Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:
Harpersfield Covered Bridge Metropark-I remember this bridge as being one of my favorites when we toured all of the covered bridges in Ashtabula County, Ohio. I liked seeing these recent images of this bridge from Deb and Bob at the TrekOhio blog.
World's First Chicago-Type Drawbridge Undergoing Repair in Bucktown-Check out Patrick's update about the ongoing repairs at this unusual "Chicago" bascule-type bridge on the Chicago Architecture blog. The bridge, named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as an Engineering Landmark and a Chicago Landmark by the city, is more than 100 years old. Check out Patrick's book, Chicago River Bridges, to learn more about this bridge and many others in the Windy City. Also check out my story about a bascule bridge in Ashtabula, Ohio and see an image of the bridge in action.
Historic Bridge Park: 5 Restored Truss Bridges in One Location-Check out one of the newest entries on my Midwest bucket list. Connie, Midwest Wanderer, writes about this unique park in Battle Creek, Michigan. I'm surprised I have yet to get to this place, but it is definitely on my need-to-see list on one of our next visits to the west side of the state! Meanwhile, is it any wonder that I own both the book about Chicago Bridges by Patrick T. McBriarty that I mentioned above, as well as Historic Highway Bridges of Michigan by Charles K. Hyde (a college prof who I had for several classes at Detroit's Wayne State University)?
Punderson Manor State Park Lodge: Beauty and History in Geauga County, Ohio-The Manor at Punderson State Park Lodge is another favorite destination. I spent several years attending a writers' conference here, so I'm well aware of the park and the manor's haunted history! I really enjoyed reading Karyn's story and seeing that the manor remains as beautiful and elegant as I remember it from my prior visits (see my stories at Midwest Guest and the Discover Ohio blog) and check out Karyn's story at the Sand and Snow...and Everywhere in Between! blog.
Remarkable Life, Tragic Death: Fairmount Boy James Dean-We had a chance to make a quick stop in Fairmount on our way home from Indianapolis earlier this summer and see the grave site and former high school of actor James Dean, so I was particularly interested to learn more about the legendary actor, his early life in this small Indiana town and his tragic death. Check it out at Jessica's Little Indiana blog.
From motorcycles to jelly beans: 7 cool things to see and do in Wisconsin-Check out Scott's list of quirky Wisconsin attractions at the Quirky Travel Guy blog. Not surprisingly, there are a few places on his list that are on our own Midwest bucket wish list--the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, the Jelly Belly tasting room in Pleasant Prairie and the State Capitol building in Madison, to name a few. Need more Wisconsin fun? Check out Scott's second list of quirky Wisconsin fun at the blog this month-Donut chickens, dinosaur bones and cheese koozies: Discovering the offbeat side of Kenosha, Wisconsin. I'm ready for trip to the Badger State soon!
Escape to Kelley's Island-We've visited Ohio's Lake Erie Shores and Island region multiple times, but we've yet to get to Kelley's Island. We did get a peek at some glacial grooves on nearby Gibraltar Island, but I understand that Kelley's Island is the place to really get a good look at this natural wonder.Check out Mike's story on the OHventures blog.
Bully! Theodore Roosevelt National Park a gem in North Dakota-We traveled out to Wyoming and Montana some years back, planning our drive to go through the Dakotas. We only planned to drive straight through North Dakota on our way west, but we decided to stop at this beautiful National Park and badlands...and decided that a few hours were not nearly enough time to spend here. We've always wanted to return to North Dakota to spend at least a few days out near the Teddy Roosevelt National Park, so I really enjoyed reading about Lisa and Tim's adventure there. Read about it at the Walking Tourists' blog.
Buhl Building by Wirt C. Rowland-Detroit has a lot of beautiful art deco-style buildings and skyscrapers, and while I see a lot of stories about places like the Guardian and Fisher buildings, the Buhl Building doesn't seem to get the same sort of attention. I remember being in the Buhl Building when I was heading over to tour the nearby Guardian Building and I remember thinking at the time that the vintage 1925 Buhl Building would be worth a separate trip to explore. Michael and Maya apparently felt the same way! Check out their story at the VisuaLingual blog about one of Detroit's lesser known architectural gems,
Marshall Carriage Company Ghost Tour in a Horse-Drawn Buggy-Getting in the mood for Halloween? Check out Connie's story about this ghostly tour of haunted homes in Marshall, Michigan on The Midwest Wanderer blog.
That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?
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