Laowai

Here’s my round up of our little road trip last week. I was pleasantly surprised at all the fun and different things we got to do. For a last minute trip with very little planning our week was full of great little surprises, gorgeous scenery, and Wisconsin nice.

We started out our visit to Door County with the quintessential Door County tourist meal. A fish boil. It has a historical basis so we thought we’d check it out. You sit around a big fire with a cauldron on top and Earl gives you the run down while he tosses in the potatoes, onions and white fish. Then when the show is almost done he pours some fuel on the fire and a big huge fire goes up causing the fish oils and scum to boil over. Voila – then you all go inside and eat your good but not extraordinary meal. The fish was pretty good, the cherry pie was not homemade as advertised. I didn’t have big expectations so I wasn’t a bit disappointed in the whole thing. Brian however was a little under-whelmed.

Then another first – we went to a drive-in movie. We saw Julie and Julia. Again I didn’t have big expectations for the movie so I enjoyed it even though it was not the best movie ever. I was just excited to be at a drive-in. We had thought Bea would fall asleep peacefully with the cozy bed I made for her in the back seat – nope. She wiggled and chatted the entire time. You know that over-tired manic energy that kids can get when they should have gone to bed two hours ago. Let me tell you – that energy is ten times more annoying when you are confined inside a MINI Cooper. Oh well. Now I can say I’ve been to a drive-in movie. Here’s the photo Brian took.

More riding on Daddy’s shoulders. Bea was running on fumes even on day two of our vacation.

Beautiful pumpkins and gourds everywhere.

The Inn where we stayed was nice. It was set up to be romantic but worked for entertaining a toddler too. There was a gas fireplace that Bea loved to look at while she (didn’t) fall asleep at night. And there was a big whirlpool tub in the bedroom. Ooh that was exciting for her – and me too since I could just laze around in bed while she was on the other side of the room splashing around.

More driving on a rainy day. We went further up the peninsula. And enjoyed the scenery.

 

Ran across this sign. 

We had dinner one night at a funny swedish restaurant. It has a grass roof and I guess goats can be seen grazing up there sometimes. The waitresses wore traditional swedish outfits and swedish meatballs were popular on the menu (just like IKEA). This time the cherry pie tasted like homemade. 

The next day it wasn’t raining but there were was a high wind warning. We rented bikes and a pull-behind for Bea. It was chilly and extremely windy, but we had a great ride through the state park. We stopped for some quick photos at the lighthouse (built in 1868). Bea was smiling most of the trip until the end when she got a little whiney and complained of cold fingers.

Did I mention it was windy?

On our way out of town I snapped a photo of a type of vending machine that we just don’t have around here – Live Bait. Not sure how that works? Is it a joke?

Next we were off to The U.P. to see Michigan Tech. Brian (and I) had not been there since he graduated thirteen years ago. Wow thirteen years!. The drive was beautiful with the quite a bit of fall color. We stopped at Burger King.

Michigan Tech seemed reassuringly the same. It was quiet. Here’s the big bridge that goes from Houghton to Hancock.

I remember wanting to stop and take photos of the copper mining ruins when I saw them thirteen years ago. But I never did until this trip. These ruins remind me of these Detroit photos only they aren’t so depressing. 

We stopped at a playground while driving up the Keweenaw. You can take your kid to all sorts of new places and have brand-new experiences but sometimes they just need a playground. This one had a merry-go-round. You never see merry-go-rounds. I guess they must have been dangerous. This one was the same model that they had at my elementary school. Good fun.

On our last day it was one of those fall days when the sky is blue blue blue and the leaves are a perfect complimentary orange and you can’t open your eyes wide enough to soak it all in. We walked back to Hungarian Falls. Where we had hiked way back when I visited Brian at college 100 years ago when we were twelve. It’s a big beautiful waterfall that is totally unmarked – you just go down some random dirt roads and hike back on one of the many trails and you can hear the water falling before you see it. So funny to be back there holding hands with our daughter.

Oh and look thimbleberry plants.

I’m surprised I have so much to say about a trip that I thought would be so low key. I guess it’s that we don’t get out into those close-to-nature little towns enough and everything felt nicely nostalgic. Thanks for taking us on a great road trip Brian.