Marquette Memories, Needless Nostalgia & Sophomoric Stories

June 22, 2024

Marquette: Biking in the Rain

I woke up at 6:30 a.m., looked at my phone for the weather report, and saw a window of rainless time between 7:00 and 9:00. After that, the day would be a total washout.

I figured I could quickly get dressed, have a cup of Keurig coffee in my room, and be out the door by 7:30. I had a second cup of coffee, which delayed me until almost 8:00, which still gave me a solid hour of rain-free exploration of my old college town.

I made it downtown in fifteen minutes and managed to take the first three pictures before the rain started falling. They're all architecture pictures. I don't think I appreciated the Marquette architecture when I lived here. Now I do.

More than a century ago, this was a brewery.

Two bikes and a bank. Any building with pillars must be very important.

My first nostalgia story comes with the courthouse picture.

When I was an undergraduate student at Northern Michigan University, I took a couple of pre-law classes because I thought lawyering would be a pretty cool profession. I don't think that anymore, but I still fondly remember the fun of roaming the courthouse halls and doing research in the law library.

Another interesting thing related to the courthouse is that Hemingway's "The Big Two Hearted River" isn't the only great piece of literature that was set in the U.P. There is also a book about a notorious murder trial titled, "Anatomy of a Murder." It was written by Robert Traver, which was the pen name of the defense attorney in the case. Later, the Traver dude became a Michigan Supreme Court Justice.

I've never read the book, but apparently it was so good that that the great director, Otto Preminger, wanted to turn it into a movie and such famous actors as Jimmy Stewart, Ben Gazzara, George C. Scott, and Lee Remick signed on to perform in it. I've seen the movie three times and I give it an "A" rating.

All of the courtroom scenes were filmed in the courthouse shown above. It's also where the original case was heard.

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The rain was coming down in earnest now, but I was determined to move on for a few more pictures. Physical discomfort be damned, I have a journal to write.

I may not have appreciated the architecture back in the late 1970's, but I sure did appreciate the lake and the beaches. The U.P. has a short summer with a lot of rainy days (like today.) Hot, sunny days were pretty rare. When they happened, hanging out at the beach with a good book was a favorite pastime.

That lighthouse is an oft-photographed feature of Marquette.

As I said in the video, us hardy college kids and other Yoopers swam out to Picnic Rocks all the time when the water wasn't frozen over. It was exhilarating. Related to that, here comes another story.

Fifteen years ago, I thought it would be cool to share some Marquette adventures with my daughter Kaylo. Among other daring things, we swam out to Picnic Rocks. I was so proud of her for taking on every challenge. (More about that tomorrow.)

When we swam back, I saw two Marquette police officers waiting on the beach for us.

"Uh, oh," I said to Kaylo, "we might be in some trouble."

When we emerged from the lake, the cops greeted us by pointing out the "no swimming" signs, chastising us for ignoring the signs, and explaining how Lake Superior's cold temperatures and strong undertows can overcome even the strongest swimmers. I can still remember how condescending the officer who did most of the talking was. Even after I assured him I was a Northern Michigan University student in the 1970's and we often swam to Picnic Rocks, he was not the least bit impressed.

All he said in response was, "do you have some I.D.?"

A plethora of sarcastic responses flashed through my mind. Things like, "yeah, I swim with my wallet all the time." Or, "the undertow sucked my Russian passport right out of my shorts." Using better judgement, what I actually said was, "yes, but I'll have to go to my car to get it."

I ran back to the car in bare feet, ran back to the beach, and presented my driver's license to the officer in charge. While I was gone, I learned, they questioned Kaylo. She assured them that she WANTED to swim out to those rocks as much as I did, if not more. And she was an adult.

I got off with a warning ticket and a strong admonition to never do this again . . . or next time there will be stronger consequences. I thanked them for the warning and assured them it would never happen again, and we'd be leaving town the next day.

If it wasn't so cold and rainy today, I'd be tempted to swim out there to see if those cops remembered me.

That sign wasn't there in my college days.

Now, it appears, the only people who go out there are seagulls.

My hands were getting cold and my socks were soaking wet, so I began working my way back to the Holiday Inn. My route took me through the campus of Northern Michigan University. That place brought back a few memories.

To some, Northern Michigan University was known, jokingly, as the Harvard of the North. It was also known as the college for kids who weren't smart enough to get into Michigan Tech. So true--in my case anyway.

I helped pay for my tuition as a work-study student. The Arts & Theater building is where I unlocked all the outside doors at 6:30 a.m. and then drank coffee for a couple hours before classes began.

When I was a freshman, my bike got stolen here while I was at wrestling practice. Who knows, it might have been stolen from that very same bike rack.

This is where the NMU football team plays its home games.

When that stadium was built, it was the largest wooden dome in the world. Maybe it still is.

When I was a student, the football team played in an outdoor stadium. They were one of the most powerful NCAA Division II programs in the country. They were mediocre for a few years after they got their new indoor stadium. Last year, they had regressed to being one of the worst college football teams ever. Their record was 0-11 and the scores of those losses were embarrassingly lopsided. The lesson to be learned is: Fancy new stadiums don't necessarily lead to winning football teams.

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I know it's hard to tell in the pictures, but it was raining pretty steadily. I was chilled and wet, but that didn't mean I couldn't go out of my way for a nice hot pasty. Thank goodness, Lawry's opens for pasty business at 9:00 a.m. Pasties are good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Can you believe some loony Cycleblazer thinks Velveeta would be a good condiment for a pasty. I felt queezy just touching the package. I quickly threw it back into the convenience store's "dairy" case.

I thought maybe the rain might let up and I could get out for another ride in the afternoon, but there was no such luck. At least I got some satisfaction from writing two days' worth of journal entries from the comfort of my hotel room.

I booked another night here because I still had a couple other places I wanted to visit. It looks like there is a 50-50 chance it won't be raining tomorrow. Either way, I'll be riding to a couple of special sites.

It almost looks like it could snow out there.

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Today's ride: 11 miles (18 km)
Total: 341 miles (549 km)

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marilyn swettWe'll be in Marquette August 1 to attend an Airstream rally but I don't plan to swim out to those rocks. Instead, I'd rather check out those pasties! Maybe the organizers of the rally will be offering pasties at one of their group dinners:)
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3 months ago

Gregory GarceauTo marilyn swettI wouldn't be at all surprised if you get pasties for a group dinner. The pasty shops provide for events like that all the time. Have fun in Marquette and make sure you get out to Presque Isle Park.
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3 months ago

Emily SharpGreat tour of your alma mater - I never realised Marquette was a college town. Must have been nice to remember some good times and get a pasty. Shame about the rain.
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3 months ago