Alaska Michigan

Tucked away in southern Kent County lies the picturesque village of Alaska. The village is located where 68th Street meets the Thornapple River and can easily be overlooked if you are in a hurry.
Alaska is home to the Fred W Ruehs Park, a Kent county park located along the Thornapple River. The park is only [...]

Along the Thornapple River

It takes thirty-five gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of maple sugar. That’s not the only thing I learned from Steve Hays at Maple Manor, but it’s one tidbit of insight I picked up when I stopped by his maple sugar refinery in Vermontville, Michigan. There’s more to tell, but I’m saving that [...]

The Snows of Solstice

You’re looking at the view on my radar.
The view outside is less colorful, and not a pretty one if you plan on driving today.
Either way, whether you’re looking out the window or at my computer screen, what you’ll see right now is a genuine, old-fashioned Michigan winter storm in progress, the kind we used to [...]

Thornapple River

The Thornapple River flows through the better part of three Michigan counties; Kent, Barry and Eaton, having it’s headwaters in Eaton County, and  is a tributary of the Grand River that flows into the village of Ada.
The lowermost 30 miles of the river is largely developed along the backwaters of three dams; the Ada Dam, [...]

Ada Covered Bridge

Ada Township, Kent County Michigan, is home to the Ada village covered bridge. This 125 foot span crosses the Thornapple River. Originally built around 1870, the bridge was closed to road traffic in 1930 when a new bridge was built downriver. The old covered bridge was restored in 1941 but was completely destroyed by fire [...]

Paul Henry Trail on the Thornapple River

You’re liable to see just about anything along the Paul Henry–Thornapple Trail in Middleville.
Swans patrolling the old millpond.
Muskrats diving in the backwaters.
Fishermen hauling smallmouth bass out of the Thornapple River.
Walkers strolling beneath an archway of trees.
Cardinal flowers lighting the late-summer swamps.
Sandhill cranes nesting out in the marsh.
What’s particularly nice about the Paul Henry Trail is, it’s [...]