Petoskey
Petoskey – It sounds like a Russian drink or dessert but it’s actually a town in Michigan. I spent last weekend there and here are ten random things I learned. 1) It is very hilly and you can feel the strain on the transmission (glad we didn’t bicycle there). 2) The people are extremely friendly (from the hotel to restaurants to shops). 3) There are no grocery stores (at least I didn’t see any) but plenty of Dollar General stores. 4) People are very trusting – there was a sourdough bread vendor stand that was operated on the honor system (the honor system doesn’t exist in Illinois). 5) Lake Michigan could be the ocean since it looks so big (just need to add a little salt). 6) Gasoline is the same price as Illinois (or darn close). 7) Some stretches of highway are 75 miles per hour (I pretended I was on a racetrack). 8- The fall colors start much earlier than in Illinois and look beautiful. 9) Petoskey stones are Michigan’s official state stones (they are fossilized prehistoric coral) – we looked for them on the beaches but we only found them in stores and the hotel gift shop.10) Even though it was a little over 400 miles to get there, it was well worth the trip – because it was magical - but perhaps it wasn’t all due to the location and more due to who I was with…….