Not every city is a tourist mecca

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Sometimes while traveling, one just has to search a little harder to find a trail to hike, an interesting place to visit and tasty ice cream to enjoy.  Saginaw, MI is one of those places.  Driving to Saginaw was a little rough what with the thunderstorms, rain, and fog.  We made it though.

View along a highway in Ohio in the rain.

At first we drove out of Saginaw looking for something to do.  Sanilac is along the Lake Huron coast and even has a lighthouse - now privately owned.  



Michigan has more farmland than we thought.
We drove to a touristy town about 25 miles away - Frankenmuth (English translation is courage of the Franconians).  As you can see by the pictures, the storefronts take on a Bavarian flair.  So does the food.

Frankenmuth boasts that is has the world's largest Christmas store.  I will admit it was huge with a wide assortment of decorations.  There were lots of Christmas statues outside including the immense Santa in the picture below.
The picture below includes a Harry Potter Christmas village.

We next drove to Bay City which is not too far from Saginaw to hike along the river.  Along the trail, we dodged a lot of goose poop.  Lol! It was worth it to watch the bridge rise to allow a sightseeing boat to pass.
We decided to look harder for things to do in Saginaw.  We hiked a river walk and found a cute little pond with a walking trail and beach not too far from our hotel.  The animal you see in the water is a muskrat.  Did you know that a muskrat can swim underwater for 12-17 minutes without coming up for air?  Michigan Catholics are allowed to eat muskrats on Friday during Lent. The practice began in the 1700s because food and nutrition were scarce.  Growing up many years later in Illinois, I am glad that my family continued to avoid meat (and muskrat) on Fridays as good Catholics. Some people claim muskrat tastes like duck, while others claim muskrat tastes like muskrat!  Feel free to try one sometime and let us know what you think.  We have chosen not to try that particular delicacy!
We did find some good places to eat and try local craft beer in Saginaw.  Harvey's Bar and Grill had excellent food and some tasty Michigan beer.
Of course, we had to stop at Culver's for frozen custard.  It was much better than the ice cream we tried in Frankenmuth.

We leave for Wisconsin on Friday with a stop in Escanaba, MI for a couple of nights.  We will see Donna's cousin Lorene who lives nearby with her husband.  On the way, we will cross the Mackinac Bridge, which is the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

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