And Finally...The Roger Blough

My favorite ship is the Roger Blough.  I'm not quite sure why though.  She's not one of the longest ships since she's not a 1000 footer.  She has a history but she doesn't have a spot in history like the Arthur Anderson.  Maybe it's because she has the traditional laker look but is still enough of a monster.

 Here she is as she is rounding Belle Isle.

 This shot may explain it.  She is pretty low in the water and looks almost like an alligator or turtle reading to pounce on something.

 Or maybe it is because her form isn't affected by the presence of a self unloading boom.  She's a self unloader but her system is hidden.

 A shot of her bow.

 Another shot of her.

 Just look at the wave, so you can only imagine how much she is displacing.

 Here is a shot of her full 858 feet.  She's not big enough to be the Queen of the Lakes but I think she could handle her own.  She is certainly wide enough at 105 feet.

 A shot of her pilothouse.

 And a shot of her bridge.

 Her stack.

 Another shot of her pilothouse.

 One of her crewmembers freezing on deck.  It was cold yesterday just sitting on the pier.  I can't imagine would it would have been like sitting on a moving ship.

 A shot of her stern.

 One of her self-unloading conveyors.  Because of this, she can only go to certain ports.

 A shot as she passes by.

 Her she is passing by the Detroit Princess.

 The Ambassador Bridge backing her up.

And a final shot before she continues on to Ohio.

The Cadillac Statue

I still had a little time to kill before my next ship, so I decided to wander around Hart Plaza a little more.

 This statue marks the approximate spot where Antoine Cadillac set foot to found the city of Detroit.

 Another angle of that statue.  It was dedicated to mark the 300 anniversary of this event.

 A closeup of his face.

 A closeup of his profile.

 I wanted a shot where I had the flag and his face in it.  I'm not sure I like it though.

One more shot of the full statue.  I think this statue is almost 1 to 1.

The Underground Railroad Statue

Because of its proximity to Canada and the fact that Canada did not allow slavery, Detroit was an important passing ground for escaped slaves heading to Canada.  Even though Michigan was not a slave state and slavery was illegal in Michigan, that didn't mean that slave owners couldn't recover slaves that were found in Michigan.  So many of them would head over to Canada and freedom.

 This is actually a pretty moving statue when you think of its implications.  Then you factor in the risks that were taken in order to reach Canada and the risks taken by the people to help get them there.  As you look at the faces, you see a multigenerational family that took the trek from somewhere.

 For this shot, I tried to frame the statue in the trees.

 The man is pointing towards Canada (although it looks like he is pointing towards the casino in Windsor.

 A closeup of one of the faces.  By this point of the journey, you would be fairly tired.

 And the son excited to see the new land.

 I really like this statue.

 "And over there is a strip club, a couple doors down is a caberet...and there is also a casino over there."

 The light of freedom?

 The front of the statue.

 One of the tools used to guide the slaves were quilts hung in some windows.  They would tell the directions and any dangers around.

Another quilt.

And one more shot of the statue.

Some Shots from Around Hart Plaza

My boatwatching doesn't usually take me to Hart Plaza.  I generally prefer either Belle Isle or Riverside Park.  It is easier to find parking at either of those places plus I think the views are better there.  However, I will say that Hart Plaza is pretty nice for the most part.  There are park benches that line the river and there are many people so it feels safe.

 A shot of the Renaissance Center as I was leaving the parking structure.

 The Detroit Princess at her normal berth.  I may have to take a cruise on her one of these days but I think I would prefer the Diamond Jack cruises.

 One of the nice things about Hart Plaza is the shots you can get of Downtown.  While I prefer the shots I get from Belle Isle or Riverside Park, from here you can get details.  The building on the left is the 1 Woodward Building and it was designed by the designer of the World Trade Center.  In many ways it was a prototype for the World Trade Center.  The building in the back on the left is the Comerica Tower and the building in the front is the Coleman A. Young Building.  It houses the Detroit City Government.

 Another shot of the Detroit Princess.

 The Horace Dodge fountain.  In the summertime, you will see water running through this.

 Another shot of the buildings.

 And another of the fountain.

 Looking at the Ren Cen from another angle.

 The building on the left is the 150 Jefferson Building.  It is built around what used to be the financial district for Detroit.

 A shot of the 150 Jefferson Building and some of the buildings around it.

 A shot of the Ren Cen peeking behind some flowered trees.

 Another shot of the One Woodward building.

 Another shot of the Comerica Tower.

 Another shot of the Ren Cen.

 Some of the blossoms.

 A shot of the buildings through the trees.

 And a shot obscured by the trees.

 This is the Hart Plaza portion of the Riverwalk.  I think you can walk from the Ambassador Bridge all the way to Chene Park (and maybe a little further).

 Another shot of the Ren Cen.

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