Super-fantastic Journeys

 Lee Richardson Zoo, located in Garden City, Kansas is a testament to the way this community thinks about its park.  The zoo was founded in 1927 by the city and the local chapter of the Izaak Walton League in Finnup Park  It all started with two skunks that were brought in by the town police chief who happened to become the zoo superintendent.  Eventually, the zoo was named after him in 1950.  Today the zoo is a department of the city. The zoo now has over 300 native and exotic animals in large animal-enriching spaces throughout the park.  In addition to the extensive collection of animals, there are some other elements that make this zoo unique.   First, the zoo is designed as both a walk and a drive-through zoo.  If you are walking, admissions is free.  We walked the zoo and believe that is the best way to see it, but the zoo covers a lot of ground so wear your comfortable shoes.  If you choose to drive there is a $10.00 fee for driving your car through the zoo.  Parking is provided

  Moomers Ice Cream is a pretty famous ice cream shop near Traverse City, Michigan.  Moomers is all about the experience which makes this a unique stop on your road trip as much as the ice cream.  Started in 1998 on land adjacent to the family dairy farm that provides the milk for their ice cream, Moomers grew in fame on May 28, 2008 when viewers voted on Good Morning America as the nation's best spot to get ice cream. Moomers makes 160 different flavors of ice cream and is still a hot spot today.   The founder Nancy Plummer was driven by " The hope was to provide a unique premium product in a country atmosphere, to share the world of agriculture with others, employ local young adults, and provide a family oriented place to enjoy with family and friends." This is exactly what they have done. The popularity of Moomers is still strong today and they are still serving great ice cream.  As you would expect there was a bit of a line when we arrived at Moomers which took us ab

Kitch-ti-kipi is considered one of the natural wonders of Michigan. Located just outside of Manistique, Michigan this unique geological marvel is worth a visit while you are in the Upper Peninsula. Water flows into an aquifer in the surrounding higher elevations until it flows down to this crystal clear lake where it comes bubbling out of the ground at a rate of 10,000 gallons a minute. The state park system provides visitors a great way to see the springs flowing into the lake.  There is a raft that is connected to both sides of this small lake by a cable.  A wheel on the raft allows visitors to propel themselves across the lake. The raft can hold about 40 people and has a an opening in the center of it that serves as a viewing area into the lake. As the raft proceeds across the lake, the clear water allows you to observe the fish swimming in the lake.  As you get further out you can see the silt in the bottom of the lake look like it is building away as the water flows up through the

Mackinac Point sits on the southern side of the Mackinac Straights which is where boats pass though a passage connecting Lake Michigan to Lake Huron.  The Mackinac Point lighthouse is also referred to as the "Castle of the Straits" because of the construction of the keeper's house looking like the top of a Castle. Construction of the Mackinac Point lighthouse started in 1889 but funding was limited to creating a steam run fog horn.  The McGulpin Point Light was located to the west of this site but was not as visible as it needed to be to protect boats trying to navigate through the straits. It was not until 1892 that construction started on the light tower and the light was placed into operation on October 25, 1892.  Once the lighthouse was built it was realized that the fog horn building was only 71/2 feet away from the keeper's house, imagine trying to get some sleep with that noise, and they ended up moving the fog horn building a whole 15 feet to the east.  Great

The Grand Hotel is one of the first buildings you will see as you cross over to Mackinac Island on the Ferry.  It stands out with all its great opulence and its impressive size on the hill.  This historic hotel opened on July 10, 1887, as Mackinac Island became a popular place for summer vacations for people from around the Midwest, especially Chicago and Detroit.  Mackinac Island had grown in popularity since it had become our nation's second National Park in 1875, before transitioning to a Michigan State park in 1895.  Train and steamship services provided a means for visitors to make the journey to Mackinac Island.  Amazingly the hotel only took 93 days to complete construction. In 1957 the Grand Hotel was designated a State Historic Building and in 1989 the hotel became National Historic Landmark.  You can feel the history of the hotel today as carriages drop guests off in the grand portico outside the front entrance. The bright yellow awnings capture your eye alongside the imp

During a recent trip through Oklahoma City, I wanted to make sure and try the Oklahoma Onion Burger. I did my research and decided that Tucker's Onion Burgers was going to be my choice. I made the right choice because this burger was amazing. I ordered a single onion burger with cheese, a side of fries, and the shake of the month. It is understandable why the onion burger is such a hit. The flavors of the onion and beef complement each other, and the fact that they are truly cooked together is amazing. It is so much better than just having grilled onions on top of your cooked burger patty. The burger is big and fills the bun fully, and the cheese adds to each delicious bite. The fries were also very good and cooked crispy. The shake of the month was a peanut butter chocolate, and unfortunately our least favorite part of the meal. The staff were helpful while ordering and the burgers were freshly prepared after we made our order. The staff brought our burgers to the table

 Old Fashions are a popular drink in the upper Midwest and you can find this popular drink in a number of local bars on Mackinac Island.  The great thing is that because you will not be driving a vehicle on the Island and many of the bars are close to the lodging, you can safely try a couple of these local spots and make it back to your hotel. An Old Fashioned is a muddled mixture of whiskey, sugar, water, and bitters.  It is a classic and aptly named as it has a long and rich history. In Michigan, we found that most were muddled with an orange slice and a cherry, which makes it classic Michigan. 1. Seabiscuit Cafe Our favorite Old Fashion was from a restaurant we stopped in for dinner called Seabiscuit Cafe.  The bartenders here were excellent and really made a great Old Fashion, along with other drinks. At Seabiscuit they let you build your own Old Fashion so you decide on your sweetener and your choice of Burbon.  They had Makers Mark, Bulleit Rye, Woodford Reserve and Woodford Res

Vacation time is ice cream time for me.  We do not indulge in this sweet treat at home, so I like to stop and get a scoop of a local favorite when we are on vacation.  While visiting South Haven, Michigan, during our road trip around Lake Michigan, we stopped at an ice cream house that has been serving ice cream for 65 years.  Sherman's is a family-run ice creamery. The family has been in the dairy business since 1916 but started selling ice cream when Port Sherman, one of the family's sons, got started.  Port wanted to make one of the best ice creams around, loaded with natural flavors and designed unique flavors.  Sherman's Ice Cream is still doing that today. I noticed that they had a special blueberry sundae available on the menu.  It was vanilla ice cream with a fresh blueberry sauce.  Anything with a fresh blueberry sauce is a winner in my book.  I placed my order, and they asked if a wanted a small or a regular.  I ordered the small, trying to be good while still ind

 Taking the ferry over to Mackinac Island takes you to a lifestyle that we are not used to, one with not motor vehicles driving around on the streets.  There are horse-drawn carriages available that serve as taxis and shuttles, but who wants to sit behind a horse, not me. If you are wanting to cover some distance on the island then renting a bicycle is a great way to get around. Our favorite activity while on Mackinac Island was riding the perimeter trail around the island.  At 8.2 miles this trail circumnavigated its way around the whole island at lake level.  This means that there is no elevation gain or loss on this ride.  The marked two-lane path provides a smooth riding surface and makes it an easy ride for all levels. Along the water from there are multiple vendors that will rent you a bike by the hour.  A nice leisurely ride will take most groups no more than 90 minutes, with many finishing quicker than that.  We rented from Mackinac Island Bike Shop which was located just below

Miners Falls is a highlight of visiting Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore if you are visiting and do not go out on a boat.  A short 1.2-mile round trip hike takes you to this 39-foot-high waterfall on Miners River.  The trail is easy and well maintained, winding its way through the forest before reaching a final set of stairs that go down to the best viewpoint for the falls. To access the trail take H-58 our of Munising for 5 miles.  Turn left onto Miners Castle Road, drive 3.7 miles, and turn right onto the dirt road marked with a sign for the falls.  Drive 0.5 miles to the parking area. The parking lot a good size and can handle quite a few cars.   There is a pit toilet at the parking area and signage for the trailhead. The trail starts down from the trailhead with a little decline and eventually flattens out for most of the trail.  The hike was very peaceful. The trail winds through the woods with lots of trees.  In the springtime, the sides of the trail are covered with wildflowers