Category Archives: North America

Pure Michigan Road Trip – Day 4

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I left my Airbnb in Traverse City and drove a scenic route along the Michigan Lake shoreline on my way to Marquette in the Upper Peninsula. I stopped in Harbor Springs for a restroom break and took a few photos. It was still early morning.

It was exciting crossing the Mackinac Bridge.

I wanted to capture a photo of the entire Bridge so after I paid my $4 toll fee I took the first exit and went to a state park to take this photo.

My itinerary included Tahquamenon Falls State Park. I stopped for lunch at Tahquamenon Falls Brewery & Pub, located next to the Upper Falls of the Park and then walked a half mile to the main viewing platform.

The falls were impressive. They reminded me of Cumberland falls, Kentucky. The rusty color was surprising. I read that Tannins cause the rust color.

There are numerous vantage points to take photos from.

I drove four miles to the Lower Falls which weren’t as impressive but still beautiful. You only have to walk 400 ft. to the first viewing platform.

On my way to Marquette I stopped at a scenic lookout to take a few photos and stretch my legs. Lake Superior is beautiful, the water is so clear and a beautiful shade of blue.

Once in Marquette, I stopped at a grocery store for supplies and finally arrived at my Airbnb nine hours after my departure from Traverse City.

I unloaded the car, made a sandwich for dinner and watched a Netflix.

Pure Michigan road trip – Day 3

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The only outing I did on Day 3 of my Michigan road trip was hiking a few miles at Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve. The trails are along the Boardman River. It was only a 20 minute drive from my Airbnb.

It’s always fun to hike somewhere you haven’t been. Afterwards I packed for my departure the following day to Marquette in the Upper Peninsula, aka the UP.

Pure Michigan Road Trip – Day 2

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On my 2nd day in Traverse City I drove my bicycle 10 minutes from my lodging to Boardman Lake and cycled the four mile loop around the lake. If you missed Day 1, it’s here.

It’s a relaxing and pretty ride.

Then I cycled into Traverse City and the waterfront to explore a bit.

This is one of the waterfront beaches.

I’d read about a very short hike to see the “hippie” trees so I drove about 10 minutes to check it out. Here’s the beginning of the hike.

Within a few minutes I was there.

I love to see eclectic things. So colorful and unexpected.

Less than three minutes away is The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. It’s a complex of buildings filled with shopping and dining.

I had brunch at the Red Spire Brunch House, located there.

I drove back to my Airbnb and took a nap. To finish my day I went to see a movie …Where the Crawdads Sing. I’d read the book and the movie was very good.

Pure Michigan Road Trip and Sleeping Bear Dunes

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The morning of August 31, 2022, I left home (Northern Kentucky) and drove 7 and 1/2 hours to an Airbnb in Traverse City. I had three days to explore Traverse City and the surrounding areas. I stayed with a couple who have a beautiful view of Michigan Lake from their deck. They were very helpful giving me tips to tweak my itinerary. One of my followers Phil (and I follow his beautiful blog https://philperkins.photography/ ) was very helpful with ideas of where to visit on my Michigan trip.

The following day I left early, drove to Suttons Bay, and took a few photos.

The weather was perfect.

Then I drove to Good Harbor Bay Beach.

My next stop was Glen Arbor, where I had breakfast before driving to Empire Bluff Trail.

The trail is two miles round-trip and there’s a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes.

My next stop was Mission Point Lighthouse.

On the way back to my lodging I stopped at Mari Vineyards for a glass of wine. There are lots of wineries to choose from. I drove a little over three hours total. There wasn’t much traffic and the scenery was beautiful.

I was surprised by how pretty Michigan is and how Caribbean blue the water is.

First Class from Hawaii

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I don’t sleep on planes, mainly because I have two sleep disorders, Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. I decided to pay a hefty price to upgrade to first class on the way home from Hawaii. Once before I had flown in first class from Paris when they randomly asked if I’d like to have a seat in that section, but it wasn’t the type of seat that totally lays flat. I felt like a kid, testing all of the buttons in my little pod. If you’re wondering what happened to my hand…when I went out with the meetup.com group, I was showing them a trick I learned in my military days with a stack of cardboard drink coasters and went to grab them and hit my hand on the table. I had to go to Urgent Care, but it healed quickly.

It was fun!

Final images of Hawaii

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Time to say goodbye to Hawaii…you were there when I needed your warmth and distraction.

I went for a five mile walk one day and got a blister 😦 but some nice photos 🙂

Hopefully I’ll return some day.

Surfing in Hawaii

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I love to capture people in action…like surfing in Hawaii! Skiing, horseback riding, etc.

Some of these photos are from Waikiki Beach and others are from the North Shore of Oahu, that’s where the big waves are.

Photography is fun…especially when people are doing things they love!

Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden

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One of the ladies I met thru Bachelor Number Two invited me to go with her and a friend to Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden. It’s so lush, green, and tropical!

These trees were soooo tall!

We stopped at Kāneʻohe Beach Park afterwards.

It was a lovely afternoon!

Hiking Monoa Falls

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When researching things to do during my month long stay on Oahu, hiking to Monoa Falls was near the top. Getting there was an adventure. I rented a Biki Bike and biked three miles to a local bus that drops you a mile from the trailhead. Once inside the park, it’s less than a 2 mile hike roundtrip, but then everything in reverse. It was well worth it!

Walking through the park, I had visions of Jurassic Park.

I definitely recommend hiking to Monoa Falls!

Invitation to go Sailing

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Remember Bachelor Number Two, I met some women at the barbecue I went to with him and one of them invited me to go sailing! It was a fun day.

It was all women except for the owner/captain of the sailboat. All of the women had varying degrees of sailing experience, so it was interesting to watch him give the orders while he sat.

We went to a sand bar where it’s shallow and you can get out and walk around.

One of the women invited us back to her condo’s hot tub and pool.

Hawaii is definitely beautiful!

Meetup.com is great for solo travelers

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I joined Meetup.com back in 2007 after a divorce and it was a great way to meet people. First it was a hiking meetup, then a wine-tasting meetup, followed by others. Thinking of ways to combat my loneliness during my month-long stay on Oahu, I checked out the meetups that were available and joined a few. I ended up going to two events, both were Happy Hours. After a couple of Mai Tai’s, I was hamming it up for this photo 🙂

At the end of the evening…

I met a girl at one of the Happy Hours and she invited me to her pool, which was lovely.

I didn’t have a beach bag with me, so when we walked a couple of blocks from her apartment that she rented for 6 weeks to work remotely, I naively placed my keys, cover-up, and wallet in her bag. After a while, I decided to take a walk on the beach for 15 minutes and when I returned, she had vanished. I called and texted her repeatedly, to no avail. I thought perhaps she had went back to her place, so I walked back and luckily remembered her floor number. My phone was almost dead and there was a guy on the elevator, so I asked him if he had a charger for my type of phone…he did, so I explained the situation and he said if she wasn’t at her place to come to his and I could charge my phone. She wasn’t at her place, so I went to his, which felt awkward, being in a male stranger’s apartment. Anyway, as I’m charging my phone, he was preparing dinner and invited me to dine with him, which I did. She finally called me back (1 ½ hours later) and said she was at the pool bar and for me to join her. I explained I didn’t want to walk back in only my bathing suit and was eating dinner so she said she’d be back within an hour. As soon as she returned, I retrieved my things, checked my wallet in front of her, and could tell she was very inebriated…her apartment smelled like vomit. She wasn’t apologetic. To make a long story a little shorter, just recently (which is 4 months later) I received an e-mail from Walmart concerning a purchase I made, but it wasn’t me (I won’t go into the details, but I could tell it was her). I had to cancel my credit card and change my passwords. Lesson learned!

I took this photo while taking my naive walk on the beach.

Hiking Diamond Head at Sunrise

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Hiking is one of my favorite activities and having gorgeous scenery when you’re doing it is amazing! Since I didn’t have a car for my month-long stay in Honolulu, I rented a Biki Bike before sunrise, biked 1.5 miles to the closest Biki Bike station near the trail head, hiked 2 miles to the summit and then back to the Biki Bike station. There were a few people on the trail. It began raining as I approached the summit, which made it difficult to take photos, but the views were beautiful!

As I climbed these stairs, I turned around for the view…

At the summit….Wow!

Hiking back…

The trail began filling up…

Hiking Diamond Head was one of the highlights of my visit to Oahu!

Bachelor Number Three

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Since Bachelor Number One and Two didn’t work out, I went out twice with Bachelor Number Three, a surfer dude and native Hawaiian. Our first date lasted for over 12 hours. He picked me up before sunrise at my apartment and drove me around the island sightseeing. Our first stop was to view the amazing sunrise…

He was my favorite of the three, but since it was nearing the end of my month-long stay, we didn’t keep in contact.

A surfer preparing for the day…

This is known as China Man’s Hat…

There are cool rock formations all over the island…

We went to Waimea Botanical Gardens and walked thru the lush gardens to the waterfall where you can swim. I had my bathing suit on and the water was so refreshing!

We stopped for a late lunch and I paid for his as a thank you for the wonderful day!

Upon arrival back at Waikiki Beach, where I was staying, we sat on the beach and watched the sun set. What an amazing day!

Bachelor Number Two

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As I said in my last post, since I was spending a month in Oahu, Hawaii in January/February of this year, I thought it would be nice to meet some people, so I had tentative dates set up with three men. Bachelor Number Two had lived on the island for over 30 years and was originally from Germany. I ended up going out with him three times. For our first date, he took me on a 2-3 mile round-trip hike to this spot that hang gliders use. The view is amazing! Obama’s compound is down below. #localsknow

Our view as we approached the scenic overlook.

For our second date, we went out for dinner. I paid for his as a way to say thank you for showing me around.

We drove to the North shore for our third date and I met a small group of his friends at a barbecue. It was fun, but I didn’t have chemistry with him.

This was our secluded bbq site, except for the rooster 🙂

How to Date While on a Solo Vacation

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After my husband passed in 2018 I began online dating in 2019 through a few different sites. Dating in your early 60’s is quite different than when you’re younger. I would take a month or two off when I became frustrated with it. I decided to reach out to a few men that lived in Oahu before my arrival in January of 2022 and got to know a little about them.

Bachelor Number One

My first date was with a man that was going through a lot with his ex wife concerning their child. He drove us around the island sightseeing. I bought his lunch as a way to say thank you for his time.

We stopped at various spots for the views. I know many of you would be hesitant to get in a car with a stranger, but I am the type of person to take calculated risks and I listen to my instincts.

Since I’m retired I can move any where and tried to imagine living on Oahu, but decided the island life wasn’t for me. Next up is Bachelor Number Two.