Forget West Virginia’s Gauley or New River. Now you can get your whitewater kicks much closer to home — in Petoskey — with the opening this Saturday of the new Bear River Valley Recreation Area featuring a short section of challenging rapids. The new mile-long route, the only whitewater course in Michigan’s lower peninsula, starts … Continue Reading →
Edward Hodgson, director of Megabus operations in the United States, called me the other day to apologize for leaving me, my husband and about 50 other Detroit- and Ann Arbor-bound passengers stranded for two hours this month on the streets of Chicago. What’s more, he said all passengers who were involved in the April 10 … Continue Reading →
I spent five days last week in the Windy City raving to friends about how cheap — $15 — and how easy it was to get there from Detroit aboard the double-decker, wi-fi equipped Megabus. It even arrived an unheard-of 20 minutes early last Tuesday. On Sunday morning, my raves, unfortunately, turned into rants. And … Continue Reading →
A few lucky travelers may be fast enough to snag a limited number of $1 fares to Pittsburgh or Toledo, now that Megabus.com, has launched service to those cities from Detroit. Most travelers will pay a bit more than that as the departure date gets closer — but the rates offered by the city-to-city express … Continue Reading →
Here’s a winter escape that may appeal to ski or snowmobile buffs: Through March 31, Tamarack Lodge of Traverse City is offering a two-night ski or snowmobile package with extra benefits: a $50 gift certificate for dinner at any downtown Traverse City restaurant, plus a bottle of award-winning local wine. Tamarck, a luxury condominium resort … Continue Reading →
If you can’t beat winter, join it. That’s the attitude of Traverse City folks who are pulling out all the stops for the 4th annual Winter WowFest next weekend, Feb. 18-21. Marshalling some of the same energy they throw into the popular National Cherry Festival each summer, they’re staging a winter celebration in and around … Continue Reading →
If all this snow has you jazzed and you’re looking for an alternative to Sunday’s Super Bowl, head to Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa in Thompsonville this weekend. It’s headquarters for the 13th annual Women’s Winter Tour, a non-competitive event designed for women of all skill levels in cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and discounted downhill skiing … Continue Reading →
Jamaica is bringing musical vibes and island warmth to the 20th annual Zehnder’s Snowfest this weekend in Frankenmuth. Visitors may try their luck at getting through Jamaican-themed ice carvings on a 9-hole mini-golf course in Zehnder’s parking lot (behind Rau’s Country Store) from 3-8 pm Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to … Continue Reading →
This frigid weather makes me appreciate even more a recent visit to see my uncle in Delray Beach, a sunny Florida coastal town with an intriguing Michigan connection. Started by African-Americans in 1884, the community was settled a decade later by a Saginaw postmaster, William Seelye Linton, who bought a large tract of land and … Continue Reading →
Some people rant about high taxes, health care or creeping potholes. I’m just mad that the government took my deodorant. That’s right, a few weeks ago in the very non-busy Pensacola airport, a TSA agent in the security line confiscated my Ban roll-on deodorant — the same lime green container that has logged more than … Continue Reading →