Victory I Great Lakes Cruise: Escanaba, MI

By GERRY BARKER
North Palm Beach Life
Photos/Video by Gerry and Pamela Barker

Day Nine of our Victory I Great Lakes cruise finds us in the Michigan Upper Penisular town of Escanaba, our last port of call until the cruise ends in Chicago. On our way here we passed under Mackinac Bridge, a five-mile-long suspension bridge opened in 1957. It's a beautiful day for sailing.

Our city tour here starts at Ludington Park, the location of the historic Sand Point Lighthouse.  Built in 1867, it ceased operation in 1939 and now is open seasonally for visitors. It was still closed for our visit, but we enjoyed its picturesque location despite the swarming lake flies (at least they don't bite).

The tour continued at the Webster Marble Inventing the Outdoors museum. Marble was an avid outdoorsman and inventor in nearby Gladstone that helped change the view of going outdoors from survival to recreation. His inventions included a safety ax, hunting knives and a waterproof compass. Adjoining these exhibits is the Upper Penisular Military Museum, detailing military service from area veterans since the Civil War.

Our last stop was very tasty: Dobber's Pastries. For the unitiated, a pasty is a savory meat pie, in appearance something like a Hot Pocket, with meat, onions, potatoes and carrots, dating back to when Cornish miners took them into the mines for their lunch. A perfect way to end the tour.

Here are some highlights:

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