Featuring North America’s Leading Travel Destinations
Rivers & Lakes 2018 Door County, A Wisconsin Gem Fall for Ann Arbor The Red River of the South The Klamath River
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Byways Magazine ŠCopyright 2018 by Byways, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be duplicated in any form without express written permission of the publisher. For more than 35 years, Byways has been covering the leading destinations along the highways and byways of North America. Some of the most well-known, and least known, destinations to discover in the United States and Canada. Byways is published in three versions. They is the Turn-Key edition on the web for viewing on Computers, Android, iOS (iPhone and iPad). There is an Apple App Store edition. There is also a Byways Magazine Channel in Apple News. For advertising rates, editorial deadlines, or to place advertising insertions, contact: Byways Magazine 502-785-4875 http://bywaysmagazine.com
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PREVIEW By Steve Kirchner, Editor & Publisher
elcome to the Rivers and shopping, fine dining, and nightlife Heading to the southwestern states of Texas and Lakes issue of Byways. Each year we visit destinations Oklahoma, Byways follows the Red River of the South whose locations were largely deter- through four states, including Arkansas and Louisiana as it flows to the Gulf of Mexico. mined by nearby rivers and lakes. It flows 1,360 miles and rises in two branches in the The first stop is a gem of the Texas Panhandle. In Texas, the Red River turns and Midwest, Door County in the upper flows southeast through Palo Duro Canyon in Palo Duro reaches of Wisconsin. Located on a peninsula, Door Canyon State Park at an elevation of 3,440 feet. County sits between the Bay of Green Bay to the west Palo Duro Canyon has and Lake Michigan to the been named “The Grand east. Canyon of Texas” for its With 300 miles of shoresize and for its dramatic line and plenty of green geological features, space, outdoor recreation including the multicolored opportunities abound in layers of rock and steep Door County on both land mesa walls similar to those and sea. in the Grand Canyon. Door County is one of the As the river flows into Midwest’s premier tourism Louisiana, Shreveport-and destinations, attracting Bossier are located on some 2 million visitors per opposite sides of the Red year. River. It has a number of small Swedish pancakes at Al Johnson’s As we head west, communities which remind Restaurant in Door County, Wisconsin. Byways follows the one of Cape Cod and New Klamath River on its jourEngland. With names like Bailey’s Harbor, Sturgeon Bay, Sister Bay, Fish Creek ney from Oregon into Northern California on its way the and Egg Harbor, you’ll want to visit as many as possible. Pacific Ocean. The Klamath River is the second largest and second Whether photographing the goats on the roof of Al longest river in California. It makes its way 200 miles Johnson’s Swedish restaurant in Sister Bay, or experithrough both the Cascade and Coast Mountain Ranges encing an authentic fish boil in Rowley’s Bay, your offering many recreation opportunities to its visitors. memories of Door County won’t soon be forgotten. Today, the Klamath is a popular recreational river as Next Byways spotlights Michigan, and the college well as an important source of water for agriculture. It town of Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan. You’ll Fall for Ann Arbor has a double meaning. With includes many of the longest free-flowing stretches of 50,000 trees here, fall is beautiful. But fall also means river in California, including excellent stretches of the return to the new school year, and in Ann Arbor that whitewater. Bill Graves travels to West Bend, Iowa, where he means University of Michigan and Big Ten football. explores field-to-market roads in the state. And along Ann Arbor is situated on the Huron River in a producthe way he discovers hog-confinement pens, the ultimate tive agricultural and fruit-growing region. The landscape in high-tech hog farming. And he also discovers a of Ann Arbor consists of hills and valleys, with the terCatholic priest named Paul Dobberstein, who spent 42 rain becoming steeper near the river. Ann Arbor’s nickname is “Tree Town,” which stems years building the magnificent Grotto of the from the dense forestation of its parks and residential Redemption. In What’s Happening, the Inventors Hall of Fame in areas. Several large city parks and a university park borAlexandria, Virginia celebrates the nation’s 10 millionth der sections of the Huron River. patent. Today, Ann Arbor represents a combination of rural We hope you enjoy this issue of Byways. midwestern, and cosmopolitan urban. It’s a college town, with a strong concentration of cultural attractions,
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Volume 35, Issue No. 4 2018 On the cover. View of Lake Michigan at sunset from one of the beaches in Door County, Wisconsin. To learn more about this Wisconsin tourism gem, turn to page 10. Cover photo courtesy Door County Visitors Bureau. For more coverage of rivers and lakes, turn to page 8.
Features Rivers & Lakes 2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Door County, A Wisconsin Gem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fall for Ann Arbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 The Red River of the South. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 The Klamath River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 West Bend, Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Departments Byways Instant Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Byways Preview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
What’s Happening National Inventors Hall of Fame Celebrates 10 Millionth U.S. Patent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Coming in future issues of Byways ...Great American Roads, Dams & Bridges, Great American Railroads and much more!
Next Up: Great American Roads. Bixby Creek Bridge on California Route 1 at Big Sur is one of the most photographed bridges in the country due to its aesthetic design. Route 1 has reopened to visitors. Photo courtesy Adrian on Unsplash.
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Rivers & Lakes 2018
View of Green Bay from Ellison Bluff Park in Door County, Wisconsin. Byways Photo.
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Door County, A Wisconsin Gem By Stephen Kirchner
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Scenic view of Ephraim, located on the western shore of Door County. Ephraim has preserved its Norwegian and Moravian roots by making them a part of its modern life. Photo courtesy Door County Visitors Bureau. Byways • 11
The downtown and marina at Sister Bay. Photo courtesy Door County Visitors Bureau.
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amed one of the top ten vacation destinations in North America by Money magazine, Door County, Wisconsin offers visitors scenic seaside experiences in the heart of the Midwest. With 300 miles of shoreline and plenty of green space, outdoor recreation opportunities abound in Door County on both land and sea. Five state parks, 11 historic lighthouses and more than 50 beaches and parks provide the option to be active or just enjoy the sights. Here you can view thousands of acres of orchards, explore art galleries, devour delicious cherry pie, sip on local wines and brews, splash in the lake or paddle along the bluffs. Door County is located on a peninsula about 50 miles northeast of the city of Green Bay. It is approximately 70 miles long, and is flanked by Green Bay on its western shore, and Lake Michigan on its eastern shore. It is about 18 miles wide at its widest point in the 12 • Byways
southern part of the county and narrows to less than 2 miles across at the northern tip of the peninsula. Door County is one of the Midwest’s premier tourism destinations, attracting some 2 million visitors per year. Door County’s estimated year-round population is around 28,000. Sturgeon Bay, the county seat and its only city, has an estimated population of about 9,100.
History Founded in 1851, Door County is named after Death’s Door, the aptly named water passage that lies off the tip of the peninsula where the waters of Lake Michigan and Green Bay converge. Death’s Door is the English translation of Porte Des Morts, the name given to this treacherous water passage by early French explorers based on Native American stories they heard and their own perilous experiences. Given the right (or wrong) conditions, navigation in this narrow stretch of water can be tricky thanks to the clash-
ing lake and bay currents. Numerous 18th, 19th and early 20th century shipwrecks can be found there…however, none recently.
Wisconsin Cheese Experience cheese tasting and lunch at Renard’s Cheese. Learn about one of the most delicious products that Wisconsin has to offer and the family tradition of cheese making. A short video will guide you through the process of cheese making and everyone’s favorite cheese sampling! www.renardscheese.com Enjoy a cheese tasting at Door Artisan Cheese Company. The newest cheese maker in Door County showcases the craft of cheese making from the milk vat to the cheese case. Mike Brennenstuhl had a vision — creating a special place that celebrates Wisconsin cheese making expertise, and taking it to a new level with a chance to see cheese making in action while enjoying specialty cheeses, regional and international wine, and fine dining. www.doorartisancheese.com Visit a goat dairy farm and creamery located in Sister Bay. Door County Creamery began handcrafting cheese on the goat farm in 2010, and in July 2013 Jesse and Rachael Johnson’s dream became a reality with the opening of the Door County Creamery, a cheese making facility and retail store. Their tag line is also their mission: Love local cheese—give the Door County community the opportunity to fall in love with fresh, local cheeses. www.doorcountycreamery.com
Sample cheese at Renard’s Cheese. Byways Photo.
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Cheese at Door Artisan Cheese Company. Byways photo. Coffee, Tea & Sweets Stop at Door County Candy in Sturgeon Bay. Since 1996, owner Terry Ullman has been satisfying visitors sweet tooths with confectionery delights. www.doorcountycandy.com Door County Coffee & Tea Company is a favorite of locals and visitors. You’ll find a gourmet, made-fromscratch breakfast and attend “Coffee College” at Door County’s premier coffee roaster. They roast coffee in small batches to exacting specifications, so be sure to try (and take home!) delicious flavors like Cherry Crème, Raspberry Butter Crunch and Caramel Pecan Scones or for the coffee die-hards try the bold and delicious Premiere Select, Intense Dark or Elite Espresso. Door County Coffee & Tea uses the finest Specialty Class 1 Arabica coffee beans grown throughout the world, and roasts in a fluidized-air bed roaster producing a wonderfully even, perfect roast every time. www.doorcountycoffee.com
Wine Tasting, Brew & Spirits Door County has seven local wineries and an expanding grape growing industry. These wineries have joined together to create the Door County Wine Trail, complete with a specially created Door County Wine Trail map/website. Harbor Ridge Winery is nestled in the charm and beauty of Egg Harbor. Enjoy a glass of wine in the winery’s captivating log cabin’s atmosphere. Egg Harbor has been named one of the best small towns in America. A sparkling new marina and beach stand out on the waterfront while specialty shopping dots a main street 14 • Byways
lined with blooms. Here you’ll find local artisan produce, breads, and cheeses around every corner and parks and golf courses that frame the harbor’s natural beauty. Door Peninsula Winery and Door County Distillery are in Carlsville. Door County’s original and largest winery, housed in the historic Carlsville Schoolhouse is well-known for fruit and sweet/semi-sweet wines. Door County Distillery is the first in the area to produce vodka, gin and fruit infused vodka. The distillery showcases the copper still and small batch, on-site production, distilled with clean, limestone infused waters from the Door Peninsula. Be sure to try their cherry infused spirits like the Cherry Bluff Infusion – bitters and cherry brandy. At Door 44 Winery, their specialty is making wine from grapes that grow in Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest. From these grapes, they take pride in making fruit-forward, balanced, food-friendly wines that target consumer demand and celebrate the region. Enjoy a tour and tasting at Island Orchard Cider in Ellison Bay. They craft Wisconsin Hard Apple and Cherry. Ciders are in the Normandy tradition, think sparkling, dry apple and cherry champagne. Their orchards on Door County’s Washington Island provide the perfect rocky limestone soil and climate for their French and American cider apples. www.islandorchardcider.com Wind down along the Lake Michigan side of the peninsula for a cold one at Door County Brewing Company in Bailey’s Harbor. A family-owned craft brewery established in 2012, they source as many ingredients as possible from Door County and Wisconsin to produce beers based on local resources, local influences and local heritage. www.doorcountybrewingco.com
Main Street in Fish Creek. Photo courtesy Door County Visitors Bureau.
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The Fish Boil at Rowley’s Bay Resort. Photo courtesy Door County Visitors Bureau.
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Swedish pancakes at Al Johnson’s.
Stop in for a quick dip at the Door County Ice Cream Factory, located in the Sister Bay’s original General Store (built in 1912). This family-owned shop features homemade ice cream, sundaes, malts and shakes. Patrons can watch ice cream being made during production hours. www.doorcountyicecream.com
Ellison Bluff County Park Continue the journey north to Ellison Bay with some of the most breathtaking views of Door County and pay a visit to Ellison Bluff County Park, Stroll along the wooded walkway that leads you to the edge of a sheer 100-foot limestone bluff. Reflect on the beauty and relax to the sound of the rolling waves in this photographer’s paradise.
Authentic Fish Boil
Sister Bay
Settle in for an authentic Fish Boil dinner, a Door County dining tradition, at Rowley’s Bay Restaurant, a vintage waterfront resort. A storyteller weaves the tale of the fish boil outside around the fiery cauldron on Rowley’s Bay before dinner inside. A traditional Door County fish boil features freshly caught Lake Michigan whitefish caught by local fishermen and cooked outside over an open fire, just as it was 100 years ago by the Scandinavian settlers of the Peninsula. www.doorcounty.com/dine/fish-boils www.rowleysbayresort.com
In Sister Bay take some time to stroll the 1,900 feet of public waterfront or explore the shopping in Sister Bay. Check out Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik to shop for authentic Swedish goods or stop into Door County Confectionery for a sweet treat. Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant is an authentic Swedish family-owned restaurant where you can find goats grazing on the sod roof. It’s quite a sight, and it’s made this place one of the most famous restaurants in the Did you know? The fish boil tradition began as an Midwest. But the Swedish pancakes are the specialty economical way to feed large, hungry groups of lumberwhich brings visitors back again and again. jacks and fishermen. Churches picked up the tradition to www.aljohnsons.com raise money, and people from all over would come to taste the local fish, potatoes and Door County cherry pie. Cherry Country Door County is among the top cherry producing Eventually area restaurants followed and the Door regions in the country with more than 2,500 acres of County Fish Boil became a “not to be missed” event for cherry orchards. The cherry trees normally bloom in mid every visitor. to late May with cherries ready for picking in mid July to early August. Door County typically harvests anywhere between 8-12 million pounds of cherries per year. Seaquist Orchards has more than 1,000 acres of cherries (the county’s largest single producer), along with 30 acres of apples and a few acres of apricots and pears. The bulk of the cherries raised are of the Montmorency variety, a tart cherry, but several varieties of sweet cherries are raised also. Fresh, hand-picked cherries, both tart and sweet, are sold directly to consumers. www.seaquistorchards.com At Orchard Country Winery & Market in Fish Creek, Montmorency cherry is freshly picked and packaged during summer harvest with the morning dew still present. The rest end up in bottles of satisfying, fruity wine such as “Cherry Blossom,” fresh baked cherry pies, fresh-pressed jugs of tart cherry juice, plump dried cherries and rows of scrumptious cherry jams and pie fillings. www.orchardcountry.com 18 • Byways
The Ridges Sanctuary & Range Lights Stop and smell the flowers on a naturalist-guided wildflower walk at Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin’s oldest nonprofit nature preserve. A designated State Natural Area, an Audubon Important Bird Area and National Natural Landmark, the Ridges Sanctuary is home to native wildflowers along its five miles of rustic trails and bridges. Some early blooming flowers to watch for include Trailing Arbutus, Marsh Marigold, Arctic Primrose, Cherry trees in blossom at the Orchard Country Winery Dwarf Lake Iris and Indian & Market. Photos courtesy Door County Visitors Bureau. Paintbrush. No visit to The Ridges would be complete without experiencing the iconic Baileys Harbor Range by less energetic pursuits. Stroll along miles of scenic Lights. shoreline. Pick a pail of delicious cherries in July or a Built in 1869 and added to the National Register of basket of crunchy apples in September. Or take in one of Historic Places in 1989, the Upper Range Light and its the colorful weekend festivals that are held in the penincompanion Lower Range Light are the only lighthouses sula’s quaint waterfront villages and on Washington of this design that are still on range and functional as Island throughout the year. navigational aids. These modest but enduring structures Find lots more information online at played a critical role in the history of Baileys Harbor and www.DoorCounty.com in the founding of The Ridges. www.ridgessanctuary.org About the Author: Stephen Kirchner has been editor and publisher of Byways Magazine for 35 years. He Be sure and save time to enjoy the tranquility offered is based in Louisville, KY.
Goats graze on the roof of Al Johnson’s Restaurant. Byways photo.
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The Huron River flows through Ann Arbor, Michigan. Photo courtesy Andrew Horne.
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Gallup Park on the Huron River is a 69-acre park and is Ann Arbor’s most popular recreation area.
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t’s Fall. And with its arrival, excitement builds in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Students return from summer vacation to the University of Michigan campus. And its football season. While any time is a good time to visit Ann Arbor, there’s nothing like the Fall in this city 30 miles west of Detroit. Times have changed since Bob Seger first wrote his hit song Mainstream, about the sleepy Michigan town where he grew up. But Ann Arbor has evolved, and today represents a combination of rural midwestern, and cosmopolitan urban. It’s a college town, with a strong concentration of cultural attractions, shopping, fine dining, and nightlife.
The Huron River Ann Arbor is situated on the Huron River in a productive agricultural and fruit-growing region. The landscape of Ann Arbor consists of hills and valleys, with the terrain becoming steeper near the river. The Huron River is a 130-mile-long river in southeastern Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in Springfield Township in northern Oakland County and flowing into Lake Erie on the boundary between Wayne County and Monroe County. The river was named after the Huron band of Native Americans who lived in the area. The river has many dams. A dozen larger dams were
History Ann Arbor was founded in 1824 by land speculators John Allen and Elisha Walker Rumsey. Since the University of Michigan’s establishment in the city in 1837, the histories of the university and Ann Arbor have been closely linked. The town became a regional transportation hub in 1839 with the arrival of the Michigan Central Railroad, and a northsouth railway connecting Ann Arbor to Toledo and other markets to the south was established in 1878. 22 • Byways
Map courtesy Tim Kiser.
built for mill or hydroelectric power and several formed Locker room of the University of Michigan large new lakes behind them. Some of these on the football team. Byways photo. Huron River mainstream are Kent Lake, Barton Pond, Argo Pond, Ford Lake, Belleville Lake, and Flat Rock Pond. The Huron River was declared navigable by Congress in the 19th century, and for a time, there was flat-boat traffic from Ypsilanti to Lake Erie. This was discontinued as the railroads penetrated the region and milling developed along the river. Today, the Huron River flows through numerous parks and is a prime canoeing river with a generally slow current and only a few minor rapids or obstructions, except for the short Delhi rapids which is runnable by expericontains 300 acres of gardens and a large tropical conenced canoeists and kayakers. servatory.
Tree Town Ann Arbor’s “Tree Town” nickname stems from the dense forestation of its parks and residential areas. The city contains more than 50,000 trees along its streets and an equal number in parks. Several large city parks and a university park border sections of the Huron River. The Nichols Arboretum, owned by the University of Michigan, is a 123-acre arboretum that contains hundreds of plant and tree species. It is on the city’s east side, near the university’s Central Campus. Located across the Huron River just beyond the university’s North Campus is the university’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens, which
College Town The University of Michigan significantly shapes Ann Arbor's economy. It employs about 30,000 workers, including about 12,000 in the medical center. Other employers are drawn to the area by the university’s research and development money, and by its graduates. High tech, health services and biotechnology are other major components of the city’s economy; numerous medical offices, laboratories, and associated companies are located in the city. Automobile manufacturers, such as General Motors and Visteon, also employ residents.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Photo courtesy VisitAnnArbor.org.
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The Big House and another Saturday sell-out. Photo courtesy Andrew Horne.
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University of Michigan Museum of Art. Modern sculpture on Central Campus. Photo courtesy Andrew Horne. The Big House
centers of food culture in the Midwest. In addition to the emphasis on local and seaAnn Arbor is a major scene of college sports, most sonal produce, Ann Arbor and nearby communinotably at the University of Michigan, a member of the ties like Ypsilanti, Chelsea, Dexter, and Saline Big Ten Conference. Several well-known college sports have a large variety of ethnic dining reflecting facilities exist in the city, including Michigan Stadium, known as “The Big House”. It is the largest stadium in the international diversity of the community. There are nearly 300 restaurants within a 20the United States, and the second largest stadium in the mile radius of Ann Arbor offering American, world. The stadium was completed in 1927 and cost more Ethiopian, Moroccan, Turkish, Latin American, than $950,000 to build. Today It has a seating capacity of Asian and Cuban fusion, and Central European 107,601 after multiple renovations were made, but it has menus. hosted crowds in excess of 115,000. Farmers Market. Byways photo. Crisler Center and Yost Ice Arena play host to the school’s basketball (both men’s and women’s) and ice hockey teams, respectively. Concordia University, a member of the NAIA, also fields sports teams.
Farm to Table Dining Community supported agriculture, farm-to-table, and slow food movements are strong, tying the small farms in the countryside to many fine dining restaurants downtown. Ann Arbor is one of the 26 • Byways
Arts & Culture The University of Michigan’s Kelsey Museum of Archaeology is a research museum which houses 100,000 objects from the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, Egypt and the Near East. In addition, there are changing exhibits borrowed from museums around the world. University Museum of Art. The museum has more than 18,000 works of art in nearly 100,000 square feet exhibit space in two buildings. The collection represents 150 years of collecting at the University of Michigan. Public Art of Campus. The University campus has an outstanding collection of outdoor sculpture by prominent artists. Major examples include The Wave by Maya Lin, Peregrine Section by Richard Hunt, Tony Rosentrhal’s The Cube and Mark di saver’s Orion and Shang. Despite the many changes since Bob Seger’s youthful days in Ann Arbor, some things remain the same. Main Street is still vibrant, and folks in Ann Arbor still spend a lot of time on the street—dining outdoors in warmer months, shopping, nightclubbing, and just socializing. To learn more about visiting Ann Arbor: http://visitannarbor.org
Gerald R. Ford Library on UM North Campus
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he Ford Library collects “archival materials on U.S. domestic issues, foreign relations, and political affairs during the Cold War era.” It is distinct from The Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, which has exhibits on the lives of President and Mrs. Ford. Current holdings include more than 20 million pages of memos, letters, meeting notes, reports, and other documents. In addition there are a half-million audiovisual items, including photographs, videotapes of news broadcasts, recordings of speeches and press briefings, film of public events, and more. The core of the collection is the 1974-77 presidential papers of Gerald Ford and his White House staff. These are supplemented by pre- and post-presidential papers of Mr. Ford, papers of Betty Ford, personal papers of other government officials and private individuals, and collections of Federal records. The museum hours are Monday through Friday, 8:45 am to 4:45pm.
Ann Arbor skyline with stadium in background. Photo courtesy VisitAnnArbor.org.
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The Red River of the South
Aerial view of Red River, north of Bonham in northeast Texas. Photo courtesy Henley Quadling. 28 • Byways
State Highway No. 78 Bridge carries Oklahoma State Highway 78 and Texas State Highway 78 over the Red River. Photo courtesy Henley Quadling.
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he Red River, also called the Red River of the South, is a major river flowing through the southern United States. The river was named for the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers to claim the red river name. Although it was once a tributary of the Mississippi River, the Red River now flows into the Atchafalaya River, a distributary of the Mississippi that flows separately into the Gulf of Mexico. The Red River is the second-largest river basin in the southern Great Plains. It flows 1,360 miles and rises in two branches in the Texas Panhandle. Near the edge of the northwestern slope of the Llano Estacado mesa, the Red River flows in two forks in northern Texas and southwestern Oklahoma. The North Fork Red River meets the southern and largest fork near the Texas– Oklahoma border.
walls similar to those in the Grand Canyon. Palo Duro Canyon is located in the Texas Panhandle near the cities of Amarillo and Canyon. It is the second largest canyon in the United States, roughly 120 miles long and has an average width of 6 miles, but reaches a width of 20 miles in places. Its depth is around 820 ft, but in some locations, it increases to 1,000 ft. The canyon was formed by the Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River, which initially winds along the level surface of the Llano Estacado of West Texas, then suddenly and dramatically runs off the Caprock Escarpment.
Palo Duro Canyon In Texas, the Red River turns and flows southeast through Palo Duro Canyon in Palo Duro Canyon State Park at an elevation of 3,440 feet. Duro Canyon (from the Spanish meaning “hard wood”) has been named “The Grand Canyon of Texas” both for its size and for its dramatic geological features, including the multicolored layers of rock and steep mesa Byways • 29
Palo Duro Canyon on Highway 207.
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Palo Duro State Park, photo courtesy Texas Tourism. 32 • Byways
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Shreveport-Bossier on the Red River, photo courtesy Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau. Water erosion over the millennia has shaped the Shreveport-Bossier canyon’s geological formations. Shreveport was founded in 1836 by the Shreve Town Company, a corporation established to develop a town at Oklahoma the juncture of the newly navigable Red River and the From here the river passes Newlin, Texas, to meet the Texas Trail, an overland route into the newly independOklahoma state line. Past that point, it is generally con- ent Republic of Texas. Prior to Texas becoming indesidered the main stem of the Red River. Near Elmer, pendent, this trail entered Mexico. Oklahoma, the North Fork finally joins, and the river The city grew throughout the 20th century and, after proceeds to follow a winding course east through one of the discovery of oil in Louisiana, became a national centhe most arid parts of the Great Plains, receiving the ter for the oil industry. Wichita River as it passes the city of Wichita Falls. The waters of the Red River eventually discharge into the Atchafalaya River and flow south eastward into the Lake Texoma Gulf of Mexico. Near Denison, the river exits the eastern end of Lake Texoma, a reservoir formed by the Denison Denison Dam and hydroelectric power Dam. The lake is also fed by the Washita River from the north. Denison Dam, also plant. Photo courtesy Robert Nunnally. known as Lake Texoma Dam, is located between Texas and Oklahoma. The dam provides flood control, water supply, hydroelectric power production, river regulation, navigation and recreation. Next the river runs east towards Arkansas before turning southward near Texarkana. Soon after, the Red River crosses south into Louisiana. The sister cities of Shreveport and Bossier City were developed on either bank of the river, as were the downriver cities of Alexandria and Pineville. Byways • 33
Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves
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ack on the straight and narrow –- the roads of Iowa. This state has 113,000 miles of these field-to-market roads. Conceived a hundred years ago, the idea was that every square mile of farmland would have a road on every side. Driving across Iowa today is like touring a checkerboard, skirting the
black and the red. Beware of them, however, after it rains: While in the fields, big-wheeled farm equipment collect great gobs of mud that they save for deposit on the roads, and they do it well, in great quantities, and over considerable distances. We who travel in slab-sided vehicles are the targets. The stuff sticks on contact. Rain does not wash it off.
West Bend, Iowa But today is beautiful and so is Iowa. Tableland shoots straight to the horizon without even a tree to get in the way. Open-fronted buildings full of pigs are prevalent along the road. I stopped at one. They call them hog-confinement pens, the ultimate in high-tech hog farming. These long buildings are partitioned into sections, each with an automatic feeder that’s loaded from outside with 40 bushels of feed a day. “We just provide room and board. Companies like Smithfield, the ham people, own the pigs,” I was told. “The pigs spend their whole lives in these pens. They go from 30 pounds, when we get them, to 250 pounds in five months.” Iowa produces more hogs than any other state — the same for corn. On Highway 15, I happened on the little town of West Bend, population about 830. It covers not quiet a mile square.
Father Dobberstien’s Grotto in West Bend, Iowa. Photos courtesy Bill Graves. 34 • Byways
Hog Confinement Pens in West Bend. Compare these numbers to any city that you know. Its population is 98.9% white, about 4% of them are divorced, a good house costs about $50,000, median income is less than $35,000 a year, unemployment is 2.3%, and 1.3% of these folks are foreign born. This is America’s Heartland –- not the America that the world knows. Well into its second century, this town of German ancestry is the site of a little-known wonder of one man’s life work. He was a Catholic priest named Paul Dobberstein, who arrived here in 1898 and spent 42 years building the Grotto of the Redemption. After Father Dobberstein’s death in 1954, Father Louis Greving worked on the Grotto for eight more years. Like his predecessor, Father Greving worked winter and summer meticulously setting ornamental rocks and gems into concrete. Valued today at $4.3 million, it is considered the most concentrated and complete collection of minerals, fossils, shells and petrifactions in the world. With them, they built an edifice that covers half-a-city-block, is two stories high, and contains nine grottos, or caves depicting the life of Jesus and the 14 Stations of the Cross. Iowa is not a source of colorful stones, fossils or shells. It is igneous rock that’s homegrown –- the once
molten boulders that frost works to the surface during the winter, and farmers curse at in the spring as they clear them from their fields. So Father Dobberstien roamed the country on rockhunting expeditions, often to the Black Hills of South Dakota or to the deserts of the Southwest. Typically, a few days after his return, a freight car would arrive in West Bend loaded with what he had found. West Bend is not a town that tourists happen on, nor is the Grotto a well-published tourist attraction. It is one of those incredible, only-in-America creations to be discovered in the small towns of our country, which have changed little since Father Dobberstien was building his Grotto.
About the author: After seeing much of the world as a career naval officer, Bill Graves decided, after he retired, to take a closer look at the United States. He has been roaming the country for 20 years, much of it in a motorhome with his dog Rusty. He lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, California and is the author of On the Back Roads, Discovering Small Towns. of America. He can be reached at Roadscribe@aol.com.
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The Klamath River
The spectacular Klamath River in California. Photo courtesy Anna Murveit and the Klamath River Renewal Corporation.
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The Klamath River as it nears the Pacific Ocean. Photo courtesy Daniel Wade.
he spectacular Klamath River is both the second largest and second longest river in California. The river makes its way through over 200 miles through both the Cascade and Coast Mountain Ranges offering many recreation opportunities to its visitors. Summer months bring rafters to the area and jet boat rides are offered out of the town of Klamath. The river is renowned for its fishing opportunities of Chinook (King Salmon), coho (Silver Salmon), and steelhead. The river is easily accessible off of Highway 96.
T
Salmon
Second Largest California River
Dam Removal & River Renewal
The Klamath is second largest in California only to the Sacramento River. It winds through Oregon and northern California, emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The Klamath is the most important North American river south of the Oregon’s Columbia River for fish migration. Its salmon, steelhead and rainbow trout have adapted to unusually high water temperatures and acidity levels relative to other rivers in the Pacific Northwest. The numerous fish were a major source of food for Native Americans, who have inhabited the basin for at least 7,000 years. 38 • Byways
The Klamath River was once the “third most productive salmon river system in the United States,” after the Columbia and the Sacramento. However, dams and diversions in the upper basin have caused water quality issues in the lower half of the river. Environmental groups and native tribes have proposed broad changes to water use in the Klamath Basin, including the removal of some dams on the river to expand fish habitat. The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) has filed a “Definite Plan for the Lower Klamath Project” with the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission for the proposed removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River –- J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, and Iron Gate. The dams are expected to be removed by 2020,
River History The first Europeans to enter the Klamath River basin were fur trappers for the Hudson’s Bay Company in the 1820s. They established the Siskiyou Trail along the
Klamath and Trinity rivers into the Sacramento Valley. Within several decades of white settlement, native peoples were forced into reservations. During the latter days of the California Gold Rush, increasing numbers of miners began working the Klamath River and its tributaries, causing considerable harm to the environment. Conflict and introduced diseases left indigenous tribes with only 10% of their original population. Steamboats operated briefly on the large lakes of the upper basin, contributing to the growth of towns such as Klamath Falls, Oregon, before they were replaced by railroads in the late 19th century. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the upper basin became a productive agricultural region, and many dams were built to provide irrigation and hydroelectricity.
Recreation Today, the Klamath is a popular recreational river as well as an important source of water for agriculture. It includes many of the longest free-flowing stretches of river in California, including excellent stretches of whitewater. Whitewater rafting and kayaking are popular recre-
ational activities along the upper Klamath River below the J.C. Boyle Dam, and also along the lower Klamath River downstream of the town of Happy Camp. There are long stretches—over 100 miles in one instance—of Class I–II whitewater rapids, while there are some Class
Cataraft in Caldera, Klamath River. Photo courtesy Zachary Collier.
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Rafting is a popular sport on the Klamath River. III–IV rapids in some of the narrower stretches. Beyond Weitchpec, the river slows down into a wider, deeper channel. About 13 miles of the river is designated Wild, and 175 miles Recreational.
California, where it passes through three more hydroelectric plants and turns south near the town of Hornbrook towards Mount Shasta. However, the river soon swings west to receive the Shasta River and the Scott River, entering a long canyon through the Klamath Upper Klamath Lake Mountains. Oregon’s Upper Klamath Lake, filling a broad valley The route through the Cascade Range and the Klamath at the foot of the eastern slope of the southern High Mountains constitutes the majority of the river’s course Cascades, is the source of the Klamath River. The lake is and takes it from the arid high desert climate of its upper fed by the Williamson River, which originates in the Winema National Forest, and the Wood River, which Lower Klamath Lake was formed in the “basin and range” rises near Crater Lake National area of the upper Klamath River watershed. Photo courtesy Park. The Klamath River leaves Blake Tupper Ansel, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Klamath Lake at Klamath Falls as a short 1-mile stream known as the Link River, which flows into the 18-mile long Lake Ewauna reservoir formed by Keno Dam.
Lower Klamath Lake Below the dam the river flows west, passing the mostly dry Lower Klamath Lake bed and the hydroelectric John C. Boyle Dam. The Klamath River then enters 40 • Byways
watershed towards a temperate rainforest nourished by Pacific rains. Below the Scott River confluence, the Klamath runs generally west along the south side of the Siskiyou Mountains until it takes a sharp southward turn near the town of Happy Camp. From there, it flows southwest over whitewater rapids through the Klamath National Forest and Six Rivers National Forest, receives the Salmon River from the east, and passes the community of Orleans.
Marshlands in the Upper Klamath Basin are remnants of the vast Lake Modoc. Photo courtesy David Menke, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Southernmost Point At Weitchpec, the river reaches the southernmost point in its course and veers sharply north as it receives its principal tributary, the Trinity River. Below this point, the Klamath’s current slows as it approaches sea level. For the remainder of its course, the Klamath flows generally northwest, passing through the Yurok Indian Reservation and the town of Klamath, where it is bridged
by Highway 101, and meeting the sea at a large tidal estuary 16 miles south of Crescent City. The mouth of the Klamath River, where it reaches the Pacific Ocean, is at Requa, in an area shared by the Yurok Reservation and Redwood National Park.
Mouth of the Klamath River, where it flows into the Pacific Ocean. Photo courtesy Klamath River Renewal Corporation. Byways • 41
National Inventors Hall of Fame Celebrates 10 Millionth U.S. Patent
More than 500 inventors have been inducted. Photos courtesy National Inventors Hall of Fame.
U
nited States patent history was made in June, when the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 10,000,000 for the invention “Coherent LADAR Using Intra-Pixel Quadrature Detection” by Joseph Marron. In recognition of this milestone, the National Inventors Hall of Fame® Museum announced a new exhibit — “A History of Patent Designs: From 1x to 10 Million.” More than two centuries of American innovation are celebrated in the exhibit, which features: • A reproduction of the first U.S. patent, granted in 1790 to Samuel Hopkins for an improvement “in the making of Pot ash and Pearl ash” (fertilizer ingredients). This historic document was signed by President George Washington. • Examples of patent cover design changes from throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, including a reproduction of an 1809 patent signed by President Thomas Jefferson. • Examples of several original patents from the 1800s to the current day including Patent No. 420,906 awarded to 2018 NIHF Inductee Warren Johnson for “Apparatus for charging and discharging secondary batteries.” • The new patent cover design to be used beginning with the 10 millionth patent. The new design puts a gold-inlay script of the word “patent” at its center, expressing the value of a U.S. patent. • Significant patent holders and patent 42 • Byways
drawings from the past 200 years, including innovators such as John Deere (improvement in plows, Patent No. 46,454), Steve Wozniak (personal computer, Patent No. 4,136,359), and Radia Perlman (Spanning-Tree Protocol, Patent No. 7,339,900). “This milestone is an opportunity to celebrate our nation’s history of innovation and the critical role inventors and our intellectual property protection system have played in the growth and development of our economy and society,” said Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. “The USPTO is proud to partner with the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum to celebrate the issuing
of the 10 millionth U.S. patent, and the history of our ber, today these innovations enhance the lives of billions remarkable patent system.” of people around the world. International Trademark Association: Test your skills National Inventors Hall of Fame at recognizing authentic consumer products versus The National Inventors Hall of Fame showcases the counterfeit goods. Besides more than 500 inventors who have been inducted into counterNIHF and their great technological achievements that helped stimu-
g n i n e p p a H s ’ t a h W
feit education, the exhibit also highlights the value of trademarks and why they are important to consumers.
late growth for our nation and beyond. NIHF inspires the next Free Admission The National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum is comgeneration of innovators by connecting them through the pletely free and open to the public. story of invention. It is located in the atrium of The interactive gallery of icons allows the United States Patent and you to discover how these innovators have Trademark Office’s Madison shaped the world around us. The most Building, 600 Dulany Street, recent inductees are featured in a special Alexandria, Virginia. display where you can see prototypes of School and group tours are their inventions and hear them discuss also welcome at the museum. their inventive processes. Please contact : Intellectual Property Power tours@uspto.gov or the Celebrate the story of intellectual propOffice of the Chief erty and appreciate its significance to Communications Officer at progress, innovation and culture. To illus571-272-8400 at least two trate how trademarks and patented materiweeks ahead of time to schedal make modern amenities possible, this ule a group tour. experience features installations from: The Ford Motor Company: Take a seat in a one-of-a-kind ride—a 1965 Ford Mustang merged with a 2015 Ford Mustang (see video below). You’ll get a hands-on experience with Intellectual Property Power and see first-hand how patents fuel the evolution of technology. The George Eastman Museum: Get a full picture of the progression and development of the camera and interact with cultural touchstones of imaging hisVideo r o f k c tory. Cli Qualcomm: Plug into the story of Qualcomm’s smartphone technology, powered by our patent system. Started decades ago with the aim of giving each perFord Mustang cut into two to explain son their own phone num-
changes in patent law.
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Byways is published bi-monthly by Byways, Inc. and distributed electronically throughout North America. Byways is emailed to more than 4000 tour operators /Travel Trade through the Internet. Subscriptions are complimentary. An iPad & iPhone version is available for consumers in iTunes in the App Store. An Android browser version is available at www.issuu.com/byways. Byways’ distribution includes motorcoach companies, tour operators, selected travel agents, bank travel managers, school band and athletic planners, meeting planners and the travel trade. For advertising rates, editorial deadlines, or to place advertising insertions, contact: Byways Magazine at 502-785-4875. ©Copyright 2018 by Byways, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be duplicated in any form without express written permission of the publisher. Editor and Publisher Stephen M. Kirchner
Advertising Director 502-785-4875 Internet bywaysmagazine.com byways@motorcoach.com Byways on Facebook Byways on Twitter
Advertisers Index Chillicothe Visitors Bureau, Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Country Inns & Suites, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Dutchess Tourism, New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Holiday Inn Express, Hummelstown (Hershey), Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 London-Laurel County Tourism, Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 PA Dutch Hotels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Randolph County, West Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Spectrum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Springfield Tourism, Kentucky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
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