Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187884
08/09/05 12:38 PM
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If you're headed for the reunion, you'll want to be speaking like a native "Michigander" (the official name for those who live in the "Great Lake State".) I'll focus on the lighthouse and lighthouse area names... emphasis on the capitalized sylables. Mackinac - MACK-in-awe the straits, the island, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, the bridge, the fudge Mackinaw - MACK-in-awe the city Fort Michilimackinac (near Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse) mish-ill-a-MACK-in-ack Fort Mackinac (on Mackinac Island) MACK-in-aweFort Gratiot GRA-shut ('gra' as in 'grass') Tawas TAH-wass both short "a" Pointe Aux Barques point awe barksGrosse Ile gross EELBelle Isle bell aislePort Sanilac port SAN-ill-ackCheboygan shaw-BOY-gunWaugoshance WAH-go-shans short "a"s Traverse TRA-verse emphasis on first sylable Au Sable, Little Sable, Big Sable SAW-bullCharlevoix SHAR-l'voy voy rhymes with boy Seul Choix say shwahManistique manis TEAK teak like the wood Mainstee manis TEAMenominee men-AHM-in-kneeManitou man-it-TOOMunising MUNE-ah-sing mune rhymes with tune Peche Island peachPresque Isle presk eelBete Grise men-DOUGH-tah I think it's bet GREASE Anyone else? Detroit DEE-troit or dee-TROITBois Blanc boy blahnk doesn't rhyme with bank Petoskey (Home of Bright Eyes) pet-TOSS-keySault Ste. Marie Sue Saint Marie Home of the Soo Locks where ships are lowered from Lake Superior to Lake Huron (and raised if upbound.) There are towns on each side of the St. Mary's River. One in Michigan, the other in Ontario, both with the same name. Oh yes, and one definition: "Fudgie" - a person visiting Mackinac Island for just the day. As in "The fudgies clear off the island when the last ferry leaves. I'll meet you at the Mustang Lounge at 10."
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187885
08/09/05 12:48 PM
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,298
seagirt
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"Repeat after the tone. Very good! Now let's try a simple conversation...."
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187886
08/09/05 01:12 PM
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,148
Cana Fan
Super Wacko
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Per the locals from our last trip, Bete Grise is pronounced Bay-ta Gree Although I think they got a kick out out listening to me try and pronounce it!
Mike
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187887
08/09/05 02:44 PM
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Yours is MUCH MORE MELODIC, Mike...
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187888
08/09/05 02:56 PM
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Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 1,052
Jenifer Selwa
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I have to second Mike's pronounciation on Bete Gris. Also, depending on where you are from, Little and Big Sable are pronounced "Sable" like Mercury Sable, and Au Sable in the UP is "sa-bull" -sa rhymes with -la.
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187889
08/09/05 08:57 PM
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Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 3,681
MtnHkr
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Mike, You're very close on your bete gris. The bete is pronounced like 'bait'.
Bert
Bert
No mountain is too tall if your first step is belief. -Anonymous
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187890
08/10/05 01:06 AM
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Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 1,290
WisKeeper
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The S is not pronounced in Bete Grise. Bete Grise is pronounced "Bay Deh Gree"
Seul Choix is pronounced Sis-shwa
Keweenaw is pronounced KEY-win-awe
Suzanne Murphy President, Wisconsin Lighthouse District (WILD)
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187891
08/10/05 03:55 AM
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Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 1,290
WisKeeper
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The present name, "Bęte Grise Bay," has evolved over the years and is a good example of the alterations which can occur in a foreign language place name as it is Americanized. Not recognizing that the French pronunciation of "Baie de" (which sounded like "Bęte") meant "Bay of," the Americans added "Bay" to the end of the name. Thus, we have the present redundant name, which means, literally, "Bay of Sandstone Bay."
Suzanne Murphy President, Wisconsin Lighthouse District (WILD)
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187892
08/10/05 04:03 AM
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Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 1,290
WisKeeper
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The names of Michigan's 83 counties reflect the state's Native American, French, British and early American heritage. Thirty-two counties have names drawn from Native American languages; 29 are named for people; 16 are named for natural features such as rivers that already had been given names; and 6 have names meant to describe the county's geography (e.g., Hillsdale).
Prior to the time Americans imposed their geographic nomenclature on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan the place names in use were a mixture of Indian and French terms. Before the arrival of the French, the local Chippewa bands used the coastal waters of Lake Superior as fishing grounds. The various islands, bays, points, river mouths, and hills along the coast were also important camping sites, harbors of refuge, and landmarks in the Indians’ employment of the near shore water as a canoe highway. Because of their intense use of the shoreline zone, we can be certain that the Chippewa had bestowed on it a dense network of place names.
Because the economic activity of both groups was waterway-oriented, the named places were mainly along the shoreline of the Great Lakes and the streams flowing into the lakes. Some geographic features had more than one name; several had the same name; and there were many variations in the spelling and pronunciation of the names. To the Americans entering the area in the early 1800s it was all very confusing. The confusion was reduced only after the Americans covered the land with their names. Illustrative of the difficulty in discovering the "correct" names of the places, before the Americans had imposed their names on the land, is the following comment made by geologists working in the western Upper Peninsula during the 1840s:
"Hardly anything has more perplexed us than the difficulty of ascertaining the correct names of prominent natural features of our district, and of writing them as they are pronounced, so as, at the same time, to preserve the original meaning. While very few of the small lakes, rivers, or hills in the interior, have as yet received any names; almost all the streams, points, and bays, along the coast of the great lakes, are known by some name, generally either of Indian or French derivation. Many of these are now so corrupted from their original designation, that it is impossible ever to restore the correct spelling, or to bring again into use the original name...How many of the great topographic features of this country retain their aboriginal names, while the meaning of these names has been irrevocably lost!"
Source: Lake Superior Place Names by Bernard C. Peters
Suzanne Murphy President, Wisconsin Lighthouse District (WILD)
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187893
08/10/05 04:30 AM
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Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 1,290
WisKeeper
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The Native Americans called the area around today's Straits of Mackinac by a name which can be approximated with this spelling: Michinnimakinong.
When French explorers arrived in the area from the north in 1715, they pronounced Michinnimakinong differently, replacing the double "n" with an "l" sound, the soft "sh" sound the Native Americans used with the harder "ch," and they pronounced the "ong" at the end as "aw." And when the French wrote down their version of the place name, they spelled the ending in the French language version of the "aw" sound, "ac." So their version of the name was Michilimackinac.
When the British, who arrived on the scene later, heard the French say the word, they wrote it down the way they heard it - Michilimackinaw. They pronounced it about the same as the French, but spelled it differently.
Over the years, the word was simplified and shortened to Mackinac and Mackinaw. Both spellings are pronounced the same - Mack-in-aw.
The British spelling remains in use to the south - in the Lower Peninsula, in Mackinaw City. But once you begin to cross the Straits of Mackinac, every thing from there north is spelled with the French "ac" suffix - Mackinac Island, Mackinac County in the Upper Peninsula.
Suzanne Murphy President, Wisconsin Lighthouse District (WILD)
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187894
08/10/05 11:54 AM
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For those heading for the Reunion who have not visited Mackinac Island or the Straits area, a good plan would be to learn more about the history of the area before you get there. This will assure you will plan your visit so as to see the highlights with a better understanding of the past. You can start at the Mackinac State Parks Site
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187895
08/10/05 09:33 PM
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Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 325
TDSimpson
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For those of you who are going to be in St. Ignace one of the most important words you need to know and say correctly is pastie, pronounced pass-tee. Those who have had one before know what I am talking about. While there you also have to go to the Driftwood Sports Bar for their famous U.P. Burger and fries and ice cold draughts. I would also recommend the Mackinac Grill for the steak and perch dinner followed by one of their ice cream cocktails for dessert.
Tom
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187896
08/10/05 10:00 PM
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 401
pierhead
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I'd like to add the Village Inn to Tom's list of St Ignace stops - that's where I'll be on Sunday evening . Great food (the planked whitefish and burgers are my favorites), more of the ice cold draughts, and great service. Also, if you want a good pastie (and make SURE you pronounce it correctly) go to Annies or Mackinaw Pastie and Cookie Company.
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187897
08/11/05 12:22 AM
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Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 1,290
WisKeeper
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I just purchased a pasty at my local store and around here the word is spelled "pasty".
Suzanne Murphy President, Wisconsin Lighthouse District (WILD)
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187898
08/11/05 01:02 AM
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 1,962
MrsTLC
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Ruthie "Where words fail, Music speaks"
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187899
08/11/05 02:51 AM
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 401
pierhead
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I just purchased a pasty at my local store and around here the word is spelled "pasty". I've seen it spelled both ways, however if you prefer the "pasty" spelling I can make sure to use that in my future posts. :p "PASTY"
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187900
08/11/05 03:01 AM
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You'll want TWO of them, Ruthie, they are so good! Originally posted by WisKeeper: I just purchased a pasty at my local store and around here the word is spelled "pasty". That must be the "Westconnsin" spelling, Suzanne. And you have to have them with a Leinenkugels . (Geez, kriminee, their website even checks your age before you can enter.) Hey Pierhead, I checked that place's website and they even have food for "Pastie-Challenged People" (Pizza) and heaven forbid, a low-carb version??? What's a Youper to do?
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187901
08/11/05 03:33 AM
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Well, ya, eh. If youse gonna spend ANY time in the U.P., youse gonna need to copy yourself this UNOFFICIAL YOOPANESE GLOSSARY: APPLEKNOCKER: 1. A person from downstate. 2. Anyone from outside the Upper Peninsula.
BAKERY: Baked goods, rather than a place where things are baked. "Go store an get me some bakery, eh?"
BIKE RIDING: In Yoopanese, it's not always aufficient to say "biking," "skiing," or "snowmobiling." Instead, substitute the phrase "bike riding," also "snowmachine riding," or even "ski riding."
BORROW ME: Loan something to me. "Borrow me da keys to da snowmachine."
BOUGHTEN: Auxiliary verb form of buy. "I had boughten da snowmachine on special."
CAMP: 1. Not a primitive tent site, but the name used for any seasonal home. 2. What would be called a cottage by the more high-falutin'.
CHIT: Dung.
CHOUK: A hat. Also chook, chukka, or choukka.
CROMER: Another hat, this one is a flapped hunting cap apparently named after the Wisconsin company that manufactures them.
CUDIGHI: A type of hot Italian sausage, served in sandwiches. The name, if not the sausage itself, may be unique to the U.P. Also spelled gudlighi.
DA AREA: The generic term for whatever part of the U.P. the speaker happen to be in. Can encompass a neighborhood, city, county, or even the whole U.P.
GO CAMP: To go to one's summer residence. See also go Marquette, go Green Bay, or go Shopko.
HEIKKI LUUNTA: The Finnish snow god; thus the supreme deity of the Upper Peninsula.
HOLY WAH: Exclamation. "Holy wah, Toivo! Da Beer's all gone!"
ICE SPUD: Long metal device used to smash a hole in the ice for ice fishing. Not to be confused with winter potatoes.
LAKE EFFECT: From meteorology. Snow created by winds blowing over Lake Superior, as in "We got ten inches of dat lake effect last night."
LAKER: A lake trout. Not to be confused with a professional basketball team from Los Angeles.
NIPS: Socks.
NOSEEUMS: 1. Tiny, obnoxious biting flies. 2. Competition with mosquitoes for the title of U.P. state bird.
ON SPECIAL: On sale. See boughten.
PANK: Compound verb formed from "spank" and "pack." Descriptive term for what you do to snow with the flat side of a shovel or soles of a boot to get it to stay where you want it. "Pank dat snow bank down, eh?"
PASTY, pl. PASTIES: Cornish meat pie often confused by tourists with library paste, "pastry", or bangles used by strippers.
SHACKING: Grabbing on to the back fender of a car, truck or bus and sliding along on the snow and ice coating on streets and roads. A favorite pastime of young Yoopers.
SMELTIN: The process of catching numerous tiny fish by dipping a big net in a small stream. Do not confuse with the process of steel production.
SNOWSCOOP: N: A device, apparently invented in the U.P., for removing snow from roofs, driveways, porches, or any other large, outdoor surface. V: The process of such removal, as in "I gotta snowscoop out da neighbor's driveway."
SPIN A DOUGHNUT: To put one's car into a 360-degree power slide on ice-slick parking lot surfaces. Another favorite pastime of young Yoopers.
ST. URHO: A legendary Finnish pseudo-saint who supposedly drove the grasshoppers out of the Finnish Vineyards.
SWAMPERS: Waterproof winter boots. Sometimes also referred to as Sorrels—a brand name of boot.
TREE-WHEELER: A three-wheeled all terrain vehicle, not to be confused with a device for removing logs from a forest.
UNTHAW: To thaw out something that was frozen, as in "We got to get dat turkey out an unthaw it quick."
YA, EH: Favorite Yooper interjection.
YOOPER: An inhabitant of the Upper Peninsula or any speaker of Yoopanese. Also called Uper.
YOUSE: Plural of you. "Hey, youse, da beer'll never unthaw on da snowmachine."
Written by: Dan Weingarten
Well lookee there, 'pasties' is the plural of 'pasty.' Just like 'nasties' is the plural of 'nasty'. And they RHYME. (Do I feel a limerick comin' on??) We're gonna need St. Tim in here to pank down all this info into a useful form soon, ya, eh?
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187902
08/11/05 04:35 AM
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Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 1,290
WisKeeper
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Suzanne Murphy President, Wisconsin Lighthouse District (WILD)
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187903
08/11/05 04:44 AM
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Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 1,290
WisKeeper
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Super Wacko
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If you will be driving near Marquette, a good place to stop is Da Yoopers http://www.dayoopers.com/
Suzanne Murphy President, Wisconsin Lighthouse District (WILD)
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187904
08/11/05 09:20 AM
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Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 2,005
Lorie Roe
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187905
08/11/05 10:50 AM
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,148
Cana Fan
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Super Wacko
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For the record John, a "CROMER" is actually a "KROMER" as in Stormy Kromer. And they're made right in Ironwood. www.stormykromer.com Mike
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187906
08/11/05 12:06 PM
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Thanks for setting me straight on dat Kromer/Cromer thing, Mike. Curses for sending me to da hat page I spent the last two hours clicking on da various colors to see da hat change. I can't choose which one to buy. I'm leaning toward da blaze orange cause it would go with the rest of da winter duds. But I really like da black trim on da red one, too. Then there's da navy one. Course one of da camo ones would help me hide in da woods when I'm at da camp. HELP! Which one should I buy?
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187907
08/11/05 12:10 PM
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Posts: 13,047
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ya, eh Dave... If you don't have all the 'entertainment' booked for the Reunion, yet. Maybe 'Da Yoopers' would be available to put in an appearance to sing da 'condom song' or \'do you want to buy an organ\' (PG13)
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187908
08/11/05 12:38 PM
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,148
Cana Fan
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Super Wacko
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If you ask nice John I'll bring my Kromer to the Reunion. May need it up there in late August, probably be snowing by them!
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187910
08/12/05 12:53 AM
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Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 7,088
mombo
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Good one Lorie! I was thinking similar thoughts (naturally).... Sounds like you folks are all getting in the mood for a fun time. Sorry I won't be joining you. Don't think I could conquer the language anyway.
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187911
08/12/05 02:41 AM
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 1,962
MrsTLC
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Sure wish you were coming to the reunion too Sue I think I will hire a translator...it's all to confusing to me.
Ruthie "Where words fail, Music speaks"
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187912
08/12/05 11:16 PM
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While you're around the Great Lakes, you'll soon get acquainted with "Lakers"; boats used to ship all kinds of products and raw materials to and from the many ports - even out through the St. Lawrence to the rest of the world. The shapes of these boats are unique - not like the 'salties' or sea-going ships. Form follows function. A great source for information is www.boatnerd.com. Stay around long enough and you'll soon be plotting the passages and reporting the upbounds and downbounds comings and goings of ships past your viewpoint, too. You'll see many, many of these in and about the Staits of Michigan and Mackinac Island. It's kind of like a 'cloverleaf interchange' for boats journeying to and from Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron. When you see a Laker 'riding high' it means it's left it's cargo at the last stop and is deadheading back to pick up another load of coal, iron ore, wheat, or gravel. When it's 'riding low', of course, it's full. On the way from the source of the raw materials to the user of those resources. The biggest freighters on the Great Lakes are the 1,000 footers. Limited in size by the locks at the "Soo" (Sault Ste. Marie) and in the Wellend Canal which bypasses Niagara Falls. The boat-spotters guide is and has been the " Know Your Ships " booklet. It shows the company pattern painted on the smoke stake (not much smoke these days), the color of the hull and the shape of the profile with other facts about the ship. It's been published annually for 46 years. And the most famous "Laker" has to be.... The Edmund Fitzgerald If you're heading the the UP (don't get me started again), you'll want to stop at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum which is conveniently co-located at Whitefish Point Lighthouse west of Sault Ste. Marie. The biggest boat on the Great lakes is This one -- just over 1,000 feet long. It is one of 13 'thousand footers' operating on the Great Lakes. Here's the Paul R. Tregurtha, "Queen of the Great Lakes" downboard past the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, Port Huron: The boat is steer from the rear superstructure. As it is about to enter the St. Clair River, it is actually being guided by a 'pilot' for the trip down the River and under the Blue Water Bridges. The pilot will accompany the boat until it reaches Lake Erie.
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187913
08/19/05 12:29 PM
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Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 13,047
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The 10-day forecast is starting to cover the first days of the Reunion.
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187914
08/20/05 11:56 PM
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Posts: 13,047
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First day shows up in the 10-day forecast:
Mon Aug 29 Partly Cloudy 77°/62° 10% Chance of precip
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Re: Guide to Things Michigan... (Changed the name)
#187915
08/23/05 01:54 PM
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Posts: 13,047
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God and the Weatherpersons continue to smile on our gathering: Sun Aug 28 Sunny 74°/62° 20% Chance Precip Mon Aug 29 Sunny 77°/63° 10% Chance Precip Tue Aug 30 Partly Cloudy 78°/62° 10% Chance Precip Wed Aug 31 Sunny 74°/64° 20% Chance Precip Thank you, Lord! I am so going to like being out of the 109° days here in the Valley of the (Baking) Sun Anybody checked on the chances for Aurora Borealis???
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