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So, where are your favorite places to go? Places that have a history with you, that you would love to show your loved ones, or to go and spend time with them there?
JenniK and I are going to MI for 11 days, leaving here tomorrow (Friday). She has never been there, and I have only been back 3 times (including this time) since 1988 when my family moved to MA.
My family has a cottage (well, a house now, it's been renovated so much) in the lower peninsula (LP for short) near Travers City. It is on a lake, and the lake is a slow/no wake area, so the lake and surrounding areas are very quiet. There is a double echo on the lake, sometimes on a really clear night a triple echo, and I love to sit and play my flute on the hill overlooking it.
It is my favorite place on Earth, and I get to take my wife there for the first time in two days.
Can you tell I am excited?
I love it there so much that if i could have waited until the summer to propose to Jenni, this is where I would have done it. Right there on Indian Lake. I didn't want to wait, so I proposed on the beach at the ocean on Christmas Eve 2002 . We were married on October 18 th this year, and because of the wedding expenses we didn't go to MI last year
The down side is that my parents haven't retired there yet, so we have no computer, or INTERNET service. You can't get cable there, and we don't have Direct TV yet. And we can't bring my dog this time, it would cost too much to fly her back with my parents.
No CoH! Maybe we should reconsider...lol...just kidding!
I will try to stop in and check posts and e-mail at our friends house two lakes over, but i will not be around much until we get back on July 6th, so have fun, and I'll post pictures when we get back!
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Tom's dad got remarried in Tawas two years ago and so we stayed with his grandparents in Au Sable and took our vacation at the same time. We went back down the coast of Lake Michigan and it has been one of my favorite trips ever.
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I checked out some of your pic's, and was wondering if that was the Au Sable river you were canoeing? I've done that!
Our cottage isn't far from the river. It is in Kalkaska County, and we drive right past the Au Sable to get there, or at least we did driving from Utica.
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Actually, my favorite place to go IS Traverse City, during cherry season. Aside from that, there's the Soo Locks (which is within driving distance if you don't mind a bit of a jot) and you can go to Mackinaw (-nac?) Island on the way, which I also like. Make sure you stop in at Jilbert's dairy in Rudyard, (less than an hour north of the bridge) and grab some squeaky cheese curds.
That's it for Michigan, folks. Cherries, cows and cheese, and boats going up and down.
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Oh weird. I'm going up to Michigan to visit family and I'll be in the Traverse city area as well for some of my time. It's really beautiful up there. My aunt a house on a lake. If I take the canoe out I can actually paddle from her lake-> a river -> another lake -> river2 -> the great lakes! I also get to go up to the thumb and see my grandparents.
I'm so excited about my Chicago/Michigan trip. 10 days away from grad school!
I've never heard the hand called the LP though. Maybe I missed that as a kid.
Hope you guys have a great time and she likes it as much as we both seem to.
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Although I think we did canoe the Au Sable river, those pictures are actually unrelated and I'm not sure why they were put in that album. My sister and her boyfriend had never been canoeing before and so we took them, I believe, to the Kickapoo River in IL. (Or whatever river runs through Kickapoo State Park)
Tom's grandparents live right on the river, though.
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Munich. And everywhere else I visited while living there. But Munich just felt like home from the moment I stepped out of the airport, and I want to gobackthere.
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Tel, I lived in Utica, a block from Hall and Van Dyke (no pun intended). My street has the Bushamies pizza place in it, if you have ever been to/through Utica.
Sarah: When will you be out there?
I love Travers City during the cherry festival! I think it will be going on while we are there, or we just miss it...usually around the 4 th of July, isn't it? It's been so long I'm not sure...
We are going to Sleeping Bear Dunes, and to MacIsland of course; we also plan on riding not-so-wild mustangs. There is a small town near the cottage named Mancelona, and there is a riding stable called Hobby Horse Stables. They "adopt" mustangs that would otherwise be destroyed and train them using gentle-breaking methods that work - the old methods don't work with most mustangs, they die first before giving up their spirits.
I went there 3 years ago, and had a lot of fun riding a mustang/Quarter horse mix; this stable was one of the first to get the mustangs to work and to breed in captivity.
Mack, I'm glad that you remembered that. Not as glad as Nate will be, but glad nonetheless...
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Just got an email from Tom's uncle inviting us to their usual 4th of July party in Fenton. No fair! I want to go!
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My last Fourth spent in Michigan involved a truck driving over a roman candle as it went off. Good times.
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Damn you people, you're running all over up north while I'm stuck in Adrian!
I still love Mackinac(which is the island) even after living there all summer. Mackinaw city isn't as fun, but a good place to go if you REALLY feel like being a tourist, but without the boat ride.
Kiwi, what lake are they on? My Aunt lives on Six Mile lake. If you make it to Central Lake(the town) make sure to go to Book Nook. The guy that owns it is cool.
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I'm leaving MA on the 2nd to go to chicago and will probably arrive in MI sometime on the 5th or the 6th. I think we always miss the Cherry Festival whenever we go. But the dunes and MacIsland are a blast. Of course just hanging out at the lake is fun too.
*gets even more excited*
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Sarah, we will just overlap then. Jenni and I will be coming back on the 5-6 th, and I am really looking forward to it.
Kiwi, we have a cottage on Indian Lake, near Big Twin and Little Twin lakes in Kalkaska County, about halfway between Kalkaska and Mancelona....actually Mance is closer to us, only about 15-20 min away in all. We use to go to the Dairy Queen once and a while. And there was a bar with a shuffleboard tables inside, with a deal on beer and burgers for $2; that was a long time ago, though, I think they got rid of the shuffleboard table so we don't go there much.
When are you coming back tio the Mance area?
Traveler: Where are you going? Friends or family, or just for a visit? Jenni and I will be in the city a few times, I think. One of the hotels has a swing (kinda) band play every year, and my parents and their friends go every year they can. Jenni and I will probably go with them. if you like that type of music perhaps we could meet up.... brilljr@hotmail.com is my mobile e-mail address, let me know if you can do it. If not, I understand; vacation can be a little hectic at times. I'd give you my cell #, but i don't want to post it here(or anywhere on the web...lol).
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Kwea, I'm glad you had a good time. I'm enjoying the area right now myself. Although, I made myself take a day to do some work so I'm sitting in my cousin's office which is near downtown Traverse City. Did JenniK like it?
Oh and of course, it's raining. And it rained in Chicago. Sigh no water fun for Sarah.
But this vacation is making me realize maybe I don't want to drop out of grad school.
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My favorite places to vacation include areas of Utah, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Has not nearly as much to do with scenery as it has to do with people. I go where the people are great!
FG
edit: I have never been to Michigan, so I'm anxious to see your photos of the area, Kwea. I will have to look up Traverse City on the map and see where it is.
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My grandfather owns a log cabin on the outskirts of Phoenicia in the Catskills, relatively near woodstock and kingston. Its on the side of a mountain, overlooking a meadow where deer graze, and black bears occassionally wander through. Beyond the meadow, which is downslope from the cabin, three mountains rise up, making the view from the porch of the cabin absolutely breathtaking. This is my favorite spot on earth.
Me and my brother will probably be inheriting the land at some point in the near future, at which time we'll have to pour major amounts of money and time into renovating the place. My grandfather doesn't like making necessary repairs, so its possible we will have to knock down the cabin and start over. I'd be really unhappy if we have to do that, but the foundation is in terrible shape. The land around the cabin is more important then the cabin itself, so whatever we have to do, we will do, to make it worth staying 3 nights aweek every week during the summers.
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I'm from Holt (basically south Lansing). My favorite places:
* Hartwick Pines: a virgin forest; what Michigan used to look like. Haven't been there in a long time, but it's NATURE, raw and wonderful. Almost overwhelmingly silent.
* Sleeping Bear Dunes: . . . absolutely gorgeous
* Chain-'O-Lakes: very fun to rent a boat and park it on a Torch Lake sandbar, or go fishing in one of the rivers connecting the lakes, or basically whatever. My family and I did it when I was six, and again when I was sixteen. I admit the nostalgia factor made it more fun, but still good stuff.
* Suttons Bay: It's a total tourist trap, but my family and I stayed here for two weeks, about five summers in a row. Some of the best times I've ever had (especially with that side of the family, and my siblings). The last time I went, I spent the whole time pining for my new girlfriend--who is now my wife! My family groaned and rolled their eyes at me the whole time, but I knew it was for real!
* PJ Hoffmaster State Park: Been there twice, both times some wierd chemical pollutant had killed off a bunch of fish. Dead fish everywhere. It's funny to look back on now, but it sure wasn't funny then.
* Mackinac Island: Okay, okay, totally obvious, but I've had some great times being bored on this island (hint: every fudge shop will give you a free sample if you ask . . . multiply this times about a thousand fudge shops and you can eat your fill). Also, If you've never stayed at the Grand Hotel, you owe it to yourself. But be aware of the dress code! After five, gentlemen must be in coat and tie, ladies in dresses. If you haven't yet seen Somewhere in Time, they'll make you--and they'll go A Clockwork Orange on your butt.
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We didn't do Sleeping Bear Dunes, which is one of my favorite places in the whole world, because we were too tired from MacIsland. Jenni and I rented horses and rode for the first time in years, and we biked to Arch Rock and climbed the stairs from hell to the top. What a view!
We also bought fudge from Rybas Fudge Shop, and walked most of the streets. Didn't do the Fort, but plan on doing it next year, or whenever we go back.
We stayed overnight in Mac City on the mainland, in a room with a private whirlpool tub to assuage our aches and pains, and went to the UP the next day. JenniK got to see 4 of the 5 Great Lakes, and next time we will go on the Soo Locks so she gets to see Superior too.
The Cherry Festival was just beginning, so we saw Luther Gravy and the Soul Biscuits, a really good swing band at the Holiday Inn, a tradition for my parents and their friends. Bid Bad Voodoo Daddies were playing the next night, but we already had plans for fireworks by the time we found out they were playing. Besides, Jenni and I have seen them before....we love swing.
We had great weather, but it was a bit chilly; the coldest June/July I have ever seen up there, to be honest. We had a perfect day for Mac-Island though, and went in the water the last day to help put in a swim platform. The Water was quite nice, not nearly as cold as I was afraid it would be, but I am use to the Atlantic coast now, so....
I almost moved to Traverse City 3 years ago, but i started dating Jenni and changed my mind. She got to hear me play my flute on my lake, and hear the double echo. She saw 16 deer, and a porcupine, 3 eagles, 8 hawks (at least), and 2 beavers on my lake. I showed her the spot I would have proposed to her if i could have, right under the white Birch Tree by the lake. I freaked her out by actually catching a bass while she was in the boat with me....now THAT was funny.
I will post pic's when I can, sometime later this week, or next week if I don't get the pic's back until then. Jenni shout 6 or 7 rolls of film......lol...
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I have, just not this time. We were too fried from the Island. And the next day was crappy, so we decided to pass. Jenni would never had made it to the top, and didn't even want to try.
I love the view from the top, it is one of the most beautiful things/places I have ever seen. I can't Wait to share it with Jenni the next trip.
I did the Chain-o-Lakes canoe trip as a Boy Scout years ago. Lots of fun, but a lot of paddling too...
I loved the UP. Camping on the shore of Superior was brilliant (no people. NONE! save my sweetie and I at the time). One of my fav camping experiences. *sigh*
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Kiwi, right now, I have no frelling idea. I may be up north for a day or two around the end of July, but my internship is changing constantly so I can't commit to much.
I've been thinking aobut the island a lot lately, because some of the roads around here remind me of it, and cause i'm taking care of a big black horse again. It's not so much downtown that I love, though it is fun to go drunk tipping on Yaght Week. It's galloping full tilt down a rod you've never ridden before. Or biking out to stonecliffe to catch the sunset. Or Actually going past british landing to swim in the lake.
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Yeah Kiwi, the Island is very cool. JenniK and i loved it, Too bad you weren't around to meet us this time around.
Next time, definitely next time.
Wait, you have to come here, or visit us in FL when we move this winter....after all, we visited your home town...it's not our fault you weren't there!
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I think one of my favorite places is my grandparents' house up in the Thumb (Ubly, MI). I love how it's so peaceful and Grams and I sit out on the swing have ice cream as the sun goes down. It's interesting how everything is the same as it always has been and yet seems so different. The front lawn used to seem monsterous and now seems only huge. The stairs are not as steep as the once were nor are they as long. But the smell of the basement is distinctly similar and toys I once played with as a child are played with by the next set of grandchildren.
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I love how much later it gets dark there...it was something i had forgotten...MI is 13-14 hours west of MA, but is the same time zone.
Twilight last forever, it seems, and dusk too.
I got pictures back today, but haven't seen all of them yet. i have one of JenniK and me in front of Big Twin Lake that looks like we are standing in front of a canvas of a sunset, it is so beautiful. No filters on the camera, just the incredible sunset.
I'll post them on foobonic tomorrow, if I can. I have never owned a good computer, so I have never done any of this before; it might take me a bit to figure out how to do it, but I'll try!
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Yeah and those 11-13 hrs really wore me out today too! Driving that drive on my own is totally exhausting. But now that I've deleted 42 of the 50 backed up emails I can go to bed!!!
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too weird. Some SoCal friends of mine are getting married and recently announced they'd switched dates and locations... to a family friend's place in Traverse City (neither the groom or the bride hail from Michigan).
I tried to tell the groom about Sleeping Bear but he just kind of rolled his eyes.
I can't wait to go there with JenniK next summer. We talked about it and decided that providing we get even one clear day next year we will go. It is one of my favorite places ever, for sure.
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