Moose Is Loose

Alright. This was an 8-day trip and we saw a lot of stuff, so it's a little daunting starting this long entry & i'm still unsure how best to cover everything but here goes..

For starters, this trip centers around the fact that my girlfriend's family is originally from Massachusetts. Her mom lived there as a youngster until they relocated to the U.P. of Michigan. Anyways, her grandpa on that side, whom Aina was very close with, passed last fall
So this trip was supposed to be to return his ashes to northwest Massachusetts. Unfortunately, her mom's sister & brother were unable to make the trek, as they had other pressing matters interfere - so that emotional event is on hold for now. But Aina & I, along with her mom & step-dad decided to go anyway... and we're all glad we did.

As it turns out, Niagara Falls is almost directly on the route to North Adams, MA. I had never been there & Aina hadn't been there in at least 10 years (they've stopped there on the way out to Mass. in the past), so we set that as our first destination. We set out from Green Bay around 10 that saturday morning and made it as far as Cleveland before finding a Super 8 to hunker down in for the night. After a delicious breakfast at next door Bob Evans, we took off and made it to Niagara around 2 in the afternoon. Too early to check in to our hotel, but we parked the car & made the short walk to THE park.

Walking across the bridge to the island itself was pretty cool, as there are some pretty intense rapids leading up to the falls. After Aina & her mom took what i thought was enough pictures of the rapids, I became impatient as my excitement to finally see Niagara Falls was starting to skyrocket. Can't fault them - it was our first real photo op after a day & a half into the trip - but i had bigger fish to fry! You can actually see the spray from the falls rising in the air from pretty far away & with every step the sound of crashing water gets louder...

And then... we were there! These are the Bridal Veil Falls. SUGGESTION: Check these out first. They're cool & all, but not nearly as awesome as the Horseshoe Falls; so it would be sort of anti-climactic to see them in reverse order.

Thought this was a neat pic of the world famous "Maid of the Mist" boat tour. My parents actually did this on their honeymoon (they kinda toured the great lakes region - Mackinac Island, Niagara Falls, etc) and said we HAD to do it... which we did.

We also did the Cave of the Winds tour the next morning... which I'll get to later

Having got our fill of the Bridal Veil Falls, we headed over to the Horseshoe Falls (notice the spray... you can see this from miles away as you drive into Niagara).

I've got a lot of trip to write about yet so I'm gonna let some of these pictures speak for themselves...

That's how close you get to the falls... I've heard how you get drenched with spray, etc & from up here it didnt look so bad but trust me, you get pretty wet haha.

Here's looking back at the Bridal Veil Falls... notice the observation deck jutting out from the cliff: that was our next stop.

You have to take a elevator, which is part of the observation deck, to get down to the river level for the Maid of the Mist tour.
Being big "Office" fans we were excited to ride the boat like Jim & Pam on their wedding!

Just a better view of one of the tour boats. If I remember correctly there were four of them & they depart every 20-30 minutes so there's not much of a wait.

Much better vantage point of the Bridal Veil Falls

Cave of the Winds

And then the climax of the boat tour...

being in the middle of the Horseshoe Falls! (you get closer than this but yeah, not a friendly environment for cameras with all the spray!)

Here's the view of the total package from the observation deck.

We hit up the gift shop on our way out & stopped at Hard Rock Cafe on the walk back to our hotel. I'm not a big dessert fan (probably cuz I don't like chocolate) but Aina's mom was obsessed with their Creme' Brule's (so much so that she actually went back later that night, & then again the next day for a total of 3 haha). After a little dip in the pool & some TV, we headed back to the park for...

the illumination at night. I guess they do this every night. Pretty neat & worth checking out.

AND a couple nights a week they do fireworks, which Aina loves.

We woke up fairly early the next morning to hit up the Cave of the Winds tour before heading out. I had read some reviews on TripAdvisor.com & most people said this was better than Maid of the Mist. Honestly, DO BOTH. They're both awesome, totally different experiences.

Another elevator ride down & a better view of how the boat gets encapsulated in the mist...

You start off along the river & then basically climb the deck to different sections, each bringing you closer to the Falls, & thus - getting you more wet. We saw how soaked people were getting the day before so we all wore our swimsuits, & I'd recommend it also. Here's Aina's stepdad Steve by the rapids.

The climax here is the appropriately-named Hurricane Deck. We took turns taking pictures from the bottom, where my camera was still safe.
Then I found a better spot to capture the essence of the Hurricane Deck (& still keep my camera safe)... if you choose, you can really get PELTED by the falls. Steve made sure Kim (Aina's mom) didnt get knocked over haha

We each took about 3 turns going in & out of the fray... it was a riot! I'm pretty sure Steve would've done this all day if we let him. But we didnt; we had a long drive to Massachusetts ahead of us. After a quick stop at the Hard Rock Cafe for Kim's 3rd Creme Brule', we were off.

It was about a 6-hour ride through New York state and I took my turn at the wheel just before reaching Albany. Had the bad luck of getting there around rush hour but I didn't get rattled & calmly made it through & into the mountains of Massachusetts. Driving through the Berkshires (part of the Appalachian Mountain chain) was pretty intense but I had fun behind the wheel. Can't imagine it's much fun in winter though...
We checked into our hotel in Williamstown & went over to nearby North Adams to visit Aina's relatives, eat pizza, & watch game 6 of the Stanely Cup (in which the Boston Bruins won big!)

The next morning (tuesday) we headed for Bennington, Vermont to visit Aina's great Aunt Aina (who she's named after). I was VERY excited for our day in Bennington after previously doing some research online & discovering that they have painted MOOSE sculptures all over the town!

We spotted our first moose just outside of town at the Apple Barn, which Kim was planning to stop at anyways, since they have delicious treats. I'm a bit of a syrup snob; I only like the REAL stuff, mainly because my mom is the same way & passed it on to me. Well, being in VERMONT, I HAD to get some so I picked up a sampler pack as a souvenir for mom.

We stumbled across some more moose on the way to visit Aunt Aina at the nursing home. May I just say that for 104 years old, Aunt Aina was very fiesty! I really enjoyed meeting her

There are something like 25-30ish moose throughout the town & we tried our damndest to find them all but were ultimately satisfied with finding & photographing about 15.

We drove by this eerily cool building and I remembered reading something about the Walloomsac Inn while researching Bennington. Apparently it hosted such historic guests as Thomas Jefferson & James Madison in the late 1700s (during Vermonts first years of statehood) and later, president Rutherford B. Hayes.

I also read about the Battle of Bennington Monument, & being a war history buff, insisted we make a stop to check it out. During the American Revolution, Colonel Seth Warner (here) & General John Stark (next pic) led a rebel force of mountain militia to intercept British troops advancing to overtake Albany & reach some much-needed supply lines.

John Stark famously rallied the rebel forces by declaring "there are your enemies, the Red Coats. They are ours, or this night, Molly Stark sleeps a widow!" The battle was a huge boost for the Revolution.

Not only are there awesomely painted moose everywhere, but there are a handful of neat covered bridges in the area.

The downtown area was really neat & I really liked this clock.

Constantly surrounded by beautiful green mountains... yeah, Vermont was sweet haha

And apparently there are ample REAL moose around here too. This might be one of my favorite all-time pictures. In case you havent figured it out my nickname is "Moose" - and with that in mind (I don't mean to toot my own horn but) this picture is pretty clever haha

Wednesday morning we left very early in order to get to Boston with plenty of time to see as much as we could in one day. We stopped at this scenic overlook on the Mohawk Trail thru the mountains, for this awesome view of North Adams in the distance. Too bad the picture doesnt do the view justice.

Best road sign EVER... in my opinion

After the scenic ride through mountains, we approached Boston. Once again, my excitement was childlike. My parents have been to Boston twice (my dad ran the Boston Marathon twice) and kept telling me all the cool stuff the city has to see, especially the historical sites associated with the American Revolution. They also advised against getting anywhere near the city in our car; so we parked in one of the northern suburbs & took the "T" subway in.

Once again following my parents advice, and having done some prior research online, I concluded that a trolley tour would be the best way to see all the things we wanted to see in as little time as possible; We went with Old Town Trolley tours. Tickets weren't cheap ($45) but they covered all the spots that we wanted to see & trolley's come through every 15 minutes so you are free to spend as much, or as little, time at each stop as you want.

Our first stop: the U.S.S. Constitution. "Old Ironsides" is the countries oldest commissioned ship & is famous for its success against British ships during the War of 1812.

There are tours available to actually board & explore the vessel, but I had lots to see yet & didn't want to wait a half hour for the next tour to start.

Bunker Hill was next on my list. The trolley route actually didn't GO to the monument, you have to walk there from the "Old Ironsides" stop, but it turned out to be a pretty short little 5-10 minute walk through a pleasant neighborhood. However, Steve & Kim weren't interested in walking very far (as Steve had recently had knee surgery) so we went our separate ways. Aina & I weren't exactly sure where we going but I knew the general direction and we ended up coming across Boston's "Freedom Trail," a red-brick walking trail through the city that leads to all the historical sites of the Revolution, which took us right to Bunker Hill.

The Battle of Bunker Hill was in the very early stages of the Revolutionary War. Colonial forces learned that British troops had planned to occupy the hills just outside the city for strategic purposes. Instead, William Prescott & 1,200 colonial forces stealthily occupied & fortified the highlands before the British had a chance, & a battle ensued. Though the redcoats eventually overtook the hills, the battle was ultimately seen as a victory for the Revolution as the British took significantly more casualties and the rebels gained confidence in knowing that they, relatively inexperienced militia, could stand toe to toe with the daunted British army. This is also where the famous "don't shoot til you see the whites of their eyes" quote originated from.

Next stop: Cheers. Though the show was a little before Aina & I's time, we figured what the hell, it's a pretty iconic bar. Conclusion: not really worth the stop. There's a bar kinda like the one on the show (it's not even the actual bar) and a gift shop. The 15 minutes between trolley's seemed forever. If you were a fan of the show - great, check out the gift shop & maybe get a drink at the bar. Otherwise, snap a picture of the sign while the trolley lets people on & off, & skip this destination.

We were only back on the trolley momentarily as the next stop was Copley Square. You see, I'm also fascinated by architecture (almost went college for it) and there were two buildings in the square that I wanted to see. The first was Trinity Church. Kind of an ugly looking structure but very fascinating nonetheless.

Right next to it is the Hancock Tower, the tallest building in Boston. I look at tall structures like this & just can't wrap my head around the design and construction... it really blows my mind. We walked around the church & stared up at the tower for most of the 15 minutes. We hopped back on the next trolley and headed for my favorite stop...

We lucked out BIG TIME here. The trolley runs 9-5, and Fenway tours start every hour. We got there right around 3 and had to RUN to the ticket office to buy tour tickets, while one of the guides (bless his heart) held up the tour for us. If we didnt get in to the 3 oclock tour, we wouldve had to wait til 4 (or not go at all) and then wouldn't have been able to ride the trolley back - and Fenway is pretty far away from the rest of the stops, including where we were going to meet Kim & Steve at 5. So THANK YOU tour guide.

After that mad rush settled & we calmed down a bit, it hit me - I was IN Fenway. It's basically baseball heaven. I've lived in the Green Bay area for 15 years and have been to Lambeau probably 15-20 times and always get goosebumps when I walk in and see the "Frozen Tundra." SAME feeling here. I've been to Wrigley & didn't have the same feeling of staring out at hallowed ground as I did here (then again i was much younger and i hate the Cubs bahaha). Also, this was the one thing I've seen that my parents havent in their 2 trips to Boston!




The tour guide was pretty entertaining and detailed how the Green Monster came about. Way back whenever, people were watching the games for free from the taller buildings across the street from the left field wall. This angered the owner to the point of building up the left field wall (or as the tour guide put it "the greatest overreaction in sports history") and the "Monsta" was born.

I was downright GIDDY at this point...

If it looks like I'm trying to fight back a big, dumb smile - it's probably cuz I am haha I'm on the Monsta!

Walking around to the other side of the park took us through the Hall of Fame - might recognize these two guys...

Another fascinating story was about "Pesky Pole." This right field foul pole is the shortest home run in Major League Baseball and in the 1950s a Boston infielder by the name of Johnny Pesky, who didn't have much power as a batter, hit a crucial bloop home run that hugged the pole. The Red Sox pitcher who won the game because of the HR affectionately coined it "Pesky Pole."

YET another interesting quirk at Fenway - this lone red chair amongst all green chairs in the outfield. It marks the longest home run in Fenway history, hit by Ted Williams.

After riding the trolley through the campuses of Harvard & M.I.T., we got off at Beacon Hill, a really ritzy, old-timey neighborhood. I had seen a picture online of a narrow, gravel street that looked like it was straight out of the late 1700s. We wandered around for 15 minutes trying to find it without any luck, but still really enjoyed the gorgeous neighborhood (notice the cobblestone street).

Can't remember what building this was that we rode past (i think a state house or something?) but notice the Bruins banner. The whole city was buzzing about game 7 of the Stanley Cup THAT NIGHT. Would've been cool to stick around for the festivites but we had lodging arrangements elsewhere.

When we split up with Kim & Steve earlier, we had made plans to meet up again in the "North End" for dinner before leaving the city. Well there were a couple historical sites IN the North End that we checked out quick before calling an end to our sightseeing. This was Paul Revere's house. You can take tours through his house but we were too late and, being quite hungry, didn't really care haha.

A quick walk up the road brought us to this statue of Paul, teeming with Bruin's spirit, with the famous Old North Church in the background. "Listen my children and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of Paul Revere" who hung laterns in the church ("One if by land, Two if by sea") to warn the surrounding patriots as to how the British were going to be coming in search of revolutionary leaders Samuel Adams & John Hancock (with intent to imprison them) and dismantle any weapons and supplies the militia were stockpiling.

Aina & I had seen a Food Network special on Boston's North End, which is a MECCA for amazing Italian cuisine. We walked up & down the neighborhood, reading all the menus in the front windows. The place Aina & I saw on TV, called Bricco, had a huge line - probably because it's considered one of the top 10 restaurants in the COUNTRY. I was told by a friend who had been to the north end, that you can't really go wrong no matter where you eat, and we were getting hungrily impatient and ended up choosing Mother Anna's. We sat in their outdoor seating area with this nice view of the city and stuffed our faces with Lobster Fettucini - AMAZING. Sure it was a little pricey but A: when in Rome, & B: you get a pretty big plateful. It usually doesn't take much to fill me up so this huge plate of Italian goodness was daunting but I rose to the occasion & polished it off, impressing myself (and Aina) in the process haha.

I was also told by my friend, and my parents, that we had to check out Quincy Market. We walked around looking for souvenirs and ended up buying some Boston Bruins t-shirts. The bars were PACKED with people in Bruins garb getting ready to watch the game (& eventually go crazy because Boston WON!). We decided it was probably best to be on our merry way before the madness ensued. We got back on the subway, found our car, & headed up the coast to our oceanfront lodging in Gloucester.

We got to the Good Harbor Beach Inn after dark (9ish?) and wasted little time heading out the back of our room & going for a moon-lit stroll on the beach. Aina & I plopped down on the beach, sunk our toes in the sand, & watched the waves get closer as the tide ever-so-slowly rose. After a busy couple of days of hustling to see as much as possible, it felt good to just sit & listen to the soothing sound of waves crashing. It was one of those perfect moments you wish would never end, but eventually we got cold/tired enough to head inside for bed.

Waking up to this view from our room was a great way to start they day. We rolled out of bed & immediately headed back outside to see what the beach was like in the daylight - conclusion: GORGEOUS.



I had researched the area online & thought Good Harbor Beach looked nice in pictures, but it shattered my expectations. These pictures don't really do it justice.





That's the Inn - high tide gets right up to the step, low tide unveils at least 100 yards of amazing beach. After a ridiculously huge breakfast at a nearby cafe, we set off to explore the town of Gloucester.

This statue in the harbor is arguably the most recognizable image associated with Gloucester. The Fisherman's Memorial, or "Man at the Wheel," is dedicated to "they that go down to the sea in ships." Gloucester, America's oldest seaport, had a BRUTAL storm in 1991 that was the basis for the movie "Perfect Storm."

Next, we headed just a short drive to the other side of the harbor to check out Stage Fort Park, which kinda juts out in the harbor & offers a great view on 3 sides. This park would be an excellent spot for a scenic picnic.

Besides an actual park area (swings, playground, etc) there's a neat little spot that used to be a military fort (hence the name of the park), which was a perfect location to protect the town's harbor.

There are 4 cannon relics still in place... which are pretty cool.

There's also a little beach, kinda secluded by huge rock formations on both sides, that seemed really nice.

A little further up the harbor is this mansion, and just past it, a castle... which is where we headed next.

Hammond Castle was once the home of inventor John Hammond, who was a pioneer in remote control technologies. For an admission fee, you can take self-guided walking tours throughout the castle & check out all sorts of medieval/renaissance artifacts that Hammond collected, as well as exhibits about his life and inventions.

We decided to pass on the $8 admission & were content with walking around the outside of the castle, which had some beautiful gardens & landscape features - like this cool drawbridge.

No castle is legit without some gargoyles on the premises.

This is the backside (facing the ocean), which has a lovely lawn area.

Topping it all off, this beautiful courtyard overlooking the ocean.

The house next door might not have been a castle but it was no shack either, & it had this sweet weathervane haha

We got back to our room around mid-day, just as the beach was getting crowded. We were kinda worried it wouldnt be warm enough beach weather in early June but the day was absolutely PERFECT. We spent the next couple hours in this fashion: soaking up sun until we got hot enough to brave the cold Atlantic ocean, then returning to our beach-towels to warm up again, heading back to the water, and so on. We all had a blast playing in the waves as they rolled in.

After a perfect afternoon on the beach, our big breakfast finally wore off & it was time to start thinking about food again. We headed to the downtown area to look for souvenirs and scout out some dinner options. Turns out that Gloucester has a pretty vibrant artistic community, and there were lots of neat shops showcasing impressive local art. We settled on the Topside Grille for dinner, and it was excellent. I'm one of those "when in Rome" guys so I had to try some more seafood. I got some Clam Chowder for an appetizer, which was AMAZING, and then I tried a Lobster Roll because I saw signs for them at pretty much every restaurant we came across. A lobster roll is basically a bun filled with lobster meat, mayo, & lettuce - nothing special but not bad.

After dinner, we set off to find a lighthouse I had seen online. Turned out to be an adventure as I knew the general area it had to be but there were some "private neighborhood/do not enter" signs that threw us off the trail. Luckily, a local couple out for a walk that had seen us driving around confused told us to ignore the signs and pointed us in the right direction.

We got out to "Eastern Point" right around sunset, which made for some gorgeous pictures (if i may say so..).

Eastern Point Lighthouse

Once again we lucked out - this was easily the best vantage point in the area to watch a sunset. It was another special, romantic moment but it was bittersweet because our trip was coming to an end

The last thing on our trip agenda - watch the sun come up over the ocean.

Yeah we had to get up early (5ish) but this view was certainly worth it.

My sneaky girlfriend caught me in a sort of awe/reflective mood. It was an unforgettable trip that I'll cherish forever.

Let's see... this trip has a bit of a back-story. I guess it started a couple years ago... After graduating college in May 2008, I got a job as a part-time editor for a TV news station in Green Bay. After a few months of hard, good-quality work, I was bumped up to a full-time position with benefits - including paid vacation time. I didn't really get to travel much during my 4 years of college; my spring breaks usually consisted of me coming home & working for some extra money - no lavish trips to exotic beaches like a lot of other students. SO I figured hey, I've worked hard, I've got a big-boy job with paid vacation... i think I've earned the chance to treat myself to one of my dream trips: snowboarding in Colorado/Utah. But obviously, I wasn't gonna go all by myself & this is where I ran into the road-block. Of my close friends, only a few ski or snowboard. At the time my options were Dan, Justin, Travis, & Cody. Dan, Travis, & Cody were still in school, so they were out. Justin graduated with me & was working a job in which he didn't have the benefit of paid vacation time & therefore could not do a week-long trip out west, though he very much wanted to. Damn. Guess my bucket-list trip would have to wait. However, Justin proposed an alternative: he could do a 3-day weekend trip somewhere. Cool with me - better than nothing. So I started looking at options. I've done pretty much all of the hills in Wisconsin & Michigan's U.P. so I started looking into Minnesota and came across an intriguing place called Lutsen; 4 hills in one, longest runs in the midwest - it'll feel like you're out west. Hmmm that sounds legit. Let's check it out! I'm a more-the-merrier kinda guy so I invited my younger brother Ted to come along too.
WE HAD A BLAST! The place IS much bigger & better than anything else in the midwest.

SO then there I was, two years later in kinda the same boat. My job isn't as good BUT I had worked an extra job all summer directing webcasts for the Green Bay Bullfrogs summer college baseball team, netting an extra $1500 in my pocket - not to mention earning another couple hundred bucks from doing some freelance wedding videography. IRONICALLY, this time around, the tables were turned: I'M working a low-paying job without paid vacation while Dan & Justin have pretty decent-paying jobs with paid vacation time. I wasn't about to blow all my extra money on a trip out west BUT I DO wanna go on a trip... Lutsen was bad-ass, let's do it again! And yes, Cody & Travis can "swing" the trip this time too.

Anyways, there you have it - another trip up to Lutsen, this time there's 5 of us... the MORE the merrier!
Friday morning - Travis & Justin drove down from Marinette to meet me in Green Bay. From there we headed over to Stevens Point to pick up Cody & Dan (Dan came up from Madison). Then it was about 6 hours pretty much due north to Lutsen. Unfortunately, most of the drive is pretty damn boring; the 2 hours from GB to Point, & then the 4 or so hours north to Superior/Duluth. However, once you get to Superior, the remaining drive to Lutsen is pretty enjoyable.

Duluth is a neat city to drive through; you've got Lake Superior on one side & highlands on the other, so it's kinda scrunched into a urban area along the lake, with most of the freeway seemingly underground thanks to a bunch of tunnels going under the city.

THEN, it's not quite 2 hours of scenic driving through a highway cut into the cliffs along Lake Superior. (these next couple pictures were actually taken on the way back home)

AND my favorite... TUNNELS!

(bad camera-work, it's obviously not this dark in the tunnel haha)

We arrived just as it was getting dark, around 6ish or so, & checked in to our lodging. First time up, we stayed at a little hotel just down the road from the hill cuz it was a little cheaper & there were only 3 of us. But this time, with 5 of us, we figured let's do this the right way & stayed right on the mountain in one of the Eagle Ridge Condos. Wow! sweeeet cabins, right on the slopes, & access to an indoor/outdoor heated pool & hot-tub nearby. After getting settled in, we walked up to Papa Charlies Tavern/Grille for dinner. We brought food for the rest of the weekend but when planning the trip I figured we could splurge one night & soak in some of the Lutsen atmosphere. The food's good but a little pricey... but considering it's really your only option anywhere nearby, it's not THAT pricey. They usually have live music booked most thursday-saturday nights, but the weekend we were there just happened to be "family weekend." So... our entertainment was a juggling, clown-mime... lame haha. Supposedly they usually have some pretty talented music acts from the twin cities area up though, so it sounds like a decent place to have a few beers & hang out at night after relaxing in the hot tub following a long day on the slopes.

Woke up in the morning to this spectacular view of Moose Mountain overlooking Lake Superior. Moose Mountain is the largest of the 4 hills, and looks very majestic from the other 3. Moose & Eagle Mountain (the one our condo was on) both offer breathtaking views of Lake Superior when strapping in at the top.

Speaking of strapping in, we walked out of our condo & BOOM, we were ready to rock. It's awesome not having to hop in a car or even walk that far to get on the slopes!

Here's the view from the top of Eagle Mountain, which is the mountain with all of the ski-in/ski-out lodging.

There's a look at Eagle Mountain, with all the on-slope lodging.

Probably my favorite picture from the trip (& it was Travis' facebook profile pic for a couple months haha).

Now, the place consists of 4 mountains but if you're a decent rider, only Eagle & Moose are worth spending time on. Ullr Mountain is the smallest, with 3 runs, and is more geared toward beginners - but hey, if you're bringing up kids or novices, there's terrain suitable for them.
Mystery Mountain wasn't open the first time I was up so we checked it out this time - nothing great. The runs are nice & long but there are some flat stretches you can get stuck in if you don't keep your speed up. The only plus about this hill is the boarder-cross course they have set up...

... which we enjoyed. 3...2...1.... GO!

In conclusion, if you can't quite swing a trip out west but want something more than the typical midwest "mountain," check this place out. It's well worth the 8-hour drive and there are enough runs to keep you entertained for a 2 or 3-day weekend of riding.

So I guess my story here starts with the fact that I attended Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan for four amazing years. It's been a few years since I graduated but I miss that town & try to get back as often as I can. Luckily, my brother Ted (3 years younger) ALSO chose NMU to further his education... SO I've always had a place to stay when I go back to visit. (too bad he just graduated... haha!)
Anyways, that what's this trip was. My girlfriend Aina (who also went to NMU for 2 years) & I wanted to visit the town we both love.
We missed the PEAK fall colors but they were still pretty beautiful & it was a very enjoyable ride up. *There's about a 2-week window of peak colors & if you can catch that, you'll be blown away.

We left from Green Bay after work (3ish) on that friday & made it up in the late evening. Keep in mind, if you head up that way you lose an hour going from central time to eastern time. Don't worry, you get it back on your way home. Nothing exciting that first night; we hung out & played Wii with his roommates & friends.

But the next day we took a trip over to Munising because Ted & I had never been there before. It's a good hour drive or so but definitely worth it to see what we did. Munising itself is a neat little harbor town to drive through but our first stop was just outside town at Munising Falls.

There's a little parking area & it's a short 3ish minute walk up to the falls. There's 3 different viewing areas; this picture was from the first, which is furthest away.

Like I said, the fall colors were still pretty amazing and we lucked out because it was a B-E-A-UTIFUL fall day.

Get up a little closer to the falls and yeah, it's a little more impressive. They have signs warning to stay on the path but we saw lots of footprints where they weren't supposed to be, so being the rebels were are got even closer :O

It was maybe another 20-minute drive further east to our next stop - Miner's Falls.

Ok Munising Falls - nice, short little walk from the parking area. Miner's Falls - not so much. It's probably a good mile or so hike through the woods to get to. Don't get me wrong it's worth it cuz the this waterfall has a much more powerful stream, but be prepared to walk.
The viewing area here is kind of across the gorge from the falls, which is neat... but once again, just wasn't close enough for us lol.

Ted & I scaled down the cliff to get down here & take some cool pictures. It's kinda rough terrain getting down there so I wouldn't recommend it unless you're fairly agile & can handle a little intensity haha.

That's Aina up by the viewing deck & that's what you have to maneuver down to get down to the base of the falls.

After the 15 minute walk back to the car we drove another 10 minutes down the road to Miner's Castle. This is part of the area known as "Pictured Rocks."

Miner's Castle is basically just this neat rock formation jutting out into Lake Superior. This picture doesn't show much other than it "jutting" out. There's a little path that gets closer to the actual formation though...

This is Miner's Castle. Kid Rock was actually here about a week before we were (probably during peak fall colors haha) filming his music video for "Born Free." When I saw this I'm like, if i was directing i'd have him standing on one of these & have a helicoptor do that full 360 fly-around kinda shot. Of course that's extremely dangerous & alas, they did not attempt.

In fact, the music video was more concerned with showcasing Pictured Rocks, which you can see through the trees here from Miner's Castle.

We hopped back in the car for one more stop, to nearby Miner's Beach.

This was probably my favorite part of the day. The beach is absolutely beautiful with Pictured Rocks as a backdrop, not to mention perfect sand to sink your toes in to. When Kid Rock's video came out we checked it out & we're like "hey! that's our log!" The majority of his video was actually filmed on this beach.
I'm not a huge Kid Rock fan or anything but the song's actually pretty catchy & it showcases the natural beauty of the area so here's the link... i encourage you to check it out:
Kid Rock - Born Free

Oh yeah, & there's a little river that cuts through the beach to the lake that we waded in. Aina & I weren't looking but we heard a SPLASH! followed by laughter and turned around to find this...

Teddy fell in! bahahaha

My girlfriend Aina & I went to Charlevoix, Michigan to attend her good friend Kristie's wedding, and saw some pretty cool stuff along the way. It was a pretty long 7-8 hour drive but there was definitely enough scenery to make it enjoyable.

We headed out from Green Bay mid-morning on that friday and drove about 2 & 1/2 to 3 hours before our first stop: Manistique.

We spotted a hotel/restaurant with a couple of photo ops out in front.... this bus being one. There also were a wooden monster truck, train, & plane.

Much to my excitement, there were also a few painted moose sculptures! (Though this one was actually when we got closer to the Mackinac Bridge)

Speaking of... we stopped at a little park in St. Ignace for a good view before crossing.

It was mid-afternoon by now & we were getting quite hungry so we stopped in Mackinac City, just on the other side of the bridge - Very touristy area with lots of little shops & places to eat. We settled on the Pizza Palace, and struck gold! Looking at the menu, we discovered Deep-fried Pickles was offered as an appetizer. Being adventurous & loving pickles, this was a no-brainer! Aina went along with me & we were both blown away... they're AMAZING! They come with some ranch dipping sauce and yeah... we've been talking since about making a trip back just for the deep-fried pickles! Oh & the half-rack of baby back ribs I got wasn't bad either

The remaining 2 & 1/2ish hour drive was highlighted by driving through Petoskey. Having been in the car for over 6 hours already that day we decided to save stopping & exploring for on the way back home. We got to the hotel & took a dip in the pool before heading across the street to a little Italian restaurant to meet up with Aina's friends. It just so happened they had KARAOKE (one of my favorite things to do) that night!

And then there was the big wedding on Saturday. It was held in one of the outside garden/courtyards at Castle Farms, which is apparently capable of holding like 7 or 8 weddings simultaneously. I think there were 3 or 4 other ones going on when we were there. It was HOT that day but it was a beautiful setting and after dinner we walked around to explore the castle.

This is what I consider the back of the castle but it's the side you see from the road, so it's kinda the front too...?

Walking around to the other side, this is what I would consider the front.

The inside had a very "royal" vibe to it, as my lovely Aina demonstrates.

Sunday before heading out we explored Charlevoix a little bit. This was walking out on the breakwater... look how blue the water looks over there! It's not like that over here on this side of Lake Michigan, by Algoma or Kewaunee.

There's a channel connecting Lake Charlevoix to Lake Michigan with a draw-bridge that opens up every half-hour. We sat & watched as some pretty snazzy yachts rolled through. Downtown Charlevoix seemed really nice with a lot of shopping & restaurants.

We left fairly early in the morning, allowing for plenty of time to stop & explore things we passed on the way through... like Petoskey. We walked down to the harbor & were blown away by the size of the homes & yachts.

Look at that thing! It's probably just someone's summer home & yet worth 17-times as much & 4-times as big as any home I'll ever own!

Some of the yachts in the harbor were probably worth more than my family's house too.

Not far from the harbor was an expensive-looking resort with some cool beach cabana chairs.

There were beautiful homes lined all along the harbor & we're pretty certain Bob Seger has a vacation home in the area.

On the highway from St. Ignace (Mackinac Island area) to Manistique there's a couple stretches along Lake Michigan with some amazing beaches. We didn't stop on the way down so we made sure to stop for a while on the way back through and I ended up getting some of the best pictures I've ever taken.

It was little windy but the sun was shining and Aina was in her own little world soaking it up. She'll tell you it was one of the most perfect days of her life.

I very much enjoyed myself too

This trip came about because my good friend's band landed a gig opening up for the Deftones at The Rave in Milwaukee. Not only had I not seen his band yet (nor seen him in quite some time at that) but I'm also a pretty big Deftones fan. (I should note - I'm in a band as well) My girlfriend Aina, being the concert-lover she is, would've accompanied me if all I had on my agenda was the concert. But alas, I decided... why not make a weekend out of it? You see, I'm originally from the Milwaukee area... a suburb by the name of Pewaukee to be exact. My family moved to the Green Bay area when I was 10. (My parents are both from the Green Bay area). I've been back to visit my hometown a few times since but had not been to the Milwaukee County Zoo, where I spent a lot of time as a kid. My parent's used to put me & my younger brother Ted in Zoo classes a few summers, and even sponsored one of the wolves in honor of my birthday one year (I was a big fan of wolves as a kid haha). The wolf's name was "Akeela." Anywho - I figured while we're in the area, why not take a trip down memory lane & share some of my childhood with my girlfriend?

The concert was great. I was very impressed by my buddy's band and the Deftones sounded amazing. Didn't think I could sneak my big SLR camera in to take pictures so that part of the trip is unavailable for your viewing pleasure. But don't worry, we took plenty of pictures at the Zoo!

We walked through the gate and had these cute little guys waiting to welcome us to the zoo grounds.
The day's forecast called for scattered thunderstorms all day so we figured we'd check out the outside exhibits first, saving the inside exhibits for if/when the weather turned on us. First stop - the African animals.

Now, the point of me starting a travel blog was to share my experiences and hopefully some decent knowledge. Well... welcome to my first tidbit of pretty useless knowledge - unless of course you land yourself on Jeopardy or in the Cash Cab and find yourself needing to know the difference between African and Asian elephants.

This guy right here is an African elephant. The most noticeable differences are bigger ears and more-wrinkled skin than the Asian variety. So there - if you happen to come across Alex Trebek or Ben Bailey & need to know, you're welcome. Now that you've won some money you need to contact me & get me my cut haha.

The zoo has three giraffes, with one having a somewhat reversed color pattern (almost albino) and therefore looking much cooler than the other two.

This poor tiger looked pretty miserable... can't tell from this angle but he was almost skin & bones, much to our dismay. Coming back to the zoo as an "adult" (haha) I realized that a number of the exhibits are pretty sad In that regard, I'd have to say the quality of the NEW Zoo in Green Bay is actually better than the Milwaukee County Zoo. That's not to say this place doesn't have some nice exhibits, and with much more to see than the NEW Zoo it's still worth the trip to see the bigger variety of animals.

Like this adorable Red Panda, who quickly re-brightened our spirits Aina & I were watching Kung Fu Panda the other day (yes I'm 25 years old lol) and couldnt figure out what one of the characters was. Not familiar with every member of the animal kingdom we settled on the conclusion that Master Shifu was in fact a Red Panda. Having just looked it up online as I'm writing this blog I can confirm that he is indeed. I love when I'm right!

Having not been to the zoo in probably 15 years or so, one of the things that stuck out most in my memory was the peacocks. You see and hear them everywhere you go. Some things don't change - and when it's a fond childhood memory, i'm cool with that The NEW Zoo also has peacocks freely roaming the grounds (& i'm sure many other zoos do too) but it's not every day you see them all puffed up like this! There was a female peacock nearby, which seemingly got this guy all riled up - it was one of the more fascinating things of the day actually. He kept trying to back into her as if to cover her under his spread but she wasn't having it! We had some laughs with some fellow zoo-goers adding our own adult dialogue to the action as it unfolded in front of us.

Just as I remembered, the Sea Lions are probably the most entertaining animals at the zoo because they're usually pretty active and there's an underwater viewing area. (The zoo also has a seperate area for Sea Lion shows, much like you'd find at a Sea World, but you have to buy tickets and we decided to pass) The Polar Bear nearby is also fun to watch take a dip but he wasn't doing much on this particular day. I'd say it was too cold for a swim but, in the manner of Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow ("you cheated!" "Pirate!?"...) Polar Bear!?

I don't really feel like putting up pictures from every exhibit but some of the other big animals at the zoo include: hippos, kangaroos, wolves, moose, & grizzly bears.

The zoo has a nice inside aquarium with some huuuge exhibits including the "Fish of Wisconsin" in the center, where we found this Muskie (the state fish of Wisconsin).

Aina took this picture of the jellyfish - one of the cooler pictures we got on the day. The other indoor exhibits included small mammals, reptiles, primates, and birds. I rather like the bird building because there are a couple rooms that you walk through in which the birds are free to fly around as they please, and it's a little more intimate not having that cage separating you. *Caution - there is a distinct possibility they might try & crap on you though! I spotted a couple trouble-makers in a tree right above the entrance, seemingly waiting to drop the bomb an a worthy & completely unsuspecting victim. One can only hope it's not some well-behaved kid or old grandma, etc. Personally, I'd root for them to maybe knock some "Jersey-Shore"-type person down a few pegs bahaha

Having seen all there was to see animal-wise, it was time for my favorite part of the zoo as a kid... the train!

There really isn't much to see on the train - it doesnt come even remotely close to any exhibits - but for $3 it's still worth it for a novelty/nostalgic ride. Before leaving we scoured the two gift shops for some kind of souvenir but decided our "pennies" were good enough. There are 3 or 4 machines scattered across the zoo grounds that imprint animal pictures on pennies. Pop in a couple quarters and a penny and you've got a souvenir. Aina got a Platypus and an Emperor Penguin, and I got a Wolf and a Moose... duh!

The remainder of the trip centered around re-visiting my hometown. I realize Pewaukee probably won't be on you're travel itinerary but it's a mere 15ish minutes from Milwaukee and has a clump of nice hotels & restaurants just off the highway: a Country Inn & Suites, a Holiday Inn, a Machine Shed restaurant & The Thunder Bay Grille. My family has stayed at the Country Inn & Suites a few times before and it's a very nice hotel with a nice pool area. I decided to shake things up a bit & book the Holiday Inn this time and was rewarded with an excellent stay. The room was nice and I actually liked the pool area more than the other, largely due to the fact that it had two basketball hoops on the edge of the pool for something to do besides swim (we played a few games of horse). I think the hot tubs were about the same size but the pool was a little bigger. You can't go wrong with either hotel but i'd give the edge to the Holiday Inn, which is actually $20ish per night cheaper. We had breakfast at the Machine Shed and it was dee-lish! Aina especially liked the home-made whipped cream, which she PILED on top of her waffles.

Sorry to throw anyone off chronologically but the night before (after the zoo & a dip in the pool) we ate dinner at this place on Pewaukee's lakefront called Seester's Mexican Cantina. I had looked on tripadvisor.com for reviews of restaurants and this place seemed to be popular, and supposedly had good margaritas... which Aina enjoys. We sat at a table looking out the window at the lake and had ourselves a great night. The place is pretty small but it has a nice atmosphere and our server was very friendly. Aina's burrito was "surprisingly good" and I, feeling a little more adventurous, tried the staple Beer-Battered Cod Tacos. Didn't know what to expect having not had a fish taco before but WOW! I highly recommend.

Pewaukee Lake has a neat little waterfront area with a nice sandy beach and the lake itself is plenty big for boating/jetskiing/what-have-you. It's also regarded as one of the best Muskie-fishing lakes in the state. Also, I've never golfed there but my grandpa, who plays all over Wisconsin sings high praise for Nagawaukee golf course. We drove past & it did look like a very nice course. So yeah... it might be worth exploring Pewaukee if you're heading to the Milwaukee area & like some of the things I mentioned above.