TAKIN BETZ: MAGICAL MICHIGAN

A sure sign that summer is ending up here! The ice cream shop outside of the campground has closed for the season. We're waiting to see if it will open on the weekends, but don't hold high hopes!

Campground is fairly empty and Friday there are 35 check ins which is less than half the campground. Expect a few quiet weekends before we leave!

NAVAL MUSEUM IN MUSKEGON -- USS SILVERSIDES

Another beautiful day in Magical Michigan with temperatures in the low 70’s, sunny skies and soft breezes off Lake Michigan. This afternoon we visited the Submarine Museum located across the Ships Channel from the campground but 17 miles away because there are no bridges here!

Alongside the dock was the USS Silversides, a World War II Submarine as well as the Coast Guard Cutter McLane.

USCGS McLane was built commissioned in 1927 designed and built to hunt rum runners and bootleggers along the US coastline during prohibition era. She also participated in WWII activites. This museum has a camping program where groups of kids can camp on the USS Silversides or the USCGS McLane for the night.

What a cool thing for a scout troop or any group of kids to do!

The USS Silversides, a Gato-class submarine was launched in 1941. She received 12 battle stars for WWII service and the Presidential Unit Citation four times. The sub sank 23 ships and has the most prolific combat record of any still-extant American submarine.

USS FLIER

But the compelling story in the museum was of the USS Flier. In August 12, 1944, sailing for the coast of Indochina via a Lombok Strait, Macassar Strait and Balabac Straight, it struck a naval mine in the Balabac Straight and sank within a minute.

Thirteen officers and men were able to clamber out but only eight reached a beach of an uninhabited island after 17 hours in the water. They shared one coconut and pulled together a raft to make their way up the small island chain to the Mantangula Island. It took them three days in this raft hoping from one uninhabited island to the next. There they were found by the Philippine resistance who arranged a submarine pickup August 30-31^st. A survivor recorded the ordeal starting with the sinking of the USS Flier.

We walked around the museum with many exhibits of the crews who manned the USS Silversides as well as walls of photos of sailors who were “forever on patrol”. We decided not to go into the submarine as both of us had been in them before and, instead, walked the ships channel down to Lake Muskegon.

Along the way we spotted swans swimming through the channel. They were beautiful. There were a few fishermen out as the salmon are starting their run!

Thursday 9/6 - THE SALMON ARE RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES!

We went down to Laurie and Dale’s host site in the Channel Campground for dinner. After dinner we walked over to the Ships Channel to watch the sunset and I was absolutely amazed at the number of boats sitting out on the water at dusk.

The Coho Salmon are coming in from Lake Michigan, swimming the gauntlet up the Ships Channel across Lake Muskegon to the Muskgeon River to spawn.

WAITING FOR HIS FISH!

There were many, many fishermen out there ready to interrupt the Salmon’s travel plans. We could hear hooping and hollering as the fishermen reeled in the salmon.

Almost at the Lake Michigan end of the Ships Channel was a 15’ aluminum jon boat with five guys in it fishing and they were catching the salmon. We saw them catch one and it was larger than the fisherman’s upper body. Then a little while later they were hollering and netting in another one. We kept waiting for someone to fall out, but they seemed to have it together.