While Gulfport, Florida truly oozed gayness in the not so welcoming state of Florida, Saugatuck, Michigan is much more subtle.
There really were lots of tourists shopping on this very cool day. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any shopping photos but I did buy a new pair of Brooks tennis shoes. I can be a shopping tightwad but my wife convinced me that a new pair of quality shoes is a better bargain than another run in with plantar fasciitis. I also like supporting small businesses.
What a contrast as it has been just days since we were in Florida. It was still shorts weather but just barely.
Michigan history is almost always about the maritime stories. Saugatuck had a booming shipbuilding industry from 1860-1910. The town is located on the Kalamazoo River just upstream from Lake Michigan. The abundance of oak trees was a main reason for the success of the industry.
The other side of the maritime stories are the horrible shipwrecks that have happened on the Great Lakes. Recently, a shipwreck lost nearly two centuries ago off the eastern shores of Lake Michigan has been rediscovered by a pair of adventurous scuba divers. The Milwaukie went down in the freezing cold waters of the lake near Saugatuck on a blustery winter night in 1842. I always think of the haunting lyrics in Gordon Light foot’s song, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Great photos and story. Glad you bought the shoes too.