‘I passed through all these charming little towns’

ROSEVILLE — Name any township or city in Michigan, and chances are Scott Krasnik has been there.

For the past 10 years, the Roseville resident has traveled around the state on a quest to visit every big city, mid-size community and small town in the Great Lakes State.  

Krasnik’s first venture came about when he was living in downtown Detroit. He decided to get in his car and cruise along Van Dyke Avenue to see where it ended.

“I basically hopped on from Gratiot (Avenue) and Van Dyke, and I went all the way out to Port Austin. I passed through all these charming little towns,” the traveler said. “I love old architecture. I fell in love with some of these little towns along the way. It was like, OK, let’s see what the next town has to offer. From there, it just kind of blossomed.”

Krasnik’s journey began in the thumb area, and in the last 10 years he has been through the Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula many times. Roadside attractions, parades and lighthouses are a large part of his experience. Always looking for an adventure, he even bundles up to camp in the wintertime.

Krasnik, 54, has collected all the “map dots” in the official state map from the Michigan Department of Transportation. He sent a letter about his travels and one map to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, which she signed over Lake Michigan. He buys a new Michigan map every year to begin another expedition.

The map dots represent “small little towns a lot of people have never even heard of. Some of them were easy to find. Some of them aren’t,” Krasnik said. “Some of them are on GPS. Some of them aren’t, so you have to pull out a paper map and navigate your way through a lot of these towns. Some towns don’t have any buildings left in them. Some do. Some are basically the way they were back in the 1900s, and some have changed drastically.”

In the beginning, Krasnik completed day trips. But after working with a group of guys who liked the outdoors, they suggested he spend the night and camp when possible. So he added a cab to his Ford Ranger. During his first camping trip, Krasnik went to Ocqueoc Falls near Alpena. One of his favorite spots is Lake of the Clouds in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” he said. “You park up at the top, walk a quarter mile and you’re on a platform that overlooks the lake.” 

On one trip he wanted to find Peters, Michigan, near Casco Township. He flagged down a police officer to help him, who reportedly told him, “It’s just a church and a cemetery.” Copper Peak in the Upper Peninsula was another highlight. Although he doesn’t ski, the ski jump there was impressive. 

 

‘I am always looking to see where he is going to go next’
Coopersville, Selkirk, Goodells, Bancroft, Ruth, Walhalla, Adair, Adamsville, Agnew, Moorepark, Temperance and Montrose are among the many spots he’s driven. During these trips, he’s come across forgotten sawmills, dive bars, bridges, ghost towns, historic landmarks, running waterfalls, thick forests and more. Grand Rapids was the last big town on his itinerary. He keeps a log of where he has been. 

“I saw a bear once in Elo, Michigan,” he said. “I’ve seen deer, plenty of deer. I haven’t seen any elk, and then you see tons of turkeys. Last year, I saw a bunch of bald eagles. It was the most I’ve ever seen in my life. Those were towards the Cadillac area.”

Although he travels by himself, Krasnik is never alone.

“I talk to people everywhere I go. I like to talk to farmers about the area and the history. They’re really great people once you get talking to them,” Krasnik said. “It’s very cool. Some of these towns, it’s like time has stood still.” 

Krasnik photographs the majority of the towns, too. His snapshots include city limit signs, small-town parades, post offices, state parks and DNR campsites. His city limit sign photos can be viewed on YouTube by typing in “Michigan Town Sign Movie.” His traveling memorabilia collection includes labels from apple cider jugs he’s bought at different cider mills, and unique-looking maple syrup bottles he’s picked up along the way. 

According to the state of Michigan website at michigan.gov, there are 83 counties, 1,240 townships, 275 cities, 258 villages, 14 planning and development regions, and over 300 special districts and authorities in the state. The website also states there are 552 school districts, and 57 intermediate school districts in Michigan.

Krasnik decided to share his travels with others, so he created a Facebook page called “Scott’s Michigan Adventures.” Dearborn Heights resident Fadia Jacobs heard about the Facebook page from a local news channel and decided to check it out. 

“He is an adventurous guy, and I love his page. I love that he covers so much of Michigan. I always want to see where he’s been. He shows me towns that I have never heard of in Michigan, and I have lived here all my life,” she said. “I have a list of places that I learned about from him that I want to visit. One that caught my eye was the Thumb Octagon Barn, planning on seeing that one in the fall along with a few other places from Scott’s adventures. I am always looking to see where he is going to go next. If I didn’t have to work, I would ask him if I could come along.”