Take a 'Road Trip' through Clinton County

There's something about the changing of the seasons that creates a desire to pick up your feet and move on down the road a piece - visit new places; see different sights; experience fresh ideas.

Perhaps it's the knowledge that the icy winds of winter will soon be whipping across the landscape, sending birds and beasts - and a few humans - scurrying toward shelter.

The brilliant blue skies of autumn appear even brighter, thanks to red, gold, and orange-dressed trees that punctuate the skyline, and warm sunshine produces an irresistible urge to escape outdoors.

While plans are already pretty well in place for the annual fall color tour where I play chauffeur for my parents in a drive 'up north,' I'm afraid a day-trip to Charlevoix isn't going to be quite a long enough journey this time around. The urge to move - to change with the seasons - necessities a more substantial expedition.

And, that's a problem.

For some reason, Pres, our CCN-DBR publisher, is reluctant to foot the bill while one of his staffwriters gallivants around the country. He didn’t really buy into the idea of how a personal report from Big Sur in California, or checking lobster traps off New England would boost readership and ad sales.

He's funny like that - talking about the bottom line, profit margins, exceeding budget numbers - minor details that allow the papers to run with black ink, not red.

A compromise was obviously needed. If touring the country is out of the question, what about a road trip around the county - surely that won’t break the budget.

We had a deal.

So, put on some comfortable shoes - we'll be getting out of the car quite a bit - and bring a warm coat and hat - we're going to be traveling through the winter months, too, you know - and we'll take off.

A Road Trip through Clinton County begins next week. We'll check out all 16 townships, and make stops in every city, village, and hamlet along the way. Because I'm a firm believer in the ability of the past to unlock doors into the present and future, we'll also do quite a bit of 'time traveling' - taking journeys back in time to check out the history of each tour stop. In fact, a look backwards will probably be a focus of our little trip.

Hope you enjoy the ride.

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A trivia question of sorts arrived in our mailbox last week. Barbara Large of Lakeview would like to know the history of a plate which she believes originated in St. Johns. She writes as follows:

"I have acquired a gold-trimmed, rose-embossed plate that came from a business in St. Johns. I was wondering if you could help me find some history on the plate.

"Printed on the front is, 'Made especially for Noble Burnett: dry goods, cloaks, rugs, suits, skirts. St. Johns, Michigan.' Printed on the back is, 'Carnation McNuor.'

The assumption is that the plate was probably a promotional item for a St. Johns business. Hopefully, one of our local history buffs will be able to unlock the mystery of the plate's origin.