 ## Much needed time away! ##### My wife and I have been working hard for the last year and a half, so we decided to take some time off and go camping. Our final destination was Copper Harbor, Michigan, but we hit a lot of places before we got there! The first stop on our journey was Hartwich Pines State Park in Grayling, Michigan.  ## Michigan Logging Museum ##### Hartwick Pines is dedicated to the logging industry in Michigan and contains the only remaining stand of original Old-Growth forest in the state left untouched by the loggers. In this picture, you can see the horse-drawn logging cart used to get the trees out of the forest.  ## The Original Visitors Center ##### It had been quite a few years since my parents had taken me on much the same trip when I was young, and the park had made a lot of improvements, including a new visitors center. But of course, I took my wife to see the original.  ## Karen Hartwick ##### This is the plaque dedicated to Karen Hartwick, the wife of Edward Hartwick. Edward had made a fortune logging Michigan, and after his death, his wife realized that the Old-Growth forest was rapidly being destroyed, never to return. She purchased a little over eight thousand acres and deeded them to the State of Michigan for a park. If it were not for her, Michigan would not have any original forest left.  ## Gorgeous!  ## Easy to see ##### Hartwick Pines is easily accessible for wheelchairs and others and the trails are clearly marked with not only directions but also informational plaques to give information at strategic locations.  ## "The Monarch" ##### When I was a child I remember standing next to this tree, no longer there, and being amazed that something could grow as tall as that. There are a few that are almost as tall as The Monarch in the park, but this tree was huge!  ## How peaceful is this?  ## Informative and gorgeous ##### Like I said earlier, throughout the park there are informational plaques, telling you the history, science, and ecology of the park. You can learn a lot there, and it helps a person realize how dependent on nature we all are. ## Logging Museum ##### Halfway through the park there is a museum dedicated to the logging industry in Michigan. It is full of awesome displays about logging and ecology. Taxidermy animals and old tools are everywhere.  ## Bambi!!!  ## Log Marking Tools  ## Various Log Marks on display  ## Taxidermy Otter  ## What it took to live back then...  ## Logging Sled  ## Tree Mushrooms!  ## Chapel in the pines ##### Above is the world-famous "Chapel in the pines." It is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in the world, in my opinion. Inside there is a prayer that I think each of us should read and take to heart.  ## Inside the Chapel  ##### Thank you for reading. In my next post, we will be going to Fort Michimacinac, the original colonial fort that was in Mackinaw City, Michigan.
 ## Much needed time away! ##### My wife and I have been working hard for the last year and a half, so we decided to take some time off and go camping. Our final destination was Copper Harbor, Michigan, but we hit a lot of places before we got there! The first stop on our journey was Hartwich Pines State Park in Grayling, Michigan.  ## Michigan Logging Museum ##### Hartwick Pines is dedicated to the logging industry in Michigan and contains the only remaining stand of original Old-Growth forest in the state left untouched by the loggers. In this picture, you can see the horse-drawn logging cart used to get the trees out of the forest.  ## The Original Visitors Center ##### It had been quite a few years since my parents had taken me on much the same trip when I was young, and the park had made a lot of improvements, including a new visitors center. But of course, I took my wife to see the original.  ## Karen Hartwick ##### This is the plaque dedicated to Karen Hartwick, the wife of Edward Hartwick. Edward had made a fortune logging Michigan, and after his death, his wife realized that the Old-Growth forest was rapidly being destroyed, never to return. She purchased a little over eight thousand acres and deeded them to the State of Michigan for a park. If it were not for her, Michigan would not have any original forest left.  ## Gorgeous!  ## Easy to see ##### Hartwick Pines is easily accessible for wheelchairs and others and the trails are clearly marked with not only directions but also informational plaques to give information at strategic locations.  ## "The Monarch" ##### When I was a child I remember standing next to this tree, no longer there, and being amazed that something could grow as tall as that. There are a few that are almost as tall as The Monarch in the park, but this tree was huge!  ## How peaceful is this?  ## Informative and gorgeous ##### Like I said earlier, throughout the park there are informational plaques, telling you the history, science, and ecology of the park. You can learn a lot there, and it helps a person realize how dependent on nature we all are. ## Logging Museum ##### Halfway through the park there is a museum dedicated to the logging industry in Michigan. It is full of awesome displays about logging and ecology. Taxidermy animals and old tools are everywhere.  ## Bambi!!!  ## Log Marking Tools  ## Various Log Marks on display  ## Taxidermy Otter  ## What it took to live back then...  ## Logging Sled  ## Tree Mushrooms!  ## Chapel in the pines ##### Above is the world-famous "Chapel in the pines." It is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in the world, in my opinion. Inside there is a prayer that I think each of us should read and take to heart.  ## Inside the Chapel  ##### Thank you for reading. In my next post, we will be going to Fort Michimacinac, the original colonial fort that was in Mackinaw City, Michigan.