Finally made it to the Third Coast!

Some interesting lake Michigan facts; Lake Michigan is the largest lake entirely in one country (by surface area) and it is the 5th largest lake in the world. Lake Michigan also has more boats disappear than the Bermuda Triangle, it has lost between 8,000 and 10,000 boats. It is beautiful lake and compared to Oregon's water it feels pretty warm (mid 70s).

watch out for horseflies!

Once we reached Kalamazoo bike paths were in ample supply. This one was a rails to trail path that was a little over 30 miles long running to Lake Michigan.  We rode faster this day than any other on the trip, we contibute it to a combination of the ease of the ride on the ground limestone path and the mass swarms of horseflies that chased for for about 25 miles of our ride.

Kelly attempted to capture the swam in this pic, but to little avail.

Learning to make my own pottery

Back at desire and Ryan's house we learned how to throw our own pottery (it's much more difficult than it looks). Meadow (the not quite 2 year old) was insistant on helping.

Menlo Park

Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were good friends. So when Henry Ford decided to build his legacy, he wanted to move Menlo Park (Edison's labratory) onto the property. Edison told Ford that he could never move the lab to Michigan because it belonged on New Jersey soil. So, Ford had 32 traincars of New Jersey soil transfered to his property. Menlo Park then followed. Edison continued his practice for many years with the labratory in Menlo Parks new location.

Lunch is cooked for the workers in the field

Lunch is being cooked, using traditional recipes and only food products from the village or what would have been traded with neighbors. The men shown in the previous picture will be coming in from the fields to eat soon.

The crew at the Henry Ford Living Village

In the background you can see wheat being harvested using all of the techniques from the 1850s. They actually mill the wheat and then use it for cooking to feed to the workers that are in the fields at the village.

Seeing friends and meeting their family

Our trip to Ann Arbor was wonderful! We caught up with a friend, Desire (woman on sweet scooter) that we hadn't seen for 5 years. She has since gotten married and had two babies. So much fun! Her husband Ryan(man with baby), is a potter at the Henry Ford. We visited the living village, which is a replicated functional village from around the 1850s. Fascinating!!