If I had to do this blog all over, you know what I'd do? I'd highlight people that I met along the way. I just got done talking to Don Keplinger down on the patio, and he just wanted to talk and talk and tell me all sorts of interesting things about the area! And Dave from Island Pond Visitor Center and Patty from the Irish Cove and Peter and his dad Jon that I met in Linesville and the guy that gave me a free ice cream sundae yesterday because, "Although it's Monday, I want you to enjoy a sundae in Hell!" Oh, and the two guys at the front desk of the hotel last night - they had this routine going on that was CRACKING ME UP!!
Ok, let me talk to you a LITTLE bit, at least...
In Linesville, where the ducks walk on the fish? I met the NICEST father/son duo who gave me all sorts of tips about the area, and I ended up having a FABULOUS crazy hotdog based on their recommendation. I was wearing my t-shirt from the psychiatric museum I visited on the 1st leg of this trip, and wouldn't you know Jon (the dad) was interested in the same thing?! Well, we got to talking, and he took a picture of my shirt. (I have a funny story about that, but I don't want to embarrass him.) He's keeping a blog, too. He put a link to MY blog on his blog, and overnight, my views went up 1000% - NO JOKE! Turnabout is fair play, so here's the link to his - http://joncrispin.wordpress.com/ I can't wait to be able to sit down and get caught up on it.
So, in Linesville, Peter and his dad recommended this hotdog place (UGH - I've left all of my maps and paperwork in the car, and I don't remember the name!). Mr. Ed's? I got there about 10 minutes before closing, so I told the woman behind the counter to give me whatever they were famous for, without looking at the menu. She gave me this FOOTLONG MESS! And it was delicious. I don't know if they have smaller versions available.
Hank's Frozen Custard. A no-brainer.
Where I ended up that night. What did we do before GPS? How did we survive? I punched 'lodging' into mine, and the first two options were SCARY. One...I probably shouldn't even tell you this...but at one of them, this guy came out of his room in his underwear, yelling on his phone and scratching himself while I was waiting the FIVE MINUTES it would take for the lady I talked to over the buzzer to come to the office. I left without even telling her not to bother. The other one smelled like an ashtray, and the woman didn't seem to understand what I meant when I asked for a 'non-smoking' room. So, "Irish Cove" pops up 3rd on the list. It's 2.4m in the other direction, and I ALMOST gave up and went to a chain, but I'm so glad I didn't!
On my way to HELL!! ...Michigan...
They really capitalize on the town name.
For some reason, I could NOT get a good self-portrait with this sign in the background. After about 7 tries, this guy asked if he could take my pic. I normally tell people no, but I was getting frustrated. See, Mom!! I TOLD you I don't look good in pastels!!
There were 3 commercial buildings in Hell, all pretty much sharing the same parking lot. They were called 'uptown', 'midtown', and 'downtown'!! I think a husband/wife team ran all 3, because I ran into him in all of them, and he was always behind a counter. Anyway, at the ice cream shop, he brought me a sundae that he'd invented. He wanted me to guess what the toppings were. There was a yellow sauce over Moose Tracks ice cream, and it was delicious, but I finally gave up. He said he was going to name it "Popeye's True Love"? OLIVE OIL!! He put olive oil and sea salt on the Moose Tracks, and it was amazing. He didn't charge me because he was conducting 'research'.
I just thought this was funny.
Legs Inn. Polish restaurant where I ate last night. 13 miles from anywhere. Neat building, and these legs on top of it somehow make it my RoadsideAttraction #32.
Maybe I should have tried something different, but I went with good ol' potato and cheese periogis. And a beer. That I COULDN'T EVEN FINISH!! (Mainly just because I knew I still needed to drive. AND I just realized this photo is upside down.)
I need to read the literature, but THIS is a famous...thing...at Legs Inn.
So I procrastinated last night and did NOT plan well for stopping for the evening. By the time I left Legs, it was 9:30, and they are SERIOUSLY 13 miles from anything... I was headed for Mackinaw, but I was tired when I saw this lodge all lit up on the side of the road. SCREECH!! Asked about a room at the front desk, and these two HILARIOUS guys told me that yes, there were vacancies. I said, "Single?", and one guy frowned and said "Taken" and the other smiled and wiggled his eyebrows and said "Maybe"! They were CRACKING ME UP. They quoted me a price, and I said - out loud - "SHIT!!", and picked up my purse to walk out. Well, then the haggling started - I've never haggled for a room before! I ended up paying more than I normally do, but FAR LESS than they normally charge - SUCKERS!
The pool has a waterfall?!?
Lobby
View from my BALCONY!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment