A Two-Week Road Trip

SUMMER VACATION this year was a two-week road trip through five states which included stopovers at five different locations. Travel was by automobile on Interstate routes, U. S. highways, county roads, and city streets. Thirty-three road construction projects slowed the vehicle down a bit, but there were no extra-long delays.
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My wife and I started our travel adventure from our home in southwest Missouri headed toward Springfield, Illinois. There, we spent three great days taking in the sites and enjoying the flavors of the friendly Capitol City. We visited the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, the Lincoln tomb, Lincoln's home and neighborhood, one of Lincoln's law offices, the old state capitol, the present-day capitol, and the city's baseball park named for Robin Roberts. We dined twice at Chesapeake Seafood House (yes, it was that good!) and we enjoyed Cafe Andiamo, Maldaner's, and Cafe Brio downtown.
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From Illinois we drove to Linden, Michigan to see three couples whom we had first met while wintering in Florida. It was a great time of seeing sites in the Linden and Fenton area. Among the special places we visited was the beach in Linden County Park and Byram Lake. In addition, we thoroughly enjoyed a tour of the city of Flint. Our host couple gave us an "insiders look" at various locations within this eastern Michigan industrial city. We also experienced wonderful hospitality and great meals. Our gracious hosts had planned a big picnic get-together which gave us an opportunity for tremendous fellowship with all three couples. Dinner that evening included carry-in dishes with food that was out-of-this-world!
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Our next destination was Hudsonville, Michigan. It is a small community in the greater Grand Rapids area on the western side of the state. Again, we stayed with a couple who have become dear friends because of time spent together over several years as snowbirds in the Panhandle of northwest Florida. In their area we toured the Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park which just happened to be featuring Chihuly blown glass sculptures; we traveled to Saugatuck for shopping and fresh perch at Butler's Restaurant; we relaxed on the beach on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan; and then we saw our friends' beautiful cottage on the banks of Big Blue Lake. It was a genuine pleasure to be with this couple, to enjoy the comforts of their home, to eat their grilled steaks, and to meet their extended family.
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Leaving Michigan we pointed the Buick toward Indiana and the small town of Nashville. We arrived in time to spend a few hours dining at the Artists' Colony Restaurant, visiting the quaint shops, taking a tram ride through the historic district, and eating ice cream! Nashville is located near an entrance to Brown County State Park - the largest in Indiana. Our lodging was in Columbus, a nearby larger city just to the east on I-65. Our brief stopover at these two spots was a pure delight!
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Our final destination before heading home was Louisville, Kentucky. The couple with whom we stayed - plus their daughter, their son and his wife, and two other couples - all had a connection to us because of Destin, Florida. Our hosts threw a party in our honor one evening and invited all of these individuals plus other guests. What a great time we had renewing friendships and having opportunities to eat, to visit, to laugh, and to catch-up. Other highlights of our time in the Louisville area included a tour of Slugger Field, home of the Louisville Bats baseball team; a tour of Churchill Downs and their museum; a tour of the Hillerich & Bradsby Company, maker of the Louisville Slugger bat, and their museum; a visit to Louisville Pottery; and several terrific eating establishments, including Kingfish!
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The trip back to Missouri was filled with conversations and laughter as we reminisced about our journey. We talked about our time together, the places we had been, the things we had seen, the joys we had felt, and the people we had been with over the past two weeks. The people had been the best part! Upon arriving home at the end of fourteen days, the odometer turned over a total of 1,984 miles. It was all well worth it! And, silently, both of us had the same thoughts, "Such .. great .. memories."

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--The photo above is a partial view of the skyline of Louisville, Kentucky.