Story and photos by Kevin Howell
When I was a kid, my parents would pack my brother, me and the dog into the family car for a Sunday afternoon outing. Those drives included a bucket of fried chicken and all the trimmings. We would dig into them at some lonesome picnic table along a two-lane road. Those were great adventures along backroads, exploring to be exploring, something I’ve carried into adulthood.
Taylor Road
My latest adventure followed the back ways to Baldwin. It started from my own backyard east of Walhalla and north of U.S. Highway 10, on paved Taylor Road. South of the highway, Taylor turns to gravel. Wondering where that goes, I, of course, followed it. Calling it a gravel road is stretching it. Taylor becomes a sandy two-track through Manistee National Forest.
A quarter mile or so off the highway, the road narrows. Maple Leaf River Access, not advertised on the highway, suddenly appears. The access is to the Pere Marquette Scenic River, one of about 20 access points between Baldwin and Custer. The road ends at a parking area with pit toilets, sign board of rules and Fisherman’s Trail, a narrow footpath leading through woods to the river.
Hoping to find a fisherman to talk to, I ventured down a slight hillside to the riverbank. Note: mosquitoes are getting thick right now, so I sprayed myself with a natural repellent beforehand. Looking up and down stream on this peaceful, remote stretch of river, I spotted two fishermen ⸺ one in either direction. Far enough away and obscured by bank foliage, they couldn’t see me. I heard the guy downstream holler something like, “Oh, wow!” and I considered heading his way. By then my natural repellent had attracted about 50 mosquitoes. After 30 bites in 15 seconds, I re-thought that idea and retreated to my truck.
Back to the highway.
South Branch Road
Another backroad to explore is a couple miles east, just past Branch Grocery ⸺ a quick stop for beer, groceries, a Freshwater Reporter and a pretty good pizza! North of US-10, the road is called Tyndall, and to the south it’s named South Branch. It’s confusing because Tyndall reappears later from another direction. South Branch has been closed for several years. Signs and partial barricades reinforce that notion, but I wanted to see WHERE it was closed and why.
This was my second time driving along this road. My wife Jean and I had ventured a little way down it previously. On this solo journey, I went further. A sign indicated it was 3.5 miles to the next river access ⸺ I was paralleling the river ⸺ so I traveled on. The road turned left, becoming Stevenson. Another “road closed” sign appeared, as did a gang of turkeys. Wait! Back up. Okay, gotta try for a photo … Got it!
Further down, and back on South Branch, I encountered another sign: “Open to river access”. At the access I found a young man hanging out by the riverbank near a boat.
“Any luck today?” I asked him.
The young fisherman, Collin Trouslot, was waiting on his dad to fetch the truck and trailer.
“We had a hit for about two seconds, but otherwise nothing,” he told me.
They put in at Rainbow Rapids, about a two-hour float Collin noted was nice, but hot that day.
Down the road I think I found the problem spot. A sign said “Bump” and a rough patch about 15 feet long stretched across the road. I “Bump”-ed across the rough stretch, where a “Road Closed” sign was aimed in the other direction. Dilemma of the so-called road closure solved.
On our previous voyage, we stopped at a KOA campground stuck in the middle of the “closed” road. Jean chatted with the manager, who said the road repair has been in limbo due to some disagreement between highway entities over responsibility. (Editor’s note: We used to deliver copies of Freshwater Reporter to the campground, until the signs warned us back.)
We’re not sure of details, but the manager commented, “It’s not helping my business any.”
The rest of the way was smooth. I enjoyed driving through forested, rolling backroads. After several miles, I was back on paved 56th Street and turned east toward Baldwin. For future reference, a sign on the corner states Papa John is selling Sweet Corn for $5 a dozen.
To the lakes
Taking backroads west of Baldwin can get you twisted up pretty quickly, and cell connections for GPS are iffy. From prior experience, I kind of knew what road I was looking for. Nearly sliding by it, I found Evergreen Road running south (sort of) among several small lakes. Evergreen Cemetery marks the right turn, and across the road is the former site of Evergreen Covenant Church.
The road winds through woods and past (“No Motors Allowed”) private Gifford Lake, Lake Cecilia and, finally, Big Star Lake.
Stomach growling by now ⸺ no bucket of fried chicken on this trip ⸺ I turned east at 76th Street toward Baldwin. On the way, I spotted another future diversion, the 76th Street trailhead of the North Country National Scenic Trail. The trail stretches 4,700 miles across eight states, from North Dakota to Vermont. Michigan offers the most trail miles. The path traverses the Upper Peninsula and crosses the Mighty Mac before heading down into Ohio.
A chili dog in Baldwin and I’m headed home. But another wonder-what’s-down-this-road struck. I turned off the main drag and took Sixth Street west, on a whim. Figuring I’d get lost, I rolled past more river access points, including Rainbow Rapids, curved south, west, north and back to west, finally spotting a familiar landmark ⸺ Evergreen Cemetery. I wasn’t lost after all!
Now in familiar territory, rather than taking South Branch Road again, I followed the next road north, Tyndall, which turns into Landon. I guess Tyndall finds its own way back.
Down Landon, I happened on one more notable sign on a side two-track. (Remember the KOA?) It read, “Not the way to KOA.” Someone evidently tried the back way, and it didn’t turn out well.
So, here’s to the next backroad adventure, wherever it may lead. And don’t forget to bring the chicken!
Kevin Howell is a Mason County freelance writer. He loves the Michigan woods, lakes, and especially Michigan craft beers ⸺ not necessarily in that order!
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