We had fun visiting the touristy Bavarian town, Frankenmuth, MI, with its many shops and eating places. A highlight was our visit to the Zeilenger Wool Company. They process wool from sheep, goats, alpaca, and others for comforters, mattress pads, bed pillows, etc. They also have a commercial spinning operation, creating custom yarns. We were lucky to be there just as a tour started and we got to see where the cleaned wool was spun into yarn and placed on spools. After our visit at Zeilengers we enjoyed walking around the picturesque downtown, looking at the buildings and visiting several shops. Some of the candy and food shops have free samples – yum! There’s a “modern” covered bridge, and a pretty river where you can take a tour on a riverboat.
The other highlight for us was a tour the USS Edson, DD-946 in Bay City, MI at the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum. Since we volunteered at the Battleship Texas last winter (and plan to do it again this coming winter) we found a visit to this ship especially interesting. Upon admission we were given a walking tour flyer that explained the highlights of the ship. There are many well documented displays providing lots of information on the ship and the places it served. We saw where the enlisted sailors lived, ate, got medical care, and got haircuts. We saw where the officers spent their leisure time and saw their sleeping quarters. The engine area was a bit overwhelming for me, but Scott liked looking around. I especially liked the pilot house and combined information center which controlled all communications. This is an excellent tour for those interested in 1950’s-80’s Navel history. It does require walking up steps, including going up and down steep, narrow ladders. Still, I think it was well worth the effort.
