Just got back from Michigan - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #1 08-11-2013, 09:26 PM

We met my lovely daughter #1 up at the Sleeping Bear Dunes near Traverse city. Camped a couple of nights. The highlight was the largest dune in the world (not sure if its the world but its the tallest I've ever seen. We drove up to near the top and walked over to its west face which faces the big lake and watched the sun set last night.

The face of the dune is about 40 degrees, the angle of repose for sand. Some foolhardy folks were walking or running down it. I estimated the face measured on the angle is 6 to 700 feet long. People at the bottom looked like ants.

One guy ran all the way down without falling. I thought for sure he was gonna fall! My favorite was a fellow who ran down holding a beer. He stopped once about 2/3 of the way down to take a drink.

After the sun set it got dark pretty quickly with maybe 50 people still on the down side of the dune. One fellow had a little kid with him. My wife almost would not let me leave with that kid down there.

Lovely cool sunny (mostly) weather. To see all the folks on the road today its hard to imagine the roads once the economy is really roaring again!

We drove the first 90 miles and the last 90 miles on two lanes. On the last leg its at least flat and I had to pass a few folks pulling my 30' trailer. I estimate its about the same acceleration as a 240d but with total length pushing 50' pulling back in line is a whole different category!

The Clk Man · #2 08-11-2013, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

We met my lovely daughter #1 up at the Sleeping Bear Dunes near Traverse city. Camped a couple of nights. The highlight was the largest dune in the world (not sure if its the world but its the tallest I've ever seen. We drove up to near the top and walked over to its west face which faces the big lake and watched the sun set last night.

The face of the dune is about 40 degrees, the angle of repose for sand. Some foolhardy folks were walking or running down it. I estimated the face measured on the angle is 6 to 700 feet long. People at the bottom looked like ants.

One guy ran all the way down without falling. I thought for sure he was gonna fall! My favorite was a fellow who ran down holding a beer. He stopped once about 2/3 of the way down to take a drink.

After the sun set it got dark pretty quickly with maybe 50 people still on the down side of the dune. One fellow had a little kid with him. My wife almost would not let me leave with that kid down there.

Lovely cool sunny (mostly) weather. To see all the folks on the road today its hard to imagine the roads once the economy is really roaring again!

We drove the first 90 miles and the last 90 miles on two lanes. On the last leg its at least flat and I had to pass a few folks pulling my 30' trailer. I estimate its about the same acceleration as a 240d but with total length pushing 50' pulling back in line is a whole different category!

How come u didn't stop by a see me?

t walgamuth · #3 08-12-2013, 06:52 AM

Was that you running down the dune?

t walgamuth · #4 08-12-2013, 08:19 AM

Oh yeah, I saw a number of old benzes up there, two 115s and several 123s including a clean looking ivory coupe with an elderly looking lady in the rf seat and a young man driving. I thought maybe grandma and grandson.

Do people keep old benzos at their summer cottages in places like this?

The Clk Man · #5 08-12-2013, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Was that you running down the dune?

It was, you didn't see me trip and fall flat on my face did you?

Medmech · #6 08-12-2013, 08:37 AM

Tom, did you make it to Leland or Glen Arbor? I had an opportunity to take a very good job up there a few years ago and regrettably turned it down, I am not going to make that mistake again.

jcyuhn · #7 08-12-2013, 10:16 AM

It's a nice area. My folks bought a house up there after dad retired. I very much enjoyed flying in from Texas for a summer visit. Sometimes it got up to 80 degrees!

t walgamuth · #8 08-12-2013, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Medmech

Tom, did you make it to Leland or Glen Arbor? I had an opportunity to take a very good job up there a few years ago and regrettably turned it down, I am not going to make that mistake again.

I don't think so, but we were right in the neighborhood. Lovely country.

Also for the morbid among us I saw two porcupines as road kill and one red fox. We don't have porcupines down here and its very very rare to see a red fox alive or dead.

t walgamuth · #9 09-30-2018, 11:16 PM

This weekend we were in PLymouth IN for a wedding. We took our trailer because no hotel rooms were available. The campground was a very old one on a little lake just next to the chain of lakes which my dad fished when a young man. The area is very irregular with many swampy areas and lakes interlaced with heavily wooded area. We saw a few deer of course but also saw a red fox alive and one road kill today. Very exciting as they are so elusive around here. Thus matched my record for the last twenty years of red fox sighting in a few hours the same day.

vwnate1 · #10 10-01-2018, 08:52 AM

Nice to see you're still out and about .

t walgamuth · #11 10-01-2018, 08:57 AM

Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated.

barry12345 · #12 10-07-2018, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Oh yeah, I saw a number of old benzes up there, two 115s and several 123s including a clean looking ivory coupe with an elderly looking lady in the rf seat and a young man driving. I thought maybe grandma and grandson.

Do people keep old benzos at their summer cottages in places like this?

Old Mercedes still on the road that far north. Usually are seasonal use only. Depending on outbuildings from sheds to larger buildings. People do tend to keep things at cottages.

Our cottage being on salt water would be a very poor place to store a seasonal car. You should even employ galvanized nails when building that close to it.

Daily driven older Mercedes just cannot survive the rustbelt areas over the years. In my opinion the factory applied coating used also traps the moisture of any condensation on the metal that develops as well. There is no know pre emptive way to avoid that in rustbelt areas. Where there are several methods available for most brands of cars.

Passing frequently through the frost point is perhaps vary destructive as a result. The metal gets damp but cannot dry out easily.Over the years.

In eastern Canada some heat should be provided in winter storage as well to keep the vehicles above the frost point. Leaving the vehicles widows open and screened in storage may help a little.

vwnate1 · #13 10-07-2018, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated.

? What's that smell then ? . (J.K. !) .

sloride · #14 10-07-2018, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

This weekend we were in PLymouth IN for a wedding. We took our trailer because no hotel rooms were available. The campground was a very old one on a little lake just next to the chain of lakes which my dad fished when a young man. The area is very irregular with many swampy areas and lakes interlaced with heavily wooded area. We saw a few deer of course but also saw a red fox alive and one road kill today. Very exciting as they are so elusive around here. Thus matched my record for the last twenty years of red fox sighting in a few hours the same day.

You describe exactly what we have here, called Everglades of the North. PBS has aired documentary on it.

t walgamuth · #15 10-23-2018, 11:36 PM

The last few days my son and my wife have seen a red fox which appears to be living in our little woods or close by...twice. I am looking forward to seeing it myself.

Cool!