Day in Lakeside/Union Pier - Day 8

Bright-eyed and bushy tailed, we awoke to our yellow-styled den. A few grumbles of the stomach and we were off for some breakfast treats. By another great suggestion from our host, we found ourselves just down the road at the Blue Plate. The signature blueberry pancakes were tasty, but Jay seemed a little too enthused by this roadside spot. Maybe that was due to the staff being 90% cute blonde girls ; ) (wink, wink, sorry Honey). Either way, it hit the spot and we were ready for another beach day!

Before I could feel the sand under my feet, I tried to get some more blogging under my belt. Jay was beginning to accuse me of forming a blog addiction. He may be onto something, but that is just the kinda girl I am. But alas, the quickly decreasing speed of my internet connection proved to much for my otherwise patient nature. Definitely a blessing as there was some sun, sand, and to water enjoy.

Down to the lake again. A repeat of the day before, perfect weather, perfect water. After a walk, some compulsory swimming, we again fell asleep under the sun. This time we awoke to a bit more "color" than we intended. Ouch. But I have to say it kind of felt like a summer vacation badge of honor. The rest of our beach visit consisted of Jay on his floaty tube bouncing in the waves and me occasionally pulling him away from shore if he drifted too close. Absolutely chillin'.

The sudden high-pitched buzz of jet skis awoke us from our beach vacation haze. It was time to do something a bit more active. We packed up our beach gear and headed back to our red shutter cottage to get ready for another bike ride.

After a little TLC, the bikes had to brave that four our storm atop our trusty stead the Saabaru, we jumped on and headed out. We quickly discovered that this too is a pro cycling community. A bike route presented itself shortly after we began to explore. It lead us through the lakeside mansions, local vineyards, corn farms, over Highway 94, and past the occasional local who greeted us with the famous Midwest charm. Wave, smile, wave, smile.

The sun was beginning to wane, so we headed back to home base with dinner on the mind. Feeling a bit adventurous and it being our last night on the lake we decided to head a little farther down the road to a larger town, New Buffalo. By the bad Chinese and overtly themed restaurants, it screamed tourist trap. Abort, abort, abort! U-turn and we headed back to our little sanctuary Union Pier. The Red Arrow Roadhouse caught our eye or rather stomach. Being Friday night it was packed with all the weekend warriors, but we decided to wait it out, hunger being our motivation. Dinner, wine, dessert. Time for bed. Tomorrow was to be our last day on the road. New York City bound.

Genesco - Lakeside/Union Pier - Day 7

We were quite eager to get back on the road and the trusty Super 8, all though just fine, did not offer a tremendous amount of motivation to explore Genesco, Ill. Bright and early we continued on our cross country journey. But not to worry, we only had 3+ hours for this leg. Yeah! Because by this point we were beginning to hate the car and being stuck in a 4x4x2 space day after day can really make you think you might go crazy at any moment.

Through Illinois, briefly into Indiana and on to Michigan. Saw some of the sights, but only for a moment, we were excited to land in Union Peer, Michigan.


Something I did enjoy . . . like a faithful friend, each town presented their very own water tower, marking the progress of our journey. On some level they are beautiful and a few towns even got a little creative with their shape. Everyone needs a creative outlet of some sort! At least that's what I believe. These towers seemed to be each community's version of a public art endeavor.

Have you ever thought about road signage? How did we survive before this phenomenon? I'm beginning to philosophize, I've been on the road waaaay too long : ) That would be briefly interrupted as we had reached our exit, Union Pier, Michigan. This is where we were so generously invited to partake in a friend's family lake house on Lake Michigan.

As we pulled into town, we were immediately reminded of Cape Cod and even a little Ogunquit, Maine. Fabulous lake houses, lush greenery, the locals all seemed to know each other. Not to mention that the humidity was in full effect. We will have to get used to that right quick. There will be no relief of that in sight.

Admittedly we went in a few circles, but eventually found our way. The house was appropriately quaint. Great big trees in the front yard. Bright red shutters, with a matching front gate and outdoor chairs. We extracted ourselves from the Saabaru, stretched the legs and back, and took in the little bit of freedom this stop would offer. We made our way into the house and explored what IT had to offer. A beautiful backyard, great pool and themed rooms to boot. There was the wolf bathroom, the bear living room, the fruit/veggie kitchen, the jungle room, the Asian room, and our room the yellow room. Fond memories of the yellow room. The completeness of how each room was decorated in its particular theme was impressive to say the least. The best part, we were three blocks away from Lake Michigan.

After a little lunch we promptly threw on suits, grabbed towels and headed down to the beach. Ahhh, that's the life.

The beach and lake were gorgeous and just what the doctor ordered. If you've never seen Lake Michigan, I highly recommend it. It is so large you can't see the other side, it just seems to go on and on and on beyond the horizon. Not unlike the ocean.

We shared our section of sand with a few families and dog or two. Mom's sunning themselves, kids happy to lazily float around aimlessly in their brightly colored tubes, Labradors chasing the water as it lapped up on the shore, etc. Union Pier and the surrounding towns seemed to be a popular getaway for city dwellers like those from Chicago.

As to be expected the sound of the water eventually lulled us to sleep. Beach day bliss.

After a quick snooze we made our way back to the house for a much needed shower. I discovered that the yellow room offered a little treat in the form of few cute signs that proclaimed "let's put the fun back in dysfunctional". Ain't that the truth! : )

Per our friend's recommendation we headed down the road (about a minute) to the town of Herbert to find Gulistan, a Mediterranean/ Middle Eastern restaurant. A pleasant surprise. No fast food in sight! We enjoyed the outdoor seating and loads of little ones running themselves silly in the front garden. We ordered way too much food, just super excited to have something other than fried chicken strips and soda! The tabouleh was divine, some of the best I've had. A bottle of wine later and we were satiated. Time to head home. After a bit of TV in the bear room, promptly passed out. A well earned 8 hours.

Denver to Genesco - Day 6

Alarm. Snooze. Alarm. Snooze. Alarm, finally get up. Jay once again retrieved the car. A little breakfast, pack a few remaining things, say our goodbyes to Charlie and we were on the road again. Our next destination, Des Moines, Iowa or Davenport if we were feeling really advantageous.

With classic rock blaring on the stereo we headed down the 76 East to the 80, making Colorado a distant memory. We crossed over into Nebraska, making good time. Nebraska didn't have much to offer other than endless fields, bales of hay, cows galore and the occasional pioneering museum.

Every time we pass a car bearing a California plate I felt as if we were having a brief road encounter with kindred spirits. A little sad, but also comforting to know that like-minded folks could be within arms length.

I do have to give a shout out to the little town of Alda, apparently the birthplace of Kool-Aid. Being famous for cavities and crazy sugar highs must be something to be proud of. Good times.

With no other choices but Grandma Max’s Trucker Diner (didn’t look very stomach friendly) we stopped for more fast food delights at Arby’s. I was having visions of “Super Size Me” like episodes. In fact, after all that fast food, my chest actually started to feel tight. What does a girl have to do to get some organic produce on the road??? Apparently, too tall of an order for this Midwestern state. Bush country?

It was now my turn to drive; something I dreaded, but knew would have to come sooner or later. I am not a big fan of driving, to put it mildly. Jay gingerly coaxed me into the driver’s seat. I took a deep breath, started the car, and set out to face one of my fears. Looking to make Nebraska also a distant memory, we passed through Omaha and into Iowa. On the Nebraska/Iowa border, separated by the Missouri river, we passed an outcropping of riverboat casinos. Apparently they skirt the no-gambling law because they are on the river. A little bit of Vegas in the Midwest.

As we delved into Iowa, the flat road became rolling hills and open fields became green grass and trees o’plenty. I’m still behind the wheel trying to push it as far as I can to give Jay a decent rest, white knuckles and all. It’s getting to be that time for a refueling stop. We were on the watch for "gas next exit" markers. We agreed to skip Waio with the promise of several towns to come. We soon discovered that massive road construction was in process and it unfortunately blocked us from taking the next exit. No fear, so we thought, the next town was close. But no, that was blocked as well, and the next, and the next. The dreaded orange light was surely not far from popping up. Not again! We were both holding our breath at this point. We were unmistakable, in the middle of nowhere and the clouds above us were starting to look as if they were threatening imminent rain.

Like a beacon of hope, the town of Anita appeared over the crest of the hill. The sign told us to take a right at the bottom of the exit and proceed down the road for 3 miles. Now, take into consideration, that there was no indication of what sort of amenities Anita had to offer. This was a crapshoot. As we sat at the stop sign, contemplating our chances of finding what we so needed, those clouds delivered on that threat. The sky seemed to instantly open up and the flood ensued. It was POURING!! Great, now we were really screwed. I decided to give Anita a shot.

Visibility down to 10 feet, with a firm grip on the steering wheel and my face as close to the windshield as possible, I headed toward town. Eager to resolve our current predicament, I guess my speed rose to uncomfortable levels. Nervous beyond nervous, but not wanting to distract me from my task at hand, Jay began to whisper repeatedly, "please slow down, please slow down". Did I mention that driving is not my strong suit?

We reached the edge of Anita, its welcome sign calling her a "whale of a town". Let's hope so! A short way down Main Street we spotted a gas station. Woo hoo! We are saved! We pulled into the station. No attendant, for that matter not a soul in sight, even better these gas pumps were circa 1971. Amazingly, there was a credit card console bearing a sign that boasted 24-hour pumps. OK, this might work after all. Swipe, enter pump #. Denied! "Pump is down, try later". We tried #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, even the diesel for posterity's sake. All with the same result. This can't be happening to us! I felt like crying. I wondered to myself if is it possible that this tiny town could have a hotel? We were running out of options. Jay was pissed. Trying to stay positive, I suggested that we drive a few minutes more and see if this was a two-station town.

Doubtful we got back into the Saabaru. I crossed all my fingers and toes. That must have worked because, there it was, the best thing I had seen all day . . . Casey's General Store / Gas Station!!! And it was open, with live people. With a full tank and a little chocolate to calm our nerves, we were back on track. This time Jay relieved me of my driving duties and took the wheel. Probably was a good idea at this point : )

Don't forget the storm, we certainly couldn't. It was reaching biblically proportions. The rain was monsoon style and lightening soon commenced. This was literally the most insane lightening I had ever seen. It was beautiful, yet alarming. Appearing every 2 minutes and lasted at least four hours. I tried not to get too nervous, but couldn't help thinking about our bikes perched atop our vehicle like sirens calling the bolts of electricity our way. Fun, fun, fun!

Dark had fallen and our bellies need to be filled. Des Moines was our next stop. Having no knowledge of this city, we opted for Outback Steakhouse. I can't believe I am writing this, but a welcome upgrade from Arby's shack of grease. Jay got to watch some baseball; I got to order a salad, ACTUAL greens. A funny side note, apparently they had just raised the salad prices from $2 to $4 and the waiter couldn't stop apologizing. I kept thinking to myself, "Do you know that I coming from San Francisco and on my way to New York City?”

Baseball and dinner did Jay well, because he decided to continue on. Past Des Moines, past Davenport, and into Illinois. The rain persisted and the lightening was going strong. Driving past massive trucks in that kind of storm couldn't be scarier. If you want to see me turn pale, that would be one way to do it.

Finally tired of braving those trucks in that storm, Genesco, Illinois looked like the perfect spot to lay our heads. It was near midnight and we had made good ground. Super 8 bound, we headed downtown. Checked in, brushed teeth, and passed out within 20 minutes.

Biking in Boulder - Day 5

With the promise of a biking day, we rose on the early side. Jay, my champion, rode down to the Grand Hyatt to retrieve the Saabaru from its safe haven.

The night before we found a few bike routes that were to our liking. We found a great trail website, for everything from road biking, to hiking, to kayaking and everything in between. It covers the entire country. It is subscription based, but, so far, well worth it. Check it out: http://www.trails.com/.

After some bagels and packing up our needs for the day, we hoped in the car and headed north to Boulder. A short ride later and we found ourselves descending into town, with a prime view of the Rocky Mountain Front Range and the Flat Irons. Another impressive sight. Pictures just don't do it justice. As we made our way through Boulder to the start point of our ride, Jay pointed out the highlights. He is very well versed. We saw CU Boulder, Boulder Creek, the mountains. What struck me immediately is how new everything looked, Park City was the same. May the clean mountain air keeps things from aging? The lack of pollution in these little towns was refreshing.

Our ride started with the Boulder Creek bike path that meandered through town. It was gorgeous, surrounded by parks, lush greenery, an occasional cool mural, with the creek moving right along side us. We made our way to the outskirts of town through organic farms, open fields and around reservoirs. Rounding the loop back towards town, we rode through suburban Boulder. It was very reminiscent of the Berkeley hills. Beautiful houses, great big gardens and Subarus, Hybrids galore. All the while Jay being my guide, he even waxed a little about his bachelor days spent with friends in this cute ski town.











Don't be fooled by Boulder's quaintness though, like Gypsum with its Budweiser truck, it had some interesting sights. While in the hills, we happened across an architectural phenomenon that we will call the mushroom house. It was quite a large white stucco house fashioned into the shape of a giant mushroom. Hmmm . . . what were its owners doing in the 70's?

I have to say that I thought Marin was a biker community, but we have nothing on Boulder. Nice wide bike paths, lots of freshly paved roads, courteous drivers and riders everywhere. I hear that more Olympians and pro athletes train her than any other place in the US. We spotted a few on the road. One guy was cruising down a country road with his coach riding along side him on a scooter. Their own mini peleton. My favorite was the mountain bike class we happened upon. There were 12 miniature riders, on 12 miniature bikes, with 12 miniature helmets. They were 4 years old! They couldn't have been cuter, following behind their instructor. We said hello and asked if they were having fun, we got back a symphony of "yeah"s. They start 'em young here!Next stop, lunch. We headed toward Pearl Street, the local mecca for cute shops and restaurants galore. As it is a walking only street, we hoped off the bikes and engaged in a little sightseeing on foot. Our stomachs led us to the Falafel King. We satiated our hunger pangs with gyros and falafels. Very yummy!Back to the car, we threw our bikes on top and took a scenic route out of town. We drove through the Hill, an area popular with UC Boulder students and houses the famous Fox Theater (Boulder's version of the Fillmore). We drove onto the school campus to get a closer look. It was starting to buzz with activity as the beginning of the fall semester is closing in. Oh! That will be me in less than a month!

As one last visual treat we got to observe another vehicle that makes you go, huh? It was a young kid cruising down Broadway toward the freeway in an ancient Bronco. As he passed, it was hard to miss that his entire driver's side door was missing, not just a piece, the entire door. He was munching on slice of pizza to boot. At least he had his seatbelt on. And yes, he did head onto the freeway. Ahhh, to be young and stupid again.

We returned back to Denver without incident and proceeded to get ready for our dinner with Cousin Liz and Charlie. Liz lives in a Denver suburb Aurora with her husband and son. She picked a lovely Mexican restaurant called Tamayo in LoDo (Denver's version of Soho). We consumed good food and exchanged even better stories. Thanks for joining us Liz; it was great to see you!

Back home and into bed. Tomorrow we are heading to DeMoines.

Denver - Day 4

Don't think Jay could have taken another day of driving, so our stay in Denver was well planned. Besides we were looking forward to spending some time with Charlie or as he has dubbed himself, the "Inappropriate Uncle" of our future children. That is written with the uttmost affection : )

Our intention was to explore Denver and maybe hop on the bikes to stretch the legs out a bit, but Denver had other plans for us. It started out fine. A little breakfast, a little exploring of Charlies new house, very nice.

My obsessive complusive side was itching. The car packed to the brim was screaming for a reorg and nothing could stop me. Parked in front of the house, I pulled every last thing out of the Saabaru, no shame. Jay had found purpose in repostioning the bike racks as they were "slipping", an occurence that is quickly becoming the bain of this trip for him. I think he might be a little obsessive too, we really are meant for each other : )

While standing amongst our boxes of kitchen utensils and bags of clothes, trying to figure out where to begin and Jay with his nose in bike rack parts, I heard some noise down the street. I looked towards the commotion and noticed a blue car stopped next to a parked Subaru at the end of the block. The driver was watching his partner, who's legs were dangling out the back, driver's side window. With something white in hand he jumped back into the blue car. They then creeped toward me, the driver and I locked eyes, almost showdown style. I was still trying to figure out what was going on. After this exchange, they quickly sped away. I glanced back up to the Subaru and saw shattered glass on the ground. Oh, with me watching less than 50 feet away and in broad daylight, they just stole that car's stereo. Brazen bandits. Yuck! I looked back at my whole life spread out on the street around me and got a chill. We're not in Utah any more Toto. The really unfortunate part is that 10 minutes later I found out that the violated Subaru belonged to our generous host Charlie. A pang of guilt. Jay momentarily fantasized about vigilante justice, but I made it very clear, that was to stay in the fantasy world.

A police report was filed, insurance called, but what to do with our car, currently holding all of our worldly posessions? It was a sitting duck and we were not about to test fate. After my very effiecent repack (I felt appeased) we promptly found the most expensive hotel in town and utilized their parking service. Safety was key and for $26 bucks we got 24 hour surveillance, indoor parking facility, and a guardian in valet service clothes.

That dealt with we tried to salvage the day by taking a stroll down Denver's 16th Street mall. A walking street in the middle of town. Downtown Denver seemed like a relative ghost town, not many people out and about, but the walk was pleasant none the less. A slight drizzle but nothing we couldn't handle. Bike ride no longer in the cards we opted for a late lunch and a mini pub crawl with Charlie as our guide. Got to see the Coors stadium, a massive structure. Then headed home for laundry, dinner and prepare for another day. We are Boulder bound with biking on the menu!