Category: 2022

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Oh, Canada. We have missed you!

Between COVID shutdowns and then the pain-in-the-ass (PITA) Arrive CAN form, it’s been a little over 3 years since we’ve been to Canada. In fact. our last time in Canada (August of 2019) included a brief stop in Bayfield. We vowed to go back for more, but who knew it would take so long?

Bayfield is a quaint little town about an hour north of Sarnia, on the shores of Lake Huron. It’s a bit touristy with art shops, home furnishings, clothing stores and restaurants lining the little main street. 

Possibly the best pub on the Western shore of Lake Huron! Over 150 years old.

After a bit of shopping, Karen and I went back to the same pub that we enjoyed 3 years ago. The Black Dog Pub, which is over 150 years old, was a “no brainer” choice for our dinner as they have good food and an excellent beer selection. Karen had a veggie burger with tomato goat cheese and a Square Brew Octoberfest Lager. I had an excellent Salmon with fingerling potatoes dinner with an Innis & Gunn Barrel Aged Scotch Ale beer. We were both very satisfied with our selections.

Getting over the border and getting back to the States, was flawless.  With the border open and the retirement of Arrive CAN document, we hope to visit frequently!  We are thinking next month heading to St. Jacobs in Ontario to take in a play and Christmas shop.  The exchange rate is in our favor, so we can spend more! 🙂

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Favorite G.R. Breweries Revisted

Another grand adventure in Grand Rapids and Holland, MI during the Labor Day weekend. For the first time, we stayed at the Embassy Suites by Hilton along the Grand River on the north end of downtown Grand Rapids. We were very impressed with our two-night stay. The hotel was nicely appointed, well maintained, service oriented, and located out of the hustle of downtown yet still within walking distance.

On Saturday we enjoyed downtown Holland, shopping and eating lunch at Market Zero, before setting off on a 21-mile bike ride along Lake Michigan. The beautiful 85-degree day encouraged us to stop at a hidden, unnamed beach on the ride back for a dip in Lake Michigan. 

Returning to Holland we stopped at one of our top five breweries (4 Two 4) for a few beers. I enjoyed the Breakfast in Istanbul Hazelnut Coffee Stout (9.7% abv). Karen tried, and loved, a new beer named Imperial Orange Push-Up Milkshake Ale (10% abv). We enjoyed the outstanding beers with a Hawaiian pizza from Sluggo’s (consistently one of the best pizza’s we’ve ever had).

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A Little Getaway to Northwest Michigan

DaK decided to take a short trip from July 9 – 11 (Sat – Mon) to northwest Michigan. The weather was perfect for us to enjoy bicycling, check out a couple new breweries, and relax by the water.

On Saturday we checked into our hotel (Hampton Inn Cadillac Hotel) and immediately hopped on our bikes. We rode from the north end of the White Pine Trail to the small town of Leroy, turned around and rode back to downtown Cadillac. (Just a note, the White Pine Trail is the longest Rails to Trails segment in Michigan and stretches from Grand Rapids to Cadillac.) We stopped at Clam Lake Beer Co. (an old favorite) for a couple of burgers and beers. We tried the Kickstand Birch Bark Porter (6.8%) and both really enjoyed it. After dinner there was a concert in the bandshell, on Lake Cadillac, right near the restaurant. It wound up being a very nice and full day.

The White Pine Trail
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Go Greenville!

A co-worker of mine was always raving about Greenville, SC. So we finally decided to stop and see what all the fuss was about. After spending four days in downtown Greenville I was in total agreement. I was impressed with the excellent city planning and beauty of this bicycle, friendly college town. Traffic was never a problem in this easy to navigate city and everything was very walkable. The weather, in early March, was fantastic with highs consistently in the 70’s.

Downtown Greenville, such a beautiful city!
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Jekell Island & Beyond!

I can’t think of a better way to get through a Michigan winter than to head south for part of it. This trip to Jekyll Island, GA definitely fulfilled expectations. It was relaxing and warm enough to consistently enjoy the outdoors  (ate outdoors, biked, ran, and even swam a few times) though not as hot as south Florida. Daytime temperature highs generally ranged from the mid 50’s to the low 70’s. 

Jekyll Island is a state park located off the coast of southeast Georgia, about 30 minutes from the Florida border. We paced ourselves driving down, stopping in London, KY and Santé, SC while successfully avoiding a major ice storm.

We stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn, for the entire time on Jekyll Island. However, we did take several day trips to other locations in Georgia and Florida.

View from our Balcony
Our Balcony
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Yes, We have been away!

January 14 through March 7…We called Jekyll Island, Georgia home! Dave is busy writing a post on our time away, but I wanted to let you know we are back and ready to share!  We had so much fun away and feel so blessed to be able to get away for so long- as you know Michigan winters are brutal.  We were able to run and bike every day in warmer temperatures!  More on that later.

We were spoiled with this view everyday!
We spend hours on this beach! The Atlantic Ocean was massive and beautiful.

I am back to work and ready to discuss all the books I read while I was away:) Look for those posts in the coming days. 

Hope all is well with all of you,

DAK