We have now visited 43 of the 50 states. This year we went to the Mid-West and states we had never visited- MN, WI, MI and IA. We traveled parts of six states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa plus Windsor, Canada.

AVOC

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August 7, 2009

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Vacation 2009 Sightseeing in Mid-West – Great Lakes area

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By Wendell Dawson, Editor, AVOC, Inc

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Our family vacation this year involved flying to a section of the country, renting a car and touring area states.    We have now visited 43 of the 50 states.   This year we went to the Mid-West and states we had never visited- MN, WI, MI and IA.    We traveled parts of six states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa.   We also spent one night in Windsor, Ontario Canada.   It was a great trip.

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Jennifer’s schedule prevented her leaving at the same time as her mother and I.   Betty and I flew to St Paul-Minneapolis on July 14 and were joined by Jennifer in Milwaukee on July 17.   We visited two Presidential Museums and burial sites; several university campuses, including Notre Dame and Michigan at Ann Arbor; several state capitols, and many other various sites of interest.

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We noted that many commercial buildings were vacant in most of the large cities.   Detroit was the worst with many abandoned residences.    We had no problem finding rooms, eating in restaurants etc.   Signs of the Recession were obvious all over.

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We also saw miles and miles of corn and soy beans.   Surprisingly, we did not see many cows, even in Wisconsin.   At the John Deere Pavilion in Moline, ILL, a person told me they grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin.   The person said most of the traditional farmers were gone and farming was now carried on by mega-corporations.    There were many pleasant rural scenes along our trip.   We took a lot of pictures and will share some and our experiences on AVOC over the next few months.

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Typical farm scene in Mid-West

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While there were numerous highlights, we had several special experiences.    We took the Lake Express Ferry, car too, from Milwaukee across Lake Michigan (82 miles) to Muskegon, MI, where we spent the night in Grand Rapids.

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In South Bend, IN, we visited the College Football Hall of Fame.   That was an interesting and enjoyable stop.   The Hall of Fame has a facsimile gridiron area with loudspeakers sounding like a regular stadium.   In the Hall, we saw many UGA folks:   Coach Wally Butts, Coach Vince Dooley and players: Frankie Sinkwich, Johnny Rauch, Francis Tarkenton, Herschel Walker and others.   Coach Jim Donnan had been enrolled this year because of his record at Marshall University.

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MORE LATER………………

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College Football Hall of Fame

111 South St. Joseph Street
South Bend, IN 46601
1-800-440 FAME (3263)

(574) 235-9999

http://www.collegefootball.org/

http://www.collegefootball.org/tourthehall.php

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Betty Dawson at entrance to Hall of Fame

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Wendell Dawson on Hall of Fame Gridiron field