MICHIGAN:
THE GREAT LAKES STATE
BY CLAY LARROY
Leisure
travel is a wonderful experience that everyone
should have in their lifetime. Even business travel can be made enjoyable.
There are some aspects of travel that can detract from your enjoyment. When planning to fly for a trip, don't forget
any frequent flier miles you might have racked up. It does you no good to hang
onto those once you've already gone on your big vacation. Even if you don't
have enough miles to cover the whole trip, many airlines will allow you to
discount your rate using your miles. When you want to plan a vacation contact me!
Michigan
The
northern state of Michigan consists of two peninsulas that extend into the
Great Lakes, actually touching four out of five of the magnificent bodies of
water that contain 80 percent of the United States' fresh water. Michigan's Lower
and Upper Peninsulas are divided by Lake Michigan and linked by one of the
longest suspension bridges in
the world,
stretching across the Straits of Mackinac. The glorious freshwater shoreline, extending
for 3,000 miles (4,828km), is also made up of Lake Superior, Lake Huron and
Lake Erie. In Michigan you're never more than six miles (10km) from a river or
stream, and never more than 85 miles (137km) from one of the Great Lakes,
making
the state
an obvious favorite with boaters. Most of Michigan is well forested, with the
Upper Peninsula home to a variety of wildlife, and boasting trout fishing
lodges and winter ski resorts. The southern part of the Lower Peninsula is
mainly characterized by rural farmlands and industry, but the west coast offers
several popular beach resorts.
With all
this water and forest, hunting, fishing and sailing are major draw cards for
sportsmen in Michigan, but the other main attraction in the state is its large
industrial city, Detroit, birthplace of the motor car: the city that put the world
on wheels. The legendary names of the original automobile manufacturers like
Ford and Chevrolet still resound
loudly in Detroit, which offers numerous institutions and attractions paying
homage to the car. It is a gritty, fascinating city, hit hard by economic woes
in the past decade but with a resilient character that keeps its population
famously proud despite recent hardship.
Although it
is the spot where the development of Michigan truly began back in 1701, when it
was founded as a trading post, Detroit is not the capital. The attractive
Victorian State Capitol stands in Lansing, chosen in 1879 for its location in
the center of the Lower Peninsula, which made it less vulnerable to invasion by
British forces from
Canada.
Back then Lansing was a simple sawmill settlement, but today it is home to
about 120,000 residents and vies with Detroit as a major motor manufacturing center.
Climate for Michigan
The Great
Lakes influence the climate in Michigan by generally warming the winters and
cooling the summers, creating more moderate temperatures in relation to nearby
regions, but that doesn't mean that the winters are mild. The lakes also create
more humidity and moisture throughout the year. Snowfall is heavy in winter and
Lake Erie is
often iced
over. The north of the state generally experiences cooler weather than the
south, but the climate in Michigan is unpredictable and changes rapidly,
particularly during the spring and autumn months. In mid-summer (July)
temperatures in Michigan can rise as high as 86°F (30°C), while in mid-winter
(January) temperatures
average
below freezing point.
REFERENCE
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I love the family values they have.
Ernie Harwell
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