State Park #7: Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park - Mackinaw City, Michigan

Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park

Demonstration

Timber can help build and rebuild.  For history and adventure, visit the Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park in Mackinaw City Michigan.  Formerly called the Historic Mill Creek State Park, this park has rebuilt historical buildings and more.  Knowing that the rest of my Michigan itinerary listed multiple Mackinac State Historic Parks, my first task was to buy the Mackinac Family Heritage Pass for $85 at the visitor center.  The pass covers entrance fees for the entire family for one season.  I also paid the extra $9.50 per person for the Adventure Tour.  It includes zipline and if you compare prices vs. commercial ziplines, the park offers quite the deal.  If you don't buy the season pass, you'll also need to pay a $9 admission fee for the park per person.  The visitor center also provides a gift shop and short film "The Power of Water."

We arrived at the right time and season.  From May to September, you may see costumed interpreters who tell the history lessons.  Mill Creek established in 1790 to provide timber.  It operated as a farm and orchard too.  In 1984, the creek dam and sawmill was rebuilt and the park opened to the public.  The British workshop was rebuilt in 1994.  The Millwrights house was rebuilt in 2005.  We also timed the visit to see the pit saw method of cutting timber.  The speaker's enthusiasm and engagement of his audience made everyone want to listen and follow him.  We followed him right into the reconstructed sawmill and watched timber cutting using the power of water.

Educational Talk

The "more" refers to the adventure component of the park.  We all suited up for the bridge and zipline.  You'll see nature from up high as you walk across the Forest Canopy Bridge.  The bridge gives you a good view of others on the zipline too.  At 425 foot high, the Eagle Flight Zip Line provides a good thrill for teens and big kids too.  If your kids have not experienced a zip line, this provides a good introduction too.  You can watch your kids fly over the water from a viewing deck.  We heard a lot of laughter over the water too.

Zipline Survivor

The bridge to Zipline fun

The kids also wanted to climb the climbing wall.  The five-story Treetop Discovery Tower stands close to the zipline.  The kids raced to the top.  Before promising a climb up the wall, note the minimum 4 feet tall requirement and 50-250 pound requirement.

Don't stop walking once at the tower.  Hit the trails and you will gain the reward of an amazing view of Mackinac Bridge and Mackinac Island.  You can even see the Grand Hotel from the wooden deck.

 

Industrial Arts - Woodworking & Factory Tour

 If you visit the Netherlands, you will see a lot of wooden shoe gifts to purchase.  The citizens wore wooden shoes for centuries.  Wooden shoes had many advantages for gardening and outdoor wear - less expensive than leather at the time, insulated to keep feet cool in summer and warm and winter, protective if tool dropped, and water resistant.  When we visited Michigan with young kids, we visited a wooden shoe factory and watched the woodworking.  A later trip took us to another woodworking factory tour.

The largest wooden bowl factory actually resides in the United States, not the Netherlands.  I recommend you visit the Holland Bowl Mill in Holland, Michigan.  It first began as the Wooden Shoe Factory by Chester.  HBM began in 1984 and now led by Chester's great grandson.  It's now the largest commercial wooden bowl manufacturer in the country and you can take a tour.  We began by watching the Discover and Science Channels 'How It's Made" 2007 episode for background.  In the factory, we saw all the steps from cutting the fresh log wood to bowl blanks to bowl turning to smoothing.  Factory employees answered questions and we marveled at how one log could turn into multiple nested bowls.  It looked like a process minimizing waste.  Later research confirmed their zero waste philosophy.  The company demands select cutting, choosing larger trees (min. 16" diameter) to leave smaller trees to grow.  Hardwoods including cherry, walnut, beech, maple, and red oak grow and harvest from Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.  Leftover wood from bowls turn into other wood products such as cutting boards and utensils.  Shavings have a use as horse bedding.

After the tour, you can browse the company store.  While some discounts exist, don't expect cheap products.  These bowls are handmade with no seams or glue and protected with a mineral and bees oil preserver.  You can take care of your bowl with coconut oil.  Don't place your bowl in the dishwasher.  With so many unique bowls with different colors and grain patterns, it took time to choose just one.  They serve as heirloom gifts.  At no extra cost, I had a bowl engraved as a gift to my husband with our wedding date.  Holland Bowl Mill provides a lifetime guarantee for their products.

Thinking Global in the USA #6: Korean Spa (Niles, Illinois)

 

Korean Spa Entrance, Photo by Krenda

Where can you find a Korean experience in Chicago and also leave feeling relaxed?  Take a day to rejuvenate at the King Spa & Sauna in Niles, Illinois (Chicago suburbs).  I've been to Korea twice and not had time to visit a sauna.  You can do it in the United States and the largest Asian sauna resides in Niles.  

In Korea, I did learn that you need a swim cap to swim in the hotel pool and you should not wear your bathing suit in the communal bath within the locker room of your gender.  The spa section of King Spa & Sauna has access through your gender locker room.  It also does not allow you to wear your swimsuit.  You'll find multiple pools with varying water temperature from hot to warm to very cold.  If you visit with your kids, you may choose to skip the spa section, use the locker room to change to the spa uniform, and venture into the 9 sauna sections and/or movie theater.  The experience does not come cheap.  I recommend you look on Groupon for discounted price or H-Mart grocery store nearby.  Massage has additional cost and Base Rock room has an additional $5 fee.

Base Rock room is unique, but has an extra fee.  You can find such patented room by Mr. Ono only in Chicago, Dallas, and Japan.  You lie down on a bed made of special hot stone slab.  The mineral stone Siraka comes from Japan and said to help heal.  You'll also notice amethyst crystal and coal in the room design.  The heat, lights, and quiet atmosphere made it a relaxing place.  The rock is quite hot, so keep on your thick cloth mat or it may not feel so relaxing.

The Pyramid Room, shaped like a pyramid, gives you another way to experience heat healing.  At approximately 90 degrees, I did not find the heat too hot, so it felt relaxing to me.  In contrast, I dared to enter and quickly exited the Fire Sudatorium.  I should have noticed all the other patron's eyes on me when I voluntarily entered and that no one else sat in the room.  At a 165-170 degrees, I think most pass on this room.

At the other extreme, try the Ice Room.  While you may not spend significant time chilling, it does provide a refreshing contrast after the heat.

Bul Ga Ma, the room I repeatedly visited, intrigued me with the wall patterns and pile of hot bricks that move from an oven and into the room.

The Charcoal Room aesthetics also has beauty.  Besides the charcoal, it has many amethysts geodes displayed along the wall.  The purple, white, and black colors have a regal feel.

In case you haven't surrounded yourself with enough amethysts, go to the Amethyst Room which combines the stones known for healing with yellow soil. 

If searching for more baked dirt, head to the Ocher Room which also utilizes infrared rays.  The moderate temperature makes it easy to linger. 

To surround yourself with minerals, enter the Salt Room.  The facility claims the salt blocks are 350 million year old base rocks.

Animal Lesson #13: Wolf Park Howl Night in Indiana

Wolves have been featured as the bad character in children's stories, but kids certainly enjoy seeing the ancestors of domestic dogs.  Why not let them howl with the wolves?  You can make it happen by signing up for a Howl Night at Wolf Park in Lafayette, Indiana.  

Wolf Park employee at Howl Night

The program now costs approximately $12 per adult and $10 per child.  We may have paid more because our program also included a hot dog campfire dinner.  Our event occurred pre-COVID, so programs can change.  The 1.5 hour program now includes 30 minutes to walk the grounds and see all the animals in enclosures, followed by a one hour howl program with an educational talk and staff demonstrating how they communicate with wolves.  Everyone has an opportunity to howl from the stands.  All fees and gift shop purchases go to a good cause.  The Wolf Park operates as a non-profit and has a mission, dedicating the organization to behavioral research, education, and conservation.

Photo by Krenda

The park effort began back in the 1970's when Erich Klinghammer, Purdue University Professor, received wolves from the Brookfield Zoo to study communication and behavior.  Brookfield Zoo is another great place we've taken the kids for conservation education.

Wolves were once viewed as dangerous pesky predator and killed by humans.  A National Park Service employee thought he shot the last wolf in Yellowstone in 1926.  Adolph Murie did research on wolves and concluded that they played an important role in the ecosystem.  He note that wolves reduced the moose population and saved vegetation in Mount McKinley National Park.  In 1963, Starker Leopold wrote the Leopold Report recommending that predators and national processes play essential roles.  The government placed wolves under the protection of the Endangered Species Act in 1995.  Yellowstone National Park reintroduced wolves in 1995 and now the park has over 100 wolves.  Gray wolves increased elsewhere too.  The government delisted gray wolves from the list in 2020, but red wolves remain in smaller numbers and listed.

You don't need a full moon to hear wolves howl.  If you want to increase your odds of hearing the howl, visit at dawn or dusk.  That's likely why Wolf Park hosts Howl Night at dusk.  When the air cools, wolves increase their activity.  

Admiring the wolves

North America has two species of wolves - gray wolves with thick fur and found in the north and smaller red wolves with shorter fur found in the southeast.  Wolf Park has many gray wolves - 3 gray males named Mani, Aspen, and Niko, and 3 gray female wolves named Khewa, Sparow, and Timber.  Gray wolves could be gray in color or they could be black or white.  The gray wolf fur looked gorgeous and full when we visited in cool temperature.  These wolves could look different in the summer when wolves shed fur to keep cool.  Considering the multiple wolves at Wolf Park, you might hear a duet howl (two wolves) or chorus howl (three or more wolves).  In any case, you'll likely hear children howl.

Wolves live in packs.  Alpha males can be male or female and act as the leader of the pack.  If you want to see wolves in the wild, wolves also live at Isle Royale National Park (MN), Michigan Upper Peninsula, northern Rocky Mountains, and Wisconsin.  The United States will host the International Wolf Symposium in 2022 (Minneapolis, MN).

More than wolves at Wolf Park

We visited the Wolf Park to see wolves.  In touring the grounds, we delighting to discover other animals too including Jaker and Scarlette the red foxes, Lark and Kestrel the gray foxes, and 13 bison.  If your kids have interest in seeing more bison, search for my Bison article.

Big kids had fun too

Thinking Global in the USA #5: Korean Friendship Bell (San Pedro California)

Korean Friendship Bell, Photo by Krenda

Viewed by some Koreans as the West Coast Statue of Liberty, the Korean Friendship Bell in San Pedro California is a good place to talk to kids about the friendship between Korean and the United States. Korean bells were believed to have the power to restore peace.  It is fitting that the Korean Friendship Bell has an inscription "May this bell ring and sound forth the hope and resolve of our two nations in their common devotion to enduring prosperity, liberty, and peace."

The bell sits within a beautiful pavilion in a grassy area overlooking the Pacific Ocean and giving you a view of the Los Angeles harbor.  Drive to the Angel Gate Park in San Pedro.  You'll notice two totem poles with the artist name Jong-heung Kim.  After visiting, it inspired me to learn more.  Jong-heung Kim is a traditional Korean Totem Pole Master.  He presented his work to Queen Elizabeth II, President Bush, and President George W. Bush.  Korean traditional totem poles were meant to protect Korean villages against evil spirits or other disasters.  They don't tell stories, but also meant to bring good fortune.  One male with description 'Great General Under Heaven' and 'Great General Under Earth' make the park even more interesting.

The pagoda-like structure housing the bell was constructed by craftsmen in Korea.  The 12 columns represent the 12 designs of the Oriental Zodiac.  In 1976, both the pavilion and the bell were given to the people of Los Angeles from Korea for the U.S. Bicentennial.  By 1978, the bell was declared a Los Angeles Historic Monument.  The United States now has the second-largest Korean population living outside Korea.  China ranks #1.  Within the US, Los Angeles area has the highest population of Korean Americans, followed by New York City area.

When you approach the Belfry of Friendship Pavilion, the bell size will impress you at 7 feet high, 7.5 feet in diameter, and 17 tons in weight.  Patterned after the Bronze Bell of King Sondok which was cast in 1771 A.D, these bells are among the largest bells in the world.  In comparison, there's only one Korean Bell Pavilion on the East Coast, Korean Bell Garden in Virginia, and it weighs 3 tons.  The bell structure goes straight down versus curving outward and is rung by a log.  If you want to see the bell rung, you need to choose your visit to specific dates - 1) US Independence Day (July 4th), 2) National Liberation Day of Korea (August 15th), 3) New Year's Eve, 4) Constitution Week (September 17th), and Korean-American Day (January 13th).

Visiting this site won't take the entire day, so visit the nearby Marine Mammal Care Center and Point Fermin Lighthouse too.

World of Difference #3: Lambs Farm & Goat Yoga

Any age kids will enjoy Lambs Farm and your purchases will help a good cause.  Located in Libertyville, IL, Lambs Farm provides vocational and residential services for over 250 adults with developmental disabilities.  Founded in 1961, it already became the third most frequented visitor site in Lake County by the 1980s.  That's probably because of the good cause combined with family fun.  The site includes a petting zoo, small rides, and mini golf course perfect for the little kids.  The farm does include many animals including lambs, but that's not the origin of the farm name.  The name has religious meaning from John 21:15 in which Jesus tells St. Peter, "Feed my Lambs".

As a big kid, I find other ways to support this worthy cause.  I buy ice cream topping at the Sugar Maple Country Store, dog accessories at the Dogwood Pet Shop, donate to the Cedar Crest Thrift Shop, and enjoy lunch at the Magnolia Cafe & Bakery restaurant.  Yes, that's a lot of sites in one place.  It also has a greenhouse and store.  It's a 72 acre campus which also includes their housing.  Those living onsite are also the employees.  They have purpose and pride in their work and it shows.  I enjoy that I can visit with the same people weekend after weekend and see their smiles.

Lambs Farm also raises funds through events such as a golf outing.  I wanted to share my experience at a new event - Goat Yoga.  The instructor utilizes the Lambs Farm petting zoo location and class funds go to a good cause.  As a first time Goat Yoga participant, I was a little concerned that I've mastered no yoga pose.  No problem!  Our instructor made us all at ease, letting us know to have fun, play with the animals, and go ahead and laugh, it's all part of total wellness.  We all laughed at some point, usually when a goat tried to eat our yoga mat or get close to our face.  The Lambs Farm employees added more animals to the mix.  It was so fun to watch the young kids giggle.  According to the new brochures, Lambs Farm also added Puppy Yoga.  There's always something new at Lambs Farm.  

Check the Lambs Farm website for event schedule.  Take your whole family for the fun and support a great cause.  Who wouldn't want to hug a goat and give to a good cause?

If you are looking for more information about yoga, click on my article "Gym Class Little Yogis and 3 Yoga Festivals".

Lighthouse Lesson #10: Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro, California

Fermin Lighthouse, Photo by Krenda

You and your kids will enjoy the picture perfect lighthouse in San Pedro Point Fermin Park called Fermin Lighthouse.  A British explorer George Vancouver influenced the name.  He wanted to honor Father Fermin Francisco de Lausen and named Point Fermin and Point Lasuen.  The Stick Style early Victorian architecture with gabled roofs, decorative cross beams, and overhanging eaves makes the building so charming for photos.  Then you have the beautiful blooming gardens surrounding and a view of the ocean.

Historically, the lighthouse had great purpose to aid safe passage between the Channel Islands and into the harbor.  You should definitely take a tour to hear the stories.  You will learn about the first lighthouse keepers, sisters Mary and Ella Smith.  You can climb the winding steps and admire the ocean view and coastline in a tower standing 30 feet above ground.

Built in 1874, the lighthouse has a history of survival.  Twice saved by advocates from demolition.  Once the Fresnel Light taken off sight, missing, and later proven as the Fermin Fresnel light and returned to original location.  To avoid aiding our enemy submarines, ships, or planes, most lights on the west coast extinguished during World War II.  The Fermin lighthouse lights extinguished two days after the 1941 Pearl Harbor attacks.  The lighthouse and light keeps advocates taking action.  In 2002, the lighthouse was restored and it re-opened in 2003.  With generous donations, the park also grew over time and now covers 37 acres.

Time your visit right.  Lighthouse is closed on Mondays.  Tours given at three specific times of 1PM, 2PM, and 3PM.  Donation requested.  If you want to see other lighthouses with Victorian design, also consider visiting East Brothers (San Francisco Bay) and Hereford Light (New Jersey).

The lighthouse is a short drive from the Korean Friendship Bell which also has architectural interest and history, so read my story about our visit to the bell.