Author: Pete Schloss

August 28, 2018. Tawas Point Michigan. Monarch Migration!

Posted on by Pete Schloss

Tawas Point State Park is a birder’s paradise. It lies on a primary migratory flyway and thus provides respite for many avian species, not the least of which are Whip-poor-wills, Redheaded Woodpeckers, Trumpeter Swans, and migrating Warblers. It is reported that over 280 separate bird species have been sighted on Tawas Point.

On a good day I might be able to distinguish a Bald Eagle (saw one today) from a Crow (saw more than one today). But I will leave it to the “birders” to identify the bird in this picture as a Heron or a Crain.

The eye candy of the day were the flocks of Monarch Butterflies. They too are a migratory species that passes through Tawas Point flying thousands of miles south to Florida and Mexico. It amazes me that these seemingly fragile creatures are capable of such a feat.

The Monarch feeds on the ubiquitous Milkweed, the sap of which is poisonous to most other wildlife. The consumption of the sap by the Monarch renders them very unappetizing to erstwhile predators. The brilliant black and orange markings of the Monarch give an unambiguous warning that better eating can be found elsewhere.

Butterflies may be the only insect that brings a smile to human observers… although I am rather fond of the Preying Mantis. One large one once spent the better part of an hour watching me work on our house. He/she would cock its head and repeatedly focus from my task to my face in a fashion that mimicked curiosity.

Today was also a good day for a swim in Lake Huron…

For observing the relatively rare Black Squirrel (at first I thought one was a strange cat when it scampered by)…

Walking the beach…

Watching an unusual Kite-Surfer from Austria expertly maneuver and levitate his flying wing board upon and above the water…

And finally to contrast the utilitarian features of the modern navigational light station and fog-horn with those of the more romantic Lighthouse of the past.

At dusk the darkening sky to the west warned of the approach of thunderstorms. We secured our campsite just in time before the downpour.

Here inside our fiberglass Casita we thought we were being pelted by hail… but it was only hundreds of acorns being shake loose from the Oaks towering above us. I wonder how the Monarchs are fairing?

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. We are off in the morning south to Port Crescent State Park for another night as guests of the Michigan State Parks. Thursday will see us crossing into Canada.

August 27, 2018. Tawas Michigan. Solo Camping Is Rarely Solitary.

Posted on by Pete Schloss

The majority of our time “on the road” is spent together. However as I have previously observed, Christine and I have “travel libidos” that are slightly out of sync. She is often ready to return home a week or two before me and I am usually ready to leave home a week or two sooner than her. To address this I typically take a couple of short (7-10 day) solo outings each year. Such was the case a few weeks ago when I spent a week at Stockton Lake in Missouri.

Solo camping has its virtues. I find that I am more aware of my thoughts, I tend to be more focused on relaxing, and my appreciation for Christine becomes heightened. Absence does make the heart grow fonder.

Solo camping rarely turns out to be solitary camping. While at Stockton Lake I was visited by a camper Kathleen, and a sailboater, Craig. Each of those encounters was memorable. I detailed those meetings in my posts which were published at that time. However, I neglected to include another of those camping friendships.

Another Casita pulled into the campground. Casita owners often seek one another out, so it was not unexpected that the owner would wander my way to say “Hi”. It was a bit unusual that he and his wife would invite me to dinner. It was totally unexpected that dinner would include sautéed squid on a stick, huge sautéed prawns on a stick, and a large Pacific Ocean fish that was roughly the size and shape of a 14” cast iron skillet.

David and his wife Badeth spend 4 months of the year at their home in Missouri and the remaining 8 months of each year at their beautiful beach home in the Philippines. David was born and raised in the States and Badeth is a native of the islands. They were joined at camp by her sister Josephine and nephew Ian. David could not have known of my love of squid, shrimp, and eating “the unknown”. The women presented a feast and I was the beneficiary. The women also cooked a large inviting steak… it seems that in spite of his extensive time spent in the Philippines, David is not particularly fond of squid, shrimp, or eating “the unknown”.

This wonderful family also included me in their breakfast plans for the following morning. Their hospitality and friendship were extraordinary, but perhaps understandable as they explained the welcoming nature of the Philippine people and the fact that David was retired from over 40 years of being the talented handyman, construction coordinator, chauffeur, mechanic… and all around “Swiss Army” assistant to a convent of nuns! Even when camping solo one meets the nicest and most interesting people.

Peace Everyone! Pete

August 26, 2018. Tawas Point State Park, Michigan.

Posted on by Pete Schloss

This is our second night in Michigan on the western shores of Lake Huron. Our first night was at Bay City State Park, and we will be spending the next 3 nights in Tawas Point State Park. Both parks are well kept and very family friendly (lots of kids having lots of fun!). As nice as Bay City was, Tawas is spectacular. We were fortunate to reserve one of the shore side camping spots.

A nice bathhouse is a short walk away, and we find ourselves sheltered beneath established Oak and Maple trees. 75 feet out of our door is Lake Huron. Since the park is located on a sandy spit the entire shoreline is gently sloping prime swimable beach front.

A short walk from our campsite is the Tawas Point Lighthouse.

The original light station was built in 1852, but quickly became irrelevant as accumulating sands “moved” the lighthouse inland. The replacement light station, built in 1876 was also constructed on an island, but as you can see it is an island no longer. It was decommissioned in 2014 and replaced with modern optics and a solar powered foghorn, both located on the current point.

The 1876 lighthouse is in excellent condition and gives a wonderful insight into the life of a lighthouse keeper and family.

The lighthouse still houses its original 4th order Fresnel optics. The Fresnel lens was an early 19th Century French invention that was able to compress and focus an ordinary kerosene lamp flame into a searing beam of light. The 4th order lens could project to a distance of 16 miles. These lenses used a complex assembly of precision cut and mounted glass rings to gather and focus the light. The largest 1st order lenses stood nearly 12 feet tall and were able to reach 25 miles into the darkness!

Lighthouses are identifiable in daylight by the patterns painted on the towers, each in a region being unique. At night they could each be distinguished by the duration and pattern of light and dark, Tawas Point’s being 4 seconds “on” followed by 2 seconds “off”. Since kerosene flames could not be turned “on and off” in rapid succession, clockwork devises rotated the light or a shield is such a manner as to create the flashing effect. These day and night patterns were noted in the navigation charts. The clockwork was powered by weights on chains or cables that descended the tower as the mechanism “unwound”. It was the light keepers duty to maintain the house, tower (inside and out), the kerosene lantern, and the clockwork mechanism, keeping it wound throughout the night. The lighthouse keeper shouldered an incredible responsibility as sailers entrusted their lives, the lives of their passengers, and the safety of ships and cargoes in reliance on the lighthouses and signal horns to warn of unseen perils.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. Our evolving “plan” will see us spending 3 nights at Tawas Point and then one night at Port Crescent State Park to the south. We will then enter Canada on Thursday and we plant to visit our Camino friends, Tom and Nanci in Ottawa. From there we will head toward Québec City and eventually return to the States through New England.

August 25, 2018. Bay City Michigan. “The Rest of a Story”.

Posted on by Pete Schloss

Many of you are aware that this last Spring Christine and I spent 3 months in Europe. That journey included an eleven day 250km hike from Porto Portugal to Santiago Spain. This was the Portuguese route of the Camino de Santiago. On April 27th we encountered a number of memorable German pilgrims who were also walking the Camino. There was physician Reiner Vogt and his wife Ina Massing. Ina manages a firm specializing in manufacturing and fitting prosthetic limbs. Faris Abu-Naaj is an internet expert who had rescued his health by losing nearly 200 pounds. A month after we met Faris he would lead a group of people struggling with obesity on a 100km Camino pilgrimage. Stanislaw Mowinski is a German citizen originally from Poland. Each of these good people became dear to us in the span of an afternoon.

We were joined later that evening by Grzegorz Polakiewicz from Poland. “Greg”, an intensely spiritual young man and a stranger to all of us, spoke no German. He is an amputee who was walking his second Camino with one leg, carrying his backpack, assisted only by his two crutches. Discussions at table that evening, interpreted by “Stanley”, resulted in a proposal for Greg to travel to Germany where Ina and Reiner would arrange for him to receive a prosthetic leg and the physical therapy necessary to use it. I would have called this encounter an amazing coincidence, but I was continually reminded during our journey, “In life there are no coincidences”.

“The Rest of the Story”: I have remained in contact with all of these folks through Facebook. Last week I received a link from Ina to a story broadcast on a German television program, something like our “60 Minutes”. Initially, the link would not work until I redirected my browser to a German IP address. As the program played out it featured Greg’s arrival in Germany, his fitting of a prosthetic leg, courtesy of Ina and Reiner, and the physical therapy necessary for its use. I captured some screenshots from the program that I share with you.

It is worth remembering that every miracle has two parts… that it occurred, and more importantly that it was noticed. “Greg” noticed, and so did I.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS: Christine and I are back on the road again. We will be traveling to Canada and the New England States over the course of the next 5 weeks.

August 13, 2018. Stockton Missouri, The Black Walnut Capital of the World!

Posted on by Pete Schloss

A fellow camper at Stockton Lake mentioned in passing that the nearby town of Stockton was the world’s largest producer of Black Walnuts. I was somewhat skeptical since Stockton has fewer than 2,000 residents and is remote from any major highway system. With some free time on my hands and the promise of air conditioning in my SUV on a humid 90+ degree day I went into town to explore.

It did not take me long to find the tall silos that marked the location of the Hammons Products Company. Founded in 1946 by grocer Ralph Hammons, the firm is now operated by his grandson, Brian Hammons.

I entered the company offices which were clearly purposed for business and not itinerant campers like me. I was disappointed to learn that tours are available only once each year in September. However, the receptionist invited me to view a brief promotional video in their company conference room. I eagerly accepted. At the conclusion of the 5 minute video the Company’s President, Brian Hammons entered the room and introduce himself. He graciously took time from his day to tell me more about Black Walnuts and the Hammons story. Brian Hammons is center in this image from the Company’s website, https://black-walnuts.com

Indeed, the Hammons Company is the worlds largest producer of Black Walnuts, processing over 25 million pounds each year! Brian was quick to point out that English Walnuts are distinctly different and that production of the English variety exceeds 500,000 TONS annually! He then went on to distinguish the two varieties and highlight the virtues of the American Black Walnut:

1. Black Walnuts are thicker shelled and only 7% of the fruit is edible nut while 45 % of the thinner shelled English variety is edible nut.

2. Most Black Walnuts are sustainably harvested in the wild unlike the plantation grown English Walnuts.

3. Black Walnuts are universally acclaimed as superior for their deep, rich, and bold flavor. They are also nutritionally superior to their English cousin.

While only 7% of the walnut seed finds its way into the mouths of hungry consumers, the other 93% is processed into environmentally friendly abrasive products that are sought commercially for such varied purposes such as polishing delicate musical instruments, water filtration media, surface “sand” blasting , and oil field machinery maintenance.

Most remarkable for me was the method of harvest. Each year in the Fall, over 200 gathering stations are set up across 15 States. Thousands of gatherers comb the forests and hand harvest the wild Black Walnuts, delivering them to the gathering stations where the green outer covering is hulled. The remaining intact nut is then delivered to the Hammons factory in Stockton Missouri for further processing.

While Black Walnut production is firmly tied to its early American roots, the Hammons Company has reached out into the 21st Century. Improvements in processing methods have increased efficiency. Selective improvements in Black Walnut plant varieties are creating trees that bear fruit with thinner shells and proportionally greater nut meat to shell ratios while retaining the unique taste profile. Thus the potential for enhanced profitability is attracting landowners who are seeing financial rewards in planting these improved cultivars.

I really appreciate the time that Brian took today to educate this wandering (and wondering!) camper.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS: Here are a few of the products that are supplied by the Hammons Company. If you look closely you will see one of my favorites from Kansas City’s own Boulevard Brewing Company!