Tag / Lake Michigan

by admin

Travelling The 50 States – Michigan

Over my 48 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States.  I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 31 states I have visited (62% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning.  Working in alphabetical order, we continue today with the 26th state to be added to the Union: Michigan

State: Michigan
Joined the Union: 1837
Visits: 5

Despite its proximity, The Mitten has been an infrequent place for me to visit.  Nearly all of my visits can be attributed to one of two things: baseball and ice skating.  The one outlier came during the COVID lockdown, when travel options were limited.

My first trip to Michigan came in 1999 in an effort to see a game during the final season of Tiger Stadium.  Along with my mom and my sister, we took the quick flight and then took a bus into Windsor for a pre-game meal, the first time any of us had left the country.  After some slight difficulties getting back across the border, we headed to the game, where rookie Kip Wells made his major league debut for the White Sox and picked up the victory against the Tigers.  We flew back home the following day.

Nearly a decade later, I returned to Detroit in 2010 for a Labor Day weekend clash between the White Sox and the Tigers.  This time, I booked a hotel in Windsor, so I drove from Chicago to Canada, checking in to the hotel before catching a bus back across the border and to Comerica Park.  The next afternoon, I drove back and took in the afternoon tilt before driving home with two Tiger victories under my belt.

Six years later, the synchronized skating championships were held in Kalamazoo.  The family travelled north to see Angelina and her team compete.

In 2019, the family traveled to Ann Arbor, where BU was competing in a synchronized skating competition.

My most recent visit to Michigan came over Labor Day week in 2020.  With everything locked down thanks to the corona virus, I was looking for a chance to get away and found a nice Airbnb in Holland close to Lake Michigan.  Other than a couple of trips to the lakes (both Macatawa and Michigan) and a day spent in Saugatuck, I didn’t see much of the sites, as the rona was still very much a concern.

Will I return?  I imagine so.  Neither of the boys have been to Comerica yet, so a future visit is not out of the question.

by admin

FB8 – Week 42

A lost week, thanks in part to a dead battery and too much work, ending my streak of finishing above 30,000 steps at three weeks.  The week went off the rails on Sunday, since I forgot to bring my Fitbit charger with me to Boston and my battery died on my flight home, meaning I lost a lot of airport steps, registering only 3100 steps.  Things picked up considerably on Monday, as I ended up with just over 4300 steps.  Things fell off again on Tuesday, as meetings left me at 2900 steps.  Wednesday was even worse, dropping down to 2500 steps.  The promise of the final 70-degree fay of the year on Thursday led to the best day of the week as I played hooky in the afternoon, spending some time at a beach by Lake Michigan and finishing with 4800 steps.  Friday fell off again, dropping down to 3500 steps.  Saturday was spent making sure Michael was fed, which left me with a mere 2800 steps.

Total steps: 24,120

Daily average: 3445.7

by admin

Travelling The 50 States – Illinois

Over my 47 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States.  I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 31 states I have visited (62% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning.  Working in alphabetical order, we continue today with the 21st state to be added to the Union: Illinois.

State: Illinois
Joined the Union: 1818
Visits: 16,000+

How do you track how often you’ve been in the state you’ve lived in your entire life, save for your time away at college?  My first “visit” came nearly 48 years ago on the day I was born at Mercy Hospital on the south side of Chicago.

I’ve managed to do 18 of the Bicentennial Bucket List: 200 Things To Do In Illinois, published by the Chicago Tribune in 2018 to celebrate the best the state has to offer in history, food, architecture, culture, sports, nature, drink, and oddities.  Among the places I visited were Water Tower, Morton Arboretum, Route 66, United Center, Skydeck at Willis Tower, the former Arlington International Racecourse, Rialto Square Theatre, Lake Michigan, The Second City, Chicago Sports Museum, and the Superman statue in downstate Metropolis.

I’ve seen baseball games at Wrigley Field, Comiskey Park, and Guaranteed Rate Field.  I’ve seen football games at Soldier Field, Memorial Stadium, Ryan Field, and Wrigley Field.  I’ve seen basketball games at the United Center, Welsh-Ryan Arena, State Farm Center, and Allstate Arena.  I’ve seen hockey games at the United Center.  I’ve seen both the White Sox and the Cubs win the World Series.  I’ve seen the Bears win a Super Bowl.  I’ve seen the Bulls win 6 NBA Championships.  I’ve even seen the Blackhawks win a Stanley Cup or two.

I’ve seen concerts at Wrigley Field, City Winery, Ravinia, the Riviera Theatre, Abbey Pub, Metro, the Chicago Theatre, United Center, Charter One Pavilion, Allstate Arena, The Vic Theatre, House of Blues, World Music Theatre, Soldier Field, and Mabel’s,

by admin

Fitbit 6: Week 33

Week 26 of working from home due to the corona virus saw an improvement, as I headed out on vacation for the Labor Day holiday.  The week got off to a slow start on Sunday, where an afternoon walk down to Holland State Park and Lake Macatawa left me with just over 5000 steps.  Monday saw a nice improvement, as we headed down to Saugatuck for Labor Day, finishing with 7600 steps.  Tuesday was the high point of the week, when, left to my own devices, I headed out on a walk to Lake Michigan, which gave me a healthy 9100 steps.  Wednesday fell back a bit to 7500 steps, thanks in part to a trip to Meijer to recharge my car.  Thursday was the low point of the week. where my first experience with newly legal substances led me to only earning 4600 steps.  Friday bounced back again, coming in with 8100 steps as I stayed local.  Saturday, I took one last walk by the lake before driving home and spending the night with friends, giving me 5800 steps.

Total steps: 48,156

Daily average: 6879.4