Coming Home

Coming home was the agenda for today.  We had a plan to get up early and get started around, oh, 6ish.  That didn't happen.  We dragged.  We had the really bad Comfort Suites continental breakfast and set out for home around 8:30.  I'd say we were a little off the mark there.  No big deal.  We could just get going and head right home.  Then we embarked on a souvenir finding adventure that we never knew would be so intense.  Have you ever traveled around and looked at souvenir shops and seen the little thimbles that they have for states?  Well, they are typically very easy to find.  Not today.  We had the devil of a time finding those darn things for someone that had requested them.  We stopped many times before we managed to find them.

We drove home through Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and finally home to Georgia.  This morning there was a light rain and then a beautiful day for driving.  It was a long ride and several hours longer than it would have been without the stops but we had a really great day.  After all is said and done, we had a fabulous trip.  There are a million little things that we did, saw, and have pictures of to remember forever.

I took 2504 pictures to document our experience.  I know, this is probably a little heavy handed with the shutter but I will never use all the pictures for anything but looking back for the most part.  The beauty of digital camera is that you can take dozens of extras and only use the best pictures out of all those taken, never paying for bad shots.  I wish there had been a lot of chances for us to get shots together.  We did get a few.

The last picture I took before clearing out the camera...my beautiful new quilt.  Yesterday, I was really bummed that I didn't find a quilt in the Amish community.  They were all made in China.  Well, today I got me a bonafide Chinese quilt from the House of Quilts that is just beautiful and made no boast of being from Amish hands.  Plus, it was a much better price than I had found elsewhere. It was those thimbles that led me to it.  What luck!  What a price.  We will enjoy this for ages I am sure.

Now since we have made it home I hope you have enjoyed sharing the trip with us as much as I have enjoyed writing about it to share with you!

Patchwork of fun

Today was a combination of fun from very interesting directions.  We started the day from our hotel in Shipshewana, Indiana, called "Der Ruhe Blatz Motel"  This means "the resting place".  We did rest there.  It could have been that we were so tired from driving all the way through Michigan yesterday, or it could have been the hotel had a comfy bed.  Not sure.  We slept so quickly when we got there that it is anyones guess.  We made a lot more distance than we had planned.

Click the picture it is really pretty and it will zoom for more detail.

We ate at this wonderful restaurant called the Wana Cup for breakfast.  After which time I started taking pictures.  I had wanted to get going with that earlier but their was not enough time between the hotel and the restaurant for more than about three snaps of the shutter.  We then made our way to Auburn for the museum.  This was wonderful.  All the old cars were great and we had a terrific time going through taking pictures and taking our time.  There was not a crowd so we were able to enjoy it to the fullest. So after visiting the museum, we went to meet Nathan, Troy's friend at our hotel.  We visited for a little while and then went back to Auburn to another car and truck museum.  Pretty cool but really couldn't rival the Auburn-Cord Duesenberg museum. 

After the museums we went around taking pictures of amish houses and looking in stores.  We had dinner at Das Dutchman Essenhaus restaurant.  It was very much like Zenders.  I liked Zenders better.  It was really good but they didn't have the great salads.  I had my heart set on an amish made quilt.  We looked in a variety of stores around the area but every store that had quilts only carried quilts with labels marked "made in China".  Really, I didn't know Amish labeled there stuff this way.  I decided I could do without a Chinese Amish Quilt for $400.00. So, we gave up.

I did manage to get 542 pictures today in all my travels, despite the lack of a quilt.  Maybe I will just patch them together in a scrapbook and call it done.

Tomorrow - an 11-hour drive home.  Goodbye Indiana, Goodbye Kentucky, Goodbye Tennessee, Hello Georgia

Goodbye Michigan

The last of two ships we saw before leaving Superior.

This morning we said goodbye to Whitefish Point and left the northern most point of Michigan that we have visited on our vacation.  I do not know the name of the passing ship that gave us pause as we visited Lake Superior one last time before we left.  It was great fun to have one last glimpse before we left.  I did thoroughly enjoy the ships and the Great Lakes Museum.

The rest of the day was kinda dreary.  We had intended to make the trip through Michigan visiting a few places of interest while driving south toward Indiana.  We ended up mostly just looking out the windows of the car trough the rain and venturing out a few times when it was only lightly misting.  We visited Lake Michigan for a few minutes to get pictures before it started raining and off we went again.  

By evening and hours of driving, we made it to Big Rapids and Ferris State University.  We drove around campus for a while to look around at all that had changed since Troy attended and then we were off again.  We made really great time today, so good that we have left Michigan for Indiana now.  I can now say I have been to Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Kalamazoo, and about a hundred other small villages, townships, and cities.

Tomorrow it is the Auburn-Cord Duesenberg Museum and Das Dutchman Essenhaus Restaurant.

Have I mentioned there would be ships on this tour?

This is the retired ship Valley Camp

 ->

This has been a fantastic day.  It started out dreary misty fog and threatened to be a bad day.  We got up early and took a few pictures from the beach at our cottage and then set off to the Soo Locks.  We arrived too early for the boat tour so we were extraordinarily lucky to have the opportunity to watch some ships go through the locks.  I suppose it would have been nice to just see one go through.  We saw a barge in the distance lining up for the trip through the locks and then Troy saw the Ojibway making its way ahead of the barge.  I tell you, I was bouncing with joy.  It was pure joy.  I took dozens of pictures.  Then, if it was not enough that I was so fortunate to have this treat, I turned my head and there was another ship coming through the locks from the opposite direction.  This was not just any ship either.  It was the Arthur M. Anderson.  This is the ship that went back looking for the Edmund Fitzgerald when it sank in 1975.  We felt like we hit the jackpot with this treat.  They were both going through at once in opposite directions.  I ran my battery down on the camera and had to go back to the car and get another one during the process.  I missed some of it because it does happen more quickly than I realized.  It is only about 15 minutes for the ships to go through the locks once they are inside and wouldn't you know that I would kill my camera just as they were both inside.  Well, it was fine in the end because I did manage to get 370 pictures today.

When we finished at the locks we made our way to Whitefish point for the night and we have seen a couple more ships here as well.  They are harder to see here though.  It is much farther away from the beach.  Doesn't matter that they are so far, they are still very fascinating.

For my mother: I want you to know that I went into Lake Superior just for you to find you very cool rocks to bring home.  It was very cold and my feet turned very red while I searched for the rocks for you.  You will love them.  They are superb!


For Kelly:  I drove across the bridge again today.  It was much better without the rain!


For tomorrow we are not exactly sure - it is heading south without a plan.  You have to wait and see. :)

ships and yoopers

We spent today in the U.P. Sault Ste Marie for the first half and then on to White Fish Point. The 2nd floor window just to the left of the tree is our room. It overlooks Lake Superior. We can see the freighters go by. Had a picnic on the beach and a walk in the woods, plus we started to tour the museum. Earlier we took the boat ride through the locks and went to the Valley Camp ship museum. We saw the Arthur M Anderson and several other freighters go through the locks. We are 1,037 miles from Silver Creek, GA!

Chasing Pictures

So this morning we get up and leave the wonderful town of Frankenmuth after a final meal at the Bavarian Inn.  It was very good for "hotel food".  We set out for adventures in the great north.  It is not exactly what I expected in some respects and a lot like what I thought in others.  I think I was really surprised by the sandy beaches and the beachfront property atmosphere.  I guess I never expected lakefront beaches to be like the oceans I have visited before.  It is just the same.  Tons of gift shops with every trinket you can ever want, only the trinkets are geared toward the hunter/fisherman more than the surfer.

This really cute critter above was a rare treat.  I cannot say that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing a black squirrel before.  I chased this rodent around for about 10 minutes before I got a good picture.  I chased several critters around today trying for pictures.  I got a chipmunk, squirrel, Canadian geese, and the beautiful peacocks yesterday at the hotel.  Catching a glimpse of these wild animals is not so simple.  They will not stay still when I want them to.  I have an excellent picture of the squirrel's tail just as he is vanishing behind the tree.  

Zilwaulkee bridge was a little disappointing.  The sides of the bridge were so high that I could not see over.  I got a couple of good pictures on approach but I didn't see much as we crossed it. 

Chasing pictures was the theme of the day as it misted rain to heavily poured all day long.  We were only able to get out and really enjoy the evening around 8 pm.  We took our journey north to Indian River via I-75 and visited the Cross in the Woods.  This is a giant crucifix where mass is held twice daily.  It is a really beautiful place, of course, with a lovely gift shop and critters.

Next, we went to  Mackinac City, and the BIG BRIDGE!!!  Troy took me over the bridge for the first trip.  I was fascinated.  I took a ton of pictures, despite the rain.  It was phenomenal.  I loved it so much that by the time we reached the other side I had determined I would make the return trip behind the wheel myself.  Yes, I know it has grates for the center two lanes of the bridge.  I didn't care about that.  I wanted to do it.  After taking a scenic tour along US - 2 for a few miles on the coast of the upper peninsula, we made our way back.  We stopped at a few shops to blow some money on more trinkets, and then it was my turn.  The rain was pretty heavy and I didn't care.  I was sure I could make it across that bridge.  I did too.  Once you start across it you have no choice.  You have to keep going.  You also have no choice about driving on the grates for at least a portion of the trip, because there is construction and the asphalt lanes are closed.  The grates are no fun at all to drive on.  It feels like the car will jump the median at any moment and I was glad to move over.  Then when I was in the outside lane I didn't want to be there either because I felt like I was a mile up in the air.  I got right back in the middle as soon as the grates ended.  It was such an adventure.  My heart raced.  WOW!!!  I loved it.  Just like a roller coaster, or flying!  I will do it again.  We have to cross it twice more before the trip  is over.

For the rest of the day, we are in the coolest little cottage by Lake Huron.  It is right on the beach and it is so rustic.  We have what would typically be a great view if there wasn't so much fog today from the rain.  It is perfect.  We can hear the waves from the lake and all is well.  It really has been a magnificent day!

Tomorrow - Sault Ste. Marie - the locks - watching ships and a boat tour through the locks.

Pictures

Because pictures are limited here, I have posted 39 of the best so far on Facebook. :)


I will add more later.

Frankenmuth, and Christmas

The picture of the day had to be Troy in front of the sign at our hotel.  We discovered his name there by accident when we were returning from dinner at Zender's.  We quickly parked and returned for a few pictures in front of the sign.  It was a shame we were alone and could not get someone to snap a picture of us together.  There is another one of me there too.

Today we had a real collection of treats.  We started out by visiting the last of Troy's history on the way to Frankenmuth.  We went to Dryden to the cemetery where his great grand parents are.  He showed me the home where his great grandmother lived and took in boarders.  It was a pretty town and the house was still very well cared for.  The home is still in the family.

After that last bit of history, we moved on to Bronner's Christmas store.  This is acres of Christmas ornaments like no other store I have ever seen before.  I must have looked like I would drool at any moment.  I know I walked around with my mouth open half of the time.  Troy had to keep reminding me to look up as much as I looked around.  There was so much to take in that I grew tired from looking.  I do not mean I was tired of it like bored, but I was physically getting worn out from walking around this store looking at all they had.  It was enormous.  I have never seen so much Christmas in one place.  There is one thing that I did find particularly funny.  Before we left for vacation, I had looked the store up online.  I found veggie ornaments on the website.  In the store, there was a vegetable Christmas tree that had all the pickle ornaments I had seen online.  I never knew that anyone would ever possibly be interested in 15 different types of pickle ornaments.  I guess I just don't know what people want.  :)

Next, we moved on to town.  Frankenmuth is very much like Helen, GA but super-sized.  It was a perfect day for a visit.  The weather was cool and overcast but it never rained.  We were here on a weekday so we missed all the crowds.  After we walked into enough stores for me to mentally spend every penny I could ever possibly manage to earn in my life, we decided our feet hurt enough and went to check into our room.  It is a super room too.  We have the corner room and windows on both side looking out over the river.  It is so nice here that we are planning to sleep with the windows open.  There is a bird sanctuary nearby with peacocks.  Their calls may be interesting to try to sleep by.  I hope they sleep at night.

When we were all checked into our room we decided we would go out to dinner at Zenders and that was a treat like no other.  They brought out so much food.  It is a whole experience in itself to go to this place.  They start out with salads, soups, 3 breads, spreads, and jelly.  Then it is the main dishes of chicken, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, and noodles.  Finally ice cream for dessert.  It was unreal all the food they give you.  It was too much and it was all you can eat.  I was really glad I was prepared for a big meal.  It was such a delight and I know I would only want to do that one or two times in my life.  Whew!  It was great though.  It was a beautiful place too.

After all that, we had to come back to the hotel to rest up and that is when I accidentally happened to notice Troy's name on the sign. We thought we might go back out, but I think it is over for the day.  We have gotten too comfy in this great room and feel the evening has called us in for rest.

Thanks to Kelly for the great room and for getting Troy's name put on the sign.

So tomorrow it is off to the far north to Mackinac!!!

the Henry Ford

We talked about the title of todays destination and decided that it is a bit hokey at best.  The Ford Rouge tour, the Henry Ford Museum, and Greenfield Village are all a destination called "the Henry Ford". We were not so impressed with the name but the place was a lot of fun.  I wish I could post a lot of pictures but  you will have to be impressed with just one.  This is a locomotive called the Alleghanny and it was Troy's favorite part of the museum.
  We started out with the Greenfield Village.  This is an assortment of buildings with impressive inventions and historical artifacts that Henry Ford found significant.  The Wright Brothers, Edison, Webster, and others.  We did not make it through even half of the 90 acres of the village before a downpour soaked us and we were driven inside along with all of the children from every elementary school in a 50 mile radius.  (school is still in here for another week).
  The museum was terrific.  It was, as you would imagine, filled with cars.  However, it has a huge variety of things that I never imagined, like furniture, doll houses, clocks, pewter dishes, and farm equipment.  I really liked the steam engines too.  They were very impressive.  My favorite part of the museum was the scaled down models of the steam engines that I could look at to see the workings clearly.
  Then there was the Ford factory tour.  This was very impressive.  I would love to say I have some photos to share, but there are none.  They forbid photos there as one might expect.  I was bummed about that.  I did thoroughly enjoy watching a Ford F150 being assembled.  I know one thing is absolutely certain.  I am very glad I am going to school to be a librarian and not an auto worker.  Their job does not look the least bit appealing to me.  I would not want to do that for a living at all.

Tomorrow - Frankenmuth - the Bavarian Inn

I sure am having a great time, even if we did get rained on today. Spent the day at the Henry Ford Museum and we got to have dinner with Roland and Lynn Hermann. Monday we had dinner with Dave and Sue. It's so nice to get to see old friends and to share Michigan with Bonnie.

Getting to know someone...

There is nothing like taking a long trip in the car together to help get to know someone.  When Troy and I originally planned this trip, I knew that it was going to be a lot to do with describing his life.  It has been just that so far.  All the time I have known him, he has told me things he has done and places he has been.  These have just been words in my head until now.  The images were unclear and hard to imagine.  Riding around and having him point out all that he has previously described and seeing it for myself gives a true image to carry with me forever, along with the approximately 435 pictures I have taken in only 3 days.  Today was the last day of history though. Tomorrow we are off to new things.  Adventures that don't involve his history.

I have to tell you that there are some people that have said traveling in a car for days on end is a terrible thing.  I am loving my vacation so far.  With the exception of needing a little stretch now and then, I am enjoying the ride thoroughly. :)  I haven't been singing or sleeping either Dave, well, maybe singing!

Just for my Mom here: We also visited a couple of cemeteries.  My mom would love this part for genealogy purposes.  "Hi Mom!"

Just for Stephen here:  We went to the best restaurant in Davison, called Whitey's.  We had Cod, and it was the best fish I ever ate in my life.  The tartar sauce was yummy like no other ever.  You would have been impressed.


Tomorrow is all about Henry Ford.

What can I tell you about today?  Well, we went all over the place.  We saw so many places I cannot even begin to name them all.  The biggest name I can remember is Port Huron.  That was an experience like none I have had before. Seeing the big ship going in between the U.S. and Canada was huge fun to me, and looking at the bridge that connected the two countries was pretty cool.  I wanted very much to go over to Canada and see what it was like. It is a real shame that a passport is required now to go.  It was so close and impossible to reach.  There was another very cool bridge though.  This one wasn't a bit scary though, as there was no threat of me having to cross it. :)

Today Troy took me and showed me so many places that he has lived, and worked too.  There were so many wonderful places to see in Romeo.  That is really a beautiful town.  There are so many unique homes there that are far different from the cookie cutter molds of subdivisions that are everywhere now.

Ok!  Favorite two things of the day.
1. The train tunnel under the St. Clair river leading to Canada - we went to the coolest tunnel where we were able to get pictures of a train going into the tunnel, which is why Troy is smiling so widely above.
2. The ships at Port Huron - at the port I was very excited that some ships were passing when we were there.  It was just terrific timing that we saw two go by.

Georgia to Michigan today.

Picture of the day!!!


While we were traveling along we spotted this nifty cross and in the midst of taking the picture of the cross, I got the sign on the far right on in with it.  It seemed so hilarious, I just had to share.


So far today, I have traveled about a zillion miles.  Not really, closer to 800 with a bit of riding around after dinner.  We finally got to the hotel room around 5:30 and then had to go and visit some of the places Troy lived when he was very young.  It is very cool to be able to see where he is from.  One of the things I did early in on in our relationship was take him everywhere I have ever lived and show him around.  That was something I could never enjoy about knowing him until now.  It is so nice to have him being the director of this tour.  He has been pointing at things left and right telling me all sorts of things and giving me as much detail as possible.  I know I will never remember half of it but the tour is just wonderful.  I have taken a lot of pictures.  I will have to go through them and share some more useful pictures when I am not quite so weary.  More later.  :)

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok so 6 am was a little off in calculation.  We got on the road at 4:25 am.  That is completely fine with me though.  I have been ready for my vacation for so long that I was willing to go.  It is pretty amazing how much traffic is on the road at this time on a Sunday morning.  I really did not expect to see anyone out at all.  It is going to be a while before I see anything interesting, so more later!

4 Days

OK, so yesterday we sat on the sofa for about an hour looking at a 1999 Rand McNally Atlas.  Hey, it does not matter that it is that old.  I know that they haven't moved I-75.  :) We were planning the routes that we will take and all of our hopeful destinations.  Troy named off about a million little towns that we will pass through and all these really nifty things we will do that I cannot remember now.  That is OK though, because I will take my own map and a highlighter to be able to adequately post later when I actually pass through these places.  4 Days!!!  I am so revved up now I can hardly stand myself.  I am practically useless.  The time is going by so slow.  I have never taken a trip like this and I am worse than a kid before Christmas.  You know, when you are a kid waiting for Christmas takes about a hundred years in your mind.  Then, poof!  It goes by in a flash.

10 Days and Counting!!!

So, we are now chomping at the bit getting ready for our trip.  Today we are off to get some supplies for the trip and we are lamenting that it is still TEN MORE DAYS until we can leave.  Sigh!  That is OK.  When we do finally get on the road, those days will pass so quickly it will seem we have barely started the car before it is time to return home again.

Troy keeps sending me links to the places we are going and things of interest.  Today's item of interest is a scary bridge that we will cross, the Zilwaukee Bridge.

I do not fear this bridge. 
I do not fear this bridge. 
I do not.


I think I could drive over it before I would ever dare the Mackinac Bridge. Really, at least I cannot see through it like the Mackinac.  It isn't so very scary.  Just super freaking tall and way too long.  I did have the option of avoiding this bridge and taking a different route.  I chose to see it, and get my own pictures.  So if I am scared it is my own fault.  Besides, I think it looks kinda cool.  :)

Day 1 May 30th

Driving directions to Wingate by Wyndham

717 mi – about 11 hours 29 mins

Our first stop will be the longest stay of the trip and will be take the whole first day of the trip to get there.  We are going to Auburn Hills to say for four nights and plan to have many adventures.  I will get to see a couple that I have already met, Dave & Sue Chynoweth and another that I have not met, Roland and Lyn Herrman.  In between meeting friends we will be packing in a lot of other things along the way.  I am counting down the days until vacation already.  Not long now!  Pictures and details are on the way.

We decided to take a trip to Michigan because it is Troy's home and I have never been there.  Troy lived in Michigan all his life until 2004 when he and his parents made the big move to GA.  Work and life changes brought them here to this lovely warmer climate.  He once told me that he never realized while living in Michigan that people did not have to live that way until spending a winter in Georgia.  After one year here he knew that it was not in the stars for him to ever return to his home state.  Then there was me.  Now I am much too cold natured to go north so we are only able to visit after all danger of freezing me to death has past.  :)  Nevertheless, it promises to be cool enough that I am taking a variety of clothes for the climate.  Southern Michigan may warrant shorts while the far North will certainly give me a chill and my full trunk will provide warm apparel for those cool days at Whitefish Point.

I must say that I have never been so excited about a trip in my life.  Troy and I enjoy trips together very much and never tire of riding around together so I expect this will be terrific fun.  Neither of us have ever taken such a long vacation and the prospect of being away from the cares of work, school, and responsibilities of home for that long is just very exciting.  I think the thrill for me is more of the unknown and for him it expands more into seeing it all new through my eyes.  Besides, some of the places we are going are new to him as well.

I hope you will enjoy reading about our adventures!