A Return to the ‘Zoo’ —Part 2

Michigan Day 6

Another big day scheduled so we only spent 45 minutes enjoying the sunrise on the deck. We left around 8 AM for a bike ride on the Falling Waters Trail in Concord MI.

The trail was entirely asphalt and well-maintained.

Along the trail we stopped at Lime Lake where we once again, saw a pair of swans. The lake is a former quarry and had very clear water. One unusual fact: there seems to be two Lime Lakes in Michigan. The other is further north near Lake Michigan. I liked this lake better.

Both of us saw few deer then as we got nearer to Jackson, there were a number of metal art structures along the sides with name and information plaques. It was the Falling Waters Sculpture Trail.

Once we reached Jackson, we found Daily Grind and Food Hub – a small drive-up/walk-up coffee shop. 

After a short breakfast break, we headed back to Concord and got a better look at some of the art.

On our way back to Concord, we enjoyed the wildlife and the view. It was one of the easiest 22-mile ride we’d ever completed.

The bikes were loaded up and the next stop was Trail Head Coffee right in Concord. We ordered two small coffees and we shared a bagel and cream cheese.

Since there was rain in today’s forecast, we had planned on an indoor activity for the afternoon.  Just as we were leaving the coffee shop, it started to sprinkle. Good timing!

We headed towards Kalamazoo. Our destination this time, was the Air Zoo – Air and Space Museum. We found a close parking place and between showers, we made it to the door. Admission was $18.00/person and it was well worth it!

If you remember El Kabong, then you just dated yourself (like me). For those who were born in the 1970’s or later, El Kabong was an alter-ego of Quick-Draw McGraw from a Saturday morning cartoon. For a frame of reference, I’ve posted this short video:

This museum display is from the mid 60’s when engineers were trying to work out recovery of the capsule in an emergency or simply returning from space. Kabong would have been the sound that the capsule might make when landing. I guess engineers do have a sense of humor, even though it might be a bit weird. You can watch an explanation video by clicking here.

We spent three hours enjoying all the “Air Zoo” had to offer but then I found out we were not done. Just a short drive east (we could have taken a shuttle) is an active restoration shop. This was amazing.

Not only did it have additional aviation displays, we were able to walk around the shop (staying behind the ropes) and study the actual rebuilding of an airplane. I wouldn’t say the shop had just about every thing you could ask for but it certainly had everything they need to build an airplane.

The plane was on a training flight over Lake Michigan when it crashed. The museum received the plane in 2021 along with a $439,000 grant for restoration. The rest of the costs will be the volunteer teams. You can learn even more about the restoration here.

After the museum tour, we were ready for more coffee so drove a short distance, returning to Water Street Coffee in Portage. Normally we like to try many different shops along the way but this one was close and the coffee was very good. So we enjoyed our coffee and snacks, along with some downtime before driving back to the cabin. 

On the way, we decided to stay in for dinner so once again, we ordered a loaded pizza and a Caesar Salad from Home Slice Pizzeria. Cold pizza for lunch tomorrow? I hope so.

We enjoyed another beautiful sunset over the water and planned our next day.