This past week, Kathy and I took a two-night trip to Traverse City (TC). If we had driven past the Cops and Doughnuts Bakery in Clare, skipped the Elm Creek Quilt Shop in Farwell, and waved as we drove past the Clam Lake Beer Co. in Cadillac, we’d have arrived in just over three hours (from Lansing.) Our trip took slightly longer, because as I like to say, it’s as much about the journey as it is the destination. TC sits at the base of the Grand Traverse Bay which spills into Lake Michigan. Continue Reading
Well Played, Chicago
Is there another northern American city that can pull off a spring break like Chicago? In August? Without a beach? Well played, Chicago, well played. Last week, Kathy and I went to Chicago for a couple of days. It’s my favorite city in the US., perhaps because of my loyalty to the Midwest. It’s an easy four-hour train ride, there is always much to do, and beautiful Lake Michigan views aren’t too far away. This visit was planned some time ago and since much of what we were going to do Continue Reading
My Trip Home to Wisconsin’s Driftless Area
If Wisconsin is a pot roast, Vernon County and Viroqua, it’s government center, are the tasty little nuggets stuck to the bottom of the pan. If you’re willing to get off the freeway and adventure a bit, you’ll realize the richness and flavor it adds to the state. I know that's a reference not everyone will know, but if you grew up in Wisconsin, you ate pot roast! Bucolic views of rolling farmland. The clippity-clop of a horse pulling an Amish buggy. Fresh, white, au naturel cheese, not Continue Reading
The Dakotas
Finally - the last post from our trip. The word “Dakota” comes from the Sioux language and means friends or allies, and our experience visiting both South and North Dakota would confirm this. We found very friendly people all along the way from Hot Springs in the far southwestern corner of South Dakota until we left the states at Fargo, North Dakota. But that’s not what drives people to these states – that’s just the cherry on the top. It’s the parks, the scenery, and a chance to be up close Continue Reading