Bigfoot

Bizarre Beasts, pg 78
Players: Megan & Mallery


Bigfoot sightings are seemingly prevalent all around Michigan. People claim to see the large, hairy beast from the north woods of the Upper Peninsula all the way down to suburbs near the Michigan / Ohio boarder. Many theories exist in trying to explain Bigfoot such as he is an alien, an interbreed of ape and human, an experiment gone wrong and that he is the remainder of a giant great ape breed who lived 2-10 million years ago.

In my 24 years as a Michigan resident, I hadn’t managed to see Bigfoot until my recent trip to Hell, and interestingly enough, he didn’t try to escape when I went to take a picture of him. The weirdest part of the sighting was that I noticed a unique resemblance between his face and my own!

This is not the end of my search for Bigfoot. Because he has been spotted in so many locations throughout the state, I will continue to search for him during every adventure and will be sure to update after the next sighting.

Satan Always on Holiday in Hell

Fabled People and Places, pg 54
Players: Megan & Mallery








Let me just start off by saying I had very high expectations for my visit to Hell. With two pages full of stories and colorful pictures in the “Weird Michigan” book, I couldn’t help but conjure up the idea that this was probably going to be the coolest place I traveled during the challenge. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

Megan was gracious enough to accompany me to Hell, and when we arrived, it was deserted. This was the first indication that my idea of Hell was a little…off. The entire town is comprised of three buildings: a general store, ice-cream store/costume shop and bar. Behind the ice-cream store/costume shop is a putt-putt golf course and several plywood boards painted with scary characters which include holes where you can insert your face for a photo op. We didn’t even venture into the buildings because I was afraid to be even more disappointed.

Legend has it that the founder of the town was being pressured to choose a name for the location. He became annoyed and told the people that he didn’t care and they could call it Hell if they wanted too. Regardless of why it originally gained the name, I am quite sure I know why it has retained it for so many years: it is comparable to Hell on earth considering there is nothing to do and doesn’t live up to its expectations!

The only part of my theory that proved to be true was that it was HOT with temperatures at almost 90 degrees, high humidity and no breeze. At least I wasn’t all wrong!

Rolling Bass-Ackward Up Gravity Hill

Roads Less Traveled, pg181
Players: Erin & Mallery



One of my personal favorite attractions in Benzie County, Gravity Hill, provides entertainment and challenges the mind. If you put your car in neutral at the bottom of the hill on Putney Road and remove your foot from the break, your vehicle will begin rolling backwards UP this hill. So is it an optical illusion, or is Blaine Christian Church (which sits at the top of the hill) pulling sinners towards its doors? Local legend suggests the second, but the author of the “Weird Michigan” book is convinced it’s just an optical illusion.

From Doctoring to Dutch Cowboys

Personalized Properties, pg 126
Players: Erin & Mallery


Dewey Blocksma, a former emergency room doctor, has created unique artwork from random materials including wooden shoes, bike wheels and Jell-O cups. According to the “Weird Michigan” book, his yard in Benzie County is full of multimedia sculptures, but we found that his house sits up a hill, back off the road making all the artwork nearly impossible to view. Near the end of the driveway we did find some of his work which you can see in the picture. Blocksma’s work is also featured in the Tamarack Gallery in Omena and one of his sculptures called River Guardian, stands on the riverbank in Traverse City.

Don Crossman’s Sculpture Garden, Beulah

Personalized Properties, pg 124
Players: Erin & Mallery





Using old tanks and materials found at local junk yards, Don Crossman has created numerous animals and characters that fill the front yard of his home located on US 31 between Honor and Beulah. When speaking of the figures that include Uncle Sam, Jesus and a variety of animals, Crossman says, “You put it all together, it sounds about like what I’d want in the world.” The figures have gained much attention over the years, but Erin and I found that only a few are still in his yard today. Apparently his house burned down a couple years ago and many of the figures were removed at that time.

Cherry Bowl Drive-In

Roadside Oddities, pg 158
Players: Erin & Mallery




The Cherry Bowl Drive-In located in Honor is one of the last remaining drive-in movie theatres in Michigan. The theatre has been in continuous operation since its grand opening in 1953 and offers double features and old post speakers that still use the “original vacuum tube Motiograph amps”. Outside the theatre are many odd visuals including a giant hotdog, pink VW bug, giant white chicken and the backside of a car that looks as though it crashed through the fence.

While we didn’t stay for the feature presentation during this trip, I have take part in the excitement of the Cherry Bowl Drive-in several times before and it is a unique experience that is fun for all ages!

The Alpine Slide

Added Challenge
Players: Erin & Mallery
Although the Alpine Slide at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville is not included in the Weird Michigan book, Erin convinced me that it was worthy of being featured in the competition. It is the only Alpine Slide in Michigan at 1,600 feet long, with a four-minute chair lift ride to the top of the mountain and a two-minute ride down the slide.

In addition to the Alpine Slide, Crystal Mountain features a water park, bike rentals and many other fun activities for families to partake in during the summer months. New this year, the park has added a paintball park to the amenities they offer. Following our two trips down the Alpine Slide, we took a time to shoot a few balls at the target range, and convinced the Crystal Mountain staff to let us borrow the white paintball suits for a quick photo shoot. Now I’m not sure why one would actually wear one of these white suits during a paintball match, but they provided a good laugh none the less.