Tag Archives: road trip

Frankmuth, MI with a Dog on the Cheap

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Every Michigander knows about Frankenmuth. There seems to be some debate about whether this is a worthwhile destination or road trip stop. After visiting, I would say Frankenmuth is a must-visit place if you’re in the area, and I wouldn’t mind staying a weekend there! I’ve heard this touristy Bavarian village described as “kitschy,” but I didn’t really find it to be tacky at all. It was really cute, albeit a bit cartoonish in a Main Street Disney sort of way.

 

 

If you’re looking for something fun to do, it’s a great place to go for the day! As a plus, it’s definitely dog-friendly and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fun.

 

Ben and I took our big summer trip over Memorial Day weekend. We opted for a classic Michigan road trip– up to Mackinac Island, across the bridge, and up to the UP. This trip served as summer vacation, a celebration of our fourth anniversary, and our babymoon, since we’re expecting Baby Boy Johnson in September!

 

 

On the way back, we decided to check out Frankenmuth at the Bronner’s CHRISTmas wonderland that I keep hearing about.

I actually wrote two or three articles for clients about Bronner’s, even before Michigan was on our radar. It’s one of those unique roadside attractions that everyone talks about, and I was very excited to actually see it in person!

 

 

Bronner’s bills itself as “The World’s Biggest Christmas Store,” and I believe the claim. This place is huge! There are probably a million or two different ornaments inside, You could be perfectly happy wandering around and just looking at the different options, or wandering through the small forest of Christmas trees. I did end up buying some ornaments, because why not get a head start on Christmas shopping in May?

 

How I feel about this store

 

What I liked best about the inside was the international approach. There were ornament sections representing every area of the world! Of course, you can also shop by color, theme, or object.

 

 

We had to take turns seeing the store because the dog was with us, but it wasn’t bad because there are dozens of Christmas displays to check out in the parking lot and lawns around Bronner’s.

 

 

The best part by far was the Silent Night Memorial Chapel. This is an exact replica of the chapel of the same name built in Austria to commemorate the writing of Silent Night.

 

 

You can go inside and learn the history of the song. It’s a peaceful place, and the sort of place that makes you want to stop for a moment and pray.

 

 

Outside, they have the lyrics to Silent Night in dozens of global languages! We hunted down the languages from places we have lived.

 

 

Once we finished with Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, we went to the River Place Shops downtown. The shops were pricey, but most allowed dogs inside. We enjoyed the cool air and the chance to give Kito a bit of crowd training. I don’t know if it was the heat, the long car trip, or just her virtuous soul, but Kito was very well behaved and didn’t touch a thing!

Our favorite shop was Hello Cats & Dogs, which is basically a toy store for pets. Kito was pretty excited to go inside! She was very good and didn’t grab any toys off the shelf, although she definitely thought about snatching a tennis ball.

 

 

We rewarded her behavior with a hamburger patty treat, which was kind of ridiculous at $1, but worth it to give the poor dog something nice after such a long, hot car trip.

Kito quickly became the center of attention in the village. She was so cute and well-behaved, everyone wanted to pet her! If you know Kito, you know she can be a bit crazy! I was glad she was calm during this excursion and didn’t romp around when people came to give her attention.

 

 

After exploring the various shops, we wandered across the river. We looked down at the river cruises, which looked like a lot of fun. They are actually not to expensive, and I think dogs are allowed, but we didn’t have time to take one. We contented ourselves with walking across the covered bridge. Call me a dork, but I was pretty excited to see one in person for the first time!

 

 

It was getting late, so we hunted down dinner. It’s apparently traditional to get a chicken dinner when visiting Frankenmuth, but that seemed a little expensive and overrated to me, and we couldn’t do a restaurant with the dog, anyway. We opted for pretzels, because what’s more German than a freshly baked pretzel?

 

 

I found $3 pretzels in the basement bakery of the Bavarian Inn, and we settled outside the hotel to eat them on a bench. Luckily, we were just in time for the free glockenspiel show they do every few hours! The show included music, as well as a Pied Piper story using adorable clockwork figurines imported from Europe. What a fun way to end the day!

It was particularly fun for me to see a German settlement, since I am mostly German and it doesn’t look like I’ll make it to Germany any time soon. I’m sure the town looks a lot different than it did when immigrants first settled here, but I’ll take what I can get.

 

 

In total, we spent about $45 dollars in Frankenmuth, including dinner, Kito’s reward, and Christmas shopping. You could do it for less, or go all out with the big dinners, carriage rides, hotel stays, and tours. Frankenmuth is fun either way!

Is Frankenmuth worth stopping for? Resounding yes! If you have the time, don’t miss out on the photo ops and the fun.

Bruce Peninsula Road Trip: From Detroit, Michigan to Tobermory, Ontario Under $250

Blog, Canada, International Travel, Nature, Ontario, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

 

Last call for summer in Ontario! I can’t want to see fall in Canada, but summer is National Parks Season. In just a few short weeks, most of the National Parks in Canada will be closed for winter.

 

 

Naturally, the end of free Canada Parks passes for Canada’s 150th anniversary is a big deal for a budget traveler like myself.

So, when Ben and I both had a three-day weekend over Memorial day, we loaded up the dog and hit the road for a three-day camping trip in Ontario!

 

 

Ipperwash Beach: $0

 

Although we live in Detroit, we ended up taking the Port Huron border crossing. It’s closer to the coast of Lake Huron, where Bruce Peninsula is located.

 

Canadian Monopoly money

 

The way into Canada wasn’t too bad. The guards didn’t even bother checking Kito’s paperwork! It’s up to date, of course, which is actually more important on the U.S. entry than the Canadian entry. After quick formalities, we were on our way!

 

Lucky dog– she’s been to 4 countries now!

 

After we got through the border, we drove along the coast. After living in Saint Martin, where all the beaches are public property, we forgot there would be so many private beaches!

 

 

Of course, there are also some nice public beaches on the Huron coast of Ontario. We decided to stop for lunch at Ipperwash Beach, which is in Lambton Shores.

 

 

Part of the beach does require paid parking, but if you drive to the northern entrance, you can park for free. Exit Highway 21 on Army Camp Road, and you’ll find the lot and a nice picnic area with restrooms.

 

 

The beach itself was nice, and we apparently hit it on a good day! However, it was really crowded, so we made a mental note to come on a day that isn’t a holiday weekend next time.

 

 

The best part about Ipperwash Beach was a guy driving a couple of jet skis into the lake on his tractor. You don’t see that every day.

 

 

The Old Homestead Campground: $42 CAD/ $34 USD

 

Unfortunately, I didn’t plan the first day of our trip very well. I originally wanted to take a longer route and go through Point Pelee National Park on the first day, but Ben very wisely pointed out that the massive loop I mapped out on Google Maps was going to take more than 3 days, unless we never wanted to get out of the car.

 

 

So we didn’t have camping reservations, and when it came time to find a camp, we didn’t have a very easy time of it. Most of the campsites and hotels were full. Finally, I stopped at a general store and asked for advice. The owners pointed me to The Old Homestead, not too far from the highway in Bayfield.

 

 

Honestly, we were a bit underwhelmed by the campground. It was nice, but for $42 CAD I’d expect something different than an unserviced piece of grass on the common lawn. The playground was very close to the campsite, and everyone was packed into tight spaces, so it was pretty noisy. Someone played very loud music until late at night, too.

 

We forgot a pot, so Ben used his “African ingenuity,” as he calls the skills he learned from a childhood in Tanzania.

 

Although I’m more of a camp-in-the-middle-of-the-woods kind of person, The Old Homestead would be nice to stay at on a less busy weekend, if you don’t mind neighbors. It’s clean and well kept, which is always a plus.

 

 

Right behind our site, there was a path that led into winding trails through the forest. This was awesome! Kito loved running around the woods and splashing through the creek. I don’t think she’s ever seen a creek before, and she was fascinated!

 

 

We also found a great place to string up hammocks. We were far enough away from the noise of the camp that we could relax in the peace and quiet of the woods for a while.

 

 

Point Clark Lighthouse: $7 CAD/ $5.64 USD

 

The next day, we packed up and headed further north. We stopped at Point Clark Lighthouse in Point Clark, because who doesn’t love lighthouses?

 

 

I was planning to just look at the lighthouse, but Ben and I were excited to see that this was a Parks Canada Historic Site! Armed with our Parks Canada pass, we headed inside.

 

 

Unfortunately, the Parks Canada pass is not valid at Point Clark Lighthouse. Not sure why Parks Canada would own something but not operate it, but I guess that is why the pass isn’t taken there.

 

 

Because we were on a budget for this trip, we skipped the lighthouse tour. However, if you don’t mind spending an extra $7, it looked like a great place to tour! I was OK to skip it, though, since it was a bonus stop on our trip anyway.

 

 

Sauble Beach: $0

 

If you know anything about the Huron coastline of Ontario, you probably have heard of Sauble Beach.

 

 

Sauble Beach is a resort town on the coast, and it was hopping the day we visited. We were lucky enough to get a parking spot close to the beach itself, so we walked over to have lunch.

 

 

A friendly police officer reminded us that dogs are not allowed on most of the beach, so we stayed in the small dog-friendly area to eat. The view was very pretty!

 

 

 

Fathom Five National Marine Park: $0

 

The Fathom Five Marine Park is located on the tip of Bruce Peninsula, near the town of Tobermory.

For the Canada 150 celebration, Fathom Five Marine Park is open to the public for free. This treat ended already, sadly, and we ended up visiting on the second to last day! Because of this, the park was packed.

 

 

However, you can visit next year for about $6 CAD per adult and $15 for a family, which is an awesome price! If you want to see flowerpot island, add an extra $60 for a private boat tour. Or, go all out and scuba dive through one of the many shipwrecks.

 

 

Despite the mayhem, the crowds did not deter us. They kind of freaked out Kito, who barked at a beagle, a child, and a park bench within the first ten minutes of being in the park. She chilled out once we got on the path, though.

 

 

I took the climb up the tower to see the whole park. Wow! What a climb. the girl in front of me got shaky legs and had to summon all her courage to get all the way up. I tried to take some photos to show how high up it was.

 

 

We took the Burnt Point Loop, which is the hike in Fathom Five National Park. This, along with the trail from the visitor’s center, was about four miles long. It’s actually a side trail of the epic Bruce Trail, which runs from Fathom Five to Niagara Falls! It was cool to get to do a little bit of the Bruce Trail, which is a bucket list item for me.

 

 

The trail was gorgeous, and it took us to incredibly clear, blue water that reminded me of Saint Martin. Despite the many visitors, there were many nooks along the coastline where we could be alone an enjoy the view. A picture is worth a thousand words, so take a look below:

 

 

Follow me on Instagram @3rdCultureWife for more travel photos!

 

 

Singing Sands at Bruce National Park: $0

 

On our way out, we stopped at Singing Sands, a part of Bruce National Park. This is another park that was free in 2017 and closed on Labor Day. Again, it was a bit crowded, but not as crowded as Fathom Five.

 

 

Ben and I would have liked to hike the trail to The Grotto in Bruce National Park, but they were totally booked for the day and turned us away!

 

Ben on his daily run! 112 days and counting.

 

We ended up at Singing Sands, which was still a lovely way to end our day. Besides, the Grotto will be there next time.

 

 

 

Singing Sands doesn’t look like much– until you start walking along the path. Here, you’ll find incredible biodiversity and lovely wildlife! Ben saw a snake, but all I saw were flowers and birds. I’m OK with that!

 

 

 

KOA Owen Sound: $35 CAD/ $28 USD

 

After our time at Bruce National Park, we drove to the Owen Sound Koa, about an hour and a half away. I’m a fan of KOAs, since they’re pretty predictable. In a place where randomly hiking into the woods and setting up camp isn’t allowed, this was a great option.

 

 

We are definitely coming back here! We did have neighbors and a busy campsite, but it was nice and quiet. It was spread out enough and there were tons of trees, so it felt fairly private. It also looked like a fun place to bring kids– a hay ride was taking off just as we arrived.

 

 

We strung up our hammocks by the car and made dinner– macaroni and cheese in a bread pan over a portable stove! Hey, whatever works.

 

 

The most wonderful part of this camp was that it is connected to the Bruce Trail! We woke up early, made a flask of hot chocolate, and followed the trail over the bridge, through the Rock Springs Side Trail, and on to the Bruce Trail.

 

 

Oh, my word! The trail in the morning was so still. It was only about 65 degrees Fahrenheit, but the stillness in the air made it feel comfortably cool. I come from a land of conifers, so this boreal forest was magical. Everything was covered in soft green moss, and the morning light filtered softly down through the leaves.

 

 

I wish so badly that we could take a month and trek the entire Bruce Trail! I’m not sure if that will ever be a reality, but it was a treat to get to walk a couple of miles of the trail.

 

 

Produce Stand at Masse Farms: $13/ $10.50 CAD for produce

 

We had a long drive ahead (and it got longer as the lines at the border increased), so we went straight along the 5-hour route home.

 

 

We did, however, make one last stop! One simply cannot go through farm country without buying fresh produce, so we followed the signs to Masse Farms and bought some sweet corn, meat, strawberries, and tomatoes. Yum! There’s nothing like farm-fresh food.

 

 

We continued on through the cornfields and towns toward home. Each church tower, brick shop, and Victorian estate was something new and beautiful to admire! If you ever find yourself with a weekend to wander, these towns are worth a look.

 

 

 

After a relaxing morning of driving through rural Ontario, we eventually pulled into our driveway. It was a weekend well spent! Next time, we’re heading around the southern coast of Ontario.

 

 

Other Expenses: 

$140 CAD/ $113 USD for gas

$37 CAD/ $30 USD for groceries

 

Total: $268 CAD/ $216 USD

 

We were able to have a three-day trip from Detroit to Tobermory for under $250 USD! Of course, the free Parks Canada pass ends this year, so the parks won’t be free after 2017. However, the parks aren’t very expensive, and if you don’t want to pay, you can always opt for free walks in the nature parks!

The trick to keeping this trip inexpensive — despite the necessary gas for such a long drive — is to refuse to splurge. Don’t go shopping, don’t stay in hotels, and don’t eat out. You can have plenty of fun in nature while eating your own groceries!

For more budget day trips, follow on Facebook or subscribe!

 

Moving to Michigan … To Who Knows Where

American University of the Caribbean, AUC, Spouses Organization, Uncategorized, United States, , , , , , ,

Surprise! We are moving to Michigan! Actually, it was more a surprise for us. 


Now that Ben is done with the first two years of medical school, the books and exams are behind him. Now he gets to do the fun part- shadowing doctors in hospitals! 

Ben’s medical school, American University of the Caribbean, has partnerships with hospitals all over the United States. While students do get to submit a list of prefered locations, the school assigns us to the hospital that fits best, depending on availability. It feels like one of those surprise grab bags we used to get at convenience stores as a kid. And while it made me a little nervous, it was kind of fun to have someone else decide where our next home would be. 


We had hoped to go to Bakersfield, California, the closest hospital to our home in Phoenix. However, we heard rumors that it was full, along with Baton Rouge and Detroit. That left Miami as the only available location on our list, so we planned for a Florida move. Tank tops and Spanish! We were getting prepared. 


Imagine our surprise when we got a call telling us that someone dropped out of the Michigan clinical rotations and we were next in line! We would be joining the previous class’s schedule, starting a few weeks earlier than Ben’s class and making up the Pediatrics rotation at another hospital later. We agreed! 


Ben’s clinical rotations start on August 14, so we had to leave 10 days after we got the news. Not a lot of time! We left Saturday, and we have been driving for two and a half days. We are almost there! 


We still don’t know where we are going to live, and the more we hear about Detroit, the less we know what to do. Go for a 15 thousand dollar home and risk the rough neighborhoods? Let more money slip into the black hole of rental properties but live in a safer area? I don’t know anything about Michigan, except for a little town called Fruitport that so visted two years ago for a wedding. Fruitport is a long way from Detroit. 


Well, I guess that is what we will figure out in the next couple days. We’ve know what it’s like to move far away to a place we had never been, but we’ve never showed up in a new place as a couple of homeless people and a dog! What will Michigan bring? I guess we will find out soon! This is all part od the adventure. 

The Ruins of Pueblo La Plata in Agua Fria

Arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, Uncategorized, United States, , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Do you ever wonder what it was like to live in prehistoric times? I wonder this all the time. We have so much information on how the ancient Romans lived, but there’s so little verifiable evidence about the life and times of the ancient Native tribes in the American Southwest. We do, however, have the remains of many of their homes! Agua Fria National Monument in Arizona alone contains about 500 of them, including Pueblo La Plata. Here’s a little bit about my excursion here and how to find it!

 

Pueblo La Plata

Although there are a ton of ruins in Agua Fria Monument, there’s one in particular that’s pretty well known and has a maintained trail. Pueblo La Plata is a great destination for your trip to Agua Fria National Park, especially if you don’t have the time or ability to take a longer trek into the hills to search out other ruins.

 

 

Although Pueblo La Plata is the easiest pueblo to reach, it’s still pretty far into the park. It took Ben and I about 40 minutes to drive from the park entrance to the end of the road. We actually didn’t quite get to the end of the road, because it’s a pretty rough road and we weren’t in a jeep or anything. That was OK, because it was a beautiful morning for walking around outside!

 

 

Once we walked about ten minutes, we got to the parking area. There was a path from the parking lot to the pueblo that took about five minutes. Once we arrived, we saw the heaps of stones and outlines of walls that had housed generations for perhaps hundreds of years. Visitors have found shards of pottery and left them on flat stones for the rest of us to see. Like in all archaeological sites, removing objects is not allowed. Thank goodness these things are protected for everyone to enjoy!

 

 

Standing by the walls, we looked out over the hills and canyons. How incredible it must have been to wake up every day to this view! The desert is so beautiful, with so many colors. The red dirt and greenery of the prairie is split suddenly by jagged black canyons, and in the distance the purple mountains meld into the blue of the sky. It’s so remote, and ruggedly stunning.

 

How to Get to Pueblo La Plata

Pueblo La Plata is located in Agua Fria National Monument. This national park area is located between Phoenix and Camp Verde, just south of the Sunset Point Lookout by the Bradshaw Mountains.

 

 

Turn off the I-17 onto Bloody Basin Road going east. You’ll see the sign for Agua Fria National Monument. Head down the dirt road. You’ll cross a stream (it might be dry), pass a restroom (which reminds me of descriptions I’ve read of Soviet prison cells– use at your own risk), and head uphill. Follow the signs to Pueblo La Plata. Eventually, you’ll see a sign directing you to turn left. Continue on this road until your car can’t make it anymore and then walk the rest of the way. Eventually, you’ll get to the path leading to the ruins.

 

 

More Awesome Pueblo Sites

There are a lot of great pueblo sites not far from Agua Fria National Monument! Look for Montezuma Well, Montezuma Castle, Tuzigoot, and Palatki.

I visited several sites on a ruins road trip last weekend, and I’ll be posting a new one every day this week! Subscribe or follow me on Facebook to get notified about each new post.

Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, Arizona

Arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, United States, , , , , , ,

 

Sedona is one of Arizona’s most intriguing and beautiful locations. You’ve never experienced the magic of Arizona if you’ve been here! This town is built in a geological wonderland, where breathtaking red rock formations rise from the valley floor to create mystical shapes that inspire hikers and painters alike. Ben and I decided to take Kito here and experience some of the things we hadn’t visited before.

 

 

Although Sedona has become famous as a place where New Age mystics come to seek out vortexes, its most recognizable structure is actually Christian. The Chapel of the Holy Cross was built to honor the God whose hands carved these mysterious mountains. On Sundays it is a place of worship, and during the rest of the week it is a popular destination for people of all belief systems.

 

 

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is built right into the a red rock formation in the heart of Sedona. Although I can’t really see the likeness, the church was inspired by the Empire State Building around the time of its construction. The chapel was finished in the 1950s, and since then it has served as a Catholic place of worship.

 

 

 

The chapel is pretty far out off the I-17, but many people stream into its parking lot every day. I have to admit that we were a bit surprised at how busy it was. I guess when it’s too hot to hike, there isn’t much else to do in Sedona. Besides, the Chapel of the Holy Cross is simply stunning!

We walked up the ramp to the chapel and found ourselves gazing out over the beautiful red-rock landscape. Wow! There are few places in the world quite like this.

 

 

Since Kito couldn’t go into the church, Ben and I took turns sitting inside the chapel. There is a huge window that looks out over Sedona, and I’m pretty sure it’s the best view for a hundred miles around. If it had been quieter in there, that chapel would have been a wonderful place to sit and pray in silence. I was a little bit disappointed that the chapel’s popularity has turned it into such a tourist attraction that it’s pretty much impossible to engage in private worship. Maybe it’s different at other times of the day or when it’s not tourist season.

Even though I didn’t find the atmosphere of the Chapel of the Holy Cross to be conducive to devotional activities while I was there, it was well worth the trip! There’s a lot to love about it: the architecture, the view, the town, and so much more. It’s a great stop for any trip to Sedona. Even just half an hour at the chapel was a wonderful Arizona experience.

 

 

Half an hour was as long as we stayed, although you might want to stay longer. It was pretty warm outside and Kito wasn’t enjoying the crowds, so we decided to drive on to Flagstaff. Kito loved the forest, since it was the first time she had seen one!

Stay tuned for more Arizona adventures! I haven’t been posting much since I’ve been busy doing a lot of things, but pretty soon the 3rd Culture Wife blog will be filled with plenty of new posts on interesting things to see in the Western United States.

By the way, we are moving again soon! We still don’t know where, but I will keep you posted. Subscribe and follow on Facebook to stay connected! Until next time.

Kito’s First Trip to the Forest

Arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, United States, , , , , , , , , ,

 

Kito has been more places in her first year and a half than most dogs see in their lifetime! Although she didn’t love the plane ride that brought her to the United States, she has been enjoying her new surroundings. The desert life has been pretty exciting for her, but she absolutely loved her first trip to the woods!

 

 

Ben took his big Step 1 test, which is the first medical licensing exam that future doctors must take, on the day before our third anniversary. Of course, we had plenty to celebrate on June 7, when his test was done and we had been married for three whole years!

 

By the way– if you want to see our second anniversary adventure in Sint Maarten, read this post. 

 

 

We decided to take a road trip to northern Arizona, where it’s nice and cool. As we drove, we could watch the temperature gauge in our car drop from 101 to 81 degrees. What a difference 20 degrees makes!

 

 

We stopped near Munds Park, which is just outside of Flagstaff, and took a dirt road into the woods.

 

 

Kito was so happy to get off leash and have space to run. She doesn’t go too far away from us, which is good– we did see a coyote while we were walking. Of course, it took off in the other direction as soon as we caught sight of it.

 

 

We also saw a herd of elk. We tried to track them, but that’s pretty hard to do with a dog who wants to play fetch the entire way.

 

 

Hopefully this is the first of many road trips! Kito definitely enjoyed it as much as we did.