Keep Lake Michigan To The Left
 

Summer 2003 - we're thinking of an 8-day driving trip, departing Chicago, continuing all the way around Lake Michigan. Would like to include Grand Hotel at Mackinac Island, a fish boil in Door County, WI and maybe catch a Brewers game in Milwaukee, as well.<BR><BR>2 Adults, SUV.<BR><BR>Is this doable?<BR><BR>Any suggestions on cities where we should overnight? And accommodations in those cities?<BR><BR>Looking forward to some beautiful scenery, and some delicious seafood. And getting away from the heat of Central FL.<BR><BR>Thank you.

A couple of places I remember along that route are the Sleeping Bear sand dunes park in NW Mich., and a little place that rents cabins on the UP, at the absolute northern shore of the lake. Sorry, can't help with the name.

While you are in the UP...try to go to Picture Rocks National Park on Lk Superior.<BR>Bugs are bad in June though.<BR>Also, in the UP on Lk MI is Fayette Park...it is a restore ghost town...beautifully restored and a complete town on Lk MI.<BR>There are lots of motels in Manistique and St. Ignace.<BR>Mackinac Island is good for a day trip...no cars allowed...lots of walking, bicycling. Not much else. It is fun to ride a bike around the island...all flat!<BR>Harbor Springs is beautiful, Charlevoix is pretty harbor town, Traverse City has loads of motels and is commercial but lots to do...might be a good base to explore from.<BR>Sleep Bear Dunes is beautiful with a drive with spectacular drives on Pierce Stocking Drive.<BR>And then there is always Chicago.<BR>Our favorite drive is around Lk Superior...thru Canada, MN, WI and MI....<BR>Good luck!

Yes, do Mackinac, Sleeping Bear, try Cherry Pie w/chocolate sauce at the Cherry Hut in ?Beulah. <BR><BR>But re:fish boil. Here's my memory: a lot of to-do about a strangely bland result. Everyone hovers outside around the hanging kettle, into which they've put water and several layers of colorless (i.e.white) food -- potatoes, onions, then fish. At a certain point, some hapless offspring of the restaurant owner throws kerosene on the fire, which singes the kid's eyebrows and most of the remaining branches of the surrounding trees, and then the fishy potatoey water spills over and makes the fire get all steamy and hissy. In theory, this floats the fishoil over the side of the kettle, so you get a much less oily fish dish. In practice, it sometimes means you can taste kerosene on the fish. You'll need LOTS of salt and pepper to get flavor into the hot plate of boiled white food.<BR><BR>Sorry, Wisconsans, you are lovely people and you have a lovely state, but I like your cheeses and beer a heckuva more than I like your fish boils.

And the fish boil is not cheap!