Princess Bella Goes Sight Seeing to Menominee MI
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| Princess Bella Goes Sight Seeing to Menominee MI | for everyone |
After arriving on Saturday and being tired from her long trip here she decided to hang out at our house till she was all rested up and ready to go and see the sights. We have so many things to show her and I know there will be lots of picture taking.
This morning the sun was out, cool temps and a gentle breeze so we decided to head over to Menominee, MI to show Princess Bella two places Katie wanted to show her first.
The first place was the Menominee Harbor which has a light house at the end of the pier. Katie had to hang tight onto Princess Bella since the winds were much stronger there and we were afraid she may end up in the water. As we walked along the pier to get to the lighthouse we noticed two young people diving into the water along side the pier, not a good idea since the water was choppy and I am sure there was a strong current. The light house is still used today but the actual building is closed to visitors, the Menominee Historical Foundation would like to restore it and open it back up for tours but I am sure that will take time. Originally there was a light keeper house on the pier as well but that was torn down years ago but I am unsure of the exact year. I asked Katie if she would of liked to be the light keeper and she said yes, she thinks it would be awesome to sit and watch the boats go in and out. Here is some information on this light house -
The first light was built in Menominee in 1877 to guide ships to the Menominee River. The current tower was built in 1927. The 34-foot tower was painted white and integrated with an attached fog signal building. The light was automated in 1972 and at that time the iron catwalk was removed from the pier. The tower was then painted red and relocated to a concrete platform in the center of the crib. The octagonal cast iron lantern room once housed a fourth order Fresnel lens. Today, a 300mm optic lens operates.
After taking a few pictures at the light house we headed back to our van and than drove to John Henes Park, which is on the north end of town and I lived not too far from there when I was growing up. There is a loop around the park which you can drive around and along the way there are place to park and look out at the beautiful water and maybe an occasional boat. Many people also walk or bike around the loop and it is always a favorite spot for families. Years ago the water level use to be much higher and along the road there were rocks placed to prevent the waves from flooding the road and the park but today they offer something more if you look closely. Placed among the rocks are small rock sculptures, left behind by someone who wanted to leave a litte suprise as you walk or drive around. These rock sculptures are made by stacking rocks one on top of the other, sometimes it suprises me the rocks can balance and not fall over. These sculptures were found a few years ago and later our local newspaper found out they were originally were done by some early morning walkers that wanted to leave a little suprise for future guest to the park. Over the years they continue to be done and our own kids have left a few. Today we saw one that from a distance looked like a penguin balancing on top of some smaller rocks.
The history of the park is quite interesting and you read about it here - http://hunts-upguide.com/menominee_and_marinette_henes_park.html
At the park we stopped first to get Drake some water, mom forgot to bring some and I think it was torture for Drake to see so much water at the lighthouse and not be able to drink any. But I did have an empty water bottle so at the first pavillion we stopped to fill it up and Drake was very happy to get a drink. We than went to the park which is right across from the beach. Princess Bella was excited to see the swings and the play structure that looks like a pirate ship, she could wait to go down the slide. Than it was off to see one of the small creeks that run through the park and Princess Bella almost caught herself some minnows or tadpoles for luch, I didn't realize we were so close to lunch and no one has eaten yet. But before we left we had to take a short walk on one of the trails where Princess Bella had fun climbing a few trees and finding some wild grapes growing inside the woods. I did tell her to be careful, there is poison ivy and I didn't want her bring that back home with her. After our short walk we headed back to the park for one last swing and than headed home for lunch. I don't know who was more hungry after our adventure today , Katie or Princess Bella.
As we headed home I did have to make one stop at the bank. While inside Wells Fargo Bank one of the personel bankers Jean who knows Katie asked what she has been learning about and we showed her Princess Bella and she was very interested in the flat traveler program. After explaining how it worked and what we had done today Katie asked me if she could take a picture with her and Princess Bella. Katie was having one of those days when she doesn't feel like talking too much so I asked for her and wasn't sure if this could be done since we were in a bank. She said it wouldn't be a problem as long as they stood along a wall that had a painting on it and we didn't photograph any bank equipment. So Princess Bella and Katie were able to get their picture taken inside the bank with Jean.
With lunch today we got to watch the movie Mars Needs Moms and we all enjoyed it and needed some rest time. After the movie Princess Bella and Drake took a nap while Katie went outside to play. Later in the afternoon Katie and I decided to take Princess Bella on a bike ride and that adventure will continue on my next blog entry.
This morning the sun was out, cool temps and a gentle breeze so we decided to head over to Menominee, MI to show Princess Bella two places Katie wanted to show her first.
The first place was the Menominee Harbor which has a light house at the end of the pier. Katie had to hang tight onto Princess Bella since the winds were much stronger there and we were afraid she may end up in the water. As we walked along the pier to get to the lighthouse we noticed two young people diving into the water along side the pier, not a good idea since the water was choppy and I am sure there was a strong current. The light house is still used today but the actual building is closed to visitors, the Menominee Historical Foundation would like to restore it and open it back up for tours but I am sure that will take time. Originally there was a light keeper house on the pier as well but that was torn down years ago but I am unsure of the exact year. I asked Katie if she would of liked to be the light keeper and she said yes, she thinks it would be awesome to sit and watch the boats go in and out. Here is some information on this light house -
The first light was built in Menominee in 1877 to guide ships to the Menominee River. The current tower was built in 1927. The 34-foot tower was painted white and integrated with an attached fog signal building. The light was automated in 1972 and at that time the iron catwalk was removed from the pier. The tower was then painted red and relocated to a concrete platform in the center of the crib. The octagonal cast iron lantern room once housed a fourth order Fresnel lens. Today, a 300mm optic lens operates.
After taking a few pictures at the light house we headed back to our van and than drove to John Henes Park, which is on the north end of town and I lived not too far from there when I was growing up. There is a loop around the park which you can drive around and along the way there are place to park and look out at the beautiful water and maybe an occasional boat. Many people also walk or bike around the loop and it is always a favorite spot for families. Years ago the water level use to be much higher and along the road there were rocks placed to prevent the waves from flooding the road and the park but today they offer something more if you look closely. Placed among the rocks are small rock sculptures, left behind by someone who wanted to leave a litte suprise as you walk or drive around. These rock sculptures are made by stacking rocks one on top of the other, sometimes it suprises me the rocks can balance and not fall over. These sculptures were found a few years ago and later our local newspaper found out they were originally were done by some early morning walkers that wanted to leave a little suprise for future guest to the park. Over the years they continue to be done and our own kids have left a few. Today we saw one that from a distance looked like a penguin balancing on top of some smaller rocks.
The history of the park is quite interesting and you read about it here - http://hunts-upguide.com/menominee_and_marinette_henes_park.html
At the park we stopped first to get Drake some water, mom forgot to bring some and I think it was torture for Drake to see so much water at the lighthouse and not be able to drink any. But I did have an empty water bottle so at the first pavillion we stopped to fill it up and Drake was very happy to get a drink. We than went to the park which is right across from the beach. Princess Bella was excited to see the swings and the play structure that looks like a pirate ship, she could wait to go down the slide. Than it was off to see one of the small creeks that run through the park and Princess Bella almost caught herself some minnows or tadpoles for luch, I didn't realize we were so close to lunch and no one has eaten yet. But before we left we had to take a short walk on one of the trails where Princess Bella had fun climbing a few trees and finding some wild grapes growing inside the woods. I did tell her to be careful, there is poison ivy and I didn't want her bring that back home with her. After our short walk we headed back to the park for one last swing and than headed home for lunch. I don't know who was more hungry after our adventure today , Katie or Princess Bella.
As we headed home I did have to make one stop at the bank. While inside Wells Fargo Bank one of the personel bankers Jean who knows Katie asked what she has been learning about and we showed her Princess Bella and she was very interested in the flat traveler program. After explaining how it worked and what we had done today Katie asked me if she could take a picture with her and Princess Bella. Katie was having one of those days when she doesn't feel like talking too much so I asked for her and wasn't sure if this could be done since we were in a bank. She said it wouldn't be a problem as long as they stood along a wall that had a painting on it and we didn't photograph any bank equipment. So Princess Bella and Katie were able to get their picture taken inside the bank with Jean.
With lunch today we got to watch the movie Mars Needs Moms and we all enjoyed it and needed some rest time. After the movie Princess Bella and Drake took a nap while Katie went outside to play. Later in the afternoon Katie and I decided to take Princess Bella on a bike ride and that adventure will continue on my next blog entry.
Tags: flat traveler
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