Dinner and Beers - Day 1

We got to Grand Rapids about 9 PM last night.

Sidebar.  I'm not sure what I think of Grand Rapids.  It's a little run down, or at least the hotel and where it is located is.  I will reserve full judgment until later today as we do more breweries and site seeing.

Went to a restaurant called Graydon's Crossing - it was great!  Awesome beer list, good food.

Here's the beer list - all Michigan breweries:

• Patty - samplers of:
• Greenbush Sunspot, American Wheat - it was really tasty!  Of course, not as good as Chris's hefeweizen, but really...what is?
• Arbor Brewing Buzzsaw IPA - it was good, but a little overdone on the Columbia and Centennial hops
• Arcadia Hopmouth Double IPA - it was OK...wanted something more.
• New Holland Brewing IPA on cask - good, but by that point I was so tired and full, Chris finished it.
• Chris:
• Arcadia Hopmouth Double IPA - he liked it.
• New Holland Brewing Imperial IPA - pretty good, says he.
• New Holland Brewing Rye IPA - was OK, was light on the rye character.

I'm going to try (TRY, mind you) to only drink beers I can't get at home.  EXCEPTION:  Bell's.  We're going there on Sunday as a pilgrimage.

Welcome to Michigan!

We arrived!  This is a first for both of us - visiting Michigan.

Did you know that Michigan has the greatest number of lighthouses of any state in the US?  At least that is what they told us in Maine when we were lobstering.  I like to believe it is true.

Light House at Ludington

View of the Michigan shoreline

Coast Guard Station at Ludington

Here is what happens when they unload the ferry.  I had no idea they would have so many semis!  So you just stand there and wait for your car, while the valet's drive your car out, then RUN RUN RUN back into the boat to get the next car (later in the process up a steep ramp to the upper deck!).   I would die if I had that job.  That is clear.

On the Boat!

If you ever want to try something a little different, take the SS Badger (i.e. Ludington Car Ferry) across Lake Michigan.  It's a little cheesy, but the people are VERY nice, it is VERY clean, and there actually is a lot to do for 4 hours.  They had movies, bingo, and two TV lounges.

Here's me walking under the GIANT life boats.  Honestly, I really just thought, if the ferry sinks, what are the odds I'll get to one of these before freezing to death?  But they are there nonetheless.  There's another view of the rear (aft?) of the boat - complete with huge truck they were ferrying.

Lifeboats on the SS Badger

View from the rear of the ship

Selfie on the boat

They did have beers on the boat...like these two.  Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy and Leinenkugel's Red.  Well, let me tell you...it could have been worse.  Shocking coming from me, I know.  But at the time, where there are no other good alternatives (the Bell's Oberon RAN OUT), this is what you drink.

SS Badger

We have come aboard!  This is a picture of us pulling up to the car ferry...note the pollution being spewed...

It's a little old school.  Definitely not fancy.  And there are a lot of mullets and Nascar shirts.  We will see if the sea bands work and I can avoid being sea sick.

Research is important...

So I got "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt in audiobook for our trip...been listening for 2.5 hours.  It's amazing so far.

Good thing we like it because I just checked and the length of the audio book will have us listening for another 30 hours!!

Maybe I should have checked that before we bought it...

Roadkill

What is happening with all the dead deer on 94 and 29 in Wisconsin??  Good lord.  Is there a population boom?  It's like every five minutes there's another one on the side of the road.

Off to Michigan!

We are off on another road trip, this time to Michigan for the National Homebrew Conference. 

Interestingly, we will not be going through Indiana at all, instead taking the Ludington Ferry across Lake Michigan, and then coming home through the U.P.

No Super Subs this trip.