Tag Archives: Road Trip

Adventures, Michigan, National Parks, Troy's Blog

Hitting the Beach for Spring Break

May 1, 2021 Troy

During Spring Break we (myself, youngest daughter, and wife) hit the beaches. But not like most people imagine. Our adventure took us to Michigan where a plethora of beautiful beaches exist. The first day brought us to Sleep Bear Dunes National Lakeshore where the main attraction is climbing these large hills of sand. Once we accomplished this feat we set out to explore other areas on the National Park on this beautiful April day. The temperature had reached the 70’s a little earlier but a cold front was now moving through bringing the threat of rain and definitely cooler temperatures. Along the shore of Lake Michigan are some beautiful freshwater beaches providing a shark free location to sink your feet into the sand or take a dip in the water. At this time of year the water is a bit too chilly to do more than stick in a toe or two but as summer arrives the water warms for a refreshing dip. Rain began to fall and it was time to head back to the car ending our first day at the beach.

The next day brought more rain keeping us indoors for much of it. Eventually the rain let up and we decided to take advantage with a trip to the nearby sand in Frankfurt Michigan. Only a few minutes walk and we were once again walking on the soft sand along the shore of this Great Lake. Since it was early in the year this beach was still recovering from winter as preparations were just beginning to move the sand from city streets and parking lots back onto the beach where it belongs. Winter winds blow strong shifting sand from the waters edge further inland. As the snow disappears and the landscape comes back to life, these winds calm allowing the beaches to keep their sandy shoreline bringing crowds to enjoy them all summer long. With another day on the beach, even if for a short time, we returned to the comfort of shelter for the remainder of the day.

On our final day, while beginning the drive home, we stopped at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore along the way allowing us to see three of the Great Lakes in one day, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron while going across the Mackinaw Bridge with Lake Superior a short drive away. One of the first stops in Pictured Rocks was the sandy beach along this largest freshwater body of water. Again the sand was beautiful and soft for the third and final day of beaches during Spring Break. The landscape is amazingly beautiful to take in while strolling through the sand as it cushions each step. Another part of this park that was fun is the North Country National Scenic Trail runs along the lake. A trail I’ve read about and looked into portions of interest to hike. I could imagine spending a couple days hiking through this picturesque landscape enjoying waterfalls, beaches, and natural rock formations.

Having spent several hours exploring this area, it was time to continue on our journey home. One last stop at another beach before we go though. While taking one final walk on the sandy shore, fog began to roll off the lake and flow into the trees creating a different view of the landscape. This time of year, fog is common near Lake Superior as the water remains cold throughout the year so when temperatures begin to warm up and there’s a lot of moisture around, fog is quickly produced. It creates a more dramatic landscape for our final memory of Picture Rocks on this adventure. It was now time to re-enter the car to complete our Spring Break road trip.

Adventures, Michigan, spring, Troy's Blog

Spring Break Road Trip

April 25, 2021 Troy

Several months ago, while looking over the calendar, we noticed our girls had time off for Spring Break about the same time. This seemed like something we should take advantage of since who knows how many more times we’ll have the opportunity for a family Spring Break adventure. The plan was to go for an extended weekend somewhere within 8 hours of our house. Weather would help dictated which direction we went. As the week arrived we looked at a few different options and decided going to Badlands National Park seemed like the best option during Spring Break. We would leave Wednesday morning and return Saturday afternoon. Tuesday afternoon I checked in with a family friend who has some property in Central Michigan and found out they would be there for the week. Originally they were expecting to be gone a few days before Spring Break but things had changed a little. Talking with the family we decided a change in plans was in order and that the next morning we should head east instead. Tuesday night the car was packed and ready to go to Michigan.

Wednesday morning we were on the road by 5:30am eagerly anticipating our Spring Break adventure. It was a rainy start to the day which was expected to follow us throughout the drive east. As we got into Wisconsin, daylight began to fill the sky. With increasing brightness we could see fog filling many of the valleys providing interesting scenery to start the day. By lunchtime we neared the Wisconsin-Michigan boarder stopping to stretch our legs and getting something to eat. Returning to the road we soon crossed into a different time zone where we lost an hour entering Michigan and began to follow the top of Lake Michigan. The sights in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan kept us entertained with the road trip beginning to get long and going on hour number 8. Another hour and we were at the Mackinaw Bridge.

We had heard about this bridge from several other people but had never seen it ourselves. It’s certainly an engineering feet to see and drive on especially in an area that freezes during the winter. It’s interesting to drive on as one lane is metal grates which feel weird to drive over while the other is a cement deck. Crossing the bridge, we made another stop to explore Mackinaw Island which was mostly closed down since it’s more of a tourist place and it was too early for them to be open. Over the next few hours we continued south now that we were on the east side of Lake Michigan arriving at our destination. A little town on the shores of Lake Michigan in the central part of the state. It was a nice drive but we were happy to get out of the car. As a bonus, it was partly sunny with temperatures in the mid 70’s.

Monopoly Traveler Reflections, Rocky Moutain National Park, Troy's Blog

Monopoly Traveler Reflections–Playing in the Snow, But It’s July!

March 6, 2021 Troy

On our first Monopoly Traveling adventure, Rocky Mountain National Park was one of one of six National Parks we visited during a 10 day road trip. While there we were surrounded by beautiful landscapes everywhere we went including snow capped mountains. During one of our days in this large park with seemingly endless horizons, we drove up to the Alpine Visitor’s Center on the Old Fall River Road which is a narrow, winding gravel road that can only be driven up the mountain as it’s a one way road. While at the visitor center exploring, we walked near some large snow banks still melting in early July. We’re used to snow filled winters but rarely is there a snow bank to be found by Independence Day. I grabbed one of the kids and threatened to throw her into the snow bank head first on this mid summer afternoon.

With her nervous laughter, I set her down but quickly grabbed a handful of snow and formed a snowball. Having a snowball fight with my kids at this time of year never, ever crossed my mind which is why it was something we had to do. Soon after I released the first one, my girls armed themselves with snowballs and returned fire. We continued this until our hands were cold from handling the melting snow without gloves. It was summer after all, why would we need gloves? Each of us having been pelted with snow, brushed ourselves off before continuing to explore the mountain tops nearby with smiles etched on our faces. It’s these moments that create memories making a trip like this even more special.

Florida Keys, Troy's Blog

More Bits and Pieces From the Keys

January 30, 2012 Troy

Our arrival in Key West was in plenty of time to check in at the hotel, find a place to park, and even look for a few souvenirs all before the sunset experience in Mallory Square. I will do a complete post on Mallory Square later so not many details will be shared here. While at Mallory Square we witnessed a couple miss their cruise ship requiring them to chase the ship down in a small boat and climb aboard using a rope ladder all while the ship was backing out of the harbor and a gorgeous sunset. While on a past cruise I had the pleasure of catching the last tender boat out to the ship as I tend to want to explore as long as possible (my father-in-law has more stories of that). While watching the couple chase the ship I was asked how much of a chance I would take on another cruise if that is a possible result of being too late. To me, this would be a fun experience which I may try on the next cruise so this show had the opposite effect on me than desired by my wife. In her defense, she thought I missed the ship so has already had a taste of what that feels like and would prefer not to experience that again. Only time will tell I guess. I may try to take her with me while missing the ship. This photo of the sunset reminds me of Pirates of the Caribbean.

The next morning there was the pleasure of an alarm clock. This was never intended however the noise coming from this chicken made it a little difficult to sleep. Being awakened at sunrise was not in the plans but apparently was necessary. While laying there wanting to go back to sleep I couldn’t decide whether I had the desire to go out and feed the animals or have chicken for lunch. A word of caution, chickens are quite common on Key West so there is a greater chance that this will happen. After getting up and deciding to eat breakfast there was still a crowing close by. I decided to find this chicken so intent on waking us up. Once it was spotted all I could do was smile as I showed it to Karen who was equally irritated with this chicken. I smiled because I knew once she caught sight of the little baby chicks with the hen this rooster was protecting she would instantly forget about her irritations. How can you stay made at the cute little baby chickens?

By the way, we did end up eating chicken later that day!

Florida Keys, Troy's Blog

Bits and Pieces From the Keys

January 22, 2012 Troy 4 Comments

During our journey to Key West we enjoyed a number of activities along the way. A year ago while driving out to Key West for the first time I had read about this place called Robbie’s Marina. If you’re interested you can read the post describing potential activities in the keys here. On that trip we never found Robbie’s. As it turns out, it was dark by the time we got to Islamorada which is why I never saw it. This time, however, we made the trip during the middle of the day in order to enjoy more of the sights along US 1 and just as we crossed the bridge to Islamorada, there it was – a sign for Robbie’s. I quickly slammed on the breaks and made the turn into the marina. It was never our intention to stop but there it was so we at least had to check it out.

I was amazed at how busy it was. There were some open air shops along with a restaurant and the marina. It costs $1.00 per person to enter the docks for the famous tarpon feeding. We paid our fee along with purchasing some food for the fish and on to the designated spot we went. There are some hazards you encounter before getting to the fish. These “hazards” are the pelicans. Not only do the fish like an easy meal but so do these feathered friends. They are not shy about chasing you and trying to steal your bucket of fish food (bait fish). Once getting past the gauntlet of birds we moved quickly to the feeding area set up to keep them out. I was advised not to get to close to the water as the fish take whatever appears and smells like food. All in all we spent about an hour at Robbie’s and enjoyed the sights. At their website they have webcams available to view the tarpon and pelicans. It’s a good reminder for us of our short time there.

After this fun experience we continued onward toward Key West. Fortunately along the way there are several places you can pull off and enjoy the scenery or go fishing. We decided it was time to eat so we happened by this great park right by US 1. There was cold pizza and fruit in the trunk from previous meals and we each had a drink with us so a nice spot with a little shade to eat and then enjoy some sun was in order. We could have easily spent the rest of the afternoon here as the temperatures were near 80 ⁰F with a slight breeze but our ultimate goal was to get to Key West in time to experience the sunset there so back on the road for the remainder of the trip. Looking at the photo below can you blame us for wanting to stay longer?

For more bits and pieces from the keys click here…

Gaining Life Experience