One of the six most sought after Great Lakes shipwrecks found

Last Friday, Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates announced that they had found one of their six most-sought-after Great Lakes shipwrecks. Off the shore from South Haven and under about 230 feet of water they located the Hennepin. Despite its wooden hull, the Hennepin remains in favorable condition due to Lake Michigan's cold fresh water. Built in 1888, the Hennepin was converted into a self-unloader around 1901. As all Boat Nerds know, the self-unloader is the prototypical Great Lakes freighter on the lakes today.

In the 1920s the Hennepin was only used as a barge and towed due to its unstable hull. On August 18, 1927 she sunk in a squall midway between Chicago and its destination of Grand Haven. Attempts by the crew to save her were unsuccessful and all escaped safely aboard the tugboat.

Check out some underwater footage of the Hennepin shipwreck from WWMT Channel 3. The video is a little over two minutes long and provides some real neat shots of the wreck.

For some ultra clear underwater photos of the Hennepin head over to www.michiganshipwrecks.org. I am amazed at how well the wood has stood the test of time these 79 years.

Via WWMT News 3 out of Kalamazoo

Get your free Michigan state map

Did you know that you don't have to stop at a rest area in Michigan to get a free state map? Yep, simply visit MDOT's (that's Michigan Department Of Transportation for any out-of-staters reading this) website and place your order right here for a map of Michigan. You don't even have to pay for postage (maybe Governor Granholm could plug some holes in the budget by charging $.37 for a stamp ;) ). Another crazy thing. You can order as many maps as you would like. Although, someone in Lansing might get suspicious if you place an order for 1,000 maps so you can use them to wallpaper your den.

Hmm, now there is an idea. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how to make our basement a bit more cozy.

The theme for this year's map is "Michigan - A State for All Seasons." On the back of the map there are color photos of different Michigan locales during our four seasons. Yes, Michigan does actually have four seasons. I know this is contrary to the folks that think Michigan only has two seasons - Winter and Construction.

Oh, a couple more little known fact for you. Did you know that Michigan first began providing maps back in 1919? Today, MDOT prints up about two million maps each year for distribution.

Michigan book, 'A Face In The Rock' might become movie

Crews from Back40 Films have been filming and scouting locations near Sault Ste. Marie for a possible film adaptation of Loren Graham's 1995 historical novel, 'A Face In The Rock.' The book is about an Indian, “Powers of the Air,” who was the lone survivor of a battle between his Ojibwe and their hated rival, the Sioux. He was sent back to tell his tribe of the tribesmen being wiped out in the battle. The novel receives its name from a carving of "Powers of the Air" created in a sandstone rock on the shores of Lake Superior in 1820.

The face in 1960
The Face Today Pictures courtesy of www.afaceintherock.com.

I have never heard of this book before coming across this article in The Mining Journal. The story has me intrigued and I have added it to my list of books to read.

You can find out more about the movie at www.afaceintherock.com.

Loren Graham is holding a book signing tonight from 4-7 pm at Falling Rock Cafe in Munising. The film production team will also be giving a brief presentation and their ideas for the film.

Granholm leads DeVos in latest poll

A new poll by The Detroit News/WXYZ-TV shows Governor Jennifer Granholm leading Dick DeVos 50% to 47%. Dick DeVos has been running television ads for about 6 months to the tune of $13 million and Granholm has just recently begun her television ad campaign. I believe that this goes back to my previous post titled, "Can a Millionaire Michigan Congressman Represent the Average Michigander?" It sure seems that in politics these days whomever has the deepest pockets to fund the largest advertising campaign garners the most votes in November.

Look at these simple facts. DeVos was running television ads left and right and spending $13 million to do so while Granholm's campaign bided their time. He built up a lead in the polls back in June of 48% to Granholm's 40%.

Now that Granholm's campaign is spending the advertising dollars is it really a surprise that things have swung back her way to this slight lead? You spend money and good things will happen.

I am not saying that money talks so well that you could put a social lowlife such as a meth dealer into a campaign and spend enough money so they would win an election. You have to have someone people relate to and believe in. Granholm and DeVos fit the bill for quite a few folks according to these polls.

Via The Detroit News.

Today, there will be no newspaper delivered to my door

Today I bravely stride forth into a new era. All through my formative years while living at home, even my college years, and on into my adulthood I have received a daily newspaper. Yesterday I read the last newspaper that will be delivered to my doorstep. I read a large number of online newspapers and news sites on a daily basis. By the time my afternoon paper gets here the news is already old news. Recent changes to our paper have also been blatant in their attempts to disguise the decline in the amount of news that was reported on.

Instead of mainly receiving a plethora of ads and flyers in the Sunday paper, we have begun seeing a bunch of junk ads Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as well. It was like the paper was compensating for the lack of news with advertising.

Even that staple of childhood - the funnies, comics, funny pages - have lost their humor and traded it in for politics, political correctness, and social agendas. The comics have not been the same since Bill Watterson quit drawing my favorite comic - Calvin and Hobbes.

So, I bid a fond ado to those days of holding the news in my hand. Another side benefit to no longer receiving the paper is one less thing to recycle and take up space in my garage.

Update: No apparent plot to blow up Mackinac Bridge

Update: This is in relation to yesterday's post about a possible terror plot involving the Mackinac Bridge. The FBI is reporting that there is no evidence linking the three Texas men that were arrested in Caro for purchasing 80 cell phones and having about 1,000 total cell phones in their van with a terrorist plot.

Also, yesterday I commented that I hoped the only thing these men were guilty of was selling phones at a markup that others could get for the same price at Wal-Mart. Evidently, these phones are more expensive in Texas and there is a great enough demand for these guys to make a trip across the country purchasing these phones for profit.

What I said yesterday still applies today -

I am not yet ready to live in a country where acts of terrorism are a daily occurrence.

Via The Detroit News