Preparing for GeoBash, I’m a little behind in our
adventures.
Prior
to European settlement of the area, the Rouge served as the road through this
country for local Indian tribes and for French and English trappers. Later, the river was a pathway for escaped
slaves on their way to Canada along the Underground Railroad. Hines Drive was built in 1949 with land
donated by Henry Ford and was named after Edward Hines, head of the Wayne
County Road Commission. Along the way there are a number of
historic mills, some of which Henry Ford used to make automobile parts. In addition to mills, Hines Drive is lined
with baseball and soccer fields, hiking and biking paths, fishing docks, and
picnic areas. Exploring the cities of
Dearborn, Plymouth, and Northville is an added bonus when traveling this
multi-faceted parkway.
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| Mills Race Village |
Doug’s Wherigo led us on an 11-mile curvy tour of the
Historic Mills. At each stop, you must
answer a question to lead you onto the next leg of the tour. Have you ever done a Wherigo? They can be fabulous when done right – Doug deserved
his favorite points for this one! Here
are a few (of our many, many) pictures!
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| Mills Race Village |
This was definitely Henry Ford country. Almost every mill on Hines Drive was "Henry Ford bought this property....", "Henry Ford built engines parts here.... ", "Henry Ford was the first to..".
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| Northville Valve Plant |
I have to admit…. I had a “DUH!” moment. I’ve cruised Hines Drive over the years
(mainly during the annual Wayne County Light Show). I’ve heard of Nankin Mills, Meads Mill, Mills
Race…. Never actually struck me it’s because there were MILLS there! I thought the labels were artifice like
Farmington HILLS or Dearborn HEIGHTS or Grosse Pointe FARMS.
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| TaGeez at Meads Mill |
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| Meads Mill |
It was fascinating returning to Meads Mill in the summer. You might remember our Arctic explorations this
past March. Totally the opposite experience this time!
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| Rogue River |
Here's an example of the historical markers along the way. This one excited me. The workers at the Phoenix Mill were all women, and Henry Ford paid them the same rate as the men working comparable jobs!
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| Phoenix Mill |
It was quite the fascinating history lesson. Steve and I read every historical marker and sign. We had a little trouble at the final - the skeeters were doing their darnedest to protect the cache - but we were victorious. Favorite points for a fabulous journey!
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| Nankin Mills |
The following day was MGA14.
With his recent medical situation, TaGeez hadn’t been able to do the MGA
Caches (Lower Huron, Willow, and Oakwood) with the rest of the Free Range
Lobsters. We went out and did a major run,
ending in Rockwood, to catch him up!
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| The only easy part of the Freckles Puzzle! |
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We love to eat on our adventures
Stopped off at Big Bear Lodge in Rockwood |
After lunch, we moseyed out to the back of the restaurant's parking lot for a cache. Concealed up on a hill under some greenery was a cemetery! Completely closed off and abandoned. Fascinating to stop and look at the stones in the tall grass.
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| Who knew? |
It was a whirlwind weekend. Port Huron on Friday, Hines Drive on Saturday, 3 Huron Metroparks on Sunday and the Detroit Zoo on Monday - with 6 special caches! Stay tuned for that last adventure!
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