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Taking a road trip into Michigan's thumb
Ironically, the pandemic had some positive impacts on the business tourism of Michigan's thumb after people decided against traveling to Traverse City and Mackinac Island. Instead, they were looking for something a bit closer and a bit smaller - Port Austin perhaps.
PORT AUSTIN, Mich. (FOX 2) - Ready for a road trip?
Michigan is home to 14 billion trees that dazzle the state in the fall. The leafy colorful show transition is in full swing in the state. While most might turn their eyes north to the upper peninsula for special spots to gaze at, citizens can find the same amazing sights in the Michigan thumb.
On a rare fall day when the temperatures were 70 degrees, the reds from sugar maples and yellows from oak trees were on full display.
The main route into the Michigan thumb is via M-53, which expands northward to Port Austin. Originally established in 1919, it was later built to carry more traffic further north in the 1920s.
One of the first stops is at the Country Smoke House. It's hard to miss with the the giant cow just off the main road.
A generational-owned company that proclaims a diverse array of homemade meats and spices - it only has one piece of the original building still installed after a fire tore through in 2019.
"We were scheduled to build another addition on here in 2019 and then the company burned to the ground," said Steve Francis, the owner. "I had a heart attack. My Dad died. My whole world came down but we got it back together where it needs to be and we're back in business."
The aim of the restaurant is to bring the taste of up north to the south.
"We do beef bacon, beef turkey, smoked rabbit, smoked duck, pulled pork," Francis said. "Everything is made here in house. I want them to know you're buying real. There's no pony show here. Years ago every market had a grocery store, had a sausage shop on the corner there. They're gone. There's nobody that does this anymore. No where.
"So we're trying to rekindle that back and get the next generation at it."
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The drive further north takes travelers past harvested corn fields and leaves that get deeper in color.
The halfway point of this drive is Port Austin and Veterans Waterfront Park. The break wall built next to it runs roughly half a mile along Lake Huron.
Most of the shops in the city are closed this time of year. But at least one was open. The Port Austin Dime Store, a family-owned center for 52 years has seen its seasonal business boom in the wake of the pandemic.
"Covid in a weird way helped us because if people didn't want to go to Mackinac or Traverse City and they tried to find a small little town," said Scott Kasper, owner of the store. "And that's what we are and we're happy to still be undiscovered."
The trip home takes people from M-53 to US-25, which includes a bevy of stops along the coast of Lake Huron.
That includes Fort Gratiot Lighthouse in St. Clair County. It was built in 1825 and is the oldest lighthouse in Michigan. It served as a beacon that safely guided ships between Lake Huron and the Lake St. Clair River.
Much of the region is closed for the winter, including the lighthouse. However, one can still take tours of the historic landmark through December.