Spanky's Place

My family and I took a whirlwind mini-vacation over the weekend.

Tanya and I got up ridiculously early on Saturday morning, showered, dressed, loaded the Durango (with both luggage and kids), and managed to actually pull out of the driveway by 4:07am. After a quick stop to gas up, we hit the freeway and headed north towards historic Whitefish Point, MI.

I've always loved our time on the road, we don't get enough of it. In fact, as far back as I can remember, some of my most enjoyable times have involved road travel. For me at least, it is less about the destination than it is about journey. I like driving, so holidays with my family usually involves a trip by car.

The drive up was beautiful. We stopped for breakfast somewhere north of Cadillac, and by the time we got back in the truck the sun had risen. -Side note: I tend to refer to our Durango as a "truck"; even though it (and most SUVs) is clearly not a truck. Granted, our Durango is a 4x4 (and yes, it has a Hemi), but to be totally honest it is nothing more than a very tall station wagon.

As we continued our journey northbound, the clouds started rolling in, getting darker and more ominous as time went on. By the time we stopped for fuel in Mackinaw City, the morning had turned dark and fat splatters of rain were beginning to strike the windshield. After filling the truck I chatted with a motorcyclist who was waiting out the storm in the shelter of the gas station, and then we fired up the truck and our treck northward.

As we began crossing the Mackinac Bridge, the skies turned black, and the full force of the storm hit. This was the first time I've driven across that bridge, and when the rain is so bad you can barely 20 feet past the hood, and the wind is howling and blowing so hard you can feel the vehicle sway from side to side, it is a truly white-knuckle experience. "Some fun huh kids?" I shouted to the back. The kids didn't seem to think it was funny, although I did get a chuckle out of Tanya.

The rain let up about 30 or so miles north of St. Ignace, the clouds gradually cleared, and day turned glorious again. We arrived at Whitefish Point sometime just before noon. If you've never had a chance to visit, it is a very cool place. The lighthouse is fully automated now (with monthly Coast Guard inspections), but the facility itself is now a historic museum. The actual bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald, along with all kinds of artifacts from the 300+ ships that have perished in Lake Superior and Whitefish Bay, is on display here. I thoroughly enjoyed our time there. After a few hours there, we realized we were starving, so we headed back towards Paradise, in search of something to eat.

Sometimes you'll take a wrong turn in life, and end up someplace you didn't plan on going to, which turns out to be exactly where you needed to be. And so it was with us.

I took a wrong turn along the way, and we ended up coming across Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Wherein I found the Tahquamenon Brewery and Restaurant. We had lunch there. I had the fresh lake whitefish, and sampled their Porcupine Red Ale. It was similar in body and mouth feel to a Killian's Irish red, but with a bit more hoppiness and a slightly richer flavor. Their beer filtered but unpasteurized, so it is still technically a "live" beer, but without any cloudiness whatsoever. After lunch we walked up to see the Tahquamenon Falls (200+ feet wide, dropping some 50+ feet into Tahquamenon Gorge below), then wandered through the obligatory gift shop. We purchased ice cream cones at a nearby stand, and then climbed into the truck for our drive back to St. Ignace, where we checked into a motel to spend the evening.

Sunrise over Lake Huron is absolutely spectacular, and the morning found us taking the 7:30 ferry to Mackinac Island. There we took a carriage tour of the island (highly recommended), toured Ft. Mackinac (also highly recommended), had lunch, sampled and bought fudge (pretty much a requirement for anybody going to Mackinac Island), and did touristy things. There are 17 fudge shops on Mackinac Island. If you try a free sample at each one, you will eat over a pound of fudge, for free. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on your point of view) for me, I don't like fudge. Then it was time to take the ferry back to St. Ignace and head home.

Once back on the mainland, we climbed back into the truck, and headed towards home. I was feeling a bit fatigued (not really tired, mind you, just a tad fatigued), so we stopped into a gas station so I could pick up coffee. They didn't have any, so I bought a big can of Monster Assault energy drink. This turned out to be a huge mistake. (Queue the ominous music).