June 21
The temperature in Ohio and Michigan today was mid-80s. The only exception was on the shore of Lake Michigan, where the breeze helped pull away some of the heat. Alaska’s 50s is looking pretty good about now. At least the sun disappears, about 9:10 PM here in St. Ignace, MI.
“Remember the Raisin” was a battle cry used for the rest of the War of 1812, after the defeat of American and Kentuckian forces on January 22, 1813 at Frenchtown. When the British forces left the next day, they left behind wounded Americans. Natives, who had become enraged at the constant lies by Washington, D.C., stormed the buildings and slaughtered those helpless men. Of the 950+ men who fought for the Stars and Stripes, only 33 escaped unscathed (the rest were killed, captured, or wounded). Like many battles, one side prevailed in the initial engagement (on January 18), forcing the other side to be reinvigorated for a counterattack (on January 22). The British marched back to Fort Detroit on the 23rd after securing victory.
The original VC for the park is now closed. A large sign on the door says to go down the street to the new VC. Wow, somebody sent a large chunk of the NPS budget to this park. I do not want to belittle the importance of this battle, but seeing this at River Raisin makes me wonder why Antietam does not have something similar to Gettysburg’s relatively new VC. Or Shiloah, or Vicksburg. After the Gettysburg building, River Raisin comes in second due to its large theater, even larger Educational Wing, and big diorama of Frenchtown.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is for those people who like sand, and running across a beach to jump into water. May want to wait until August, to let the H2O temps rise, but there were some hardy souls out there today. More were walking up and down the Dune Hike. This is the primary access point to the dune system. The parking lot can hold plenty of vehicles, located right after the entrance fee station. The main VC (located in Empire) is not within the boundaries of the park, but a short drive north on route Michigan 109 takes care of that. At the end of MI 109 is the historic town of Glen Haven. Most of the buildings have been restored to look as they did 100 years ago. The Canary Boathouse Museum showcases boats used for rescues on Lake Michigan. DCG-36 (Directional Code Beacon) light is also on display, relegated to museum life after 1980 when automated lights were installed in the one lighthouse. This device produced a 1.2 million candlelight flash… how is that for “brilliant”?