Road Trip!

You never know what kind of weather Autumn will bring to Michigan. It could be 85 one day and 55 the next.  Some years we barely have time to appreciate the color change before wind and rain bring the leaves down far too soon. Other years, like last year, the color lasts for weeks and every weekend is gorgeous. We Michiganders have learned to live in the moment because we never know what Mother Nature will bring tomorrow.

Last Thursday my husband had the day off, the high temp was around 70 and only partially sunny.  Knowing we couldn’t wait for “perfect” weather, we put the top down on the mustang, grabbed a couple of sweatshirts, cued up my favorite playlist and headed out to explore some of the rural areas we hadn’t had the chance to visit since moving here.  Sunshine was scarce and we had the heat on most of the time, but we had a great time anyway.  We stopped at whatever looked interesting.  I can’t resist a scenic overlook!

 

   

We ended up in Luzerne, just outside Mio, for lunch at Lost Sky Creek Ranch.  When we pulled up I wasn’t sure they were open, despite the sign in the window.  It’s a large, wooden building with a covered porch/walkway and has extensive grounds.  We could see dozens of picnic tables, multiple fire pits, and a stage off to one side of the building.  There was no one else around until the owner’s son came out to great us, enthusiastically telling us there was going to be a band the next night.  You couldn’t help but smile as he repeated himself a few times.  His grandma came out and explained they were just putting away their food truck order and we could sit anywhere we wanted.  We went inside to find a pool table, large bar, tvs, a small stage and a couple dozen tables.  We chatted a bit and discovered that they had just bought this property in January and were just getting things up and going when Covid hit and they had to shut down.  They reopened in June and all summer had bands on their outdoor stage.  They have plans to build a bigger outdoor space with an elevated stage, heated bar to be used year round and inside events as well.  It’s the kind of place that would be fun to go with your friends on a Saturday night. They even have some hotel rooms.  I wasn’t able to find a website, but you can look them up on Facebook.  The food wasn’t fancy but it’s a cool space and I would go back again.

After lunch we took a different route back towards Oscoda. We passed a lot of beautiful farmland and parts of Huron National Forest. We drove through the decommissioned air force base in Oscoda. The city is utilizing much of the space for the community. There is a library, community theater, dance studio, condos and senior housing, veterans memorials, parks, etc. Kalitta Air is also based there and is a leading employer in the area.

For dinner we went to Edelweiss in downtown Oscoda. The owners here just had their first anniversary of buying the business. Unfortunately because of Covid restrictions they are only doing outside service at this time. They have invested money in a nice patio area with 4 or 5 tables umbrellas for shade, and a large gathering table in the middle with a fire feature. A fun place for a dozen of so people to get to know each other. I love what the new owners are doing as far as promoting their new menu and updates online. I hope they are able to open up again soon inside, I’m looking forward to going with friends for dinner and live music. After dinner we took a walk around town. There are some cute businesses spread out over a few blocks and it’s only a block off Lake Huron and a big park/beach where in a normal year they have live band and movie nights.

It was a great day for a road trip. I’m hoping for at least one more before the leaves completely fall, but if that doesn’t happen I will be glad I at least had this day! If you have any questions about any of the places I mentioned or have a suggestion of a place I should check out, please comment below.

As always, thanks for reading!