My Fellow Letterboxers,

Enjoying my new CD and the gas mileage of the Ford Taurus, I headed out of Illinois into the great state of Michigan. Marshall, Michigan is a small town, not far from the even smaller burg of Colon, Michigan. Marshall is home to the American Museum of Magic. Colon is home to the Abbott's Magic Company, the grave of Harry Blackstone Sr., and the annual Colon Magic Festival. Now does any of this sound more exciting than a museum that has Houdini's custom-made milk can or a Marshall Brodini magic set? So why is Colon considered the "The Magic Capital of the World" instead of Marshall? Take my advice and skip Harry's grave; go straight to the American Museum of Magic.

The Blossomtime Festival in Benton Harbor is a week long festival of beauty queens, a carnival, parade, fashion show, marching bands, entertainment and an 1858-style baseball game. In spite of the unseasonably cold weather, the Blessing of the Blossoms was just the beginning of a fun-filled week. Did I mention beauty queens?

Munising is the Western Gateway to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior. The natural wonder of this park is outstanding. The cliffs, sculptured by the weather and lake, are nature's art. There are eight waterfalls in the area that are well worth the hikes. If you see nothing else in Michigan, you must see this park. You might even run into Lnd-Crzr and his imaginary friend there. He is still trying to figure where to drop those small, nearly round stones smooth from the travels of a million years that he picked up in the Ozarks.

I had a hard decision to make: The National Morel Mushroom Festival or the Annual Motor City Comic Con. The comics won. Where else can you find comic artists, characters, and collectibles? Walter Koenig (Chekov), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Margot Kidder (Lois Lane), Martin Klebba (Pirate Marty), Felix Silla (Cousin Itt), and Micky Dolenz from the Monkees were among a few of the stars that were present. I still haven't figured out why Micky was there. I scored on the purchase of the November 1946 "Danny Kaye in Patches" comic and a raffle ticket from Vader's Fist in support of autism. Another from the heart deal. But, I did not come here to talk about magic, beauty queens, rocks, or comics; I came to talk letterboxing.

Michigan has about 55 mysteries. That seems like quite a lot until you compare it to about 660 traditionals. You do the math. Michiganites, you do a good job covering those boxes; makes for a long and prosperous life. Cold winters in this part of the country, with lots and lots of snow. I can't stress the importance of good containers enough. If a container breaks, your letterbox is history. While hiking, respect the inhabitants of the area. Although raccoons look cute, it is not wise to feed them. Wolves, bears and the Missesaugua Rattler also make their home here. Respect them, as well.

Sincerely,

Investigator Francis Bacon