Photos.
We learned Thursday that attendees and protesters were arriving for the NRA Personal Protection Expo. Many of them were at our hotel, since the Hilton is adjacent to the Wisconsin Center. Police presence was immediately felt, both outside and around the Center. I felt intrigued ... and alarmed.
Turns out the NRA people were friendly and courteous. Lots of smokers. As a confirmed anti-NRA, anti-gun, anti-everything associated with any kind of firearm or other weapon, I felt uneasy at best. However, curiosity got the better of me and I enjoyed watching the peaceful interaction among conventioneers, protesters and law enforcement.
A few out-of-towners were up when I went down to the Lobby to pick up a couple of Starbucks breakfast sandwiches this morning. No one was willing to make eye contact so I decided to mind my own business.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Lake Michigan Road Trip 2017: Harley Museum
Photos.
I've been drawn to the world famous Harley Museum for a long time -- not quite a bucket list item, but close.
The Harley faithful were there in full force, most in Harley regalia, some on their bikes. The museum felt like the stop at St. Peter's Basilica on a visit to Rome. Finally, home! The exhibits are well laid pit and cover both history and popular interest. The interactive technical displays are particularly helpful to both the educated (Bob) and the ignorant (me). I had no idea that Harley racing was, and perhaps is yet, such a big deal. The Race of Gentlemen, a seasonal exhibit, is also very interesting but my brain was already on information overload by the time we got to it, so my appreciation was limited.
The video on Harley's more recent history and near tumble into bankruptcy in the 1980s is very well done. As always, I was amazed by Harley's ability to market its main product and accessories. It's a great stop, especially for anyone interested in American automotive and motorcycle history.
I've been drawn to the world famous Harley Museum for a long time -- not quite a bucket list item, but close.
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| Gas tanks over the years |
| Harley Davidson Museum, Milwaukee |
The video on Harley's more recent history and near tumble into bankruptcy in the 1980s is very well done. As always, I was amazed by Harley's ability to market its main product and accessories. It's a great stop, especially for anyone interested in American automotive and motorcycle history.
Lake Michigan Road Trip 2017: Milwaukee bus tour
Photos.
The first (and, in this case, probably only) time we visit a city, we often take a bus tour to give us the "lay of the land" and a decent overview of the area. I had read good reviews of this one so we gave it a shot. As instructed, we met under the famous clock at Milwaukee City Hall Friday morning at 10:00 a.m.
Several tour members were already waiting when we arrived about ten minutes early, including Pastor John, a clergyman from a suburban church who had lived in the city for about 15 years, a couple from Menomonie, a young woman from Tomah, and a professor from Long Island who drove in for the day from Chicago, where she was attending a conference. Another five people arriving late on the train joined the tour about 15 minutes later.
Our tour guide, Mike (the one in the reviews) arrived promptly a few minutes before ten and we immediately visited City Hall. The building is beautiful and I would have liked to stay a little longer han we did.
Our stops were frequent and fairly interesting, I particularly liked Black Cat Alley and the Milwaukee Art Museum, a stunning space built with dynamic "wings" that move several times a day. The views of Lake Michigan were lovely on this sunny morning. I enjoyed the drive along public parkland that extends all along the shore within the city limits, with free parking everywhere.
Our tour ended at the Lakefront Brewery. Bob thought that spending the last hour of the tour at a brewery was "killing time", but I enjoyed it. I had two small glasses of the East Side Bavarian dark lager. Delicious: rich but not too heavy. Bob had a glass of beer with a "grapefruit" flavor that he didn't particularly like.
After the tour, we picked up a sandwich lunch (one chicken, one steak) at a Vietnamese restaurant that seems to have taken over a Subway space. The chicken was great and the steak is yet to be enjoyed, as we brought it home with us today.
The first (and, in this case, probably only) time we visit a city, we often take a bus tour to give us the "lay of the land" and a decent overview of the area. I had read good reviews of this one so we gave it a shot. As instructed, we met under the famous clock at Milwaukee City Hall Friday morning at 10:00 a.m.
Several tour members were already waiting when we arrived about ten minutes early, including Pastor John, a clergyman from a suburban church who had lived in the city for about 15 years, a couple from Menomonie, a young woman from Tomah, and a professor from Long Island who drove in for the day from Chicago, where she was attending a conference. Another five people arriving late on the train joined the tour about 15 minutes later.
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| Black Cat Alley |
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| Milwaukee Museum of Art |
Our tour ended at the Lakefront Brewery. Bob thought that spending the last hour of the tour at a brewery was "killing time", but I enjoyed it. I had two small glasses of the East Side Bavarian dark lager. Delicious: rich but not too heavy. Bob had a glass of beer with a "grapefruit" flavor that he didn't particularly like.
After the tour, we picked up a sandwich lunch (one chicken, one steak) at a Vietnamese restaurant that seems to have taken over a Subway space. The chicken was great and the steak is yet to be enjoyed, as we brought it home with us today.
Friday, August 25, 2017
Lake Michigan Road Trip 2017: Hilton and Capital Grille
Photos.
By the time we checked into the Hilton in the late afternoon, we were both feeling a little punchy. Front desk and concierge staff were well intentioned but not particularly helpful, advising us that parking across the street is cheaper than the adjacent hotel ramp.
Unless $35 is now less than $25, the answer was wrong, so we dilly dallied with parking until deciding on the ramp -- very convenient and accessible to the hotel via the second floor.
We're staying on a Groupon ($254 for two nights in a king room). As usual, I opted for the highest room possible, despite Bob's fears about evacuation in case of an emergency. We're on the 21st floor, with a great east view of the city and Lake Michigan in the distance.
We had appetizers (clam chowder, sirloin tip sliders, parmesan truffle fries, fresh bread) and drinks (scotch for Bob, cabernet sauvignon for me) at the Capital Grille, a restaurant familiar to us because of a gift card from son Chris several years ago. Great ambience and delicious food.
We were very tired and went to bed early, enjoying the view as the sun set behind us. Darkness fell quickly.
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| Capital Grille is a block from the Hilton |
Unless $35 is now less than $25, the answer was wrong, so we dilly dallied with parking until deciding on the ramp -- very convenient and accessible to the hotel via the second floor.
We're staying on a Groupon ($254 for two nights in a king room). As usual, I opted for the highest room possible, despite Bob's fears about evacuation in case of an emergency. We're on the 21st floor, with a great east view of the city and Lake Michigan in the distance.
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| Bar at Capital Grille |
We were very tired and went to bed early, enjoying the view as the sun set behind us. Darkness fell quickly.
Lake Michigan Road Trip 2017: S.S. Badger
Photos.
By the time we woke up (too early!) on Thursday morning, my disappointment over missing the Lake Express from Muskegon to Milwaukee had faded and I was looking forward to crossing Lake Michigan on the old (1953!) S.S. Badger. I remember being bored on our last trip in the other direction, but that was a life ago -- maybe 2005 -- and I was more critical then, as I broiled in the hot sun on the deck with nothing to read and nothing to do.
The morning was coolish so we both wore long pants and a jacket. We boarded the ship shortly after 8:00 a.m., an hour early as instructed, and almost immediately began to wander to various locations around the ship.
We lost our spots inside, where people were already gathering for Bingo not scheduled to begin for at least 90 minutes. We sat in the bar for awhile, but it was too early for a drink, especially since walking on the ship wasn't all that easy. It wasn't like crossing the Bay of Fundy in a snowstorm (extremely challenging) -- more similar to walking in a moving motorhome (manageable, with experience).
By the time the sun came out, we were sitting in the stern of the ship looking at Michigan in the distance. A fellow Minnesotan carrying a Vikings blanket stopped to talk to us. She was a professional driver (limousines, private cars etc.) who had driven all the way from St. Paul the night before and crossed to Michigan during the night to pick up her 14-year-old niece for the weekend.
"Aunt Kimmy" is a gregarious person with a good sense of humor. She was Prince's preferred driver during the last five years of his life and confessed that she cried every day in the first year after his death. His phone number is still in her cell phone.
The best part of the trip for Bob was watching S.S. Badger crew drive vehicles on and off the ship. They did so very efficiently, running back and forth between the ship and the parking lot, backing up large vehicles easily, without the need for any kind of adjustment. Three semis were already in the ship by the time we arrived, but we did see them drive out.
We waited about 15 minutes for our vehicle. I43 was under construction so the 80-mile drive to Milwaukee was a little longer than anticipated.
By the time we woke up (too early!) on Thursday morning, my disappointment over missing the Lake Express from Muskegon to Milwaukee had faded and I was looking forward to crossing Lake Michigan on the old (1953!) S.S. Badger. I remember being bored on our last trip in the other direction, but that was a life ago -- maybe 2005 -- and I was more critical then, as I broiled in the hot sun on the deck with nothing to read and nothing to do.
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| S.S. Badger is old ... but good |
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| Driving off the S.S. Badger |
By the time the sun came out, we were sitting in the stern of the ship looking at Michigan in the distance. A fellow Minnesotan carrying a Vikings blanket stopped to talk to us. She was a professional driver (limousines, private cars etc.) who had driven all the way from St. Paul the night before and crossed to Michigan during the night to pick up her 14-year-old niece for the weekend.
"Aunt Kimmy" is a gregarious person with a good sense of humor. She was Prince's preferred driver during the last five years of his life and confessed that she cried every day in the first year after his death. His phone number is still in her cell phone.
The best part of the trip for Bob was watching S.S. Badger crew drive vehicles on and off the ship. They did so very efficiently, running back and forth between the ship and the parking lot, backing up large vehicles easily, without the need for any kind of adjustment. Three semis were already in the ship by the time we arrived, but we did see them drive out.
We waited about 15 minutes for our vehicle. I43 was under construction so the 80-mile drive to Milwaukee was a little longer than anticipated.
Lake Michigan Road Trip 2017: Traverse City
Photos.
We had planned to stay longer in Traverse City but the promise of the guidebooks wasn't fulfilled as we drove on the town's downtown, a typical unplanned and overcrowded area full of cheap stores. Eating lunch at McDonald's, we pretty much decided to move on.
Stopping at the visitor center changed our minds a little. The office is staffed by helpful volunteers, one of whom convinced Bob to visit the area's wine country. We drove north on Hwy 37, surrounded by prosperous vineyards and beautiful views of Lake Michigan. We stopped at the Old Mission lighthouse, very windy on this late summer afternoon. Time enough for a few photos, but the little lighthouse was full of tourists so I didn't even go in.
On the way back, we turned into the Chateau Chantal Winery. The location overlooking the valley reminded us a of the Napa Valley, where we visited several wineries many years ago. I was a little surprised to see a charge for tasting, but that really is the way to go. No slurpers at the bar, testing every damn wine in the place. Instead, we paid $5 for a taste of three wines (in our case, a pinot noir, a Riesling and a rosé), which we drank on the patio. We were given one of the three glasses to keep as a souvenir. Other tasting options provided the opportunity for full glasses of wine, but we preferred a taste, especially knowing we had an afternoon's drive ahead of us.
Onward, on 2-way Hwy 37, then Hwy 31, to Ludington. Our decision to cross Lake Michigan on the Lake Express at Muskegon was thwarted when I couldn't get a reservation on the 10:15 a.m. crossing. We abruptly turned off Hwy 31 (a nice 4-lane between Ludington and Muskegon) and called the S.S. Badger, where we got a reservation for Thursday morning. My disappointment lifted when we checked into a new Comfort Inn less than ten minutes from the Ludington dock.
We were dead tired by this time and happy to stop for the day.
We had planned to stay longer in Traverse City but the promise of the guidebooks wasn't fulfilled as we drove on the town's downtown, a typical unplanned and overcrowded area full of cheap stores. Eating lunch at McDonald's, we pretty much decided to move on.
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| Old Mission Lighthouse |
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| Wine tasting at the Château Chantal |
Onward, on 2-way Hwy 37, then Hwy 31, to Ludington. Our decision to cross Lake Michigan on the Lake Express at Muskegon was thwarted when I couldn't get a reservation on the 10:15 a.m. crossing. We abruptly turned off Hwy 31 (a nice 4-lane between Ludington and Muskegon) and called the S.S. Badger, where we got a reservation for Thursday morning. My disappointment lifted when we checked into a new Comfort Inn less than ten minutes from the Ludington dock.
We were dead tired by this time and happy to stop for the day.
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Michigan Road Trip 2017: Mackinac Island
Photos.
After a rainy night, the sky was cloudy this morning and though we got a little precipitation, we decided to go ahead with our plan to spend most of the day on Mackinac Island. The crossing on the Star Line's Radisson was a little rough. In fact, we were told that if we sat on the top deck we would get wet, so we stayed down below.
We walked around downtown for most of our visit and didn't go all the way up the hill to the Grand Hotel. We had lunch at our old favorite Carriage House restaurant in the Iroquois Hotel. The tomato basil soup was delicious, as was our shared turkey club.
We wore jackets for about half the day, and I carried them for the other half. We took a late afternoon ferry back and the crossing was as rough as any boat ride I remember. Once we seemed to be airborne and I wondered fleetingly how difficult it would be to help the small crew get lifejackets on the passengers. The waves splashed at the windows and I was really glad to be inside.
This evening we had our little cocktail hour but weren't hungry for dinner. Instead, we went out for ice cream and bought of the famous mackinac fudge to bring home. After our treat, we sat in the park near the bridge and watched the waves crash on the shore. I could feel winter in the wind.
After a rainy night, the sky was cloudy this morning and though we got a little precipitation, we decided to go ahead with our plan to spend most of the day on Mackinac Island. The crossing on the Star Line's Radisson was a little rough. In fact, we were told that if we sat on the top deck we would get wet, so we stayed down below.
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| Menu at the Carriage House |
We walked around downtown for most of our visit and didn't go all the way up the hill to the Grand Hotel. We had lunch at our old favorite Carriage House restaurant in the Iroquois Hotel. The tomato basil soup was delicious, as was our shared turkey club.
We wore jackets for about half the day, and I carried them for the other half. We took a late afternoon ferry back and the crossing was as rough as any boat ride I remember. Once we seemed to be airborne and I wondered fleetingly how difficult it would be to help the small crew get lifejackets on the passengers. The waves splashed at the windows and I was really glad to be inside.
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| Transportation |
This evening we had our little cocktail hour but weren't hungry for dinner. Instead, we went out for ice cream and bought of the famous mackinac fudge to bring home. After our treat, we sat in the park near the bridge and watched the waves crash on the shore. I could feel winter in the wind.
Monday, August 21, 2017
Michigan Road Trip 2017: eclipse of the sun.
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| Mackinaw Bridge |
We were even more out of the total eclipse path that we would have been in the Twin Cities, but I was still looking forward to the day as we drove on Hwy 2 to the Mackinaw Bridge. The morning mist on Lake Michigan was still enveloping the bridge when we arrived at Bridge View Park around 11:00 a.m.
We checked into the Hamilton Beach Select Beachfront around noon but since our room wouldn't be ready for another hour, we had a beer and Wisconsin cheese curds at the Dixie Saloon. I was looking forward to being well settled in our room for the eclipse, as broadcast on by NASA. I think the sky make have changed a little, but not much. I tried a trick I read about to photograph the sun, a kind of selfie but I seem to be a little dim and I didn't get much. During the afternoon, I felt a little envious of the enraptured eclipse viewers on TV.
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| This very big heron is elegant and bossy |
We had a light supper (soup for Bob, chili and side salad for me) at the Historic Depot Restaurant in the Mackinaw Crossings complex. Just the right choice in this interesting space, where a little train circled the restaurant on a track high on the wall. Our server revealed far too much information about herself and by the time we left the restaurant, I was mortified for her. After dinner, we sat in the little commons area listening to the two-man band (actually, a man and a woman). Pretty good, with a recorded back-up and percussion, heavy on James Taylor.
Soon after we got back to our room, the sky was punctuated with bolts of lightening and the sound of thunder rolled across the water.
Michigan Road Trip 2017: pleasant late summer drive
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| St Paul, Minnesota to Manistique, Michigan |
We were on the road before eight Sunday morning, The day was warm -- and later hot -- but overcast for most of our ride, so we never had to drive into the bright sun as we so often do on our road trips. Not much road construction either, and the ride was uneventful.
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| Outdoor arrangements are lush and in full bloom |
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| The lighthouse across from our hotel |
We have been this way several times in the past, and had the usual discussion about the route to Lake Michigan. The GPS wanted us to take Hwy 64 (grey two-way highway on the paper map) but Bob had previously decided on Hwy 8 (red two-way highway on the paper map, somewhat farther north and more circuitous). The legend identified "red" as a primary route so I preferred to defy the GPS rather than argue with my husband. When we'd made our decision, I remembered that on our last trip we'd gone with the GPS route and ended up in Marinette. It was a fairly straight hop east, followed by a quick drive north to Escanaba. No matter.
After some time on the road, we started looking for a good rest stop. The best I could find on the paper map around Wausau was a red square, indicating a county facility. The GPS was less optimistic, with rest stops marked 70 miles to our north (roughly the direction headed) and 71 miles south. Not useful, under the circumstances. We decided to stop at a "wayside rest" nested in the pines off the side of the road. At one time, I would have declined to use the facilities, but after at least four hours of travel, I was in no position to be fussy. In fact, the location was quite nice and we decided we might as well have lunch. I really enjoyed the Jimmy John's tuna sandwich provided by future daughter-in-law Melissa.
We decided to go on to Manistique rather than stay in Escanaba. We arrived in later afternoon and checked into the Comfort Inn across from the lighthouse, just in time for cocktail hour. Clean and basic in a great location. Dinner (grilled cod) at Big Boy Restaurant next door would have been surprisingly good, except that part of mine wasn't cooked through, thereby rendering it disgusting.
We went to bed early and work up to mist on this day of the total eclipse.
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