Eclectic travelers

Cathy Wurzer wrote the book on Hwy 61 and brought back a nostalgia for this north/south highway.  It is fascinating and we saw much of it when we did our trip to the Gulf of Mexico and back up along the Mississippi - perhaps it should be known as the Mississippi Highway. We left Benton Harbor along the shores of Lake Michigan and with a long road day ahead chose to see country instead of freeways.  We followed the Lincoln Highway (30) to Highway 20 and then to Highway 61.  It was a long trip, but we stopped when we were inspired and did not worry about how many miles or hours were left. This included time in Galena, IL (before we got to HWY 61) where we walked among the brick buildings, bought spices and pickles at the Garlic Shop, a pie cover at the Gourmet Shop, salsa and a hot sauce at another specialty store, and picked up a mixed six pack of Root Beer at a Root Beer Store.  Really - a Root Beer store! We shared a root beer float before heading ba...

Our last day of explorations for the book - a short distance, but lots of things to check out.  Even before we left Ann Arbor we had a wonderful breakfast at Angelo's - an upscale diner that makes its own bread and creates some delicious dishes that range from the fried egg and potatoes (that Kate had) to my deep fat fried raisin bread French Toast with whipped cream and strawberries and blueberries (no this is not a Weight Watchers special). Chelsea is a small town with a lot of character - wonderful brick businesses, coffee shops, garden stores, to name just a few.  Jiffy has a large plant here and we suspect that is in no small part a reason the town is thriving.  It is also near the Waterloo lakes area. The idea of a Bridge Park intrigued us. We found a small park with picnic tables and playground, but also a collection of old iron bridges that have been moved to this site. A little stream flows beneath them and wetlands surround them. The Kalamazoo...

June 2 Another wonderful day.  It began with a visit to the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market and Zingerman's Deli.  Too early in the season for veggies, the market was filled with the smells of ham and bacon and there were lots of samples to try.  We also tasted a couple different cheeses, all natural peanut butter, sausages, and chocolates with bacon as part of the ingredients (the special event for the day, sponsored by Zingerman's was called Bacon Camp.) Zingerman's is a must visit. The Deli was the best we've ever seen.  You could spend hours just perusing all the different cheeses and breads.  They also have a large menu and people were lined up placing orders.  It was a perfect summer day to sit outside and eat the treats from the Deli.  We bought some large pretzel sticks and 1/4 lb of  Lardo.  We had seen a sign advertising this special pork product at the Roadhouse restaurant yesterday.  It can be used like butter on toast. ...