Little River Casino Resort and RV Park, Manistee, Michigan
Give praise to the LORD, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done! Psalm 105:1
You only have to travel with us for half a day today, since we didn’t leave home until after lunch. It was another beautiful day, but quite breezy! We decided to visit a couple of things we’d missed the other day, like . . .
that lighthouse we couldn’t get to because we were on the wrong side of the river. The wind must have been blowing just the right way today, because we didn’t get even a drop of water on us, and from here, we could tell that the water was much calmer on the other side where we got so wet the other day.
How long do you think those gulls remained on the beach with Blaine around?
There’s the Lion’s Park.
The sand encroaches everywhere – including the Coast Guard station.
This is the catwalk they built so the keeper could get to the light in inclimate weather.
But . . . but . . .
I wanna walk across it! (footstomp)
We thought we could go see the old boat, but I guess not . . .
Well, there they go again. . .
Then, it was the Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary. We’re not birders, but we do appreciate their beauty and songs. They just don’t sit well for pictures. Anyway, the reason we’re here isn’t for the birds. We’re here to see their Champion sequoia! They have another Champion tree as well, a sycamore maple, but it was the thought of actually seeing a sequoia that sent us here.
Goldenrod, goldenrod and more goldenrod!
Any allergy paradise!
Fortunately, neither of us are blessed with that infirmity.
Our trail led us to the beach for a short walk along the shore of Lake Michigan.
It seems the deer come here too!
Too bad we missed ’em!
Awwwww . . . .
I found the heart-shaped rock and my romantic husband put it to good use. : )
Our 40 year anniversary is coming up really soon!
We passed a woman on the beach carrying a large bucket. She was picking up some pretty hefty stones.
We met up with her again when we left the beach, so I asked her about them.
“They” collect them, paint them and send them overseas to the servicemen because there aren’t any rocks there – just sand.
Very nice – – but mailing rocks must cost a fortune!
Anyway, this rock at the trailhead is a sample – – much smaller than the rocks she was lugging around.
Can we go find the tree now???
We found it!!
The only pine cones in the pot were old and soggy. : (
Just look at the size of that tree! Sure looks taller than 95′!
Wandering around the grounds looking for the other Champion.
How cool! Little flowers growing in the center of the big flower! God is amazing!
And there it is – –
The Champion Sycamore Maple.
Don’t suppose this is the kind Zacchaeus climbed . . .
There’s the branches of the Maple
And by the way, just what is a “Champion” tree anyway? Here’s what I found at statebystategardening.com:
In 1940, American Forests, a Washington, D.C.-based, non-profit forest conservation group, began a program called the National Register of Big Trees. The biggest trees on that list are declared Champion Trees. Every year they post a list of the national champions by species. Almost every state in the union has its own Champion Tree program from which the National Register of Big Trees draws the national champions.
To be considered a “big” tree or Champion, someone has to nominate it. The nominator takes measurements and sends them to the local program coordinator. The coordinator then comes out to certify the measurements and compares the tree to other Champions by species and region. There are several reasons for this. Success for the tree is making use of its resources and reproducing. A live oak that is 70 feet tall and 4 feet in diameter requires several decades of growth to reach this size. A water oak might achieve this size in just 40 to 60 years (if it survives to that age). Other nomination considerations are the natural range and environment for that species. The southern live oak is unlikely to be long-lived and large north of USDA Zone 7, but the water oak ranges much farther north, and is more able to withstand winter and dryer weather. Go even farther north though, and the water oak becomes a short-lived runt compared to other more northerly adapted trees such as willow oaks or red oaks.
After reading this, I guess we should have been more impressed with the maple tree. 😊
Next, we went in search of a street reportedly lined with willow trees, and we found it! Although it wasn’t exactly like I had envisioned (different type of willows than we’re used to), it was still really pretty, and reminded us of when we drove into Magnolia Gardens this past Fall.
Since we’d seen that the water was calmer on the other side, Blaine wanted to revisit that breakwall by the lighthouse. As we approached, we noticed low-soaring vultures over the area. It was pretty obvious there was something dead ahead. Hmmm . . .
What’s for lunch??
Of course, they took off as we approached.
Ewwwww . . . .
Guess it’s fish for dinner today!
But look how clean this thing is picked. Incredible!
I think I see why they leave the head – – just look at those teeth!
Eyouch!!
Since the waves were down, we were able to walk out to the light station. What fun!
Remember when we were here the other day?
Roadblock!
I think the seagulls like it here.
My turn to chase them away! : )
Nice waves out here!
Time to head back . . .
And now we’re hungry and feeling like a good pizza.
Big Al’s is the place to go in Manistee. Since we were there in the middle of the afternoon, there weren’t many in the restaurant, but they were still busy with quite a few take-out orders. Pizza and wings – – what a great combination! This place uses the most toppings we’ve ever encountered! Too bad they let the pizza sit while they cooked the wings (we’re assuming), because it got cold pretty fast, and we don’t do cold pizza. But that’s probably a blessing in disguise as it forced us to put our gluttonous tendencies on hold.
Now, how to walk off some of that dinner?
Back to the Casino – – this time there are pictures!
That’s the outdoor pool and hot tub.
The tub’s on the other side of that low beige wall.
The indoor pool and hot tub
They even have a shower area in the hallway outside the indoor pool.
Of course, it’s open and in the hallway, but I suppose you could use it if you wanted . . . .
The Courtyard
Beautiful area!
As you can see, it’s more overcast now . . .
There were three of these firepits going with no one around to use them.
Too bad. They’re really nice areas!
Maybe people will show up later.
The rug had to be custom made because that circle is the Little River Band Seal.
And see that wall to the right? It’s made from real birch bark.
The Courtyard from inside.
It wasn’t nearly as dark as this picture makes it look out there. : )
Blaine – always looking at construction – found this hidden gem.
They were supposed to cut off the conduit before they ran the wires.
They didn’t, and now the top won’t go on. Ooops!
This taxidermied display was phenomenal!
Pictures just don’t do it justice!
It was done by a place called “Legends”. They have a showroom you can visit. Maybe one day . . .
They have a museum in here too.
And after our walk around, we headed back home, changed into our suits and went swimming – in all four of their pools and hot tubs! Shockingly, we had the place all to ourselves for most of our time there!
A beautiful way to end our day! And right outside our front door too!