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The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: Hawkinole on August 07, 2024, 01:51:20 AM
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We are taking my 4th or 5th trip to Mackinac Island in September. We will be traveling through Wisc. en route to Mackinac, which means we will be traveling through the UP, u betcha' by golly. Then down through the lower peninsula, and back to our home base in NE Iowa.
Any suggestions for things to see or do on this route?
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We stayed three nights in Marquette a while back, interesting town we thought. We stayed at a Hampton Inn on Lake Superior, there is a smoked fish place adjacent that is/was excellent. We'd get smoked fish and crackers and some wine and sit on the motel deck for dinner. You also will see a lot of trees.
FWIW, my wife didn't care for Mackinac Island, it was very crowded that day (July).
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Well drinking beer is the official state pass time for Wisconsin and Michigan. You'll be able to work off the extra calories by swatting at and waving off all the black flies.
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I'd mention, again, my wife is not a fan of "touristy places", for the most part (nor am I that much, but she dislikes them more). I'd define them as places with a lot of tourist shops selling trinkets and crap made in China you buy and then bring home and years later find in some box and toss. Her two least favorite are Pigeon Forge and Myrtle Beach (which at least has a beach which she does like). Mackinac Island was not as bad of course, but too far in that direction for her. She doesn't like Gatlinburg either, but it's not quite as bad as PF.
Oddly enough, she seems to like Helen, GA for 2-3 hour visits, it's about as touristy as they come. She somehow accepted it for what it is, and it's small, and has some decent restaurants along the river. It's kind of a mini-Gatlinburg. When we take a one night trip up into the mountains, we usually stay at Dahlonega, which is also touristy now, but much more subdued. Below is the main drag in Helen. Circa 1960 it was a dying town and the folks decided to adopt a faux Swiss theme and it caught on.
(https://i.imgur.com/j2ZRDCE.jpeg)
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We are taking my 4th or 5th trip to Mackinac Island in September. We will be traveling through Wisc. en route to Mackinac, which means we will be traveling through the UP, u betcha' by golly. Then down through the lower peninsula, and back to our home base in NE Iowa.
Any suggestions for things to see or do on this route?
On what route?
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We also enjoyed two nights in Petosky on the way back (we were headed north from Cincy). Those nothern MI towns are nice.
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Northern Michigan, and especially the western side are absolutely beautiful.
Make sure to hit up the Traverse City area. Some unbelievable scenery, great restaurants, and wineries.
In fact, if you’re into wineries, there’s some great winery tours up there. As you’re coming down the state try to hit up the sleeping bear sand dunes. Spectacular.
Not sure if you are into either golf or fishing, but that part of the country has some of the best fishing in the world and some of the most beautiful golf courses you will ever see.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwIGZLjugKA
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The winery tour thing has really taken off, it's even starting up in France in some places. A lot of money to be made in it.
We're doing a four winery tour in Sedona one day. I've never had wine from AZ, it's probably "OK" and over priced.
There is a "wine trail" in north Georgia which is ... OK. I even see vineyards off I-75 in Florida.
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Lots of vineyards popping up in Central Texas and the Hill Country. A couple are good. Some are okay. Some... not so much.
But I can find something drinkable just about anywhere and touring them when they're so close to one another is a lot of fun. Several of them have very good kitchens and so they have tasting pairings and/or meals that are quite excellent.
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We hit up a couple wineries when we were in Austin, one of them was quite good and not overpriced, nice location. I forget the name, I joined their wine club for a while, the lady who hosted us got some of their wines for it.
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Wine tours are huge in Italy (Tuscany).
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I'm told that some wineries make more money on their wine tastings than in wine sales, I think they include their wine club and the on premise tasting fees in that.
One winery which I like a lot (Regusci) has gone to no retail at all, I think they include three restaurants, the rest is wine club and Internet. So, they cut out the distributor and the retailer markups.
I like everything on the Silverado Trail, but some just are basically touristy.
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I'm told that some wineries make more money on their wine tastings than in wine sales, I think they include their wine club and the on premise tasting fees in that.
Wine tastings have gotten pretty crazy. I recall when I first started going (2001) you'd rarely even get charged for a tasting in Sonoma County, although the practice was pretty universal in Napa. But these days you get charged for tastings everywhere, and even in places like Paso Robles a tasting can run $30-50 easy. Some even more.
That's generally for 4-6 <1 oz pours. Often for bottles that average around $40-60, so you're basically getting the equivalent of one glass of wine for the almost the cost of a bottle.
They waive the tasting fee with a purchase, but often it's a minimum of 2 or 3 bottles purchased to waive a single tasting fee. So if my wife and I both taste, buying bottles may only result in one of the two tastings being waived. Quite often we just get one tasting and split it as a result. That's usually enough to decide if we like the wine enough to buy any, and often we'll each order a standalone glass of wine after the tasting anyway.
So yeah, I could see the tasting fees being a significant portion of their revenue.
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My dad, brother, and I did some of that drive when we went to a tOSU/MN game at Minnesota's (then) brand new stadium a few years back. We stopped at the Bradley Funeral Home in Antigo, Wisconsin (https://maps.app.goo.gl/spy31UFi1kmEXy9u6). A funeral home might sound like an odd tourist stop and it is but dad was a Marine and one of the Iwo Jima Flagraisers spent most of his post-war life running the Funeral Home in Antigo, Wisconsin. At the home they have the scale model that was used to make the famous sculpture in DC.
We thought that Marinette/Menominee was a neat little town. It is one urban area divided by the Menominee River which also happens to be the State Line between Marinette, Wisconsin to the Southwest and Menominee, Michigan to the Northeast.
We enjoyed a couple of State Parks along the North Shore of Lake Michigan but it has been a long time and I don't remember which ones. We did thing the dunes were neat to see.
The Soo Locks are less than an hours drive North on I75 from St. Ignace and it is something to see freighters go through there.
About 40 years ago (when I was a little kid) we took what I think must have been this train trip (https://agawatrain.com/one-day-scenic-rail-adventure/). It is an all day deal. I remember it being a train ride then box lunch in a neat park, then a train ride back to where we started. I loved it as a little kid and would like to do it again someday.
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Cooper's Hawk has a nice tasting. $13.00 for 12 tastes.
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Well drinking beer is the official state pass time for Wisconsin and Michigan(no 36). You'll be able to work off the extra calories by swatting at and waving off all the black flies.
thought the whole upper midwest would lead the parade - a few in there
1)N. Dakota
2)N. Hampshire
3)Montana
4)S. Dakota
5) Wisconscin
6)Nevada
7)Vermont
8)Nebraska - wait till FF moves to Austin
9)Texas
10) Maine
not typing anymore
https://thelistwire.usatoday.com/lists/which-state-drinks-the-most-beer/
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Welcome to Pure Michigan - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0AhpNhTD9M)
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thought the whole upper midwest would lead the parade - a few in there
1)N. Dakota
2)N. Hampshire
3)Montana
4)S. Dakota
5) Wisconscin
6)Nevada
7)Vermont
8)Nebraska - wait till FF moves to Austin
9)Texas
10) Maine
not typing anymore
https://thelistwire.usatoday.com/lists/which-state-drinks-the-most-beer/
Ha! But Fearless lives in Iowa, not Nebraska...
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Golderned Junior well I think they were like 13
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On what route?
We live in NE Iowa so upon arrival in Dubuque we will head N.E. on U.S. Hwy. 151 to Madison, and then cut N.E. toward the U.P.
I am not sure when cranberries are harvested. We are leaving Sept. 8. If the harvest is underway that might make an interesting stop.
Otherwise, if cranberry harvest is another time, I thought if we made it to Sheboygan the 1st night, we could tour the toilet factory Monday a.m. Sept. 9. Who wouldn't want to see the latest in toilet fashions? Any alternative ideas? My wife would probably rather see cranberries being harvested, than toilets manufactured.
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My dad, brother, and I did some of that drive when we went to a tOSU/MN game at Minnesota's (then) brand new stadium a few years back. We stopped at the Bradley Funeral Home in Antigo, Wisconsin (https://maps.app.goo.gl/spy31UFi1kmEXy9u6). A funeral home might sound like an odd tourist stop and it is but dad was a Marine and one of the Iwo Jima Flagraisers spent most of his post-war life running the Funeral Home in Antigo, Wisconsin. At the home they have the scale model that was used to make the famous sculpture in DC.
We thought that Marinette/Menominee was a neat little town. It is one urban area divided by the Menominee River which also happens to be the State Line between Marinette, Wisconsin to the Southwest and Menominee, Michigan to the Northeast.
We enjoyed a couple of State Parks along the North Shore of Lake Michigan but it has been a long time and I don't remember which ones. We did thing the dunes were neat to see.
The Soo Locks are less than an hours drive North on I75 from St. Ignace and it is something to see freighters go through there.
About 40 years ago (when I was a little kid) we took what I think must have been this train trip (https://agawatrain.com/one-day-scenic-rail-adventure/). It is an all day deal. I remember it being a train ride then box lunch in a neat park, then a train ride back to where we started. I loved it as a little kid and would like to do it again someday.
Some nice ideas.
When I was an undergrad at U of Iowa, I drove a school bus. I took 6th grade kids on a field trip to a funeral home. It was off-public hours. There was a body there in the hall, waiting to be wheeled up to the central attraction. The funeral director shared a lot of information about what they do, and what you will expect when you buy a funeral. It was an invaluable experience for the kids, and me. He even took us to the showroom (where you look at, and buy caskets).
Like you, I was a bit of a tourist at a funeral home, too.
I will keep your other suggestions in mind. Thank you for posting them.
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We live in NE Iowa so upon arrival in Dubuque we will head N.E. on U.S. Hwy. 151 to Madison, and then cut N.E. toward the U.P.
I am not sure when cranberries are harvested. We are leaving Sept. 8. If the harvest is underway that might make an interesting stop.
Otherwise, if cranberry harvest is another time, I thought if we made it to Sheboygan the 1st night, we could tour the toilet factory Monday a.m. Sept. 9. Who wouldn't want to see the latest in toilet fashions? Any alternative ideas? My wife would probably rather see cranberries being harvested, than toilets manufactured.
Sheboygan is a great little town. And they have the best (by far) Italian restaurant I've ever been to. You must go. MUST.
Trattoria Stefano. Ask to be seated with David.
Italian Restaurant | Trattoria Stefano | Sheboygan, Wisconsin (https://www.trattoriastefano.com/)
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I suspect nearly all the small towns in nothern MI are pretty neat. The UP has a lot of trees.
We drove a French lady from Cincy to NO back a ways and she was astonished at how many trees lined the interstates. In some cases, I could tell the trees were a thin veneer, but at a glance, they looked intense. You don't really see trees like that in France in the flat lands.
She was the one who claimed to know the best places in NO and took us to some, they were tourist traps in my view. My wife and I went out on our own one day and found a half decent place for lunch in the FQ. As I've noted, we were overall unimpressed, and I know we missed the good places.
I guess up north they still have "supper clubs" around? I've dined in some of those that were really really good.
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Supper Clubs are great, but man they have gotten REALLY expensive. We used to go to this one a lot when we had our boat in Kenosha.
HOBNOB – Welcome To The HOBNOB (https://www.thehobnob.com/)
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the price of beef steak is WAY up
as is the price of labor
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Food out is really expensive, as we all know. The pub next door used to have totchos for $10, now they are $15. I mentioned this to one of the owners, he was seated at the table next to us, he said "You wouldn't believe how the cost of potatoes has gone up."
One order of totchos will fill up two normal folks, so it's still a reasonable deal.
They still have well drinks for $7, which is the lowest price around. A Mule or bloody mary is that price. Beer runs $6-9. Most of their lunch items are around $15. Their fried chicken is quite good.
We went to a few supper clubs up north "back in the day", they were very solid and reasonable, and different for us. We toured the north with friends who are from Minnesota, they knew some good places.
The equivalent, sort of, down here would be places like this, I don't know what you'd term them:
The Smith House – Family Dining, Lodging and Country Store (https://smithhouse.com/)
This place used to be in an old white painted house, it's changed quite a bit since. You used to sit in communal long tables with various groups at your table and you passed around large bowls of food. It was pretty neat, not really the same deal now.
Dillard House Restaurant | Dillard House (https://www.dillardhouse.com/restaurant/)
This place is the same kind of deal, not the same now as it once was.
This place used to be good, I took my wife there 4-5-6 years back and it was still good, she still talks about it.
(https://i.imgur.com/94aTCG2.png)
In Dillard, NC, called "The Dillard House". Apparently under new mgmt.
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The filet at the Hob Nob was $32.00 just four years ago, which is the last time we were there.
Now it is $50.00, plus sauce, which used to be included.
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I'm always looking for something out that I can't fix at home, or have never had before, or have heard it's excellent there. My wife will order the same item, over and over and over, once she finds one she likes. At one place we go fairly often, they see us coming and know she'll order that appetizer, it's all she has there.
I thought supper clubs were interesting, and to me, "unique", a nice experience. We also dined at a "club" in Duluth, the Gitchiegammie Club or something, it was something else. I wonder if it's still there.
Kitchi Gammi Club – Duluth’s Premier Social Club (https://kitchigammiclub.com/)
They had a friend who was a member. That was the most upscale place I'd ever been at that time (ca. 1982).
There is a similar club almost across the street from us called the "Piedmont Driving Club". They don't take membership requests. You have to be invited. We're not.
Home - Piedmont Driving Club - Atlanta, GA (https://www.drivingclub.org/)
Apparently there is a movie coming out "A Man in Full". I read the book, it features that club.
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Sheboygan is a great little town. And they have the best (by far) Italian restaurant I've ever been to. You must go. MUST.
Trattoria Stefano. Ask to be seated with David.
Italian Restaurant | Trattoria Stefano | Sheboygan, Wisconsin (https://www.trattoriastefano.com/)
I want to make sure @Hawkinole (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=25) sees this.
There's also a place in town called Legend Larry's. Great wings.
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I'm looking forward to trying that Italian place in Sedona, it's not cheap of course. I'm hoping I can con Enterprise into giving me a Mustang convertible.
It might be a bit hot for it, but whatever. I'm taking a hat.
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rent yerself an EV, give it a spin
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rent yerself an EV, give it a spin
F that.
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My wife and I ended up using Wisconsin as a drive-through state, unfortunately. We left late, and then returned early from Mackinac Island. Here are a few of my better images from this trip:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53983365792_f319554070_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2qfjRU5)Grand Hotel (https://flic.kr/p/2qfjRU5) by Mark Roeder (https://www.flickr.com/photos/82428620@N00/), on Flickr
My deceased neighbor told us the story of when he was on the construction crew in the 1950s on this huge construction project, and look at it today:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53984544113_58eadb1ca3_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2qfqUaX)Mackinac Bridge (https://flic.kr/p/2qfqUaX) by Mark Roeder (https://www.flickr.com/photos/82428620@N00/), on Flickr
A Great Lakes freighter, and the Mackinac Island tourist's downtown area:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53986955829_5e9a62a877_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2qfDg6g)Mackinac Island - Great Lakes Freighter (https://flic.kr/p/2qfDg6g) by Mark Roeder (https://www.flickr.com/photos/82428620@N00/), on Flickr
A typical sight on the island of nearly no cars. (There is a construction truck or maybe two, and an ambulance).
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53986880063_17bd0493d1_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2qfCSyX)Mackinac Island (https://flic.kr/p/2qfCSyX) by Mark Roeder (https://www.flickr.com/photos/82428620@N00/), on Flickr
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BTW, if you click on the image it will take you to the photo on my Flickr page where you can click and expand it to see the image in complete detail. The images are not spectacular by any means, but they are pretty good for my limited capabilities.
The night image of the Mackinac Bridge involved me placing my DSLR atop a trash barrel and holding the shutter several seconds, and my nose as the barrel spewed the "odeur" of eau de rotting meat and trash. Not the greatest photo but the image of the bridge is a tribute to my neighbor who would be well over 100 if he were still living. Howard was on the construction crew that built this bridge. He died in 2017 at age 98. He served as my daughter's surrogate grandfather when her other grandfathers were miles away. He was always there as she grew up. She is 29, now.
Hillary may not be your favorite, but her mantra that it takes a village to raise a child, is a universal truism, except for the most isolated people.
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Not sure if you're a golfer or if it would be allowed by your travel partner, but Michigan has some really nice courses.
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Not sure if you're a golfer or if it would be allowed by your travel partner, but Michigan has some really nice courses.
I just spend 4 days in Battlecreek playing some pretty nice courses. Had a great time.
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Not sure if you're a golfer or if it would be allowed by your travel partner, but Michigan has some really nice courses.
No longer a golfer. I would like to sell my clubs and bag.
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I shudder to think of that day
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Do they still run the Michigan tourism commercials with Tim Allen?
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"I don't think so,Tim"
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I've noticed we now get regular doses of MI, OH, KY and occasional TN marketing adds here in Indy.
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WV's always had Country Roads playing in the background.
Where Will Country Roads Take You? - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PnJ0V7rsGE)