~~Sailing Port Huron & MICHIGAN'S THUMB Cities~~

[Michi]

So, this is what it is like in "The Thumb". I have never been there before in my 26 years, so I thought I would give myself a nice, self-guided 98-degrees-and-humid tour of Michigan's geographic protrusion into Lake Huron, affectionately called...THE THUMB.

Enjoy in all its podunk-a-dunk merriment!

But first, I begin in Metro Detroit's northeastern boundary city called Port Huron. Every year, there is a sailboat race called Port Huron to Mackinac which is a HUGE nautical event on the Great Lakes. I thought, what a better opportunity than now to get to experience it myself:

Desmond Landing is the area where the Black River empties into the St. Clair River. The sailboat race begins on the docks of the Black River.

Sucks to have to gas up boats.

Preppin the sail.

The riverbanks was full of activity and vibrancy.

Port Huron Civic Center Area

The fammed sculptor, Marshall Fredericks, left his mark here too.

Oh.

Since Port Huron's Marina consists of the entire downtown banks of the Black River, a series of draw bridges open to let the sailboats pass onto the St. Clair River and into the Great Lakes.

The sailing lifestyle looks like a lot of fun!

This ship is Bananas.

Family saying Bon Voyage to the crew.

The Natalie J departs for Mackinac Island.

The vessel, Glucklick's crew poses for a group photo.

The old Carnegie Library is now the Port Huron Museum.

This section of Desmond Landing is a planned new urbanist development just south of the downtown. Kind of like a scattered warehouse district that will be redeveloped as well with new housing and retail amenity.

UGH...the Government Center is on the St. Clair River.

Check out the irony behind this sculpture.

The Port Huron area of the Great Lakes has marketed itself as "The Bluewater Region". The relatively deep water of Lake Huron flows "down" into the St. Clair River which isn't really a river at all, but rather a strait where Lake Huron becomes so narrow it looks like a river. Because the water is still deep in the strait, it reveals a dark, rich blue. The two spans that cross the river into Port Edward and Sarnia, Ontario are named after the region...The Bluewater Bridge.

This is the Sarnia, Ontario skyline.

And ColDayMan would give his approval of affection by saying, "it's traysh!"

The next section will be THE THUMB.

The north side of Port Huron lies along the beaches of Lake Huron, so that is where our Thumb tour begins...some if it beautiful...some of it questionable...

Any planning student looking for an example of an easement...this HAS to be one, I'm sure.

Beachfront homes.

Here's a map showing the Greater Thumb Area and the towns shown here.

LEXINGTON was my favorite Thumb city on this adventure.

This picture's got flavor in it. HAR!

Heading further north along the Huron Coast...

...the next town is PORT SANILAC

...but this is the only picture this little town gets.

From Port Sanilac, I travel inland to the county seat of Sandusky.

The Thumb is so important, I tell you.

Sanilac County Courthouse

UGLY

(no comment) :uhh:

And now I present to you, the capital of the Thumb...BAD AXE. lol

Oh, some of it's bad.

I scouted around downtown looking for the monument of the "bad" axe, but all I got was this measley little pebble.

You noticed people out and about at the coastal cities, but inland, it was too hot, no breeze and so there wasn't many people out. ... Then again, this is Bad Axe, which just might be too bad to go out on ANY day.

Alright, no Confederate flags yet.

I want a T-shirt with the Bad Axe logo.

SURPRISE!! It's actually open. Not bad, not bad.

Bad Axe is so cool that you can go visit the mayor while in the middle of a dance lesson.

Something about ancient log cabins in a downtown square. I was a bit spooked.

This is how you still know you're in Bad Axe.

Ok, enough of that town. Next, I cut back east to Lake Huron from Bad Axe. The highway terminates in HARBOR BEACH which is a pleasant and popular beach town near the tip of the Thumb.

You just have to be careful riding your bicycle in this hilly town.

I finally made it...The TIP OF THE THUMB! Well, sorta. This is Pointe Aux Barques, the lighthouse. It was suppose to be built at Pointe Aux Barques, the actual point of the Thumb, but the builders accidentally built it in the wrong location in HURON CITY a few miles to the east. Pointe Aux Barques means Point of Ships in French.

Next town, now along the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron is PORT AUSTIN

I wonder what this building is in Port Austin? :hmmm:

I was really looking forward to my arrival in SEBEWAING, but alas was not that impressed.

It was time to get back to Detroit, so the last stop was in a town called CARO, which is the county seat of Tuscola County.

Tuscola County Courthouse in Caro.

Oh my!

I'll buy a pizza for anyone who can guess what this is. It's in Decker, Michigan

Hey, it's a drive by in IMLAY CITY!...the northern tier of Metro Detroit.

And that about wraps up my experience of "The Thumb". If I lived in Florida, maybe I would do a driving tour of...well...nevermind. lol I'll stick to Michigan body parts for now!

[GRDadof3]

Great tour Michi! Between me, you and ZachariaDaMan, we'll have Michigan tackled by the end of Summer.

Bad Axe Why would anyone want to live in a town named after a broken hand tool. "Hi, I'm from Broken Screwdriver, Missouri"

The farm you showed in Decker: I'll guess is the boyhood home of Tom Monaghan or Mike Ilitch? Since you mentioned pizza.

[ZachariahDaMan]

Excellent tour! My father and I rent a cottage in Lexington right on the lake every summer.

Could the Decker picture have been the farm where Terry Nichols and his brother lived?

[dtown]

great pics michi, one thing i like about the thumb is that all the towns have a little movie theater downtown. I was very dissapionted that you didnt include Marlette in your thumb tour!

[LA Dave]

Very nice pics. I have seen the start of the Chicago-Mackinac race, but never the Port Huron race. Some very expensive boats (especially Denali).

Port Huron looks like a nice town. When I saw those gravel beaches, though, I was thankful that I grew up on the other side of the state, where sand beaches are the rule.

[dtown]

heh, dave- there are some sand beaches over on that side, exept some of the sand ones are laced with huge boulders in the water. I found one big enough for me and my buddys to jump off of.

[GRDadof3]

BTW Michi: How did Gwen Stefani work her way in there?

[dtown]

cause that ship was named "bananas". he was playing on the lyrics in hollaback girl. "this ship is bananas"

[Michi]

The farm you showed in Decker: I'll guess is the boyhood home of Tom Monaghan or Mike Ilitch? Since you mentioned pizza.

No, no, no...lol...Zach got it. That's the farm where Terry Nichols and Timothy McVeigh plotted the Oklahoma City Bombing. I remember being glued to the TV and seeing all of the FBI vehicles raiding the farm in Decker.

Indeed, the Gwen Stafani B-A-N-A-N-A-S mentioning is in reference to one of her jingles.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea...iendID=94536165

[ZachariahDaMan]

Yay, I'm right. You owe me a pizza now!!

[Michi]

There's a catch. I only buy pizza for people in Detroit. That means you have to physically be in the city. Uh oh...Looks like you have some planning to do!

[dtown]

i'll come down and get a free pizza!

[wolverine]

Awesome pics Michi! I remember going to Bad Axe once, but didn't really get to see much of the downtown. I don't get out to the thumb that much. Corn is cool.

[ericnmu]

That historic building looks great plastered with a strip of tacky Miller Lite logos.

I just had a "what were they thinking" moment...

[LA Dave]

heh, dave- there are some sand beaches over on that side, exept some of the sand ones are laced with huge boulders in the water. I found one big enough for me and my buddys to jump off of.

Good to hear. I had a college roomate from Sandusky; the flattest place I have ever been except for maybe Illinois. But a lot of German restaurants in that area, nice for someone who grew up amidst the Dutch.