The Traveling Michigander

My past few posts have been about snowshoeing. So let’s change it up a few dozen degrees in latitude.

For a end-of-winter break, Andrea and I headed far south to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. An easy three-hour flight from Detroit to Cancun filled with people on spring break was much more welcome than a plane full of children going to Disneyworld, let me tell you.

I like the speed at which Mexican customs officials move. The people at the resorts may move on “Mexican time”, but those customs guys sure don’t. We were about two-thirds of the way back, and though it took us about 20 minutes to get to the front, I was very happy with our speed through the line.

And as we were neared the front, we realized just how close to disaster we had come. Because from the gates came hundreds of people, several planeloads worth, filling up every queue in the building. It was with relieved pity that I looked back at those just arriving. But the term “better you than me” came to mind, and we were off.

As an aside, Cancun is in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Does anyone else think of kangaroos when they hear that name?

Mexico has an interesting way of randomly checking bags: The Button. There used to be a big traffic light that would illuminate when you pressed The Button, green means “go, enjoy your vacation”, red means “open that bag, jeffe.” They’ve refined the process, though. Pressing The Button lights up a fancy glass sign with red or green lights. Very modern the way they do it now.

Andrea had chosen USA Transfer as the method to get from the airport to Gran Puerto, the docks from which we would catch the ferry to Isla Mujeres. We stopped at the ATM, located just outside the customs area, to get mucho dinero before the maelstrom.

For those of you who have never been to Mexico, just outside the doors leaving the airport is The Horde. It’s better than it was, but there are a half-circle of people waving signs and trying to get you into their vehicles. The first time I arrived in Mexico, which was ten years ago, it was at a different terminal, and it was chaos. Now, it’s exuberant businessman trying to get your attention. And a little chaos.

We only had to wait a few minutes for our transportation to arrive, and we made the drive to the docks in darkness. I got to see a part of Cancun I had never seen before. The four previous trips I had gone south to Barceló Maya, near Playa del Carmen, but this one would be different, amigos.

The docks were relatively empty when we arrived around 8:00 PM. Andrea bought the $140 pesos round-trip tickets and I bought fries – that’s a fair deal, right? Knock one more McDonald’s off my list. 50 down, 50,000 to go.

We sat near the water, eating French fries (papas frites), waiting for the ferry to take us to our island B&B for a few days of relaxation. And the ferry made quite an introduction. Check out the cool under lights? It’s like a hoopty ferry!

The journey to the island was semi-peaceful. The constantly flashing TVs s

Ferry to Isla Mujeres

creens were annoying, but the water was calm and the trip took about fifteen minutes.

It was well past dinnertime when we arrived on Isla Mujeres, and Andrea had researched possible quick dinner spots. She found a great one – Bimbo dogs! There was a little hot dog stand only a hundred feet away from the dock entrance. Our dogs were wrapped in bacon and covered with grilled onions – oh, that’s the stuff right there.

A taxi stand was between the docks and the Bimbo dog cart, and we returned for a ride to our B&B. The trip cost just under $5 USD, which is slightly higher than the average cost, but it’s because there was luggage and, we found out later, because that taxi stand charges a passenger fee, something that is not normally applied on the island. Still, it was only $1 or $2 more than normal – not terrible.

Our taxi ride to the Villa La Bella was just a few minutes, and thus officially began our vacation.

Which is the next post. And many more pictures, too.

So let’s wrap up this Traverse City snowshoe trip, shall we? You can see the first two parts here and here.

I didn’t rise too early on Sunday morning, sleeping in until 7:00. (That’s about as late as I can sleep.) I was ready in plenty of time for the Fairfield Inn breakfast bar. There was a decent selection, and I went with a hard-boiled egg, breakfast sandwich, waffle, and orange juice. Quite a bit more than I normally eat, but I had some snowshoeing ahead.

Fairfield Inn, Traverse City

I left the hotel around 9:00 and went to Peninsula Park on the tip of Old Mission Peninsula. Traffic was incredibly light and the roads were clear of snow – I made excellent time to the park.
�
Instead of heading north from the parking lot to the water like I normally do, I went south, across the road and into the woods. Though I had snowshoes, I really didn’t need them – between a relative lack of snow and a well-packed trail, it was easy going. I stomped off the trail now and then just because I could.

Peninsula Park, Old Mission Peninsula

I followed the trail east to the water, then back into the woods, exiting the forest a final time to walk on the ice-covered bay. Surprisingly, there was one other person out on the ice, so I wasn’t the only crazy one.

Peninsula Park, Old Mission Peninsula

I wasn’t done with Peninsula Park, but I wanted to examine a different side of the trails, one that would have taken me too long to reach on foot. So I checked my handy Trail Atlas of Michigan, a book no hiker / biker / snowshoer should be without, and found an entrance farther south. The terrain was more fields than forest, still an easy hike. There was no one around, though, and that was what I was looking for. And from the looks of the trail, only one person had been there within the last couple of days. I’ll be trying the “hidden” entrance again.

On my way back to Traverse City, I stopped at the Old Mission, a recreation of the original Christian mission on the peninsula.

Old Mission, Old Mission Peninsula

Lunchtime had arrived and I met a friend from my days at Babbage’s (Babbage’s is dead, long live Babbage’s) at The Blue Tractor. This was my second visit to TBT, and I was just as impressed the second time as I was the first. I had an excellent Black, Blue, and Bacon burger, the most important ‘B’ being Bacon. Not a quiet spot – both visits have involved small, loud children – but great food.

After my meal, I headed an hour or so south to Cadillac for my final trail of the trip, William Mitchell State Park. I was not impressed by the trails – it was just a simple loop around a marsh connected to the parking lots by spoke trails. And there was the constant noise of traffic on nearby M115. But, it was a new trail, my third new one of the year, and that was the reason for my stop.

Mitchell State Park, Cadillac

My trip over, I headed home to a freshly baked heart-shaped cookie with chocolate frosting.

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.