We finally made it to Midland Mi. This is where Dave spent his formative years. Since I have never been here, I was anxious to visit. Midland is a charming town. The town is the birthplace of Dow Chemical. We had the pleasure of viewing Dow Gardens, a beautiful botanical garden, with a canopy walk. We had the pleasure of touring this beautiful place with Dave's sister Janet and her charming husband Irv.
They had recently purchased a beautiful historic home near the gardens. We enjoyed our first visit their fascinating new home. It is a beautiful home, full of so much detail that you will not fine in a new home. Janet and Irv were busy putting their special personal touchs on it. Unfortunately we didn't take any photos of our visit, we need to get back in the blogging mode and remember to take more photos.
We also had the pleasure of going kayaking with Janet and Irv. What a beautiful, peaceful day that was. It is so calm to float down a river. Love it. Our campground was amazing, we had a beautiful riverfront site. It was so peaceful.
All and all, our stay in Midland was wonderful. Dave was able to show me around the town, and we were able to visit with Janet's family when Janet and Irv hosted a fantastic 4th of July family. Great fun. The grandchildren are adorable.
Note:Unfortunately, Midland experienced massive flooding due to dams failing a few weeks prior to our visit. This caused severe damage to lakefront properties. What was once a lake, is now a wasteland. The downtown area did not appear to be damaged, but the areas around the lakes are devastated. A gentleman staying in our campground told us he had lost his house, dock and boat, and is staying in the campground while he decides what to do next. In the middle of a pandemic, this was the last thing this town needed. Fortunately, I believe no lives were lost.
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| River side campsite at River Ridge Family Campground |
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| Relaxing location along Pine River |
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| Kayak trip down Pine River with Irv and Janet |
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| Captain Irv navigates the course when Janet lets him |
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| Pine River |
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| River Selfie |
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| Nice current means easy trip |
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| Deer in brush |
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| Midland trip requirement |
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| No alligators in sight |
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| Our Hosts |
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| Enjoyed the mostly shady trail on a hot Michigan day |
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| Sue found a interesting seat |
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| This way, no we need to go that way, we're not lost |
