Photo Friday-Driving Wilco Road in Empire, Michigan

I hope everyone enjoyed my posts about Empire, Michigan, these past couple of weeks. It is one of our favorite "Up North" destinations, and I've enjoyed sharing some of my favorite places in this cool little northern Michigan town.

The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is probably the area's best known scenic road, but another favorite of mine is the winding Wilco Road that snakes down the hill coming out of Empire and empties onto M-22.

I imagine that the name "Wilco" comes from the fact that the Empire Air Force Station sits atop this hill, and "wilco" is radio/signaling jargon used as a contraction of the phrase "will comply".

The Air Force Station was home to the 752nd Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron of the U.S. Air Force from 1950-1979, in other words, it served as a radar station during the Cold War that could alert the U.S. in case of foreign military threats.

You can check out the station (which always reminds me of an oversized golf ball when I spot it on the way into town) on the way down the hill.

I don't think Wilco Road is more than a mile long, but I just enjoy the winding drive through the woods.

There really aren't any places to stop along the most scenic stretch of Wilco Road, but I didn't let that stop me one sunny summer day. In a true don't-try-this-at-home moment, I stuck my left hand with my trusty little point-and-shoot camera out of the car window, snapping merrily away as I drove on down Wilco.

No, Tim wasn't there to stop such foolishness. But I got the photos I wanted!

Thanks to Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby for creating and coordinating Photo Friday to link travel photos and blog posts across the Web.

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Comments

[TheWordWire]

Thank you for the ride-along on this pretty drive. I've got my hand hanging out of the virtual window letting it float in the wind.

[Jen]

Look at your fun yellow car! I did the same thing on the way home from Jacksonville once. When my husband saw the pictures, he promptly told me I shouldn't have done it! :-)

[Dominique King]

Word-I couldn't resist taking these shots. I've always loved this little drive...especially with the windows & sunroof open on a beautiful summer day.

Jen-I love my yellow car :lol: Still have it, too (I think I'm one of the last few Aztek holdouts--although it's yet to get 100,000 miles on it).
Tim is pretty used to me trying to shoot photos up through the sunroof (I almost always make him drive over bridges so I can take pictures), but I don't think he'd endorse driving and snapping at the same time.

[Ronda]

Thanks for the photos and the info. I found your page while researching where the street name 'Wilco' came from. Your thoughts re the air force station seem reasonable. I had thought it was from the old lumber company WILce COmpany - but your explanation is just as good. Thanks.

[Dominique King]

Ronda-
It was my best guess anyway :)
There is also a Wilce Street in Empire, so I assumed that was named for whoever owned the lumber company....and had to come up with another possible explanation for the name Wilco.

[John Griffith]

As a former airman attached to Empire AFS for over two years, I can confirm that the name of the road did, in fact, come from radio R/T. Spending over two years near the tourist capitol of Michigan at Uncle Sam's expense was fantastic. We were as good a group of airman as you will ever find, and we knew when we had it good! Now shut down and used solely by the FAA, most of the buildings we knew have been torn down so it's just not the same spot anymore. It is also HQ for maintenance for the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore Park. What a great place to be a young man!

[Dominique King]

Thanks for stopping by, John!

It's good to know that my guess about the name was correct. What a great place to spend a couple of years :)