The Traveling Michigander

My snowshoeing at Ludington State Park concluded, I departed south. After a brief stop in Ludington to take a few pictures of two more lighthouses, I departed for parts north – Traverse City. Like my trip from Lansing to Ludington, traffic was very light. US 10 and US 37 were nearly empty in parts, and I didn’t encounter any significant traffic until just south of TC.

Lighthouse, Ludington

My hotel for this trip was the Fairfield Inn on US 31, just south of South Airport Road. I was given a room with a king bed with a beautiful view of a Cracker Barrel. The room was simple, and also included a refrigerator and microwave for those who bring your own food or have leftovers from the many great restaurants in town.

Fairfield Inn, Traverse City

I made the short trip to the Traverse City Commons for a very short hike on the trails through the hills above Traverse City. There are several different well-marked trails that wind through the trees and hills behind the old Traverse City State Hospital. It was late in the afternoon, and I only saw one other person using the trails, so it was a thankfully quiet walk.

I had read good reviews on the House of Doggs, so that was my dinner spot. They serve many different kinds of two hot dogs, and the hard part was limiting it to two. I first tried the Jazz dog, which had banana peppers, jalapenos, hot sauce, chili, and other wonderful stuff. And, as you can guess, it had some bite. My second dog was the Honky Tonk, covered with cheese and bacon, beautiful in its simplicity. And it had bacon, so I couldn’t pass it up.

House of Doggs, Traverse City

What visit to Traverse City would be complete without seeing a giant viking head made out of snow?

Snow figure, Traverse City

After a short walk around town and by the bay, I stopped by Horizon’s on Front Street to buy a few children’s books – they have one of the best selections I’ve seen anywhere. And my daughter really enjoyed one of them I bought for her, If You Give a Cat a Cupcake.

Time for my final stop of the evening, Right Brain Brewery. Located in the Warehouse District, this was a new bar for me. I’m a fan of microbrews, and this one had some unique offerings. For this trip, I had a ginger-flavored IPA and a chocolate-orange stout. No Budweiser or Miller Lite there. Their menu changes constantly, so the next time I visit, most of the beers on the menu will probably be gone.

Right Brain Brewery, Traverse City

Back to the hotel room for a little relaxation after a hard day on the trails, and to dry out my boots and gloves. I had a thankfully peaceful night with no noisy neighbors, and no idiots that can’t figure out how to close a door quietly. I was ready for the next day of snowshoeing…

Fairfield Inn, Traverse City

Last Saturday morning, I headed out for a weekend snowshoeing trip in northern Michigan. Light traffic was a welcome beginning to my weekend, and US 31 between Muskegon and Ludington was literally empty – at one point, I didn’t see a car on my side of the road for about 15 minutes. That is pretty darn sweet.

After a stop at McDonald’s for lunch – no time for fancy food, I had things to do – I made my way along M 116 to Ludington State Park.

Strapping on my Tubbs snowshoes, I headed up and down the dunes. Sure, the trail would have been easier, but what fun is that? I didn’t walk the dunes the whole way, though – that was pretty exhausting, so I cheated at times and followed the 1.5 mile path to the Big Sable Lighthouse.

One of my goals in life is to view all the lighthouses in Michigan. Big Sable was a new one for me. I was practically alone on the trail, and I spent a few minutes taking pictures and enjoying the winter wind blowing off of Lake Michigan before heading back to the trail.

The Lighthouse Trail runs east from the lighthouse, across the dunes, and into the woods. It was a tough hike in snowshoes, and I probably would have collapsed if not for the reenergizing candy I brought. (You can keep your power bars and energy drinks, I’ll take chocolate and peanut butter.)

The trails were not at all crowded, and I only saw four other people on the 2+ miles it took me to hike back. I was tempted to hike more in Ludington, but I had plans to be in Traverse City by late afternoon. So I left Ludington with some trails left un-hiked, but I’ll be back someday to complete the mission.

Like many things, I did it for a girl.

The first time I rode the Demon Drop at Cedar Point was because of LeAnn. She insisted on riding it. Though I was a fan of roller coasters, I had never ridden Demon Drop. But I had to man-up, and ride it I did. And it wasn’t too bad.

Demon Drop was never on my yearly list of rides, but I would hop on every so often, just because. But I will not ride it no more, as it has moved to Dorney Park in Allentown, PA.

Built in 1983, it had it’s last ride on November 1, 2009. The Cedar Point blog made several updates – here, here, and here - about the dismantling of the ride. It will be odd to not see it looming at the front of the park. Without fail, the demonic voice from the 1980’s commercial would pop into my head whenever I would see it.

I was holding out hope that the ride would get sent to the closest park to me, Michigan’s Adventure, but that’s just crazy talk – it’s a pretty small park. But they got Thunderhawk from Geuaga Lake, and that is something.

Way back in 2007, Andrea and I, along with a pair of parents, went to Disneyworld a few months before the birth of my daughter. I had been drawn south by the prospect of running in the half marathon which goes through several of the parks, though fate slapped me upside the head, and those months of training were for naught when I got the flu a few days before leaving for Florida. But that’s how it goes.

This post is not about my running woes, though. It’s about the Port Orleans Resort where we stayed on our trip.

As you might have guessed, Port Orleans is themed like the French Quarter in New Orleans. It was very nicely done, though not perfect – there were, for example, no one flashing their breasts for beads. While that was disappointing, it did not take away anything from our stay.

The check-in process was a little odd. We were given a card and told to come back later for our room number. Apparently, it was top secret information to know which room we were going to be staying. No worries, we spent a little time in Disneyworld, the first park of our visit.

When we returned to claim our room, we had a fantastic location on the corner of the first floor facing the river that separated the resort from a beautiful golf course. But there was a problem – the room was a smoking room. As neither of us were smokers (I’m thinking of starting – I need another bad habit), we went back to the drawing board (i.e. the front desk) to ask for another room.

I was expecting to be disappointed in our next room. How can you get two good rooms in a row? Well, I was wrong – for once. The next room was even better – a third floor with a river view. It was very peaceful, away from the pool and restaurant, and I couldn’t imagine a better spot at the resort to have a room.

Since I mentioned the restaurant, I’ll go there next. The place was cafeteria-style, just pick what you wanted and pay. The selection was decent, with both hot and cold dishes to choose from. We also purchased (okay, we were given – thanks, dad) mugs to use for our stay that gave us free refills at the fountain pop station. And since I’m a big Coke drinker, that worked out.

The room was simple but nicely decorated. It was roomy enough for the two of us. I normally don’t spend too much time in the room, but the flu made sure that on this trip, I did. The little touches, like the decorative wooden designs near the bathroom, put a classic touch on a modern room.

And I can’t pass up mentioning the various Disney-themed bathroom items, like soap and shampoo. Since I have very little hair, tiny bottles of shampoo work great for me. And Mickey ears on soap wrappers keeps you in the Disney frame of mind, even while in the John.

The resort had a laid-back atmosphere, despite being loaded with people, especially with all the racers whose very presence taunted me, since I could run with them. The pool looked very kid-friendly, but since ours had not yet arrived, we avoided it.

Despite my awful physical condition, I had a wonderful time at Port Orleans. It was a peaceful spot in an often hectic and noisy vacation destination. It is a great choice for staying on Disney property, being close to the parks and all the other amenities while just steps away from a quiet walk by the river.

What could be better than walking on a frozen Lake Michigan in February? Nothing, that’s what.

A visit to Saugatuck State Park near, of all places, Saugatuck is just where I needed to go to have such an experience such. Up and down hills, through the forests, and besides ski track… because you don’t want to walk in ski tracks. Skiers are really sensitive to that sort of things – anger, denial, depression – they go through all the stages.

When I exited the forest onto the beach, there was no one else around, oddly enough. Only me, snow, ice, and the potential of frostbite. To me, that is a good afternoon. Frozen swells and snow-covered beaches, with a stiff wind thrown in for good measure.

I was able to walk a few hundred feet onto the ice, and I was still very far away from the waterline. I didn’t go too far, though, since if I fell through, no one would find me until spring, and I had nachos to make that night. Priorities.

Saugatuck State Park is also good to visit in the warmer months, if you’re into that sort of thing. There are lovely (warm) beaches and the Felt Mansion, and you can even see cactus that grow in Michigan. Yes, we have one.

But don’t look for them in winter.

Out into the snow I went for a brief snowshoeing excursion at Sleepy Hollow State Park in beautiful, exotic Laingsburg, MI. It excites the soul just to think about it.

I hadn’t visited Sleepy Hollow since last fall, before hunting season. Too many stories of hunting accident make me leery of venturing into a state park where hunters lurk, and I just don’t look good in a bright orange hat, so I stuck to the Ingham county parks.

I had the park to myself and I followed the paths for half the time, and walked in the deeper snow beside the paths for the other half. Really, what’s the point of wearing snowshoes if you aren’t going to walk in deeper snow once in a while? But this was the first time I had worn them this winter – we haven’t had a lot of snow here in lower Michigan – and I didn’t want to wear myself out too much.

I have a pair of starter Tubbs snowshoes. They are among the cheaper ones I found. I didn’t want to invest much until I knew that I enjoyed snowshoeing. Which I do, I just don’t do it much yet. When I make more trips, then I’ll look at a better set. I hadn’t actually intended to ever buy snowshoes, but an incident the year before with an unpleasant wintertime walk in knee-deep snow changed my attitude.

I spent almost two hours walking around the quiet trails, enjoying the aversion most people have to hiking in the cold weather. Sometimes human nature works to my advantage. And as a bonus, if you’re looking for a peaceful campground, there are plenty of spaces available.

The Chicago Tribune has an article on the 10 most-asked traveler questions. An interesting one was about resort fees, their opinion being only the most shady having them. But most large Las Vegas resorts have them, even if you don’t intend to use the exercise equipment or access the Internet. Suck? Yep, but that’s how Vegas operates.

Speaking of, if you are a Vegas-phile like me, check out the Las Vegas Advisor Question of the Day. There is usually something interesting. Another good one is Stiffs and Georges, David McKee’s blog, with lots of information on the gaming and hospitality side of Vegas.

A trip north to the in-laws was in the cards for us last weekend. They live about 25 minutes southwest of Traverse City in an area filled with beautiful forests, lakes, hills, and trails. Alas, I didn’t spend much time enjoying the great outdoors, but Andrea and I made a trip into Traverse City to enjoy some of the city’s wonderful ambience.

The highlight of our brief trip was Amical, Andrea’s favorite restaurant. And, I suppose, mine too. They have one of the best appetizers ever, olive twists. On previous trips, I have gone to Amical just for the olive twists – they are worth a their own trip.

Our oh-so-brief stay included a visit to Jacques Torres, a chocolatier located conveniently next to Amical. We got a box of a dozen chocolates and some chocolate-covered Cheerios. No, I had never heard of them either. The chocolate chip cookies looked great, and I’m planning on having one on my next trip.

The last stop downtown was to the Traverse City visitor’s center on Union Street. Even though I have all the magazines and brochures I need about the area, I still like to stop. You never know what new and exciting things have popped up since the last visit. And it has a public bathroom – you can’t put a price on that.

As an aside, I visited one time and one of the volunteers working at the visitor’s center asked if I was the maestro. I don’t have any nicknames, so I said that no, I wasn’t the maestro. He took me around the corner and showed me a life-size cardboard cutout of… me. It was actually the conductor of the Traverse City Symphony Orchestra, Kevin Rhodes, but we look oddly similar.

As we were leaving town, we stopped at the Meijer to pick up a “Best of” Nick Jr. DVD for my daughter (I had remembered the portable DVD player, but forgot the DVDs, which doesn’t do a lot of good), though she ended up not needing them. The 3+ hour car rides went surprisingly well, with no meltdowns. This was due, in a big way, to Andrea’s purchase of Laura Berkner CDs. Elena really seems to like those. Anything to make the car ride easier is okay with me.

Under the category of “You can’t make this stuff up” is a Michael Jackson theme park:

Work is expected to begin this year on a 100-acre Michael Jackson entertainment complex in Gary, Ind., that would include a museum, performing arts center, hotel, golf course and theme park inspired by the pop singer’s Neverland Ranch.

I don’t care what you put there, I’m not stopping in Gary.

An article on The Chicago Tribune talked about modern architecture tours in Michigan. As a fan of architecture, I was glad to see a shout-out to this poor state.

When I work in Detroit (which hasn’t happened lately), I take my handy AIA: Detroit handbook to identify the various buildings throughout the city. Slightly geeky? Most definitely, but my natural curiosity requires me to know what those beautiful, though (in many cases) rotting, buildings are. What if I’m kidnapped and put inside an abandoned building, which could happen wandering through Detroit. I could help the police identify where I was. Knowledge is power, as G.I. Joe used to say.

My favorite of the golden oldies in Detroit is the Michigan Central Depot. Formerly a train station (until 1988) and the site of movie shootings such as The Transformers, the Depot sits quietly as it has for decades. There is the occasional talk of tearing it down, but I hope it stays – it was beautiful once, and if the Michigan economy ever turns around, it could be again.

The current victim of the wrecking ball (figuratively speaking, since they don’t use balls anymore) is the Lafayette Building. If you look closely at the picture, you can see trees growing on top of the building. Talk about a rooftop garden.

I took a training class in downtown Detroit, and I could see the Lafayette Building from the training room. It’s too bad they are tearing it down, partly because it is a sign that things were once better in Detroit, but also because there is no concrete plan for the site. A little park, perhaps? A shooting range? A place to send smoke signals to Canada asking for money?

Back to the Tribune article. There was a link to the Michigan Modern blog, which is one I’ll be following. The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office Blog is another such blog. The posts are not edge-of-your-seat exciting, but they are informative.

Thanks, Tribune! We need all the help we can get.