Our Hallmark Honeymoon has come to an end!

Chapter 12….the final chapter

Ugh i am beyond sad this week is over. I thought places like this only existed in movies. The small towns. The lakes. The people. It was the perfect place for the two of us!

Some fun and unique things we noticed while being in this area up north. No one has wraps or rice on their menus. Blue Gill and prime rib is very common at most restaurants. Also many different types of burgers. Up north is definitely s beef area as it was rare to see grilled chicken on the menu. The main soup at the majority of the restaurants is tomato basil. We may be close to Canada, but we didn’t see any Canadian geese that are everywhere back home. The only seagull sighting we saw was at Sutton’s Bay. We never saw one gym or yoga studio. The sidewalks roll up at about 5pm. The restaurants/bars only stay open until 10pm at the latest. Strangely it is very difficult to find an outdoor store that sells bait and tackle. The news never talks about COVID. You don’t have the crime up there so they news is actually uplifting. They even do a hunting and fishing segment every morning.

Fast food and chain restaurants do not exists! It’s glorious. You want coffee? Go to the local shop? You want a meal? Find a local restaurant. You want pizza? Find a local shop (there arent many) and go pick it up. No one delivers and there is no door dash. You need groceries? You either go to a local market or you make a trip to traverse city. There isn’t curb side service so you better be prepared to get out of your car. There are no drug stores, just a local pharmacy in some towns. J

They don’t have any street lights, but rather they have a large bulb on a wire hanging over the road when there is a cross road. i also love that there are no car dealerships, large buildings or senseless and excessive amounts of plazas.

Grayling MI

His odometer hit 55555 and he was very excited

We are safely home. We are missing the simple way of life and looking forward to visiting again!!!! Thanks for joining in on our adventures with us. Any recommendations for similar destinations in the US?

Glen Arbor Township

Chapter 3….

Good morning from paradise! This morning we woke up and it was chilly! Fall is definitely right around the corner. We woke up a little bit before sunrise and the inn keepers were just setting up the coffee and oatmeal bar on the main porch. This was just steps away from our cabin and the coffee was SO GOOD!!!

We headed down the M22 to check out another small town, Glen Arbor. As soon as we hit the town we were so excited to get out and walk around. We had breakfast at a small corner bar. Arts Tavern definitely had the small town feel. The decor was sporty and every inch was covered with pennants from every sports team and college in the US!

After breakfast we walked to the lake. It was windy but the water was beautiful. The blue and green was so vibrant and no matter how deep the lake is, you can see the bottom. The sand is soft and very fine. I can’t believe I’m standing on Lake Michigan. I feel like I’m in the Caribbean!

We headed back down the road to explore the town some more. It was quiet and were the only tourists. This town is full of old buildings and unique art pieces. The have a small post office, book store, gallery, clothing stores, ice cream shops, a fudge shop, a small plaza with a hair salon, lawyers office and clothing store. They also have a small outdoor store, real estate office and winery.

We stopped inside the Cherry Republic shop. This was a beautiful little spot. They had a retails shop, a fresh cherry stand, a restaurant and a wine tasting building. They sell more cherry based products then you could even imagine. This place was founded in 1989 and every year it continues to grow.

Our Hallmark Honeymoon

Chapter 1 of the most amazing week….

We finally were able to get away and celebrate our honeymoon, almost 2 years later! Yes we were COVID newlyweds. We chose to head to northern Michigan. We didn’t know much about it, and neither of us have ever been, but we were intrigued by the sand dunes.

We left early Monday morning, after the girls were dropped off at school. Packing was a little challenging as the weather for the week was going from summer to fall overnight. But nonetheless we were ready for anything!

Ironically as we were on the turnpike just east of the Port Clinton area, we found our friends Jimmy and Liza driving west also. John called Jimmy and they told us they were driving the Upper Peninsula to celebrate their 12th anniversary!

The six and a half hour drive was beautiful. We hit a little bit of construction and traffic at the beginning of Michigan, but once through that it was gorgeous and peaceful. The leaves had already began to change colors, so it made the drive like riding through a painting.

The first small town we stopped in was Cedar. Their tag line was a community that cares. They do not have a traffic light, but yet a hanging stop sign on the center of their town. While John was filling up i couldn’t help but stare at the cute old man in overalls in front of us. This entire town made me so happy and i knew this trip was going to be a dream.

We finally arrived at our place for the week…..exactly at the time John put down for our checkin. He’s so good! As we pulled up the hill to our place i was speechless. Was this real life? Is this really where i get to stay for a week? This place was right out of a Hallmark Movie. We walked in the main house to check in and were welcomed by a man about our age. He was so welcoming and said “my name is Ty and me and Rachel are the innkeepers here!” Ok now i was convinced i had stepped on to the set of a Hallmark Movie.

The cabins we so cute and it sort of gave me flashbacks to camp when i was little. The sound of the screen doors on the cabin reminded me of Camp Mi-Bro-Be that i went to in 6th grade. The sounds of cars driving on the gravel and the rustling of the leaves quickly brought me back to my days at church camp.

The view from our room was the lake. Oh my goodness it was the most beautiful view ever. Out the sliding glass door we had seats to just sit and enjoy the quietness.

The front lawn had a wooden swing and patio furniture for relaxing. The wrap around porch had wicker furniture with oversized cushions. Off the front lawn was stairs leading down to Lake Leelanau and our provided docks. You could sit and relax on the Adirondack chairs, rent a kayak, or fish!

Welcome to the Whaleback Inn! I already never want to leave and we haven’t even unpacked!