Today is our first day to explore the state of Michigan! Where's the first place you'd go around Lake Michigan? For us it was to visit... a pet casket business! Yes, we had learned about Hoegh Caskets, which has manufacturing non-degrading, styrene caskets for pets since 1966, and is apparently the world's largest pet casket company, raking in $5 million each year in revenue.
When we arrived, we didn't think it looked like a massive operation--the warehouse and office are small, and they also don't seem to have many employees (so based on this, it must be a rather profitable operation)! We went inside and spoke to the lady at reception, who informed us that they no longer do tours to show how the caskets are made, but was happy to show us a room where they had a few caskets displayed and told us more about the company.
The caskets are very simple in design and lightweight, although we thought there'd be eco-friendly, biodegradable options as well. There are a handful of colors like white, blue and beige (as well as a camo one!), and they can be lined with different fleece materials. The caskets are different sizes for the various pets, but are also used for burying infants. Apparently in some states in the U.S., it's illegal to simply bury a pet in the backyard, which is why caskets are needed. It was interesting to just learn about this very niche business, and what seems like huge demand for folks from all over the world.
Kitch-iti-kipi
Kitch-iti-kipi means "The Big Spring" in the Ojibwe language of the indigenous people of the Great Lakes, referring to the largest natural freshwater spring in Michigan. We drove into the area, which is part of a state park so cost us $11 for a day pass (there's an annual state park option as well that makes sense to buy if you plan to visit Michigan state parks at least 4 times in a year).
The parking lot was small--and it was very busy!--so we only had one option for the RV, and then the 3 of us (dogs are allowed, just need to be on leash) made the short stroll over to the freshwater spring. The spring is beautiful, and an extremely vibrant, emerald green color!
Visitors can't go swimming in the spring, so the only option to get onto the water is on a self-operated observation raft that is on a cable that is pulled across by visitors or by a park employee. The raft is a fairly big wooden structure, so we were among the next group waiting to get onboard, with people gathering around the perimeter to look out over the vessel, or in the middle where there's an opening to look down at the water below.
The guide on our raft told us that the spring measures 300 by 175 feet (91 m × 53 m) and is about 12 meters (40 feet) deep. The spring is about 7 degrees Celsius (45 degrees Fahrenheit) year round, and fissures from the limestone underneath pump 10,000 gallons per minute into the spring. We could see some logs under the water, and quite a few big fish! The guide gave fish food to some of the visitors onboard, and the kids in particular had a lot of fun throwing it into the water, for us all to see the fish swimming up close to eat. The emerald green water was incredibly clear and we could also see logs underneath the surface, and some insects hovering on top. Apparently there were some scuba divers who went in the water recently, and retrieved a lot of lost items, likely from visitors who had been on the raft--lots of hats and sunglasses were rescued!
The raft ride was probably about 10-15 minutes or so, moving at a leisurely speed for everyone to have a chance to look into the water and see as much we could of the spring. Sheila was very well behaved, and seemed happy to simply look out into the water and relax for the brief trip!
Beach Time!
We left Kitch-iti-kipi after the raft trip, feeling hot and sweating profusely thanks to the humidity. As we drove along we could see quite a few RV parks, and decided to find a spot by the water's edge to potentially go for a swim. We found a public beach area at ThompsonRogers Roadside Park, which had restrooms and plenty of spaces for us to park right by the beach. There was also a cool breeze blowing, which felt absolutely delightful after feeling so hot mere moments before.
So we grabbed our camping chairs, and beach gear, plonking them in between the RV and the water. The water was actually really cold! We decided in the end to skip swimming in the water, but spent more of it simply relaxing on the sand and enjoying our surroundings. After a while, Michael realized that the wind provided great conditions to practice kiting (ground handling) with his paraglider, so he spent some time doing this on the beach. Although it would have been optimal if there was more sand to run around on, as the wind picked up, dragging the wing a bit.
Thousands of Bugs
Eventually the cool breeze started to feel cold(!), and with sunset soon approaching, it was time to pack up and find a place to park for the night. We continued to drive along the coast, finding a shoulder that was on the side of the road, but with a spectacular view of the lake and the waves rolling towards the shore in front of us. It reminded us of the breathtaking view that we'd had of the Pacific Coast between Oregon and Washington a couple of months prior (feels like ages ago, so much has happened since then!).
We kept the windows open facing the water, but the fly screens over them to let the cool breeze in. As the night progressed, we noticed that there were tiny bugs inside, which we initially didn't give any notice to (we do get the occasional bug inside the RV, it is summer after all). But when we both started seeing more and more of them, we looked up toward the window--and saw the window and fly screen filled completely with these bugs! We had no idea how some of them managed to get in. Fortunately they weren't mosquitos (otherwise Lisette would have welts all over her), but we had to get rid of them.
Michael grabbed our handy tennis racquet shaped-bug zapper, attacking the ones inside while Lisette kept Sheila in the bedroom with the door closed (Sheila hates the sound of the bug zapper). Then it was time to close the door to the RV. But how to do this without having hundreds more come inside? We turned off all the lights, and Michael stuck the zapper out the door as a diversion, while he closed the door. ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP.... Lisette and Sheila continued to hear what sounded like hundreds of zap noises from the bedroom! What is going on?
In the end, Michael probably zapped 200 or so bugs (literally). At least they don't bite, and we'll be free from them hovering around tonight. Although we'll probably see the carnage in the light of day tomorrow...!
Route Map
