Down south, where it was really hot, something told me I should head home for the “summer.” As I write this the temperature struggles to reach 40 degrees.
It really was the right time to travel, a little drizzle as I drove through Florida but the trip went well until I reached Ohio. The mass of orange barrels was enough to make me wish I had chosen another route. Anyone who has to travel through the north end of that state, beware. The construction is as thick as the truck traffic that moves along with you. The two doubled the time to drive through the state.
When I reached the Michigan border, the road began to clear of barricades, but the holes were so bad it’s a wonder I didn’t have a wreck. As darkness set in, however, we were glad to be back in the Mitten. That feeling lasted about 10 minutes. Rain began to fall followed by fog setting and visibility dropped to near zero. To top things off, it was Friday evening.
It is my belief 90 percent of people in Detroit and its surrounding suburbs hit the road on Friday nights. As I approached my destination, the next 30 miles provided one of the worst driving experiences I’ve ever encountered.
Thankfully, I had the Thrushman hotel to stop at and the grandkids to help eat the pizza we picked up on the way there. The management of the facility (Lu and Scott) had departed, but the company who stayed behind welcomed us warmly. The prepared sleeping quarters were just great.
The next morning, the sun was out and we let the morning rush pass. After a quick stop at our favorite breakfast place in Lake Orion, we headed north. As soon as we reached Port Austin, we drove down to the lake to view the beautiful new harbor completed last summer. What a beautiful sight. When I turned into my driveway, I was happy to see someone had read my column where I suggested my yard needed cleaning up.
After unpacking, I was back on the road driving nearly 700 miles — down to Port Huron, over to Saginaw, north to Houghton Lake and back to the Thumb. I had taken a job to distribute one of the publications I write for. The drive gave me a good opportunity to look the area over and see what was new.
The spring weather has arranged to draw a number of robins and blue jays to our yard, and boy, can they sing. I’ve also seen my share of deer already, a couple too close. I better check out my deer chasers.
It’s not surprising that tourists flock to our area. We were really happy to learn there are new owners at Capt. Morgan’s Resort in Grindstone. With the water levels back to normal, the charter captains will be gathered in that harbor once again.
The Thumb really is beautiful — Lake Huron, our harbors lighthouses and fertile farmland. It is sure to be the best place in Michigan for a great summertime experience. I emphasize the word summer.