The Accidentals have a brilliant song about the natural beauty of the Great Lakes State, and the autumn leaves have certainly colored the landscape in a stunning way.
Road to Grand Rapids
The drive to Michigan featured a few roadside attractions like Wall Drug and the Jolly Green Giant. But the one we took Rexy to see was the World’s Only Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota, an arena and events venue decorated in corn kernel murals.
Click the pick for a bigger pic
The Grand Rapids area has been beautiful to stay in, with a lot of the trees still holding on to their colorful leaves late in the fall. We spent Sunday driving through downtown, checking out architecturally homes in the Heritage Hill Historic District. After that, we wandered the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park — we were there for a few hours and barely saw half of it. There’s a gorgeous Japanese garden, the largest tropical conservatory in the state, and acres of outdoor gardens and sculptures. I’m more at home with carnivorous plants than modern art, but I very much enjoyed walking among the oversize statues.
Detroit
The weekend also featured a day trip to Motor City to see some friends. We got to see Eastern Market, one of the oldest and largest public markets in the country. Just around the corner from was a serendipitous find: 826 Michigan. 826 non-profits offer tutoring and writing workshop to local kids, and one of their fundraising channels is a themed storefront. The Detroit location is Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair.
We also visited the aquarium, conservatory, and Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle. I’ve never seen an aquarium like this one: the historic building features subway-style arched ceilings with sea-green tiles so you feel like you’re underwater. The conservatory was partly closed off for a wedding, but we got to see the bride walk down the aisle accompanied by the Hobbits theme from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack.
RV checkup
Rexy and Alan are hanging in there! We’ve weathered a couple storms in the past week but otherwise nothing terribly exciting to report.
- Alan blew the fuse that powered the phone charger.
- Mark repaired the leaky hot water intake connection on the washer/dryer, so now we can do laundry in-house again.
Lilly watch
What’s next?
We’ll wrap up this week in Grand Rapids — I will even get a chance to see a Great Lake from the ground! This weekend we turn south for the winter, starting with a stop in Kansas City, Missouri to see my family. And get BBQ.
If you have any questions about RV life and our travels, let us know in the comments.