Sam the Clam Travel Tag

You’re all checked into Room 405 at the fabulous Aloha Travel Hug Resort and Wellness Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It’s the finest TB Hotel I’ve visited. Enjoy your stay, and best of luck on your next adventure.

Covington, Baraga County - I wasn’t planning to find any geocaches tonight, but I was out chasing the aurora borealis and realized this one was nearby.

Eighth and final stop today, just up the road from the last one: I didn’t plan to end up at a ghost town pioneer church in the rainy darkness tonight. I left Marquette with a few southwesterly goals in mind and let the rest unfold. A missed turn and “one more cache” brought me to this fascinating place that was built in the late 1800s and served as a temperance hall, a saloon, a place of worship, and a shingle mill. It’s been a fun adventure. Thanks for joining me!

I found my sixth cache of the day on 6th Street in Channing in Dickinson County. This one combines three of my favorite things in one spot: geocaching, letter writing / mailing, and books! I pass through here on my way to Iron Mountain and always think of my Uncle Ralph, since the sign for Ralph is just past Channing.

I figured this would be a quick and easy park-and-grab before heading back to Marquette, but I wasn’t expecting a cheerfully decorated double-sided Little Free Library! I searched high and low by flashlight with no luck, sat in my car for a minute to warm up, and then decided to think like a nano and give it one more try. Success! I’ll have to stop by again during daylight.

Fourth stop today, much quicker than the last one, between Champion and Republic along M-95. One of Marquette County’s seven oldest caches, it leads geocachers to a tree that survived fires in 1986 and 2000. It was 45°F, gusty, and starting to rain as I finally found the right angle after ten minutes of circling and climbing around the rocks. Impressive that it’s still in good shape after nearly 23 years, standing tall as a lone conifer above the bare deciduous trees.