Michigan

Although I have spent time in other states, there is only one that I have ever called home. Michigan is a beautiful and unique state due to the fact that it is not only a peninsular State, but also a double peninsula. Michigan has rolling hills and cliffs, waterfalls and caves. Back when Native Americans were the only ones living there, Michigan was thought of by them as the place where the Great Spirit resided, that’s how special the place was to them. Many of the towns, villages, counties and cities in Michigan still bear Indian names.

Michigan seems to carry an ambiance about it that you just can’t find anywhere else. You can see it in the trees, and rivers, lakes and streams. You can see it in the Great Lakes themselves. Michigan is called the Great Lake State because of those giant lakes that are really closer to fresh-water seas. It is also called the Wolverine State, which is unusual because as far as I know, there have never been Wolverines in Michigan, at least not for a very long time.

Michigan is most famous for its upper peninsula land marks, and for its famous bridge, the Mackinac Bridge.(pronounced Mackinaw) It is also well-known for its historic island that is famous for having stopped time. On Mackinaw Island, there are no motorized vehicles whatsoever. Horse-drawn carriages abound, as do bicycles. People also tour the eight mile island on foot, stopping here and there to buy souvenirs or fudge, ice cream and other sweets from the shops located there.

But Michigan is not just about the tourist attractions, it is also about the simple things, the beauty around us that we typically don’t appreciate except in our quiet moments. Everything just seems more lovely in Michigan somehow, as if God were smiling down on her from Heaven above. I don’t know exactly what it is, certainly not the weather with its wild extremes, or its landscape which probably looks like practically every other landscape on the planet.

It’s just special, ask anyone who lives there. Ask a Looper (Lower Peninsulan) and he will tell you all the great stuff from the lower half of the state, like the skiing in the winter, waterskiing in the summer, the parks for camping, the multitudes of lakes for summer fun, the splendor of the changing seasons. Likewise, ask an Upper-Pupper (Upper Peninsulan) and he will direct you to dozens of waterfalls, cliffs, caves, old mines and casinos.

Yes, Michigan is unique and beautiful, and full of history. She is the birthplace of the automobile, and still manufactures them in multiple cities around the state. She is also the birthplace of Motown and a lot of famous celebrities have come out of Michigan. There is simply no other state quite like it.