Memorial Day Roadtrip to West Virginia

Way back in last fall we decided that our next trip would need to be something that would allow the dogs to go along.  They love to travel and it is fun to take them new places... and for a while we had mostly just taken them to visit one of the parents.  So it was time for a roadtrip.

Over the winter we debated about places.  I really want to head down to New Orleans but that was too far for how much time we had... We thought about the Smokey Mountains and almost went there but the people for rentals were being complete PITAs.  So, we settled on the eastern panhandle of West Virginia.  It looked cute, had hiking, wasn't too far and we found a vacation rental that would work for us. Then it was just the waiting game as we both were itching for a break from the city.

Finally, the Thursday before Memorial Day rolled around and it was time to hit the road.  I took the day off so loaded up the Jeep, picked up the dogs from the groomer (clean dogs are more fun to travel with) and headed out to Dan's office to pick him up.  Then it was time to start the random roadtrip observations... like how once you get close to Indiana the billboards become all about fireworks, casinos and gentlemen's lounges (ahem).  It is quite classy section of the country.  It was an easy drive to our hotel in the Cleveland area.

The next day we drove the rest of the way to Berkeley Springs.  We were surprised with how pretty Pennsylvania was, the area around Pittsburg was filled with great scenery.  On a whim we stopped at a Primanti Bros location in the burbs to try one of those famous sandwiches.  The dogs scared the crap out of some woman.  Seriously.  We asked the hostess if we could have them on the patio- "of course, people bring dogs all the time". 

As we walked up to the edge a woman at a nearby table ran to the wall (with sandwich in hand) freaking out about how terrified of dogs she is, a while later we noticed that she was standing over by the entrance as the rest of the table finished their meals.  Wow.  The dogs were hurt but one of that ladies friends made it up to them by coming over to give them love.  The sandwich was awesome.  We really enjoyed the stop- much better than a drive thru.

Berkeley Springs was pretty.  After the dogs had a blast checking out the rental house (biggest grins ever) we headed into town for a stroll.  Dinner was at a place that uses local sourced ingredients and had a beautiful view.

Saturday was filled with driving some fun twisty roads, a small town parade, saving a turtle that was crossing the road, a jaunt into Maryland to see a super old canal, and almost going to a wine festival.  The wine festival ended up being a small disappointment- we were so pumped to randomly come across it but they didn't allow dogs.  Traveling with dogs is awesome but it does limit things a bit so we try to do our homework before heading out; this was an almost spontaneous addition to the trip but whatever, we were consoled with an ice cream cone.

Hiking was one of the highlights.  We did one of the most challenging hikes as of late.  The trail we wanted wasn't quite marked, so we made it up as we barreled over 'Pine Ridge' until we found the next trail.  And then it was a super steep incline that gave us all a work out.  The dogs of course loved it and were totally game for going off trail.

Steamed crabs on the deck at a local joint was another highlight.  The place had a great atmosphere.  There was a local musician playing who was clearly having fun.  Blue Moon and Raspberry Shock Top kept finding its way onto our table.  I kind of whimped out about ripping into the crabs (something about food that still looks like an animal just creeps me out) but it was a great evening.

The drive home was fairly uneventful.  The roads were packed as to be expected.  Ohio was never ending.  We didn't have any major decisions to mull over so just chatted and watched the scenery change from hilly to flat.  We were home with plenty of time left for watching a movie while doing laundry to get ready for the week ahead.  It was an awesome little getaway.

Fall Fun: Day Trip to Michigan

Pretty fall colors in the midwest are fleeting.  They certainly do not wait for one to rest after a busy month of vacationing and marathoning.  So when we saw that the weather was going to be absolutely gorgeous for Saturday we knew that this would have to be the weekend for a little day trip to Michigan.

 

We packed up the pups and headed to St Joseph, a little harbor town on the southwest corner of Michigan.  The dogs were in need of some excitement so they were up and monitoring where we were driving the whole time instead of napping. Both Dan and I felt instantly relaxed once we arrived and the dogs were instantly wild.  We walked around the quiet little streets checking out the pretty old houses before heading to the beach.

 

The beach was fun of course.  It was a perfect day- sunny and warm yet with a brisk fall breeze.  We really loved St Joseph. But a true roadtrip has multiple stops... so we headed off for our next spot.

The next part of the day was a series of trial and errors.  We were going to stop by a winery or two... but the first impression wasn't doing it for us so we skipped on by.  But the big huge sign for Fruit Acres that we stumbled upon by accident drew us in instantly.  I started taking photos (instantly) and headed into the little stand to find my husband munching on an apple... I was all set to be embarrassed when he pointed to the sign for samples with a little impish grin.

Then the chocolate place was a flop (all pre-packaged, really!?  Parisian chocolate shops may have added a layer of expectations for such places).  We stopped by an orchard with a cider shop but seeing the lines nearly immediately turned around.  So that was the end of Coloma.  Next we headed to South Haven for more strolling around.

The dogs were still going at 150%.  It is like they can instantly sense the direction of the lake. We ended the day with a walk out to the lighthouse.

And then back to the city.  It was a fun day.  Maybe not the most restful after our action packed month... but so much fun that I am glad that we fit it in before we hit the dreary part of fall hits.   

Roadtrip to Indy

Dan posted the other day about our trip to Indianapolis for the Moto GP. He covered the motorcycle bit but left out the road trip aspect! So I will round it so you can see both sides of the story. I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical about this trip being any fun... Dan gets a little nutty about motorcycles sometimes and I was worried that it would be "sport bike overload" for me. But I had a fantastic time on the trip.

The first morning we all loaded into the Jeep and headed to Cafe Patachou for breakfast. Yummy! This place was great; very cute inside and the food was very good... even the boys seemed to like it. (Yes, I have lost all shame regarding taking photos inside a small cafe.)

Then after a quick stop at a very quiet Nordstrom (it was pretty early) because I received an incorrect weather report we head to the speedway. The guys became very animated the close we got...

We had a little trouble finding our seats... it was rather comical. Dan decided to just squat in a fairly empty section as he was dying to just soak it in.

It was incredible windy in these seats and after a while we decided to take off and check out the vendor tents and the lawn seating...

After a long day of watching motorcycles go in circles while sitting in the sun... we showered and headed out to dinner. What a fun evening. We went to a German restaurant called Rathskeller that also had a very cool biergarten with a local band playing...

Then we headed back to the hotel to rest up for another day of motorcycle racing action. Day 2 started off rocky with some nursing hangovers and 100% chance of rain looming overhead. So after stops for ponchos and the strongest coffee we cold find in Indy, we were back at the Speedway.

Between the incredible wind gusts and the rain, we still managed to keep our spirits high...

Not the hottest picture of either of us but it pretty much sums up the day...

It was pretty exciting with all the energy during the racing... but I am not ashamed to say that when they finally called the rest of the races I popped out of my seat ready to go. I really did have a lot of fun... but there is only so much sitting in a poncho, watching it rain, and listening the chairs behind you go crashing in the wind that one can take! I will definitely be up for another trip to a MotoGP race but will watch the weather before packing and will remember my iPod.

A Southern Illinois Weekend

One of the things that Dan and I enjoyed doing back in our college days was going to wine fests at Alto Vineyards. We had talked about heading back down state to attend a wine fest for a couple of years and this year we decided it was time to make it happen. We made reservations a few months back and marked it on the calendar so that we wouldn't forget. And I am so glad that we went- it was such a nice weekend.

A little known secret is that just outside of Carbondale Illinois is a beautiful landscape; one full of hills and trees and windy roads. Alto Pass is a small little country town situated on hills that has just the right conditions for vineyards. As you drive down the slow, winding road you pass orchards and vineyards. The drive is beautiful.

When you pull into Alto Vineyards and park the next step is to set up camp. We had brought folding chairs and a cooler with snacks (fruit, cheese, crackers). Then you sit back and sip some sweet wine. And I am serious about the sweet description. One thing I had forgotten is how incredibly sweet their wine is; or perhaps my palate has evolved. At any rate we stuck with their dry which is still quite sweet based on what we are used to drinking. Then the bluegrass band starts up and the lawn starts to fill up with other festival goers. We were lucky enough to get there so early that we not only got to park in the shade but we got just the right spot to sit where as the sun moved to the west we kept our shade. That was not the case 5 years ago where we would sit out in the middle of the lawn and head home with a major sunburn.

We also had fun noticing what was new in Carbondale. They now have a Panera! I have always enjoyed noting the ways that Iowa City is more cosmopolitan than Carbondale just to give Dan a hard time. There has definitely been an improvement in the town but there is still a long way to go; for every new building and store there is another slummy apartment that has been rented in the same condition since the fifties. So we will see if Carbondale can continue to evolve.

We made sure to find time to stroll around campus. Dan felt a sense of nostalgia as he could see himself 10 years younger raising hell on those same sidewalks.

It was a wonderful weekend getaway. We definitely need to get out of the city and slow down; the wine fest was just the perfect way to do it.

Day Trip to Michigan - Final Stop Indiana Dunes

Sunset at Indiana Dunes
Originally uploaded by tarakay827.

Our final mission was to watch the sunset on the lake. In Chicago the lake is better to see the sunrise and I have heard about how beautiful the sunset is on the other side of the lake. So we thought we would make it just in time if we stopped at Michigan City. Then we discovered that they have an awesome little law of no dogs in the beachside park area. The parking attendant told us the dogs couldn't get out of the car. So we will never go to Michigan City again- oh well!

We decided that we would stop at the Indiana Dunes instead and hightail it over to the beach area as it was just time for the sunset. It was beautiful and a perfect final stop for the day. It wasn't too busy and the dogs got to run in the sand; they loved it.

Then we headed back to the city just in time to crash. Needless to say none of us were moving very fast the next day. But it was a wonderful day that inspired us to think of all the other places we could take make into little day trips.

Day Trip to Michigan - Stop 3 Blueberries

20lbs of Blueberries
Originally uploaded by tarakay827.

Since I had never been to Michigan, I didn't realize that there would be fruit stands all the way along the highway and thus thought that the blueberry mission would be annoying. But we easily found a nice little place to just pull off the road and pick up 20 pounds of blueberries. We gave 1 box to Dan's parents and guess who got the job of freezing our 10lbs...

Day Trip to Michigan - Stop 2 Grand Haven

Grand Haven
Originally uploaded by tarakay827.

Once we landed in Grand Haven we had to get coffee since we were so incredibly relaxed that we really needed to nap. The coffee helped. Grand Haven was a really cool place to wander around and do a little window shopping. Here we stopped into Gallery Uptown to buy a few pieces of pottery from the artist himself.

The dogs were really happy that we remembered to bring plenty of water and their travel water dish as they continued to go at full speed. We took a mandatory rest break before heading off for our next mission of finding blueberries.