Michigan Day 12 Tuesday, July 22: We were leaving Milwaukee early so we started the morning at Stone Creek Coffee. The shop on Downer St. in Milwaukee is in the same neighborhood. We said our goodbyes and headed south towards home. Forty-five minutes later our cups were almost empty so we stopped for hot coffee…
The Ferry Ride
Michigan Day 11 Monday, July 21 – Ferry Day! This was to be the last full day of our Michigan 2025 Tour. We were up early, had breakfast at the hotel (which was actually kind of good) and loaded the van. We did a final check on what to keep with us during the ferry…
Race Day
Michigan Day 10 Sunday, July 20 was the second “race day” for us on this tour. We were up early and packed up the van. We wouldn’t be coming back to the hotel after the race We stopped for coffee at Sweetwater Coffee & Tea in Ann Arbor. We relaxed a bit and then headed…
Henry Ford Museum
Michigan Day 9 This was to be a recovery day. No paddling or biking. Just take it easy today. So we planned a day-long tour of another museum. A big museum! But first we visited the Song Bird Cafe in Ann Arbor for breakfast sandwiches and coffee. We finished up and headed to Dearborn. Thirty…
East to Ann Arbor
Michigan Day 8 We packed up, cleaned up, loaded the van and headed out around 9 am. Our first stop was in Albion MI at the Foundry Bakehouse and Deli for breakfast. The coffee was good and the bagel breakfast sandwiches were excellent. We also purchased 6 donuts (ate two at the table) for later. …
A needed day of relaxation-sort of
Michigan Day 7 This was the last full day we were to spend at the cabin on the lake. When we woke up to wind, overcast and temps in the 60s, our plans became pretty easy to schedule. We drove into Marshall to Dark Horse Commons for breakfast. Mary had a delicious mushroom and cheese…
A Return to the ‘Zoo’ —Part 2
Michigan Day 6 Another big day scheduled so we only spent 45 minutes enjoying the sunrise on the deck. We left around 8 AM for a bike ride on the Falling Waters Trail in Concord MI. The trail was entirely asphalt and well-maintained. Along the trail we stopped at Lime Lake where we once again,…
Kalamazoo-Where the water boils
Michigan Day 5 According to many references, the word kalamazoo is Potawatomi for “boiling water”. There is some discussion as to what “boiling” means, but it is likely because of the rapids in the Kalamazoo River. In fact, we later discovered that the locals refer to city as the “Zoo”. We planned on spending the…
A non-travel Monday
Michigan Day 4 After enjoying our wonderful view for an hour, we drove to north Marshall to Free Range Pancake House for breakfast. Mary had the Fresh Start crepe – eggs, ham, hash browns, cheese crepe with hollandaise; I had the ham and veggie omelette. The food was really tasty. Arriving back at the cabin,…
Ionia and points south
Michigan Day 3 We woke up Sunday morning to this view right outside our hotel window from our private deck. A search of coffee shops open on Sunday in Lowell turned up no results. What did come up while searching was Tim Horton’s Donut Shop. Even though we usually avoid restaurant chains, Tim’s seemed like…