Oh, the Places I’ve Been

I’ve done a fair amount of travelling in my 67 years of life. I’ve been in 43 of the 50 states…the states I haven’t been in include Alabama, Alaska, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oregon, Hawaii and Maine. I’ve lived in Michigan my entire life and I would say I’ve probably been in almost every county in the state. With apologies to Dr. Seuss, instead of Oh, the places you’ll go…here is oh, the places I’ve been:

Heading to Traverse City in 1909 Model T Ford with George Poy riding shotgun.

International Travel: Foreign Study League trip with my French teacher and six students to France (Thonon-Les-Bains on Lake Geneva), Italy (Rome) and Monaco the summer of 1968, the summer before my sophomore year in high school; Senior Spring Break trip to Nassau Bahamas (1971); Freeport Bahamas, Claudia and I were hired to be chaperones for a large group of Andover senior students (1988); Vancouver BC (twice) once for sightseeing and once for my son Eric’s wedding (2018); Montreal and Quebec, a trip taken when I was a little kid…I’ve seen the photos but I don’t remember the trip; Toronto (twice)…one time for my honeymoon (1978) and second time with my boyz and Claudia to see the Hockey Hall of Fame; Backpacking trip with Adam’s Boy Scout troop on the Bruce Trail in Ontario. One day in Tijuana Mexico during a family trip out west in 1957. Several trips into Windsor, Ontario across the bridge and through the tunnel between Detroit and Windsor.

Colorado Solo Trip (1973-age 20): Heard John Denver’s song Rocky Mountain High and decided I wanted to “come home to a place I’d never been before”. I threw my 10 speed bike on a train in Ann Arbor and took it to Denver. It took two days but I rode my bike to Estes Park and camped in Rocky Mountain National Park. I climbed Flattop Mountain (12362 feet) and got my Rocky Mt. high with a view from the top. I rented a car and drove to Crested Butte where they filmed the movie Snowball Express. Oh, and I bought my first can of Coors.

Colorado (other trips): Hiked up to summit of Long’s Peak (14,259 feet) with friends; Hiked up to Colorado’s tallest mountain, Mt. Elbert (14,439 feet); Tour of Coors beer plant; Water World water park; Durango to Silverton train ride; Pike’s Peak; Rocky Mountain National Park; Estes Park;

Lake Michigan beaches in Ferrysburg, Traverse City, Muskegon. SUNSETS!

S.S. Badger Lake Michigan people and car ferry, Ludington to Manitowoc Wisconsin. Took the ferry with the boyz in the 90’s.

Mackinac Bridge: Walk across the bridge on Labor Day with my brother Tom and my son Eric…five mile walk.

Mackinac Island: Been there at least 5 times, stayed in the Grand Hotel three times, most recently in 2018.

Isle Royale National Park: Went with my family in the 50’s…don’t remember too much because I was a little kid.

Disneyland: Trip with family in late 1957…driving a Chevy Nomad back in the day before interstate expressways.

Walt Disney World: Went with my parents in Spring of 1972, six months after it opened. Took our boys there for a February break trip. Went to Universal Studios in the Orlando area on the same trip.

Toronto: One night honeymoon at the Royal York (1978), a second trip with the boyz going up to the top of the CN Tower and visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame.

New York City: At least five trips there, seeing Ground Zero, NBC Studio Tour, Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Ed Sullivan Theater (Late Night with David Letterman Show), Central Park, Strawberry Fields (John Lennon memorial), Broadway shows Beatlemania and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Matthew Broderick), Catch a Rising Star comedy club, MTV Studios. On one trip, I ran into David Letterman on the street walking into the Ed Sullivan Theater. Had tickets to his show that night…his guest was Bill Cosby.

Indy 500: At least four races, one as early at 1972 (1984, 1994), in seats my Dad got right after WWII. My brother Tom was a HUGE Indy 500 fan and went every year…one year I went with Tom, Adam and Eric…so fun!

Cedar Point and Sea World: Both in Sandusky Ohio area, went several times with Adam, Eric and Eric’s friends.

Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: In Cleveland, went with my boyz and one trip with my WBFH students where we stayed overnight and got to broadcast live from their radio studios…so cool!

Niagara Falls, New York (US side); Tahquamenon Falls located near Lake Superior in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Both worth seeing!

Las Vegas: Several trips there, most for conventions, once for pleasure. Stayed at the Mirage, Paris, and Stratosphere.

Seattle: Three times, once for a conference, two to see my son Eric who lived north of Seattle in Bellingham, WA. Went up to the top of the Space Needle, went to Pike Place Market and saw them throw the fish around.

Vancouver, BC, Canada: My son Eric and his wife Cheryl live there. Went to Stanley Park on one trip, also Granville Island, Grouse Mountain.

Washington DC: Walked around, saw the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the spot where Dr. Martin Luther King gave his Dream speech, the National Air and Space Museum, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Smithsonian, US Capitol.

San Antonio: Saw the Alamo, of course, and did the whole Riverwalk experience.

New Orleans: There for a radio conference…did check out the French Quarter.

Atlanta: My son Adam and his wife Sarah live in the Atlanta area. Was there for their wedding. Took CNN Studio Tour, the World of Coca Cola, Georgia Aquarium, Varsity Restaurant, Stone Mountain Park.

Ground Zero, New York City and Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA: Every American should see these memorials…very moving!

Gettysburg: Every American should see Gettysburg too. So rich in history. Hard to imagine what happened there.

Mall of America, Bloomington MN: Was in the Twin Cities for a conference, took the family and just had to go see the largest mall in the US. Plus Camp Snoopy, a seven acre amusement park located in the center of the Mall.

Mt. Rushmore: Twice, once on a family trip and the second when Eric, Adam and I drove from Michigan to Bellingham Washington.

Pictured Rocks: Backpack trip with my son Adam’s Boy Scout troop to this park in Upper Peninsula. We did another one in Canada…can’t remember the name of the park.

Tombstone Arizona: Had to see where the Gunfight at the OK Corral took place.

Chicago/Naperville: Attended radio conferences in Chicago when I was in college. Made quite a few trips to North Central College in Naperville for the national high school radio awards…bringing students for an overnight field trip. Fun stuff to see and do there include Navy Pier, Museum of Broadcast Communications (home of the National Radio Hall of Fame), WGN Radio, Tour of Chicago Tribune (thanks to Dan Ellman), Millennium Park, Harry Caray Restaurant, the Magnificent Mile, Chicago pizza, dinner with radio legend John Records Landecker.

Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee: Pretty fun for a family trip.

Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania: Trip with the wifey to Honeymoon Heaven…wasn’t so heavenly.

Mammoth Cave National Park: In central Kentucky, a trip made when I was a little kid…don’t remember too much about it.

Camp Chickagami, a summer camp near Alpena Michigan run by the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. I attended the camp (a 7 day session) a few times and it was fun…maybe not as fun as the movie Meatballs, but fun.

Marquette, Michigan, home of Northern Michigan University where I attended basketball camp in the summer of 1969 with Paul Denzer when we were in high school. In the summer of 1970, I attended the Dave Strack Basketball School at Concordia College in Ann Arbor. Strack was the University of Michigan basketball coach from 1960-68.

Two interesting trips, one Bloomfield Hills to Traverse City and the other Bloomfield Hills to Sault Ste. Marie in the UP. The trip to TC was made in a 1909 Model T Ford with my friend George Poy riding shotgun…see photo in this blog. The other trip we made in a 1912 Model T Ford also with George as navigator. Both trips were made to a motel where the old car club held it’s week long tour of the area. For the second trip, we had to cross the Mackinac Bridge…twice! After the week was over, we drove the cars back to Bloomfield Hills. Fun, fun, fun, til Daddy took the car away.

Trip to Los Angeles with some guys I worked with at the summer day camp at West Hills, summer of 1975. One of the guys (Jeff Waalkes) used to live in the LA area and had friends there we could stay with. Driving our family passenger van, we headed west and, alternating drivers, got to LA and stayed in a house in Pasadena. Someone there had a connection at NBC and we got to tour the NBC Studios and see areas most tourists don’t get to see. I got to sit in Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show desk. I saw Sanford and Son in rehearsal. We went on the set of this new TV show entitled Welcome Back Kotter with comedian Gabe Kaplan. We met some of the Sweathogs, including the guy who played Vinnie Barbarino…John Travolta! He wasn’t famous yet…his star was still rising. Cool, very cool! We then drove up the California coast to San Francisco and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge.

Favorite sports “places” in Michigan in no particular order: Sporting events held in Tiger Stadium (Tigers, Lions), Cobo Arena (Pistons), Olympia Stadium (Red Wings), Silverdome (Lions, Pistons, Pro Soccer), Palace of Auburn Hills (Pistons, Vipers hockey), Ford Field (Lions, High School Football), Joe Louis Arena (Red Wings), Comerica Park (Tigers), Kelly/Shorts Stadium (CMU football), Finch Fieldhouse (CMU basketball), Rose Center (CMU basketball), Spartan Stadium (MSU football), Munn Ice Arena (MSU hockey), Jenison Field House (high school basketball), Breslin Center (MSU basketball, High School basketball) , The Big House (UM football), Yost Ice Arena (UM hockey), Crisler Center (UM basketball), Fifth Third Ballpark (Whitecaps baseball), Van Andel Arena (Griffins hockey), L.C. Walker Arena (Lumberjacks hockey), Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club (Buick Open, PGA tour event), Oakland Hills Country Club (US Open 1996, PGA Championship 2008, US Amateur 2002), TPC Michigan, Dearborn (Ford Senior Players Championship, Champions Tour Golf).

Favorite “places” in Michigan in no particular order: Frankenmuth, Zehnders chicken dinner, Bronners, Mackinac Island, Grand Hotel, The Henry Ford/Greenfield Village, Boblo Island, Boblo boat ride, Fox Theater, HockeyTown Cafe, Greektown restaurants and casino, Dow Gardens, Meijer Gardens, Detroit Zoo, John Ball Zoo, Detroit Auto Show, Autorama, Woodward Dream Cruise, Traverse City, Bowers Harbor Restaurant and Bowers Harbor Vineyards, Mackinac Bridge, Tahquamenon Falls, Red Wings Championship parades, Pistons Championship parades, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Hot Air balloon ride with my brother Tom, 4th of July Fireworks over Detroit river, kayaking/walking/biking at Kensington Metropark, canoeing on Au Sable River, Badger ferry across Lake Michigan, Ferrysburg Lake Michigan beach.

Article about the Foreign Language League six week trip the summer of 1968, the summer before I started high school. My French teacher at West Hills Jr. High, Ms. Schwalm, was the chaperone of the trip and as you can read, the trip got off to a crazy start. We flew into Geneva airport and then went to Thonon, France for the first three weeks. Then we took a train to Rome, Italy which was cool, then to Monaco and finally to Antibes, France on the French Riviera, with a view of the Mediterranean Sea. We took tours to museums, wineries, perfume factories and castles. The article mentions a side trip to Paris but that did not happen. I’m so grateful to my parents for paying for me to go on this study trip…it was a great experience for me! It’s been my only trip across the pond…don’t think I’ll ever go to Europe again.

Mackinac Bridge walk certificate in 1999 with Eric, who was 9 (and sick), and Uncle Tom.

With my friend Tony May in the Colorado Rocky Mountains in the 70’s.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve ever had in my life was climbing to the top of Longs Peak located in Rocky Mountain National Park, elevation 14,255 feet. Tony May was with me when we made this climb in the mid-70’s getting on the trail by 4:30 a.m. to we could get to the summit before noon and head back down before afternoon storms came through. The trail was OK until we got past the tree line and then the trail was marked by painted dots on the rocks which lead you to the top. Awesome view from the top! George Poy bought this marker (really a paperweight) to remember the achievement…thanks George!

With Jimmy Mac (Jim McCormick) rafting through Brown’s Canyon on the Arkansas River near Royal Gorge in mid 70’s…what a rush!

Rafting with the McCormick family on a Arkansas River.

A big part of my life growing up in Bloomfield Hills had to do with my Dad’s old car collection. Once we moved to Franklin and built an old car garage (the carriage house), my Dad was able to collect even more cars. Cars I remember include: 1909 Model T Ford, 1911 Model T Ford, 1912 Model T Ford, 1901 Curved Dash Oldsmobile, 1909 Renault, Maxwell, Cadillac, Buick, 1930 Model A Ford, 1910 Oakland. We were members of several local, state and national old car organizations. The national club was the Veteran Motor Car Club of America, VMCCA. The Great Lakes Region car club offered a one week tour every summer somewhere in the Great Lakes area. We went on those tours every summer starting in 1960 when I was seven years old. Those tours became our family vacations. Pictured here is the plaque from the 1972 Great Lakes Region Tour held in Sault Ste. Marie July 30-August 4. My parents were the directors of this tour and I helped with some of the organization of the week events. I also will note that I drove a Model T Ford from Bloomfield Hills to the Sault for the tour. George Poy was with me. We drove over the Big Mac Bridge to the Upper Peninsula and then to our hotel…crazy! But fun!

Attended this camp with my good friend Paul Denzer the summer before our junior year.

Attended this basketball camp the summer before my senior year. Dave Strack was the University of Michigan basketball coach until 1968 when Johnny Orr took over. Dick Honig and Fred Snowden were assistant basketball coaches at UM. George Pomey was a former UM player, he was on the 1965 team that went to the NCAA final and lost to UCLA 91-80.