We had breakfast at The Omelette Shoppe in Traverse City, Michigan.
Cinnamon roll:
Eggs Benedict and hash browns:
German omelette:
Also pancakes:
Tasty stuff.
exploring
Attractions and other places we visit.
Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation
We visited the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Detroit, Michigan.
But first, Lamy’s Diner within the museum for lunch:
Menu:
Classic diner food:
McDonald’s sign:
Presidential cars:
Trains:
Classic cars:
Sports cars:
Planes:
Hallmark collectable ornaments:
Bikes:
Machinery:
Cobbler:
Sewing machines etc:
Model T car:
Exploded Model T:
Glasswork:
Dymaxion House:
Wienermobile:
An interesting collection.
Baseball: Detroit Tigers vs Boston Red Sox
We attended a game of the Detroit Tigers vs Boston Red Sox, playing at the Tigers ballpark, Comerica Park.
Jenn’s game summary:
The Tigers completed a 3-game sweep of the Red Sox on a pleasant evening in Detroit. Nice stadium with a couple of fun things (carousel with tigers instead of horses and a baseball-themed Ferris wheel). Tarik Skubal pitched very well and efficiently—11 strikeouts and only one walk. Amazing homerun robbery with assist (scoring: F9-8) by the Red Sox to steal a run from Kerry Carpenter that will be in the highlight reels for years. Exciting steal and advance on a throwing error for some 9th inning heroics by the Tigers and a walk-off single to end it—a fun game.
An interactive map of the ballpark:
Entrance, with lots of tigers:
Big tiger:
More tigers:
Team store:
Carousel:
Kielbasa and pierogis:
Fried Classics:
Elephant ear:
Baseball bat drink of Tiger Fuel:
Selfie from our seats:
View from our seats in Section 126, Row 27, Seats 1 & 2:
Play ball:
The mascot, Paws:
Run scores:
We liked how the sculptures captured the motion:
Ferris wheel:
Exploring the ballpark:
Nice stats display:
New pitcher:
Tigers win:
Big Boy
We ate at Big Boy in Port Huron, Michigan. Notable as we had previously visited the original location in Burbank, California. This franchise wasn’t quite as iconic.
Menus:
I had a cookies & cream shake:
My burger and waffle fries, and Jenn’s Philly cheesesteak and fries:
Fairly tasty, but nothing too exciting.
St Clair River and Lake Huron
We took a drive to see the St Clair River and Lake Huron.
It’s kinda crazy how far one needs to drive to see the lake; there were some paid parking areas near St Clair, and a few minor roads, but pretty much all of the coastline was populated with houses. We drove 37 minutes north to a roadside park to be able to properly see the lake.
An interactive map of our route:
St Clair River and the Blue Water Bridge to Canada:
Very blue water:
Quite swiftly moving river:
Under the Blue Water Bridge:
Nearby, Fort Gratiot Lighthouse (closed on the day we drove by):
37 minutes north, Lake Huron Roadside Park:
Steps down to the lake:
But the bottom is blocked off:
A navigation buoy? washed up on the shore:
Endless lake:
Cuyahoga Valley National Park Scenic Railroad: Vamos Vino Grape Escape
We rode the Scenic Railroad train in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, doing the Vamos Vino Grape Escape wine tasting journey.
Akron Northside train station:
Train engine:
Each train car had different activities, including murder mystery, cigars (in an open car), cocktails, bingo, trivia, etc:
The Silver Lariat dome train car, which we were in:
The dome car table and seats:
Wine tasting menu:
Winemakers talking about their wines:
First tasting (in a souvenir glass):
Selfie:
Food tray… described as a “tasty charcuterie box, filled with artisan cheeses, cured meats, and other treats”… with some corn chips and no meats:
Wine tasting:
The “scenic” tour was not particularly scenic (and hard to see out the dirty dome windows anyway):
Looking out of the dome over the roof of the train:
Train conductor:
Downstairs in the train car:
Last tasting:
Train car:
Somewhat disappointing, but it was a thing we did.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Brandywine Falls
We did a short hike (well, a walk along a boardwalk) around Brandywine Falls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.
An interactive map:
Picnic dinner:
Boardwalk:
The waterfall:
Top of the falls:
Baseball: Akron RubberDucks vs Somerset Patriots
We attended a double-A baseball game between the Akron RubberDucks (Cleveland Guardians affiliate) vs Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees affiliate) at Canal Park in Akron, Ohio.
An interactive map of the ballpark:
Entrance of Canal Park:
Team store:
The Dog Pound:
Food:
The ballpark:
Our seats, right behind home plate: section 12, row A, seats 9 & 10. It had been raining, so an usher kindly wiped our seats for us:
Selfie:
Our front-row view:
Play ball:
Home run:
Mascots:
Exploring the ballpark:
Popcorn and hot chocolate:
Jenn admired this pitcher’s long hair:
A baseball on the field:
Dancing grounds crew:
Cuyahoga Valley National Park: visitor centers
We visited the two Cuyahoga Valley National Park visitor centers that are currently open (a third, Hunt House, is seasonally closed).
A canal lock outside the visitor center:
Mule power:
Ohio & Erie Canalway:
We also visited the Boston Mill Visitor Center, though I didn’t take any pictures inside:
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
We visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
The roots of rock and roll:
1984 exhibit; an excellent year:
More exhibits:
The garage, where they have lots of musical instruments that you can play:
Create your own band sticker:
The Hall of Fame:
Pink Floyd’s The Wall:
Bon Jovi exhibit on the top floor:
Exit through the gift store:
Waterfront Cleveland sign and the back of the Hall of Fame:
