THE COLORS OF FALL....Our 2020 Trip to Michigan

Traveling in 2020 is a rarity for many. But when you can take a road trip, be in the fresh air and travel somewhere with way less Covid cases than your area, it’s even sweeter.

We were not going to take our annual Fall trip north this year and in an odd twist of fate, not only did we do it, but we did it during the middle of the week with much-needed time off for Mr. Nine!

The last few years our Fall trip has almost been completely rained out. Remember the gale force winds from Last Year??

 

Well, the forecast did not look good again and while half of the trip was rained out, we got lucky with a glorious drive up and 6 hours on Thursday for hiking and outdoorsy shenanigans! And let me tell you, the INCREDIBLE Fall colors made it all worth it.

We were so enticed by the color of the leaves and a beautiful day on our drive up that I didn’t even get any pictures on the drive. When we got there we were so hungry and many places up there are closed for dinner on Wednesdays but a good ole standby in the adjoining town called the Cabbage Shed was open and I think it’s the best meal we had ever had there! Great view for dinner too! My cocktail was called the Headless Horseman which was a mix of cinnamon bourbon and ginger beer and cinnamon/sugar rim. We shared the white cheddar Wisconsin cheese curds and I had the fish and chips which was voted best in the county!

We looked at the weather forecast and saw that the rain wouldn’t start coming in until about 2 PM the next day so despite loving to sleep in on vacation, we were up at 6:30 AM and ready to roll! After some coffee and a little bit of peanut butter toast for protein for our hikes, we started the drive North to the town of Empire to hike the Empire Bluff Trail.

 On our way we stopped at the Platte River that runs out into Lake Michigan. We have kayaked it but after seeing the beauty of it in the Fall, we’re bringing our kayaks next year for sure.

The Empire Bluff Trail and hike was just perfect. Very few people and incredible views.

When we are in the town of Empire, we always drive to the park on Lake Michigan that we have frequented before. On our way there is a little tavern we’d have lunch at once called Joe’s Friendly Tavern. During these times of Covid, hours of operation have changed, and some restaurants are not open every day. When we walked up to the restaurant, we saw that the Fall special was Honeycrisp apples and Havarti cheese on grilled oat bread with a cup of soup. We were so IN, plus I knew I could get my beloved Bailey’s and coffee there. So here we were at 10:45 AM splitting a lunch and having adult beverages! It’s a pretty big place and there was only one other couple in there. We actually felt kind of special, LOL!

Then, when your man stops in the middle of a seasonal road so you can get out the trip pod instead of doing a selfie= Happy wife!!

MY HIKING OUTFIT WAS PERFECT 

(pants and shoes gift from Mr. Nine)

Outfit Deets:

HIKING PANTS HERE // SWEATSHIRT HERE // VEST HERE // HIKING SNEAKERS HERE // EARRINGS HERE

We were determined to find another hike and found ourselves at Otter Creek. Then onto Bass Lake for the best serenity.

 

Pouring down rain meant Cozy time.

Then dinner in town at the Stormcloud Brewery where of course I had to pose with the annual giant pumpkin. (see 2016 trip here). Since the Fall Festival was canceled, someone chiseled a face right in it.

Friday was sleeping in and listening to the rain. A late morning breakfast At Birch and Maple splitting a yummy omelet and indulging in a Mimosa of course. 

Then it was one last drive through town.

And back south on M22 highway where we found beloved old trunk and pumpkin displays, LOL! Quick trip but much needed to re-energize and refresh and relish in my beloved FALL!

LOVE THIS JACKET

Outfit Deets:

JACKET HERE // SHIRT HERE // BOOTS HERE // SOCKS HERE // TANK HERE

And Check out the 2018 Trip HERE

Hope you've been getting your Fall on. Now, excuse me while I go dust off my Christmas Trees, lol!

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xoxo