Michigan by the Numbers

The timing of my M-18 drive was due to my proximity to the area, on a wintry early Spring day. I also had to make the undesired decision to go solo. We've got a lot of ground to cover . . . so it was "Make it so!" when the opportunity presented itself.  This 77-mile highway begins, on the southern end, in the orbit of the rural area surrounding Midland and Mount Pleasant. It goes the entire north-south length of two counties. The southern half is dominated by farms and farming communities. By the time you get to the northern end, the farms are gone and it's all national forest. The weather mostly cooperated, with the occasional squall that severely limited visibility. I had hoped to make a couple of lengthy stops, perhaps have lunch in Roscommon. But the three or four towns along the way seemed mostly "closed for the season." With the weather being uncertain, I opted to focus on completing the drive, and spending a little more time when I come bac...

#showup I have been using this hashtag more and more recently. I like it. It's something that we need more of. We are stuck in our comfort zones. We affiliate with people "like us," but in the early 21st Century we've taken it to a dangerous extreme: we only affiliate with people that think like us. We've gotta show up in places where we are rarely found: Family Reunions, in Church or any spiritually-expanding setting, at youth events, at our own family dinner table . . . or how about in a neighborhood where you can really do some good? How about with people with different politics than you? This is the purpose behind the Connect Michigan project. And so far I have enjoyed seven day trips in our state, with a friend that expanded my horizons and understanding. She is taking a break from the project, which has left me in a search for new traveling companions(s). For today's ride, I invited someone that has modeled "showing up" my entire life: ...

I have a major announcement to make.  My excellent companion, Karla, has decided to take a break from the Connect Michigan project. I will miss our conversations and long drives. But the program must move forward.  The idea is that two diverse people should ride for hours, in a car, discovering all of Michigan by way of traveling our extensive state highway system. We would be forced to talk, and listen, and gain perspective. It beats the heck out of trying to solve problems on Facebook.  Read this . I don't know if I'm a Liberal. I know I'm a classic Liberal. I'm certain that I am a Progressive in the mold of Teddy Roosevelt. I read a good quote by Rutherford Hayes, in which he stated that he is a radical in goals, but Conservative in tactics. That comes close. For this project, I do need a Liberal companion to get the full benefit of the project. It's because I find myself defending the Conservative position . . . I understand it and mean it...

It was our first venture into long, flat, monotonous stretches of farmland. It was also our first day-trip in Eastern Standard Time. We knew we had to get moving, and keep moving, before the sun got too low. We combined our two longest drives so far, each about 75 miles long, into one single outing. And . . . it was our first time out in chilly conditions. All of these factors combined to make a trip that was perhaps a little too rushed, with not enough time to stop and explore. But there were some very cool highlights. We saw enough to get ideas for future drives along intersecting east-west routes . . . and we crossed plenty of them! We also confirmed that Karla and I can drive for hours and not get on each other's nerves. This is a huge prerequisite moving forward. Each trip develops it's own theme. And this one turned out to be: convenience stores . We found ourselves touching on topics that were a little more heated, a little more exercised, than ever before. But tha...

After a long break, Karla and I finally got another daytrip on the books. And it was the usual great experience. We still needed to cover one state highway in Michigan, M-6 , to complete the first ten state highways. All of them so far have been in the City of Detroit. But today was a long day-trip to Grand Rapids. While we were there, we moved on to M-11 , which also goes through the Grand Rapids area. Our drive today would have the added value of testing whether or not Karla and I could stand each other if we were in the same car for six hours. We could. Going in, I knew a few things about Grand Rapids. It is the second largest city in the state, and thus the artistic and industrial hub for the entire region. It is the world headquarters for the office furniture industry. It also is a major center for the Christian Reformed Church, mostly originating from Holland. As such, you see plentiful names of obvious Dutch origin. And, it is the birthplace of the Amway Corp. Gran...

I've got a dozen or so very important, and wonderful friends and family members, that get on me about my Facebook posts. They push back. They tell me to stay away from politics. They tell me I do too much multi-tasking on Facebook. They say I should limit it to three posts a day, and none at all about anything even remotely political or controversial. They complain that I don't listen, or that I always criticize (when I am just being devil's advocate or disagreeing). These people are important to me. Occasionally, I will take down a thread entirely, if by their response I can tell it was a "miss." One of my closest life friends, since 6th grade, 45 years ago, has been particularly irritated at me for over a year. The political climate has pushed her to the Left, like . . . all the way to the Left (as far as I am concerned). But I am a passionate believer in the Center. To me, the Center is highly principled. It is very narrow ground. It is a high-level concept. ...

Our day-trips throughout the State of Michigan are a feel-good project. We're looking for the good, everywhere we go. We're building connections, creating friendships, listening, understanding, laughing, learning. Speaking for myself, our mission is to stay away from the inflammatory, divisive issues plaguing the nation. But when there is a tragic incident, involving an inappropriate response from law enforcement/public safety officials, occurring at an intersection that Karla and I just traveled a week or two before, it is not something we can turn away from. The question becomes: how to respond, without stirring up partisan strife? The story in question is in this morning's Free Press. I'm a rural guy learning to trust and enjoy the city: all of it. I believe the answer is in making connections, getting near other people, "showing up." But now, a teen aged boy that I might have waved at last week, as we drove down Gratiot, is no more. Also this m...