The English Inn, Eaton Rapids

(Okay, we have also gone to Eaton Rapids for a cooking class at Le Chat Gormet, but I’ve only done that once. Andrea has done it a couple of times.) 

This was our second trip to The English Inn, and this time we stayed in the Windsor room. Very elegant, very spacious, and very quiet, the perfect room for a night away. Even though we were only a half-hour from home, the refined atmosphere of the Inn made it seem like much farther away. No singing Kai Lan doll’s or talking Wow! Wow! Wubbsy books around, that was for sure. 

Windsor Room, The English Inn

I would rave about dinner were I able to remember what I had. Does that ever happen to you? I remember enjoying it, but I have no clue what it was. And dinner was accompanied by a live piano player. As opposed to a dead one. He even played a Vince Guaraldi tune from “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” 

After dinner, we had drinks in the basement bar. The bar is an intimate (i.e. small) space, and I relaxed and watched the Red Wings while drinking vodka martinis. I have no idea if they were shaken or stirred. 

And the breakfasts were good. We had a choice of a half-dozen items, impressive for a B&B. I went with the cheese and bacon quiche and managed to eat some of the fruit as well, just to balance things out. 

And just for April, The English Inn is participating in Restaurant Month. A 3-course meal for $21.95 is a great deal for such a nice restaurant like the Inn. Go forth and partake! 

 And a parting shot of the Windsor room: 

Windsor Room, The English Inn

Van Atta Woods is much smaller than Rose Lake with a very limited trail system. In fact, there is only one trail, though the signs list two, the second is just the long trail with a cut-off trail.

If you hike on this trail, bring your boots – every time I’ve walked on the trail, which is admittedly only 6 – 10 times, it has been flooded to some degree. This time, the marshy areas were rather dry, and were easily crossed using the makeshift bridges of dead branches.

And being Michigan, I saw a few deer on my walk. It’s a pretty common occurrence – I see deer in my backyard, along with turkey and coyotes. But I stopped and watched them anyways. My high school biology teacher read to my class from Sand County Almanac and one of the passages questioned how much time did men spend watching geese as they flew, honking on the way to wherever they were headed. I wonder how many hikers do the same with passing deer.

Though I’ve lived in various towns on the east side of Lansing for over a decade, and Bath for a decade before that, Rose Lake is a recent addition to my regular list of hiking trails. I had mainly visited State parks as well as local trail systems like Lake Lansing, Riverbend, and Legg Park, but decided I need a little variety in my life.

And it is a good find. I’ve only visited twice, but I realized that the more trails I explored, the more trails I found. That is a great feeling for a hiker, especially since, with a 2-year old, long hiking trips are not on my typical itinerary anymore.

The best part, for me, is that there are enough trails and vegetation to hide the other hikers from view. Who doesn’t want to get away from everyone for just a while? That’s hard to do in the suburbs, even the relatively small one I live in, but Rose Lake provides a welcome respite.