6/20/07 (Wednesday): Greetings! We're enjoying a beautiful, cool morning. We got back last night from taking David to the Detroit Airport (Monday) and a short stay with Tom's family. Thanks for letting us stay the night and do our laundry, Tom and Kristin! That was above and beyond, seeing as how you were just back from your vacation!

We stopped in Battle Creek on the drive home. We'd hoped to tour one of the cereal factories, which we could smell all over town, but apparently none of them give tours!










In fact, even the big, new looking visitor attraction called Cereal City is closed. It's a real shame, because from the outside it looks really neat.
















There's a very nice linear park all along Battle Creek River. There are a number of historic markers. I'd always wondered what battle gave Battle Creek its name. It turns out, there never was a battle. It got its name due to a disagreement between a government land surveyor and two Native Americans.







At one point in our walk on the trail, these geese were very reluctant to let us pass. They'd left their calling cards everywhere, too!











Battle Creek began as a mill town because two rivers (the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek) ran through it to power the mills. It was also a market town for the nearby prairie farmers.
In the 1820's it became a major manufacturer of pumps and farming machinery.








The town welcomed social and religious nonconformists, including Quakers and abolitionists. It was also a major station on the Underground Railroad. I thought this statue was extremely moving.









In 1855, a small group of Seventh Day Adventists made Battle Creek their home. They were really into living healthy. They were a major force in Battle Creek, and their healthy initiative attracted Dr. John Henry Kellogg, who started a sanitorium to teach people how to live a more healthy life. The "San" became famous around the world. It was visited by presidents, kings, movie stars and corporate giants. Dr. Kellogg invented Granose, a ready-to-eat cereal. C.W. Post visited the spa, and eventually opened his own spa. With a great advertising campaign, he turned Postum and Grape-Nuts into a giant industry. Eventually, Battle Creek became the home of a worldwide cereal boom.

Dr. Kellogg's brother, W.K. Kellogg, was inspired by his brother's health initiative and dietary reform, and started his own cereal manufacturing company. This is his home, Kellogg House. We thought it was a fairly modest place. We didn't go inside.








We were sorry we'd eaten a big breakfast, because at the end of our walk, we discovered that the train station had been turned into a very attractive restaurant.

We only spent about two hours in Battle Creek, and we'd like to go back to explore some more. We took a back road from Battle Creek and stopped in Grand Rapids for lunch. It looked like another place we'd like to explore--lots of Victorian homes and a historic downtown area.



Wiley had an upset stomach when we got home and went to bed at 4 PM. He slept until 5 this morning and says he feels better. We go to work at 1 this afternoon. That's it for another "living large" day. Peace!