What are you waiting for ?

I have a sweet little Mustang GT convertible that I only get to drive 6 months a year, thanks to our salty Michigan winter roads. For the past month I’ve only driven around town, mostly to the grocery store and back. Because we live in town, most days I don’t even get in my car at all. So…I’ve been itching for a road trip. Top down, music up, driving over 25! As Chad commutes so much during the week, the last thing I want to do is ask him to take a road trip on the weekend.

So I asked a friend to drive up to Alpena (about an hour away) with me for lunch on Monday. She was excited about it but then ended up having to work. So then Katie (my oldest daughter) was going to go with me on Tuesday, but SHE ended up having to work. So then I was faced with a dilemma. Do I wait for a time when someone can go with me, or head out on my own. I honestly went back and forth all day Monday, not sure what I wanted to do. I woke up Tuesday morning still undecided. Until I opened up Facebook and saw this:

It was a sign! So I put on some sunscreen, grabbed a water bottle and my camera and headed out with the idea that I would head North to Alpena and stop along the way at whatever interested me. I stopped at the Au Sable Harbor at the mouth of the river in Oscoda and walked out to the end of the pier. I talked to a nice fisherman who was only too happy to share his knowledge of the dredging boat, which was totally unfamiliar to me. He showed me the little “islands” that had formed where the sand had been been pumped out from the river. The seagulls seemed to be very grateful. He also said he has been coming out to that same area to fish since the 1950’s. He offered me his extra pole but I regretfully said I needed to be on my way.

Next up was the old air force base, also in Oscoda. I am really glad to see that most of the buildings and open spaces are being utilized instead of just falling into disrepair. I also got to get up close to an airplane graveyard!

I passed through Greenbush and Harrisville and stopped at the state park and harbor. While at the harbor, I met an older gentleman and his dog, Buddy. Buddy was a yellow lab mix and seemed to love riding around in the back of their old pick up truck. I stopped to pet him because he looked so darn excited to see me walking by. As I pulled out I saw him and his “dad” heading to the dog area to play some catch.

It is a beautiful drive between Harrisville and Alpena. Very little traffic, interesting scenery. Lots of people out on motorcycles.

Alpena itself is a nice town. The biggest one north of Bay City on this coastline. I walked around town a bit, had lunch and even saw some of my Tawas Bay friends. After lunch I headed over to the marina because you know my favorite place is by the water!

As I was debating whether or not I wanted to walk all the way to the end of this pier after having already done quite a bit of walking, I saw an older lady with a cane making her way back from the end. I figured it she could do it then I had no business being lazy! I stopped to chat with her about halfway down. Turns out she used to walk this almost every day with her husband and he passed away 2 years ago. She doesn’t come everyday anymore…but she comes as often as she is able. And she goes all the way to the end and sits on “their” bench and watches the boats come in and out of the harbor. It reminded me of my husband and I, and the benches in our town that are our favorite ones to sit on and take in the scenery.

After taking a lot of pictures, talking to some really nice people and having been in the sun for a few hours, I was ready to head back home. But there was just one more thing I had to take a picture of on my way back. I have no idea WHY it is there, but the why isn’t important. I was just glad it was because it made for a cool picture.

My takeaway from today is this; Don’t put things off! Go for the drive, play catch with your dog, go out to your favorite fishing spot. Walk all the way to the end of the pier. Don’t stay home and wish you had gone. Make the most of the time we are given and live everyday to the fullest!