The Adventures of Gypsy-Jackie

Yesterday I explored Marquette, MI which is on Lake Superior.  Nice town that is home to Northern Michigan University. First stop was Contrast Coffee Company.  A very different coffee shop - everything was black and white and the total opposite of cozy.  But I did meet a local who gave me suggestions for the day.  My favorite question for locals has become "Where do you take your quests to show them the area?"  It's interesting because it tells you a lot about who they are; outdoorsy, artsy, foody, etc. as well as giving me ideas of what to see. Across the street from the coffee shop.  Honoring all life's events?  Do you think they do weddings too? I'm confused. The day started out rainy but soon cleared up to be another wonderful, sunny (hot!) day. First stop was the Peter White Public Library . Very impressive for such a small town. Once the day had cleared up I went to the Presque Isle Park to explore.  The local I met on my cruise t...

The UP is gorgeous!    After an uneventful night at a pretty sketchy Airbnb ( link ) I   checked out and went for breakfast at a local restaurant.   Looked over my shoulder to see these guys staring at me...from 12 inches away.     I think I should have picked a different table.  But I have to admit the jar of Jif peanut butter was an amusing touch. I spent the morning going from waterfall to waterfall as I made my way to Munising, MI (prepare for picture overload .) Rapid River Falls, Au Train Falls, Wagner Falls, Alger Falls & Munising Falls.  I tried to see Horseshoe Falls but the entrance was through a gift shop and they wanted $8 to see the falls...nope. Boat tour of the Pictured Rocks on Lake Superior.   It was a beautiful day and the 2 hour trip to view the cliffs was really interesting.   Here's a link to some much better pictures than I took. Had I been more adventurous I cou...

Up and on the road by 7 a.m. hoping for some side trips and sightseeing as I made my way to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I stopped for breakfast near Rosedale, Wisconsin at Tabberts...the Sasquatch made me stop and the cherry pie made me glad I did (even though I had to take it to go since I ate too much.)  Just wish I'd gotten more than one piece.   In Green Bay, Wisconsin I stopped at Cabela's to buy some waterproof hiking shoes.   Even though I packed 9 pairs of shoes (don't judge!) I didn't have anything waterproof other than heavily insulated boots...and now I do.   It was odd seeing Cabela's selling Bass Pro t-shirts.  Great drive along the Green Bay of Lake Michigan.   The UP and northern Wisconsin is very pretty.      Everything went really well until I checked into my Airbnb. It's an older, small roadside hotel that is being updated - and it needs a ton of work.   My room smells musty and I imme...

Rain, rain, rain and a possible dam burst (link) soon. Not going to let the rain bother me anymore...because it's not going to stop for days! For some reason I've been dreading going to the laundromat, but my host, Katie allows guests to use her washer and dryer (Yes!!).  This experience made me realized that I have no idea how long it takes clothes to dry.  Typically I dry them for a few minutes to get the wrinkles out, hang them up in the laundry room, shut the door and walk away.  Usually when I return a week later they are dry. But I need my clothes need to be packed - preferably dry - in the morning, so I'm trying to wait out the dryer. I gave up...hung them up in my closet to finish drying - I'll pack them in the morning - hopefully dry - sigh. Off to a coffee house - I think I've found the perfect one, Barriques in Fitchburg, Wisconsin.  It sells coffee, food, beer, wine and wine by the glass.  This place has that calm, chill, leave me alone,...

Another gorgeous day! I woke up early to a beautiful, sunny day and I decided to take a road trip to see the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan.  A local had told me that the Michigan side is so much prettier, so I need to see this side first. It was about an hour and a half drive which I really enjoyed since it wasn't pouring down rain!   I saw a "Brown" sign on the highway for 10 Chimneys National Historic Landmark and decided to go check it out. Turns out it's a big house that someone built at some point.  I was kind of hoping it was some big rocks or other natural land form. I've discovered that I'm not really interested in old mansions.  Had I been with someone who wanted to see it, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it.  But when you're by yourself you don't have to do anything you don't want to.  I arrived at Grant Park after driving around Milwaukee and along the lake shore.  I walked down a wooded trail that opened up onto a b...

I tried my store-bought cold brew coffee and it was really good. Not quite as good as the coffee house stuff, but I was able to go back to bed to drink it so that made up for it. The weather was perfect!!  Blue skies and 70s.  Yes!!  I decided to explore Verona, WI which is a suburb/extension of Madison.  My Airbnb host advertises that she's close to the Epic campus so I had looked up to see that Epic is a software company. Okay, that makes sense that there are probably people traveling there that would want stay at her place. When I checked in she encouraged me to drive by and tour it, she says it's quite something to see.  So I tried to visit it today but unfortunately it's closed. It appeared they were preparing for a large event...a lot of activity and a massive tent set up. Even though I didn't get to tour it, I saw enough to take these pics and know that it is a little wacky. There were lots of people walking around and it felt similar to...