My Personal Pilgrimage

My Dad was an avid (really, really avid) Green Bay Packers fan. On the day before what would have been his 84th birthday, I finally got to visit Lambeau Field.

Dad & my brothers, Bill, Jim, Pat – had made an annual event of attending a game together at the holy land. Though I did not get to see a game, I was moved by the power of the Pack and the devotion to and from the community of Green Bay.

GO PACK GO!!!

Feel the power…

  • Brian's Lambeau Leap
    Brian’s Lambeau Leap
  • My Lambeau Leap!
    My Lambeau Leap!
  • Down the hall to take the field…

Then we enjoyed some local brews at Hinterland Brewery across the way. Excellent IPA (BG) and Coffee Stout.

We had expected some rain on Sunday (which, to our disappointment did not happen), so we took a drive to Milwaukee where we hoped to get some farmer’s market goods only to find a market without farmers. Oh well, got to see the Milwaukee Public Market and Lakefront Brewery – a very cool brewery on the river – I was so impressed by their artistry, community and commitment to reuse and sustainability (in crops as well as buildings). We then took in a much needed yoga class and decided to avoid another rainy day in Oshkosh by heading out to South Dakota in the morning.

Especially in Michigan

"Life is my friend 
Rake it up to take it in 
Wrap me in your cinnamon 
Especially in Michigan 
Well I could be your friend"
~RHCP

We’d heard so much about the beauty of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We were not disappointed.

We first camped near my brother Patrick’s hometown in Sterling Heights and enjoyed dinner with Pat & Denyse. Also forgot to take a picture even after reminding myself to do just that as we traveled there. Wonderful evening. So great to see family, even if so briefly.

We got a nice hike in the following day and then headed up to Sleeping Bear Dunes (as suggested by Pat-who knew there were sand dunes in MI?!?) on MI Lower Peninsula. Super nice campsite at Indigo Bluffs. Absolutely spectacular. First day did a beautiful looong hike on the Alligator Hill Trail.

Next day, we killed the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive on our bikes (accidentally stopped our trail recorder though – so fail to have documentary evidence we did this ride). At a stop along the way, a park volunteer seemed surprised and impressed that we’d biked it. The elevation gain was demanding – so maybe he was more surprised we were still alive. I admit, downhill was much better. Of course we had to see the Dunes, but no way were we making it the entire 3.6 miles out and back. Sufficient enough to do the first .5!

That evening we saw the most beautiful sunset over Lake Michigan – photos don’t do it justice. And on the way back, full, low harvest moon…amazing palette mother nature painted on that day.

Off to the Upper Peninsula where the mosquitos outnumber the people easily 100:1. Chilly but pleasant – our KOA site in Pictured Rocks area was passable; we got some great tips from the staff there. Went hiking on various short trails to take in multitudes of waterfalls. In the evening we took a cruise on Lake Superior to see the Pictured Rocks – staff told us to sit up top on the right for best views, and indeed was so. BUT so chilly, we headed down once we started the return trip.

Next day, we did a 9.5 mile single track mountain bike trail. Ok, so I have never done this before – it was like a roller coaster without the safety gear. We made it without serious injury and I have to admit it was fun. I hope my granddaughter will some day appreciate her badass g’ma did her first ride at age 55. Never too late!

We had to try the local fare & beer. Pasties we tried and enjoyed, East Channel brewery IPA was excellent (according to BG) and our favorite find was Trenary Toast. We have to find an importer when we get home. So, so good.

Catching Up

We have been very lucky with the weather, leaving little time for learning how to create this blog, and then actually doing it. So, here is some catch up [note: I am still learning this blog thing, so hopefully skills get better with time and guidance from my kids]. I need to figure out how to add more photos…

We are 2 weeks into the journey.

OHIO

Our first stop, Amherst, OH. We pulled in to our first campsite after our 6 hour drive only to find out someone had not made a reservation. Hint: it was not Erin. Luckily, it is not high season, and there was room. Ohio had in store: rain – so a trip to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was a great start. Just had to get this for our granddaughter to be.

Next day sunshine, so we hit Cedarpoint, roller coaster capital of the world. Oh my, 13 coasters! When you do the math, we spent 7 hours there for ~40 minutes of ride time. I’d do it all again.

On our 3rd day, we set out to visit the Airstream plant in Jackson Center, OH topped off by dinner with my brother Bill, sister in law Vicki & nephew Stephen in Perrysburg. We got on the road at 12:30 for a 2.5 hour trip. “Honey, google maps says it will be closed within an hour of when we arrive. Is that enough time for the tour?”…Well, it wasn’t – so we missed that one and will try to hit the factory on the way home. Probably better off or we might have traded up to a bigger camper. We got in a nice bike ride and then had a fantastic dinner with Bill & family – loved spending time with them but I forgot to take a picture!

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining us.

For the next 3 months, we will be together 24/7 in our 19’ Airstream Flying Cloud journeying across this beautiful country taking in some of the exquisite sights and sounds, seeing family along the way. There’s an over/under on how long long we make it given that we’ve been together apart for 9 years by 220 miles. I like our odds.

Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain. ~Jack Kerouac