you going?  Where will you be staying?  Re: the dog’s paperwork — I can’t really read this [the handwriting was perfectly clear actually].  Why do you have so many dogs?  Then he stuck his head INSIDE my window to look in the back of the van.  My madly barking dogs had every right to bite him right there — and I wish they HAD!  At what point can you refuse to answer personal questions?  How long can they ask you questions when you are being perfectly cordial?  After 10 minutes of his crap, I started to get peeved and started giving one word answers — that pissed him off and I was sure he was going to have me pull over for a more thorough search of my vehicle just to punish me for not being polite.  I will not be hurrying back to Canada any time soon.  I’ve crossed the border at Toronto dozens of times and never had a problem like this.

Let’s start today’s photos with a sad story.  I had really been looking forward to seeing this purple dinosaur in Cheboygan.  He was at an abandoned mini golf, sort of out the way and so you’d hope out of harm’s way.  Here’s a photo of him from a couple of years ago taken by my pal Mark (the guy with me in the photos taken earlier in the trip):

And here’s what was left of him today:

See them, shoot them while you can folks.  Here today, gone tomorrow.  No room or compassion in this world for purple dinosaurs.

 

Moving on to a cheerier sign in Cedarville:

 

Another in Cedarville.  Originally the Riverside Motel.  Les Cheneaux refers to the  channels (of water)  that the area is famous for. The owner came out to see what I was up to and was fascinated by the concept that there are folks like me that will drive for hours just to admire and shoot signs like this.  He has to have his neon repaired by a guy in Traverse City (huge distance and expense) but he keeps the sign going.

 

On to some photos in Sault Ste. Marie – the American side.  This sign is unusual since you can drive under it.    This old postcard shows that it has always been like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/loungelistener/2919591041/
Unfortunately, the striped building is gone.

 

The main attraction in Sault (pronounced “Soo”) Ste. Marie is the huge ships navigating the Soo Locks.  Here are three signs with references to that.  This one obviously heavily remodeled, retexted, neon holes patches & a ship stuck on there.   Still charming in its simplicity, color scheme, and silliness:

 

This one’s been left to die it seems.  Looks like a bar made a go of it — but the building’s vacant now. The sign’s ship barely recognizable now with peeling paint.  Here’s how it looked just a few years ago:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/732mpd/2711552377/

 

Neon glowing during the day on this one — right across the street from the Locks:

 

On to the Canadian Sault Ste. Marie.  I’ve not seen a Pepsi sign like this one in the States:

 

The Canadian A&Ws still use the Burger Family in their advertising and signs.  We never had the Grandpa here.  But I don’t think they ever had the statues there:
http://www.agilitynut.com/giants/aw.html

 

Silly make-you-stop statues are not unique to the U.S.  These are from the Trading Post which is a combo gas station, hunting/fishing supplies place, and fast food place:
http://www.trading-post.ca/

 

A detail from the Blue Flame Gas Service sign.  Tricky because it’s protected with plastic:

 

Back in the States.  As I was losing daylight and trying to make time towards Manistique, I was reflecting on how I hadn’t gotten any souvenir speeding tickets in Michigan.  Not 15 minutes later, I got pulled over.  77 in a 55 — straight line, no cars anywhere, forest.  The U.P. is all about trees and water so it’s very tempting to raise the speed a notch up here.  These cops were very nice — wrote the ticket as a 60 mph.  But I had to post bond since I’m a non-resident — meaning give them some cash towards the ticket.  Luckily, I had $50 and gave it to them which they noted on the ticket.  Most of the time, I have less than $20 on me.  Otherwise… what, they would have arrested me or escorted me to a cash machine?

So, at least the delay and lightening up on the gas pedal meant I got to see the Colonial Motel sign in Manistique with its lights on.  It’s been repainted since a couple few years ago — I preferred the yellow myself:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/732mpd/2763241601/

 

And one more sign from Manistique — a little early yet — so not sure if it is lit or not.  But probably — since it was turned on in 2010:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chiski/4485482780/

 

More from the U.P. tomorrow.  And then maybe on to Wisconsin.

Covered a lot of ground today — should be in the U.P. by noon tomorrow.   For folks unfamiliar, the U.P. is that upper, northern chunk of Michigan known as the Upper Peninsula.  Lots of driving up there between stuff so I hope Sparkle’s ready for the wilderness.  No warning lights or anything at all today so I’m feeling pretty confident.

Gorgeous skies with not too much cloud interference.  A good part of the day on the coast — so nice breezes and much doggie screaming.  Usually a couple of times a day is enough for them, but Nik & Grem have been lunatics all day long on this trip.  Between the water views and the motorcycles the past couple days, I’m sure I have hearing loss.

Let’s start with a safe photo-op – no animals anywhere.  But then, you never know when a suicidal squirrel might run by.  These cartoon character statues used to be on the beach — now at the library — in Tawas City.  Will anyone remember SpongeBob in about five years?

 

From East Tawas:

 

I saw another one of these signs a couple of days ago at another car dealership and regret not taking a photo of it.  I’m not even sure I wrote the city down in my notes.  This one is at Dean Arbour Chevrolet Cadillic in East Tawas.  I think it’s a graduate — like a nudge to Mom & Dad to buy the kids a car for graduation? — but I’m not sure since this guy’s not holding a diploma.

 

From Au Sable — competing gas stations — in the water!  I’ve never seen that before:

 

From Alpena — very creepy — “Unknown Soldier”:

 

Houghton Lake still has some vintage gift shops and other fun stuff.  The Rocking Chair gift shop reaches out to passing tourists with these alluring statues.  In addition to these, there are numerous other animals and another teepee:

 

This one is from Bear’s Den Pizza in Grayling:

 

I’ve got a thing for people, animals, things signs, if you hadn’t noticed by now.  My next Journal article for the SCA (Society of Commercial Archeology) will be about pizza chef signs.  This sign won’t be featured in the article but I’ll include him at my companion page.  I’ve just started that page so it’s in rough shape but if you’d like a peek:

http://www.agilitynut.com/sca/pizza.html

 

 

Also in Grayling:

 

I’ve still only had one slice of that pie from yesterday — but I just had to pick up some fudge and help support Doug Murdick’s in Traverse City.  I also needed to show the comparison of the giant box of fudge with a real one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/6012997947/

I’ve just had a small bite but it’s incredible.

I went with the Rocky Road — but it was a tough choice:

This is a “see it made” place —  a real turn-on:

 

Also in Traverse City:  Rounds Restaurant.  I can’t find any info but it’s gotta be 1950s or 1960s.  The white part of the sign is, naturally, round.  Don’t know if this was the original name.  Traverse City-ers please chime in!

 

Another cool restaurant in Traverse City.  I don’t know when this one opened — or how much of this stuff is original or part of a remodeling — but it’s all good and fun.  The place closed last December but then reopened in June:
http://record-eagle.com/local/x2035756290/Flap-Jack-Shack-shuts-its-doors

http://www.tcchamber.org/node/2583

 

Losing light badly in Charlevoix but I’ll include these photos anyway to wind up this post.  There are about eight of these “Gnome Homes” built by Earl Young, pretty much next door to one another.  For more info, this site covers the history well:
http://charlevoixparkavenue.wordpress.com/guidebook/the-earl-young-houses/

This is my favorite — the smallest of the bunch:

Another example:

And a big restaurant in town built by the same guy:

 

Alright then — I’ll be writing to you tomorrow night from some forest-y location.  I’ll be careful with the monsters since I’m sure there are deer and bear and moose and all kinds of things they’d love to go after.

Slowly but surely, we’re pushing northward.  No animal carnage or breakdowns today.  In fact, Sparkle’s “service engine” light wasn’t on for even a minute of the day.  Can these things heal themselves?  A good question for Klick & Klack.  My head’s feeling better, fingers still ouchy.

A gorgeous day — mostly sun, highs in the low 80s but not humid.  Unfortunately, although there was great weather, it was a low-volume day.  Once we left Saginaw, most of the day was in “The Thumb” with lots of distances between one-shot towns.    The dogs got loads of beach time — easy access and, bad dog trainer that I am, I buckled when they screamed.  Which felt like about 100 times today.  Beautiful warm water and sand — all to ourselves.  A break for me as well from all the stress of the past few days.

Let’s start with Bay City — a nice, detailed… adding machine (I think):

 

A behemoth of a sign, re-texted obviously:

 

A gratefully, left-alone sign:

 

This was the Empire House Motel when I was here last in 2005.  The top, boxy chunk over the canopy is new.  It used to look like the Budget Inn in Kingston, NY and might have been part of the same chain (whatever that was):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/4825660464/

 

Opal glass and neon combo.  This sign is part of the landmarking of the building — so it will hopefully live on forever — if it doesn’t crumble to the ground.  A lot of that happening lately with signs.

 

Looks like always the Flamingo — but obviously new “Free TV” lettering.  Lots neon tubing holes that don’t make sense.  It’d be nice to find a vintage postcard of this one:

 

A fun, modern building:  the Delta College Planetarium & Learning Center:

 

Moving on to Saginaw.  I must let no roadtrip go by without a least one parking garage sign:

 

The Covenant HealthCare Building — I’m assuming 1960s:

Also assuming this funky canopy in front is 1960s or 1970s.  Hard to see in this photo but the pyramid thingies on top are clear plastic:

Is that a PB&J sandwich?

Fun stuff — skipping the close-up photos of the signs here — too much else to post tonight.  But the hanging neon sign is encased in one of those tight metal mesh boxes to protect the neon:

 

Friends and foes.  While pretty to look at, not exactly a photographer’s dream.  Constantly blocking the sun, forcing you to wait.  Sometimes for a few minutes no sun, give up shoot the picture.  Drive a block down the road, sun comes out, U-turn and race back to the spot to shoot, hop out, and sun goes away again.

 

Rubber ducky from Vassar:

 

A nice, manly sign from Caro.  But the store is sadly vacant and the sign could disappear any day now.  Backlit plastic:

From the tiny town of Kinde:

 

From Linwood.  Grippie used to go nuts over these fiberglass animals and people.  But now that she’s blind… that leaves Gremlin to fill in.  But she’s gotten too cynical lately.  If they don’t move and have no smell, she lets it go.

 

Also in Linwood.  Oh, yeah, let’s stop!:

I was SO ready to try one of Judy’s pies — ready to support all this advertising.  But the door was locked and I was devastated.  6:55pm.  I peered inside and saw what must have been Judy, reading a magazine and shaking her head.  I did my best to convey disappointment but Judy was not budging.  Damn you Judy!  I don’t get it.  I understand maybe a service industry, when you’re closed, you’re closed.  But if a customer is there for obviously a quickie with money in hand, bouncing up and down eager, you don’t open the door?

 

Down the road about a mile to Pinconning to reshoot the giant mice at Wilson’s Cheese Shoppe — and get some snacks.

Turns out they sold pies and I had to have one after the Judy’s disappointment.  Strawberry rhubarb.  I expected cardboard crust and gelatinous interior.  But NO — this pie is to die for.   Buttery flaky crust (or maybe lard, I don’t want to know).  Tart but sweet, real fruit.  Awesome.  So THERE, Judy!  And it feels like it weighs three pounds so it will be around for a while.  The cheese will be dog treats for days, maybe weeks, if I don’t eat it first in desperation.  But I have my pie.  Oh, and also, the most wonderful magnet.  I’m not a collector of anything — not even roadside stuff.  But I will cherish this mouse for the rest of my life.  It’s really well made, the thick lucite type from a nice photo.

So that’s it for today.  Tomorrow, more northern Michigan — and hopefully into the UP (Upper Peninsula).

Gorgeous sunny skies with wonderful white clouds for the most part of the day.  Unfortunately, a low volume day for photos with lots of miles between stuff.  But it was lovely to drive through anyway.  Beginning and end of the day grey and yucky.  It would be smart to sit those parts of the day out and not shoot.  But I’m so far behind, I can’t afford time wise to do that.

Sparkle’s “service soon” light was on for the first couple hours.  Then it went away completely for the next 10 hours.  It was cooler today:  70s & 80s.  Maybe we’re far enough north now to be missing that horrid weather which has melted all of Oklahoma to the ground by now.  Lots of water everywhere here — giant ponds and lakes with easy access for the dogs.  Gorgeous, unattended grassy fields.  Easy to fantasize for a bit about living here until I remember how cold it gets.

My head is much better today after yesterday’s fiasco.  I can’t see it in a mirror since it’s the very back of my head — but it feels like about a 3 inch by 1 inch gash.  No swelling.  When I sprinted across a road to take a photo today, I’d feel some throbbing — but no headache or dizziness that made me think about a doctor.  The worst of it is my fingers and palms which are covered with cuts and bruises.

On with the photos now and early to bed.  Let’s start with one from Ludington — the Sand Bar — sun would have helped this one.  Much nicer at night:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38827586@N02/3911697004/

 

 

At the Manistee Cleaners in Manistee:

From Baldwin:

 

 

I spoke with the owner today about this one in White Cloud.  I’d rather it was a UFO – but it’s really a top — original or previous name was Tops Restaurant.  The owner said he’s soon going to repaint this sign and put the current name on it (“Nonna’s”).  I’m assuming that pole must have had another piece above the sign.

From Fremont — double special.  Nice black vitrolite tiles on the building — and a sign with embossed letters.  Holes for the neon that was once there.  Maybe triple special since the place is still open:

 

 

From Mount Pleasant — shooting pretty much into the sun.  I imagine this place was gorgeous before they got carried away with the stucco “renovation”.   Most likely glass block and possibly other trim in the part of the building at the right:

 

 

From Bay City:

 

 

Also Bay City — a vacant Martinizing Cleaners.   Very sad.

 

 

On a happier note, final photo for the night, also Bay City — and still open.   A tacky digital LED screen below which I’ll crop and spare you:

 

Tomorrow, we should wrap up Bay City, Saginaw, the “Thumb” and get some northern MI done.  Setting up the U.P. for Friday.  Hoping to finish up Michigan by Saturday.

Crappy weather today:  grey and some rain.  Maybe half an hour of sun if you strung all the brief moments together.  Sparkle running fine despite the little warning light.  In fact, for about four hours the light went away, but then came back.  One big calamity (later in this post) but otherwise plugging away here.  Estimating that we might finish up Michigan, finally, in about four days.

I’ve got tons of photos today.  First off, let’s go back in time to my night off (last Thursday).  My friend Mark sent me these photos of us and I keep meaning to include them here to take care of the photo-of-me obligation on every major roadtrip.  I’m not thrilled with either photo of myself but they are what they are.  I think I’m hiding treats & toys behind my back to make the photo prettier?  Too many woods around and I had Grem (far right) on leash except when interacting specifically with her (retrieving & tricks for food).  Grip (2nd dog here) always seems to know where the camera is — even more mysterious now that she’s blind!

I think I’m trying to look taller here — realizing I was posing next to a 6 foot plus giant.  I’m only 5 foot.

 

Started the day in Grand Rapids.  This sign is an adapted Buick dealership sign.

Here’s the original look from a much nicer day in Pottsville, PA:

 

Another adapted sign — note the “R” on the left hiding behind “Middeletons”.  I don’t know the original name.

 

According to Fat Man’s Fish Fry website, the restaurant opened in 1953 and moved here in 1960:
http://www.fatmansfishfry.com/History.html

The blue and yellow color scheme continues inside.  Those lights are extraordinary:

 

I’d love to know what this was originally.  Right now, it’s “Sweet Retreat”, an ice cream place.  It reminds me of a Woody’s Smorgasburger — but not big enough and doesn’t have the big chunk at middle side:
http://www.agilitynut.com/eateries/aframe2.html
Most likely a tiki-style restaurant — but could have been anything really.

 

Still more in Grand Rapids:

 

A crudely adapted bakery sign.  Looks like it became a “beer” place from the bottom — maybe a bar or liquor store.  Probably “wine” at the very bottom of the sign.  And the top lettering was changed as well — though not enough to decipher the name:

 

Van’s Pastry Shoppe — wish they hadn’t added that plastic sign to the front.

Inside, a substantial cookie jar collection:

And, yes, I got a little snack:  peanut butter cookie & cream cheese kolacky.  I keep forgetting how sensitive Dee (my camera) is about closeups.  Must move further back but it’s hard to do when I’m behind the wheel and shooting at the dash:

 

Fantastic terra cotta details on this building —

 

Enough Grand Rapids.  Let’s move on to today’s big event.  I’ve always been too cheap to splurge the $10 to shoot the carousel & stork statue at this place — the Dutch Village in Holland.  Today was the day.   I realized the stork would make a great photo-op for the dogs & remembered that the desk person had said dogs were welcome.  So… bad move.  Maybe one of the 10 stupidest things I’ve done in my life.  I did notice there were ducks and geese around but figured I could just make things quick — take a few shots and get the hell out of there.  My dogs have a solid “stay”.  I got two photos and then… well, pandemonium.   This idyllic little fantasy of a family theme park turned ugly.  Luckily, just about everybody was in the center of the place learning to clog dance or something.

Nik got impatient saw some ducks by a fence about 40 feet away and broke from his storkie bundle of joy statue.  Grem joined him.  Fixie milled about.  Grip stayed with storkie since she’s blind and didn’t know how to get down.  For about 10 minutes, felt like 30, I chased Nik chasing ducks.  I think these ducks had clipped wings.  Instead of flying away, they headed for this pond which was only about 15 feet wide and maybe two or three feet deep.  I jumped in the pond to tackle Nik but it was no easy task.  The cement pond was slippery as hell and I fell about three or four times before catching the bastard.  I think he might have bitten one of the ducks but I couldn’t be sure.   Luckily, a bystander helped me tackle Grem before I finally caught Nik.  It was complete chaos and would have made a great video.  Hilarious if not for my injuries and possibly injuring a duck or two.  Though he never did actually catch & kill one, thank god.

No harm came to my glasses or my camera as I had the presence of mind to set them down the second that Nik bolted.  Once I had everybody back on leash, I walked out of there calmly, dripping wet from head to toe, like nothing had happened.  It was so completely embarrassing.  Back in the van, I assessed my injuries.  Not good.  I had hit the back of my head on the cement at least three times and there was blood pouring everywhere.  Here’s the towel from blotting — as Nik looks back in the direction of The Ducks, wanting more!

I worried for awhile about the possibility of a concussion.  Brain swelling and all that.  The bleeding seemed to last a long time — even six hours later, I think it’s still dribbling.  But I never got a headache, never got dizzy.  My neck is pretty messed up — can’t turn my head to the right very well.  My hands feel completely bruised all over — but I can still type and that’s the important thing!  I’ll be okay but I’m sure tomorrow there will be new surprise aches and pains.  This trip has been one adventure after another.

Still managing to get photos in despite it all…. Here we are in Norton Shores:

 

Moving on to Muskegon:

 

I don’t know if this sign will be with us much longer…

Here’s what’s left of the City Rescue Mission itself:

 

Let’s wrap up this post with some doggie pix from the river between Montague & Whitehall.  A perfect combination of grass and water — and nobody else around:

The girls in the foreground munching on some kibble I dropped while Nik bringing a toy to shore at far left.  That’s also the Montague Dog n Suds in the far background (yellow canopy):

The maniac:

Grem on a kibble quest:

Fixie, on the left, only swims lately if it’s really, really hot — or the treats I’m hurling are really, really good:

Grip may be blind now, despite two operations this year costing about $10,000, but her nose sure works good!  I keep a close eye over her at all times so she can’t wander off.

 

Tomorrow, hoping to get to Saginaw, maybe start on “the Thumb” if there are no set-backs.  Late, very late here — must do shorter post / fewer photos tomorrow night to recoup some sleep.

A mix of sun and clouds today — good enough!   I’m just happy to be rolling again.  Really hot & humid today — in the 90s.  When it was time for doggie recreation, I tried to find ponds and rivers — or I kept it very short.  Normally, my guys get out to run & pee about 30 times a day on these trips.  But today, they were only out about 7 times — mostly for longer, swimming & wading situations.

Well, Sparkle’s “service engine soon” light came on at 10:20am and my heart sank.  But we never lost power.  So I’m really thinking these two things are separate issues.  Or maybe there will be heartache tomorrow.  For now, all I can do is keep driving.  Nine hours with the light on and still running perfectly smooth and all else normal.

A good part of today’s stops were in remote areas surrounding Lansing & Grand Rapids — farmland with probably not much cell phone service or garages.  Which made me a bit nervous but I pretty much just try to stick with the planned route.  It’s about all my brain can handle anyway with the fatigue from lack of sleep, the heat, and fallout from the stress of the past few days over the mechanical issues.  I might need a sanity night off soon from all this homework (Flickr & blogging).

We started the day in Lansing.  This volcano downtown was a bit of a mystery.  Asking locals didn’t help much but thank goodness for Google.  It seems that this was created by the Lansing Community College to conceal a sewer steam vent (note steam escaping thru the top):

 

Lots more from Lansing — a nice Art Deco storefront:

 

This one appears to be a modern sign (rather than a reworked, old sign) — but huge and irresistible:

 

Dueling tire franchises.   I don’t think I’ve ever seen a neon Goodyear and neon Firestone signs together like this.  The Firestone signs are still pretty plentiful — but not many of these Goodyear signs left:

From Greenville:

 

Moving on to Grand Rapids — a neat, orphaned star — no idea what business it went with originally:

 

A damned shame.  The former Our Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeyharrison/3918655512/

 

I normally don’t shoot these (what I call) split-roof Dairy Queens.  Too modern for me.  But this one caught my eye because it was so tiny.  It stands on a very narrow lot.  According to the woman working there, the building still fits the footprint of the gas station that was there originally.  Sounds like it was a 1920s/1930s canopy type station.  In fact, some of the station’s walls might even have been used for this building.  It was remodeled as a DQ in 1970.

 

Last one for the night.  I believe the Anchor Bar is an oldie — but these signs appear to be modern:

 

Tomorrow, if all goes well, we should finish up Grand Rapids & move up the coast to Muskegon, etc.  If still time, I’ll start heading east from there towards Saginaw.   Bedtime before midnight — what a treat!

Perfect sun all day — and, even better, no warning lights or power outages.   Sparkle ran like a champ all day!  I don’t know how this miraculous healing seems to have taken place but what a relief that it apparently has.  Maybe that fuel filter really did help resolve things after all?  But fuses were still blowing at the garage and on the mechanic’s test drives after that was replaced.  So it all makes no sense.  I kept waiting for that light to come on.  And I was ready to crank the steering wheel HARD if I needed to get us out of harm’s way.  But nothing — all good!

Last night was my test drive of sorts when I left the mechanics around 6pm.  I only had time to shoot a dozen or so photos before the sun went down.   Here are a few signs shot for the blog.

Love these hand-painted signs at Marv’s Meats in Brighton:
http://www.marvsbakery.com/

 

See those perfect blue skies that we missed all day sitting at the Firestone?  It made me want to weep.  This sign  is also in Brighton — since 1949 — and this sign is probably from then:

A couple from Howell at dusk:

Moving on to today’s photos.   A couple from Pontiac:

A couple from Lake Orion:

At the Bald Mountain State Park Recreation Area.  There are four little mid-century buildings right on the beach — which the dogs and I had completely to ourselves this morning — woo hoo!   The dogs got lots of water time today.  I had to make it up to them for yesterday’s imprisonment in that Firestone waiting room.

Red Knapp’s in Rochester — for all you vitrolite lovers:

There are two horseshoe counters inside — did what I could shooting through the window:

From Shelby Township:

From Utica.  It appears this sign and facade were spared when the other stores in the strip were “updated”:

Even the small towns have swell mid-century buildings — this post office is in Emmett:

From Port Huron — this is the other sign for the Brass Rail Bar (see my Flickr account tonight for the other):

From Flint — although Bob Perani auctioned off most of his Dort Mall collection in 2009, there is still enough stuff there worth checking out.  Some of the signs:

and a Fisk Tire Boy statue:

Also in Flint.  This hardware sign might have had opal glass letters — if not, then some other translucent material to be lit from inside.  There appeared to be plastic for the letters now:

And lastly for the night — had to stock the pantry given the chance that we could break down without warning in the middle of nowhere.  But I’m hoping those days are over.  Still a good excuse to support the Dawn Donuts in Flint.  The guy at the counter told me the bags cost 10 cents each to print.  I posted the neon sign for this place over at Flickr tonight.

So tomorrow, if all goes well, I’m hoping to bang through Lansing, Grand Rapids and more.  My itinerary only allowed for four more days in Michigan — but it’ll probably take more like six.  I’ll have to decide much later in the trip if parts of Minnesota get whacked by region — or if I do some skimming of the entire state.  Keep those prayers & superstitious behaviors coming for our trip leader & dearly loved Sparkle.

Let’s just pretend today never happened.  All day at the garage and no better off than when I arrived.  After a few hours, they diagnosed the fuel pump as the problem.  Replaced it for $995 and I was on my way.  I got about a mile down the road and the power went, coasted to a stop again.  Took another hour for a tow truck back to the garage.  They never did figure out what was wrong.  Even after the fuel pump was replaced, the power would go.  Something is causing a fuse to blow and no one knows why.  I managed to get my money back for the fuel pump.  And I have a handful of spare fuses which will supposedly get me out of a jam if I lose power again.  Which I most likely will — maybe 5 minutes from now, maybe 5 months from now.  And hopefully not in some hairy, dangerous situation.   They said with electrical, intermittent problems, there’s no “immediate” solution.  It might be related to the “check engine” light thing — or not.

I left the garage at 6pm and got a couple hours of driving in with no power losses or check engine lights.  I’m shaken and stressed, taking this trip one stop at a time.  Trying to drive in lanes with shoulders, trying not to pull out into traffic where it could be bad if I suddenly lost power.  Just planning with a negative eventuality in mind (breakdown) — which truly sucks when you’re supposed to be having a good time.  I got a few photos in before the sun went down though nothing sensational.  I’ll tack them on here to whatever I shoot tomorrow — which I’m hoping will be a better day.