The month of May was busy! But June was exhausting…and exhilarating! We left Hatfield, PA on June 1st after a wonderful month of visits with family and friends. We rested at Hershey RV Resort and managed to squeeze in a nice lunch at Mangia, Mangia with our long-time friends, Lee and Jill. Lunch and a quick hike gave us a least some time to hang out with them.
We then spent a few nights at the Madison-Pittsburgh KOA and two nights at the Cleveland KOA. While there we visited Cuyahoga Valley National Park – the museum and the surrounding valley is filled with history. Great visit. Then one night in the Toledo KOA – so just a short stay in Ohio.
Then the BIG ADVENTURE began. We had Doug’s brother Nelson and his wife Lydia for dinner in the RV when we arrived at Haas Lake. They showed us their videos of their recent trip to the Falkland Islands and other remote places on the globe.
Nelson and Lydia are world travelers; they are used to planning every minute of their amazing trips. They planned the perfect guided tour for us through their beautiful State of Michigan. Our first day was a pleasant change of pace with a Bavarian feel – Frankenmuth. Bronner’s, the largest Christmas store in the world, kept us busy and the interesting quaint shops were fun to see. After a delicious lunch at the Bavarian Inn, we ended the day at a Middle Eastern restaurant where we met Lydia’s sister, Renee.
Then it was Ford day – starting with a factory tour where we saw F-150’s coming off the line. After a burger lunch at Ford’s Garage, we spent the afternoon at the Henry Ford Museum – called the world’s “coolest” museum – so much to see – a really great museum. Then a wonderful Spanish-themed tapas dinner with Lydia’s other sister Andrea and her husband John.
On Sunday we got to explore some of Detroit – something I’ve wanted to do for years and there are no better guides to see it with than Nelson and Lydia. We started with a tour of the Motown Museum! Yes, the very home in which Berry Gordy recorded the artists of my youth. We heard stories of the Supremes, “Little” Stevie Wonder and all the rest. We ended our tour dancing and singing to “My Girl” in the actual recording studio. WOW!
Then a walk to Greektown and a fabulous lunch at Pegasus. To complete a perfect day in the Motor City, we spent the afternoon at the Detroit Institute of the Arts – a true treasure! I stood awestruck in the midst of Diego Rivera’s famous mural. And wandering through the beautiful building, we saw enough art to fill my soul. Even with all the masters surrounding me, I got emotional viewing a small piece from my favorite sculptor, Constantin Brancusi. Certainly one of the very best art museums I have ever seen,
We camped in Traverse City the next day and met Nelson and Lydia for dinner at the Traverse City Plaza. It’s a wonderful city filled with rainbows to celebrate Pride Month.
On Tuesday, we climbed Sleeping Bear Dune!! I made it up to the top (of the main dune) with a lot of stopping and panting but I made it up! And down! After a great lunch at the Cherry Republic – getting a taste of their famous cherries in my chicken salad sandwich, we saw Lake Michigan from Pelican Point. It was an eye-opening experience for me – so much watery expanse – such a beautiful view.
Our last day near Traverse City, we went to Mission Point Lighthouse and then went on the Michigan Wine Trail, touring some of the prettiest wineries I’ve ever seen. The views were spectacular and the tour of one of the wineries was really interesting. We ended this idyllic day with a dinner at Poppycock.
Another bucket list item was checked off the next day as we crossed the Mighty Mac – the Mackinac Bridge. We were finally on the Upper Peninsula! We had an easy ride across even in our big rig with tow – no winds and a clear day to drive for almost five miles across this feat of engineering.
Does this trip in Michigan sound exciting so far? Well, then came the Best Day Ever! We took the ferry to Mackinac Island. The ferry ride was a great introduction to it all – seeing the great bridge from below it and glimpsing the Grand Hotel from the waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Then we landed on the loveliest of all islands – in another place and time! It was very much like a dream – a dream scented with lilacs and then hearing the clop-clop of horses pulling carriages. I will never forget the delicious lunch buffet in the Grand Hotel and sitting on the famed porch! So pretty! We also toured Fort Mackinac – an extensive reconstructed fort – amazing! Of course, we bought some of the Island’s famous fudge.
Saturday, June 22nd was a very busy day, starting with the Maritime Museum Lighthouse tour. We ate pasties for lunch – our hosts even found a place that served veggie pasties for Doug. We drove quickly through a quirky Lakenland – huge welded metal sculptures. And we got to see a view of Lake Superior from a rocky beach. We ate some tacos for lunch and then – a boat tour of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – iconic colorful rocks sculpted by wind and water. The only way to actually view these cliffs is from the waters of Lake Superior.
Sunday we went to the Shipwreck Museum where we learned about the deadly waters of Lake Superior and the infamous wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The lake is stunning from every viewpoint, but we especially loved it at Whitefish Point. A great lunch at Taquahemon Falls State Park and a nice hike to the falls, completed another wonderful day. These falls are second only in size to Niagara in the states.
We traveled on Monday from Newberry to the City of Hancock – both really nice campgrounds. After a short day of driving we met up with Nelson and Lydia for Chinese food at Hunan Garden.
All this eating kept us fortified for more busy days. On Tuesday we went to the pretty town of Calumet. We did a self-guided tour of the Calumet Theatre, giving us insight into the history of this town, then had a great lunch at the Michigan House Café. We took a tour of the Quincy Copper Mine – deep into the earth and through the mine buildings. There was a great museum to explore and we learned much about copper mining.
Not leaving anything undone – we spent our last day with our hosts in Copper Country on the Keewenaw Peninsula. This day was spent on a self guided tour of the Delaware Copper Mine. We ended at another lighthouse and an absolutely beautiful view of Lake Superior. This lake is so big and so sparkling! When we left Michigan, we followed a portion of this lake through Wisconsin and then finally said good-bye to it in Duluth, Minnesota! The term “lake” just isn’t enough – I prefer “Great Waters” or “Gitchee Gumi” – it is breathtaking. We are so glad we got to see these marvels and are so grateful to Nelson and Lydia for the care they took of us and the wonders we saw with them.
