First stop: Escanaba

Driving north through Michigan and across the Mighty Mac is always wonderful.  The roads were clear and we only had to slow down for construction one time.  We have not been to the UP for several years so it was interesting to see the changes.

After we crossed the bridge, we turned west on highway 2.  I loved the road sign "Highway 2 is not an expressway.  Drive with care"  Highway 2 is a two lane road for much of the way with passing lanes put in to ease the congestion from slow drivers towing huge RVs.  There were several new pasty and smoked fish shops near the bridge, but one shop that we used to frequent was closed.  The Mystery Spot has added a zip line to lure in new customers.  We sent a picture of the sign to Emily to remind her of the time we visited the Mystery Spot when she was a little kid.

Driving through the state reminded me of the many times I drove this way for work when I first went to work for the Department of Education in the Child Nutrition Program unit.  I clocked many miles and hours visiting schools all over the state.  Since I love driving, and meeting new people, and helping people solve problems - that job was a winner for me.  All of the technology we have now makes it so much easier to stay in touch, check traffic conditions, and produce follow-up documents, but I loved that "hands-on" approach of driving to a location and working face to face with folks - no teleconferencing then!

While on the way to Escanaba, I searched for a brew pub in the area.  As it turns out there is a place called Hereford & Hops in down town Escanaba that has been open for 9 years.  We stopped there around 3:45 for a beer before finding a hotel to stay for the night.  They produce at least two very nice beers - and IPA and an amber ale.  We checked out the menu and noticed a "grill your own" section so I asked the bartender about it.  How do I grill my own?  He showed me into another room where there is a large reach-in refrigerator with lots of different cuts of beef and a LARGE grill that they fire up around 4:30.  Each person picks his or her steak and puts it on the grill and cooks it to personal preference.  I love this idea!  I love it when other people cook for me, but I really like to cook for myself too.  We are thinking this is the place we will go for dinner.

We drove out of down town and toward the road we will take tomorrow (staying on Highway 2 & 41 through the western edge of the UP and into Wisconsin).  We found a Best Western and they had a room.  They also have a free wine coupon and free breakfast coupon - we like this.

Revisiting familiar places is great, but we are looking forward to new places and views tomorrow.