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Posted on 10/05/2013 6:54:22 AM PDT by cripplecreek
Our vacation was planned for months. The time was planned to coincide with the maximum autumn colors, and the best weather possible.
The planning took place, a vehicle was rented, rooms were reserved, and the weather forecasts were all scanned and showed great autumn forecasts.
Congress was the unknown factor.
For hundreds of vacationers to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the shutdown of government facilities was something that did not fit into the advanced planning.
Dotted with state and federal parks and attractions, the Upper Peninsula has peak fall color in early October. It seemed like the perfect time for us to visit the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Seney National Wildlife Refuge. Unless they are closed due to a government shutdown.
At the Pictured Rocks, east of nearby Munising, the barricades went up on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Alger County Road H-11, leading to Miner's Castle, a popular overlook at the western end of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, was blocked with three plastic barrels and yellow caution tape.
Numerous times, the tape was ripped off and vehicles continued on to the site. Some drivers were warned and even ticketed for trespassing, according to local residents who did not want their names published due to fear of government reprisals.
One local business that appeared to benefit from the closures was the Pictured Rocks Boat Tours, who suddenly found reservations jumping and full shiploads of visitors. The boats travel east along the 14-mile-long Pictured Rocks, offering great viewing of the unique and ever-changing rock cliffs, waterfalls, and beaches.
We also found the roads closed to the Seney National Wildlife Refuge. The visitor's center darkened and locked.
The attractions offered by the State of Michigan, including Kith-iti-kipi spring at Palm Books State Park, numerous Alger County waterfalls, and a drive to Tahquamenon Falls were all crowded, as disgruntled visitors explored ways to fill the gap caused by the unavailable federal parks and lakeshores.
If he gets it together, we're going, and we'll post an after action report!
Mass civil disobedience is a very powerful force, even in countries like Egypt, as the wonderful brave resistance of the people of Cairo against Morsi showed.
Vacation trip insurance is the way to avoid being stuck with the bills when denied the promised tours.
Creek...a whole lot of that land is state. Actually..the whole of the center is state land as well as most of the east end. AND, you all are free to use ALL the timber company road systems..like Plum Creek, GMO etc. Just be AWARE, there are logging activities on these lands. So offer these guys a beer if you run into them. Nearly every dam one are CONSERVATIVE patriots.
Seeing how many of the National parks are located near small towns it would be nice to see the residents shun the NPS employees that faithfully carry out their duty to the Won.
A type of Blue Flu should break out among the more patriotic NPS employees if there are any.
A local pushback should be arranged against NPS employees that are willing to screw over the people that pay their wages.
Sorry Mr Ranger I can’t get your propane delivered to your home. You say your car won’t start? We will put you on the list of non essential repairs.
Oh I’m sorry you US Gov. credit card doesn’t seem to work here. And so on.
As a small business owner, I have a question...what’s a vacation?
I believe there’s some kind of open carry symposium in Traverse City today.
There ought to be an Amendment to our Constitution:
No land shall be owned by the federal government; and all such land is now owned by the respective states; and any national park service is hereby ended; and the Congress *SHALL MAKE NO LAW INFRINGING* the rights of the states to administer and maintain such lands and parks, nor shall the Congress infringe the right of access by American citizens to such lands and parks, and, nor shall any federal judge create any law or precedent that so-infringes.
Date?
Answer when you know :)
TC area has a lot of gun owners, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all. Our son teaches these classes near Detroit, likely more important down there. The degree of violence in the two areas is simply huge. I imagine you have the same kind of thing near Jackson, meaning a fairly low crime rate.
Will do.
The city of Jackson has a high crime rate but out here on the fringes of the county its pretty much non existent.
Creek... that is not true. That land was Cleveland Cliffs land and is/was under contract for timber harvests. Since Cliffs sold that land, I do not know if the new owners have that right. But, having said that, there aint any timber left anyways since they simply clear cut it in case the feds tried to stop their end of the bargain.
We are twelve miles east of Zion National Park which has state highway 9 which could not be closed running through the park. We have had numerous visitors here at the Maynard Dixon Living History Museum as people that have been booted from the park have discovered the east side and highway 89. We have received lots of comments regarding people stopping anyway throughout the park and removing the orange no parking cones.
FUBO
TC is pretty low, low enough to feel extremely comfortable about not carrying. The rural areas surrounding TC are pretty much isolated drug activity and dui issues. Even our illegals are non violent......
Came back from a fantastic vacation out west two weeks ago where the wife and I, plus a few in-laws, visited numerous nat. parks (Badlands, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Mesa Verde) and monuments. I shudder to think what we’d have done if everything had been closed down. Three days in Vegas was long enough (the wife and I don’t like gambling), and we’d probably had to go to Canada. Which would have meant cancelling a lot of hotel dates with forfeiture of booking fees for many of them.
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