TRAVELING PURELY IN MICHIGAN

My job takes me through various Michigan counties and past some entertaining sights--some quirky sights--even some downright queer sights.  When I started work for this organization I lived in Petoskey and drove down to Kalkaska daily.  I began my drives pressed for time and just trying to figure out how quickly I could “make it” in the morning.  Fortunately, I soon figured out the maximum forgivable speed and avoided becoming a roadside spectacle interacting with the county enforcers. 

Speed, navigational and legal issues under control, I gloried in each morning's southward trek.  With the radio set to PBS, classical music synchronizing with waving fields of grass, pastoral scenes; cows, sleek horses, grazing sheep, were at one with the music.  As long as I left early enough to drive at a reasonable speed, the trip was relaxing and surreal in its beauty.

But every morning, after leaving the expanse of fields behind, I came upon notably odd local landmarks .  The shoe tree was one. What  strange tradition is this?  What do the Kalkaskian elves that decorate this tree look like? The shoe tree became the landmark, treemark sign that Kalkaska was near.  Another oddity; the huge elephant and his cronies; a giraffe and assorted animal statuary looming up suddenly made me laugh out loud every morning.  I wanted to stop and ask what they were all about but never did—so far.

  

Manly I

The evening ride home featured slow moving
traffic and a review of the day’s problems.  
One evening, I pulled into the little town
of Mancelona for gas. 
Amazingly, across from the gas station is
a municipal building generously endowed
with twin stone penises!   

Normally, when exposed to such public displays of such
private parts, I would modestly avert my eyes.  But
what an awesome, outstanding sight--I hauled
out my camera and did a study.  Scientific analysis of
the photo evidence is incomplete but preliminary
results indicate these are very large, hard specimens.
The local nickname for this town is Mancy, but I call it Manly,
after its twin shrines to manhood.

 

Manly II of Mancy, lying down on the job!

 



 

Opportunity knocks—I answered.  

            A similar position but with an opportunity to see even more of Michigan, set me on my current course zig-zagging across the state. The manly landmarks of Mancelona are still prominent on my favorites list, but beyond every hill and every bend in the road eye-opening sights await.   

 Here they come!     

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