There are plenty of campportunities in Michigan for alone-time in the woods. There’s a gem in the heart of the lower-peninsula, called Pigeon River Country, just east of Gaylord. The area is home to an expansive State Forest of 105,000 acres and the Midwest’s only...
At the close of Michigan Irish Music Festival in Muskegon this September, with tunes and stories still rolling in my head, I keep drifting back to memories of visits to the Emerald Isle. Mweelrea Mountain (Mill-Ra) A Hike Without Ropes (from November, 2011) Before...
The view from the Rock Cut Cabin was pristine – Lake Superior stretched out beyond our sight, golden eagles soared overhead, thimbleberry bushes lined the driveway, a rock-face bordered the fire pit, with two perfectly placed Adirondack lounge chairs, while waves...
Friendly is the word that characterizes the people of Winnipeg, this city in the plains of Manitoba. Ever helpful and hospitable, Winnipeggers offered advice, asked about the nature of our visit and apologized profusely, even if a mishap wasn’t their fault. We simply...
It was a hot, sticky morning, Michigan style, the big lake perspiring mist, like all of us, while we struggled to pull on tight bike shorts. Our legs and behinds turned into polish sausages, stuffed in a casing, ready to hold in all our juices and sweat. The North...
Josh and I logged 2600 miles, notched 10 states in 9 days, with an average gas price at $1.85 per gallon. Post Christmas through the New Year of 2015, we headed out on a good ole fashioned road trip. The route was Spring Lake, Michigan to Chicago, through Nashville,...
In 2006, I visited Alaska for the second time with fellow biker chic, Theresa. The trip plan included several epic, two-wheeled adventures. Before embarking on a 23-mile Johnson Pass bike ride, with six other exceedingly fit women, it seemed wise to gauge what to...
Huesca meant the end of the line for train travel. We arrived around 9 p.m. in a small northeastern Spanish town that serves as a gateway to the Pyrenees. We still needed to get to another small town called Biescas, 90 miles away, where we had a hotel booked. We...
The pace of my life, leading up to the Ore2Shore Mountain Bike Epic race, felt as if I was pedaling downhill in too low of a gear…legs spinning fast and out of control, fingers ready on the brakes. I needed the slower pace of the Upper Peninsula and views of Lake...
It was a vacation where getting lost became a daily occurrence for our five-some on a ten day tour de Provence. We got lost on our cycling route even with a Garmin GPS strapped to our handlebars. Very little, in fact, went to plan during most of the trip. For example,...
What’s been your determining factor in selecting a place for a vacation? Do you have a goal like me to take one big trip each year? …to unplug and step away from the routine of our lives. I carry around a list on a piece of worn scrap paper, tucked deep in my purse,...
As it goes with airlines, I have no status. I am not a medallion member…neither platinum, silver, gold or even bronze. My profile is represented by some random pastel color with no upscale or metallic qualities at all. I travel often (so I thought) but apparently not...
Excerpts from Chapter Four, from the book, I’ve Gotta Pack Flora …Our guide on this trip, Alejo, was perched on the curb with a Mountain Travel Sobeksign in his hand. He had collected the other five members of our group as I approached and exchanged greetings with new...
Dec. 26, 2013 – It had been dumping snow in west Michigan the last several days so I assumed much the same in the mountains of Colorado. Packing my ski bag, I imagined being picked up by a CME shuttle driver, “It’s been pukin’ snow at Breck bro…you’re gonna have some...
Tuscany, Italy 2006 I was traveling with three friends in the storied Tuscan landscape of Italy, walking through hillside vineyards, drinking wine under olive trees, and absorbing a lesson in Brunello winemaking, one of the region’s wine superstars. Ten days was not...
Have a bucket travel list? Add Sedona, Arizona hiking to that list! I had already fallen off my mountain bike more than once in previous days so I was much happier to be on my two feet. I learned there is literally one beginner mountain bike trail and the rest were...
An excerpt from the book, I've Gotta Pack As if by magic, 13 mountain bikes had been loaded on to a rack atop the van and when we stopped at the crest of the hilltop, we all unloaded and then a process unfolded of picking out a suitably sized bike, helmet and gloves....
From Chapter 2: Wild Africa An excerpt from the book, I've Gotta Pack ...At midnight I heard the wake-up call, so I slid out of my sleeping bag and started layering for the cold. It was about 30 degrees and very windy. Theresa and I locked eyes for a moment as we...
I thought I would include a magazine article submission for this entry. It sure is difficult to condense trips into 700 words but I gave it shot. Hope you enjoy the Liver Dance! It was total culture shock; I flew from Barcelona, Spain to Dublin, Ireland and traded...