Grand River, Riverside Park (+43.000, -85.672)
A good place to start the 43rd parallel journey is close to home, at the Grand River. This is the largest river in Michigan, and much of its lower watershed is close to the 43rd parallel. Riverside Park (a.k.a. Comstock Riverside Park) is obviously by the side of the river, upstream from downtown Grand Rapids. It is a popular destination for North Enders. More will follow about the park later. Suffice it to say that the Canada Goose population also enjoys Riverside.

I have always enjoyed reading maps and studying geography.  We learned about the Equator, North and South Poles, Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Prime Meridian and International Date Line.   We knew that the 45th Parallel was halfway between the Equator and the North Pole, and were proud that it went across Michigan near the tip of the peninsula just north of Traverse City (where M-37 ends).

However, it was not until a few years ago that I realized how much of my personal life has been spent near the 43rd Parallel. Every house I have lived in is within a quarter degree of this line; in fact, my current residence is within 250 meters of the line.

I hope to explore more of the world along the 43rd Parallel. I will try to limit this blog to locations ranging from 42.5 degrees North to 43.5 degrees North. This gives a band of 69 miles width around the world, which should give plenty of choices to explore. My goal is to personally see some of this geography, and to share what I learn.