What a treat! Deb and Tom invited us to join them on a road trip in Michigan. Tom was raised there, and as a couple they have been back and forth many times over the years which has given them the opportunity to discover interesting new spots as well as to visit some of Tom’s family’s old haunts.

The trip was originally scheduled for 2020, but the pandemic put the kibosh to that. 2021 still seemed a little risky, and we were all too busy in 2022. We decided this was our year! Deb has planned the whole adventure down to the last detail. Lucky us.

Deb and Tom flew north and east; we flew west; and the plan was to meet for a leisurely dinner in the Detroit airport before flying the last leg to Pellston together. That plan went by the wayside early on because mechanical delays and a run-in with birds caused Deb and Tom’s initial flight to be delayed quite a bit necessitating them to make a run for their connecting flight with no time to grab lunch. Dan and I did not need to make a run for our connecting flight and had ample time for a light lunch, but a wheelchair issue on the inbound flight and an unresolvable AC issue necessitated finding a replacement aircraft which delayed our departure by two hours. Next challenge: Navigating the Detroit airport. It took us completely by surprise in that our United flight came in a full three miles from the Delta terminal. By the time we figured that out, got to the shuttle, rode the three miles, went through security, and found our concourse our travel buddies had already eaten and we had less than 20 minutes to spare. We decided to make a meal out of what was being offered in the Delta lounge and call it a day. Thankfully our one-hour connecting flight to Pellston didn’t take off until 9:15 PM. It, thankfully, was uneventful. Whoop whoop.

A word about the Pellston airport: it is the cutest small airport I have ever seen. It has the look and feel of a two-story mountain lodge with a large stone fireplace, chunky pine furniture, and taxidermized animals. Think mountain lion, bear with cubs, deer, and other small critters. There is a single luggage carrousel off to one end near the sheriff’s office. One of the three rental car desks has a sign that says ‘You are never too important to be kind.’ Another had a wooden bear holding a sign that says ‘Welcome to our neck of the woods.’ I like Michigan already.

The day held one last surprise: Dan’s and my luggage never made it out of Chicago. We did a few minutes of lost-luggage paperwork before making our way to the hotel with a small amenity kit containing a few necessities and Deb’s promise to lend us something to sleep in.

Thankfully the Pellston Lodge is only a quarter mile down the road because we are all beat. The surprises and delays made for a long but anticipation-and-excitement-building day. What does Deb have in store for us, that is the question.

... Fun Facts About Michigan …

Michigan is the only place in the world with a floating post office.
The J.W. Westcott II has been delivering mail to ships while they are still underway for 125 years.

Indian River is the home of the the Cross in the Woods, the largest crucifix in the world.

More tonnage passes though the historic locks in Sault Ste. Marie than
the Suez and Panama Canals combined.

The first air-conditioned car was manufactured in 1939 by Detroit’s Packard Motor Car Company.