Mary Ann & Bill's Excellent Adventure
Travel in Retirement
Last week we were near Cleveland Ohio. We visited two great locations. The Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
From Indiana Dunes we took a day trip up to Kalamazoo, MI. Aside from the cute name this city also had some interesting attractions.
The Gilmore Car Museum is a short distance from Kalamazoo. This is a beautiful old farm that belonged to Donald and Genevieve Gilmore. It all started when Genevieve gave Donald a Pierce Arrow for his birthday. He restored the Pierce Arrow and after that he started acquiring and restoring many classic cars. Eventually he purchased 90 acres of farmland in Hickory Corners, MI to house his collection. In addition to the cars he also acquired several old barns and had them moved and reconstructed on the site. Today, auto clubs and other museums also have exhibits on the grounds. There are hundreds of cars as well as an old diner and gas station. It was a pleasure to stroll and view this impressive collection. You must visit here if you are ever in South Western Michigan.
Kalamazoo also has a great museum, Kalamazoo Valley Museum. Did you know that Gibson Guitars, Tinker Toys, and Checker Cabs all originated in Kalamazoo?
While we were in Indiana we stayed in Indiana Dunes State Park. A small piece of Lake Michigan coast is in Indiana and it contains Indiana Dunes. There have been struggles over the years between big industry and ecologists regarding the use and preservation of this natural area. Today the beaches in Indiana Dunes state park and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore are, for the most part, undeveloped but as you look in either direction up and down the beach you can see big industrial plants in both directions.
