Events of Friday, September 10, 2010

          Day 77! Wow! It feels like we’ve already been on this trip for a year! Our 77th day began a lot like many of the other 76 days that we’ve been on our trip. We’ve found that each day has mostly the same structure, but each day brings it own surprises, blessings and adventures. This day started with breakfast and a shower for only Mom, since everybody else showered last night. We entered the city of Alpena and visited the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, which is the visitor center for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve. (It is the only fresh water marine sanctuary in the world.) At this museum we learned about the Shipwreck Century, which lasted from 1825 to 1925. During this period, many shipwrecks happened in Lake Huron. The main reasons of these shipwrecks were shallow waters, collision, underwater hazards and the fact that they cooked with coal on the mostly wooden ships, frequently resulting in bonfires. In the museum there was a full- size replica of a Great Lakes schooner in the middle of the storm. We experienced first-hand what it was like to be in a storm on the Great Lakes with thunder and lightning - everything but water! The exit of the ship was the entrance of an exhibit of which was meant to make you feel like you were walking on the bottom of Lake Huron, exploring a shipwreck. There was even a climbing structure to simulate scuba diving – WITH A SLIDE AT THE END! After seeing enough of this museum, we took a short walk along the shoreline and then went back to the RV.

          We drove for a while and then spotted a nice spot along the beach have lunch. For lunch, we tried Michigan tart cherry jam, and found it delicious.(Thanks Tina and Shane‼) After lunch, Lindsey, Caitlin, and I walked and waded in Lake Huron and then we set out for Frankenmuth. We had heard about the biggest Christmas store in the state, and we wanted to visit it. However this was easier said than done. Gypsy told us to turn on to Main Street and so we turned and found our way blocked by a gigantic street fair. It took some maneuvering and Ben using google maps to help us out to finally find a way around the street fair to the Christmas store.

          This Christmas store was called Bronner’s. And it is so gigantic that you need to pick up a map at the entrance. The lawn was filled with nativity scenes and there were Christmas trees everywhere. Walking inside, you found yourself among scenes with Santa and elves. There was Christmas stuff EVERYWHERE! We didn’t know where to start. We ended up starting in the nativity room, where there nativity scenes from all over the world. Also in that room was Hummel’s, statues of little kids, and Mom told us many stories about them and how her mom collected them in her childhood. We went slowly throughout the store and we were quite overwhelmed. There were tons of ornaments, and Daddy even found an ornament of an RV, but we decided not to get it. We went outside and visited the Silent Night Chapel. This chapel is the replica of the St. Nikolaus Church in the village of Oberndorf, north of Salzburg, Austria. Stille Nacht, Silent Night in German, was performed for the first time, on Christmas Eve, 1818, there. Before the service, the priest, Joseph Morh, had asked Franz Gruber to compose a melody to accompany a poem that he had written. This turned out to be Stille Nacht, and was immediately popular. The chapel was beautiful and surrounded by signs with the words to Silent Night in many languages. We found the words in German sign language and in Braille. Then we went back to the RV.

          We started to drive towards a Costco outside of Ann Arbor. Arriving 15 minutes before it closed, we shopped and managed to have dinner there before it closed. We spent the night in the Costco parking lot, preparing to have a fun day at the University of Michigan tomorrow.