Wine and Spirits Travel

  Lynn and I enjoyed our fresh breakfast of omelets and muffins. It was delivered right to our room at Hotel Saugatuck in Michigan so we got to stay in the comfortable bathrobes a bit longer. We wished we could stay longer, but we did decide to explore before leaving. The suites are quite big and it had a Jacuzzi tub, microwave, and small refrigerator. We brought our luggage down to the lobby. The Inn was inviting with a fireplace and piano and the staff was friendly and helpful. The cottages across the driveway were occupied so I didn’t get to see them, but they looked adorable from the outside. The Michigan town of Saugatuck includes a quaint town and quiet beaches. We decided to take a drive to Oval Beach. Lynn and I spent most of our lives on Long Island in New York so we weren’t quite sure what to expect from a Michigan beach.  Honestly, the water was more inviting than the Atlantic Ocean, without the seaweed and waves, and with the beautiful blue color. The other

My first trip up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was in the wintertime. I took a ride to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and, even in winter, I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was.  I vowed to come back and explore this area more and it seemed like an ideal way to spend my birthday. I left Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee and drove through Wisconsin to the UP. I had decided that Munising was a base for me to start and it was the right choice. It was near sunset when I arrived at the Alger Falls Motel . The Munising tourism board had set me up there for two nights. The rooms were large and the location was central.   I was a bit hungry and decided to go for something local. I drove down to Muldoon’s and had my very first Pastie, a local favorite they were known for.   A pasty is a hand pie looks like a cross between a turnover and a calzone, or for those who have been to the U.K., a meat pie. I decided I was not in a beef mood and got one vegetable, and one apple for de