Posted on 10/05/2013 6:54:22 AM PDT by cripplecreek
Our vacation was planned for months. The time was planned to coincide with the maximum autumn colors, and the best weather possible.
The planning took place, a vehicle was rented, rooms were reserved, and the weather forecasts were all scanned and showed great autumn forecasts.
Congress was the unknown factor.
For hundreds of vacationers to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the shutdown of government facilities was something that did not fit into the advanced planning.
Dotted with state and federal parks and attractions, the Upper Peninsula has peak fall color in early October. It seemed like the perfect time for us to visit the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Seney National Wildlife Refuge. Unless they are closed due to a government shutdown.
At the Pictured Rocks, east of nearby Munising, the barricades went up on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Alger County Road H-11, leading to Miner's Castle, a popular overlook at the western end of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, was blocked with three plastic barrels and yellow caution tape.
Numerous times, the tape was ripped off and vehicles continued on to the site. Some drivers were warned and even ticketed for trespassing, according to local residents who did not want their names published due to fear of government reprisals.
One local business that appeared to benefit from the closures was the Pictured Rocks Boat Tours, who suddenly found reservations jumping and full shiploads of visitors. The boats travel east along the 14-mile-long Pictured Rocks, offering great viewing of the unique and ever-changing rock cliffs, waterfalls, and beaches.
We also found the roads closed to the Seney National Wildlife Refuge. The visitor's center darkened and locked.
The attractions offered by the State of Michigan, including Kith-iti-kipi spring at Palm Books State Park, numerous Alger County waterfalls, and a drive to Tahquamenon Falls were all crowded, as disgruntled visitors explored ways to fill the gap caused by the unavailable federal parks and lakeshores.
Time for states to take back their land... Ridiculous.
I am surprised a legal group hasn’t sued to stop the government from closing parks that people don’t need assistance or service to visit. Like driving the rim of the grand canyon. Close the visitor center, but what authority do they have to close roads to public owned land?
We used to live and work at the Grand Canyon.
Rangers have ‘barrycaded’ the road to Lee’s Ferry at Marble Canyon where river runners put in for the run through the canyon.
Some groups have waited for over ten years for their turn to do this. Some private groups have invested more than 20 thousand of their own money and have ccome from all over the country.
Now they are met by armed NPS standing behind concrete barricades placed by bull dozer.
The feds may end up with unintended results due to this whole shut-down mess. They may find we LIKE our freedom to be free.
Since all this is just the boy-king making things as hurtful as he possibly can, I think may have coined a new phrase to describe it...
“Government $hitdown”
Thou shalt not poach thy king’s deer.
It’d be kind of fun to get a ticket for trespass to put in the old Tea Party scrapbook...
Or many more may like the experience of exercising said freedoms.
What a bunch of twits these park rangers bureaucrats have become.
Has there ever been anyone truly frightened of Government reprisal during any Republican Admin?? The Left is overplaying it’s hand. I HOPE the mature in the country WAKE UP and FIGHT BACK! This Narcissist-in-Chief is not a King!
Our vacation was planned for months. The time was planned to coincide with the maximum autumn colors, and the best weather possible.
The planning took place, a vehicle was rented, rooms were reserved, and the weather forecasts were all scanned and showed great autumn forecasts.
Congress was the unknown factor.
BS
BTW, what is a vacation? Haven’t had one in few years; too busy trying to earn enough for my family in this corrupt nation of ours.
A vacation ruined here and there, oh my!
A Vacation Ruined Here And There, Oh My!!
A VACATION RUINED HERE AND THER, OH MY!!!
While people continue to loose jobs, get their hours cut back and are gobsmacked by their new health insurance premiums... forget about Benghazi, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Eric Holder’s gunrunning, and flat out tearing the Constitution to shreds... A ruined vacation is supposed to tug at our heart strings?
I have an easy solution. Let’s go to his favorite golf course of choice when he’s there with a bucket of golf balls of the same variety that he uses, follow at a safe distance, and keep lobbing them out there near where his shots land to let him see what it feels like to be annoyed. Harmless but very annoying for a serious golfer...: )
I wouldn’t be surprised if they shut down the clouds at the Lake of the Clouds.
Obama bin Laden ruined our vacation too. After 35 years of hard work we planned a 6 week vacation to to loop through National Parks and Monuments starting with Yellowstone, on to Rushmore, and eventually ending in the Smokey Mountians of Tennesse.
We are leaving today and will still do the trip but with changes and have had to cancel reservations all over the place.
Thanks, Obama and Harry Reid for nothing.
The boy-king is a tyrant and using our own national and state police against us, the tax payers. By the way, it’s our tax money that is allowing him to live the life he’s fully enjoying.
It’s SOP for Obama’s ‘government $hitdown’!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.