I Hope You All Know I Had the Time of My Life

I don't have much time to write this week.  It's the last week of summer and I'm running around like a chicken before school starts, at which point I will have all the time in the world to blog about all the things that I learned and did over the summer.  I just would like to say thank you to all the people I met along the way in my travels this summer.  I may not know your names like I do Scott who drove us all around the dunes in Saugatuck, Michigan, but I do remember you all and am grateful that for whatever reason, we met.

I would like to thank the owners of the A-1 Star Inn in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada for being the nicest people I ever rented a room from.  The place wasn't a five star accommodation, but we were still very happy there, and it was all because you were so nice to us.

I would love to mention the lovely couple that we had dinner with at the food court right before the fire works in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.  I loved meeting you and hearing about how after being widowed you both decided to take the plunge and try again.  I loved the stories about being a trucker in Saskatchewan and I love the fact that you didn't bring your passports, even though we were all looking at the U.S.  After all your travels, it told me something eye opening.  Good luck on your marriage and may you have many years of happiness.

While we're at it, I would like to thank the gentleman at the cigar shop who told us all about import rules, so that we knew how much we could spend on Cuban cigars for a souvenir for my husband.  I learned a lot in your shop.  I would like to shout out to the comic book guy for teaching me about Captian Kanook and having a great store.  I would like to thank the people at Niagara Falls Go Karts for giving my kid that special pass to come back and ride some more for less money.  Thank you to the wonderful girl at the Rock and Roll Wax Museum for being so funny and friendly and telling us all about how the place came about.  Thank you girls at the Hornblower Tours for helping me figure out how passengers got to the bottom of the gorge to get on the boats.  That was really bothering me.  Thank you street performers for providing a lot of great music and magic for us to enjoy on our journey.  We had a great time.

And, thank you great crowd of Canadians that we met in the line to go to America at Rainbow Bridge for telling us that it normally wasn't that bad.  I think that we found out later that it really is that bad, because Blue Water Bridge was no better.  But, thank you for trying to make us feel better.  And thank you border guards for doing your job and protecting us, but to the guy at Blue Water Bridge, I really do live here.

Thank you to the folks of Frankenmuth, Michigan.  Thank you to the staff of America's Best Inns for being so friendly and getting our room ready for us in a hurry even though you were having a terrible staffing crisis.  We felt special and that was great.  Thank you ladies at the Bavarian Inn for telling us the history of Little Bavaria and giving us the background on an amazing place.  And Wally Bronner, may you rest in peace, your store is truly amazing.  We loved meeting the people who keep the legend alive and we got some great deals too.

Thank you Dearborn, Michigan, and thank you everyone who helped give us directions to the Henry Ford.  It's not easy to find.  Thank you to the tour guide at the Rouge Factory that answered my million questions.  Thank you to the staff at the old diner in the museum who told us all about it's history and made a great burger.  Thank you to the ladies who helped us get some annoying people out of the way so that we could take our pictures in the car.  And thank you to the gentleman who not only let us play around in the car, but told us all about how many times they take it apart as part of the experience in the museum.  Thank you also in the Ann Arbor Motel 6 for helping us figure out the WiFi, fixing our fridge and helping us order our Domino's Pizza in it's hometown.

Thank you John Cologne for being you.  Hell is one of those amazing places that you wish you could spend more time in, and it's all because of your vision, your sense of humor, and the drive you have glowing from within.  It was a wonderful experience that we will never forget.

Thank you all that we met in Holland, Saugatuck, and Douglas, Michigan.  Thank you kids that we met at the pool from Chicago and your grandparents.  We enjoyed our evening with you and had a lot of fun.  Thank you to the breakfast lady at the Comfort Inn for still making us breakfast even though we were late.  Thank you to all the people at the Dune Schooners including our veteran tour guide, Scott.  Thank you to Zoe, Nate and your family for having a fun afternoon with us at Oval Beach.  I loved hearing the story of how Zoe was a miracle baby.  It does the soul good to hear such tales.

And thank you Cleveland.  Wow, what a town.  We will be back.  Thank you to the lovely couple at the hotel who helped us get around and made us feel like family.  Thank you Indians for putting on a great game and thank you to whomever came up with Rock and Blast, because that was the best fire works show I ever saw.  Thank you to the security guy, the bartender, and all the locals that we met along the way for making us understand why people like Anthony Bourdain and Drew Carey are so fond of your amazing city.  Your town is a true original and truly beautiful as well.

So, for all of you like me who think that it doesn't matter if you show up today, or it doesn't matter what you say or do, I assure you that it does.  I met so many wonderful people on the road this summer, and without you, it never would have happened.  Please keep being who you are and doing what you do so that when people like me show up, we can appreciate it.  I learned a lot and had a lot of fun along the way.  Thank you and I hope that you all know I had the time of my life.

I'll be back next week with some new stuff for travelers, but in the mean time, go to Cleveland.  What a town.

Enjoy!

http://www.hotels.com/
http://www.niagara-usa.com/
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http://www.frankenmuth.org/
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http://bronners.net/
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http://www.thehenryford.org/
http://saugatuckduneride.com/_index.php
http://www.cityofholland.com/windmillislandgardens
http://www.saugatuck.com/beaches.asp
http://www.thisiscleveland.com/
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=cle
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/139686732/cleveland-indians-announce-theme-for-2015-rock-n-blast
http://www.cafepress.com/artisticcreationsbyninakindred1
http://www.zazzle.com/imagings
http://terri-dixon.artistwebsites.com/
https://www.facebook.com/adventuresforanyone?fref=ts
https://www.fictionpress.com/u/530752/Nina-Kindred

Welcome to Hell...Michigan!

Where is Hell?  Interesting question.  For years I thought it was at work.  Recently, I up and went to one of those places that I know I've mentioned in this blog, just to see what it was really all about.  I was fascinated.  Hell was not what I imagined, but I do agree that they have great ice cream.

Hell is a real town established in 1841 on Patterson Lake Road in south central Michigan.  It's not much of a town, but it is one of the more interesting places I've ever been to.  It's not incorporated any more, so it's part of Putnam Township in Livingston County and unofficially is home to about 200 people.  The whole place got started around a sawmill in town that is on Hell Creek.  How the name Hell came to everything is unclear, but the world seems to know all about Hell, Michigan now.

Hell Michigan has become a tourist attraction in the middle of nowhere in south central Michigan, but it has some festivals that are legendary.  For one thing, they run through Hell.  It's a running race that is held every year around the middle of summer, and thousands of people come for the festivities, and to say that they ran through Hell.  I mean, who wouldn't go for that?  They also have a festival in September that brings out all the ghoulies.  The Hearse Festival has been going on for 14 years now and is in part sponsored by Hell's Hearse Club.  They have a parade every year that landed them in the Guiness Book of World Records.  They hold the record for the world's longest hearse parade right there in Hell, Michigan.  That's one I've never heard of, but there it is.  They also race coffins and a lot of other stuff during that festival, and  I hear it's a lot of fun.  My parents loved it.

So, what's with Hell?  After the sawmill went away, and people moved to more populated areas, it kind of went downhill.  It became a little sore spot in the road that drew a lot of undesirables.  It's the sad part of the story.  It was really sad for those who had grown up there, lived there, or did business there.  What's the solution to a thing like that?

Well, in the case of Hell, the solution was John Cologne.  He owns most of Hell now.  He grew up there, left to fight in Vietnam and run a Chrysler Dealership, but returned when he retired.  He said that there were only so many plants that he could plant in his garden, so he got bored and bought most of the town.  He decided to drive out the undesirables and turn the place into an attraction and put Hell on the map.  He declared himself mayor, got some grant money, cleaned up the town, and put on his funny bone to turn Hell into a whole lot of fun.  The fun culminated on 6/6/2006 when the day of 6/6/6 presented a joke that could not be resisted.  A local reporter asked John what they were doing for the special day of the beast and he said that they weren't doing anything, but they would like to invite the whole world to go to Hell.  They did.  12,000 people descended on Hell that day, thinking that it was the perfect way to celebrate a day that they would only see once in their lifetime.  They came from Japan, Germany, and two people even hitch hiked in from Spokane, Washington.  They came from everywhere. There was no official press, it just passed from publication to publication all around the world.  It was quite a day in Hell.  They ran out of water, food, and places to put people, but word was out that Hell, Michigan is here to stay.

But, seriously there is nothing too serious in Hell.  You can mail stuff from there, you can play mini golf, you can go kayaking in the creek, you can eat and get ice cream (the ice cream is really good), you can shop at the Halloween store, and you can get some great photo ops.  You can go to the Dam Site Inn, or come for a festival.  It's a really cute place to go and get your grins on.  You can even be the mayor for the day if you like.

Of course, you can get married.  What?  That's right, Hell is home to the world's smallest wedding chapel.  It seats 8 guests plus the minister, bride and groom.  It may sound silly to go all the way to Hell just to get married, but 70 couples came there last year just to say that they got married in Hell.  They came from all over.  There are a lot of people with a great sense of humor.  John said that he thinks there will be even more this year.  They even recently added an attraction for those in love, and it's called Locks of Love.  John inherited an old bridge that used to run along the top of the old dam in town.  It's not used anymore since they got a nice new dam, so he turned it into Locks of Love.  Here you can bring a lock, put you and your love's names on it, lock it to the old bridge and your love will last forever.  You can lock your love in Hell.

So, it all starts at the gates of Hell, and ends in the gift shop.  It's not your normal town, but it sure makes an impression on you.  Because it's so out of the way, I was surprised to see how many people were there on a Wednesday.  It's quite an accomplishment for John Cologne and his whole town of people who supported the venture.  I've never seen anything like it, and I probably will never find anything quite like Hell.  So, what's the adventure for anyone?  I think it's just the town.  It's something unique and fun.

Would I go there again?  You bet I would.  I'm thinking that maybe my husband and I should renew our vows.  Hell seems like the perfect spot.

Enjoy!

http://gotohellmi.com/
http://www.michigan.org/city/hell/
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/2456
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/things-hell-michigan-55641.html
http://www.yelp.com/biz/dam-site-inn-hell
http://www.mapquest.com/us/mi/hell
http://hellsurvivorspaintball.com/forge-through-hell
http://hellfest.info/
http://www.foundmichigan.org/wp/2012/10/24/the-devil-may-care-one-mans-quest-to-save-hell-michigan/
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http://terri-dixon.artistwebsites.com/
http://www.zazzle.com/imagings
https://www.fictionpress.com/u/530752/Nina-Kindred
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The Things You Learn in Niagara

I've traveled most of my life, and sometimes the things that I learn just amaze me.  I recently visited Niagara Falls for the first time in 16 years.  I know, it seems like a long time, especially since I only live a few hours away, but I like new things and only have so much time; therefore I don't get to go there often.  This was my first time going there since 9/11.  I don't think I realized how much things had changed.

The falls never change.  They are beautiful and one of my favorite sights in the world.  But the world around them is really different than it used to be.  Niagara Falls used to be one place that just happened to sit on the border of Canada and the United States.  I must say that it was always more entertaining on the Canadian side.  Sorry to my fellow Americans, but it's true.  That's where my story starts.  I made reservations to stay on the Canadian side.

Rainbow Bridge has become more than just a beautiful bridge.  It has become a tightly monitored border crossing.  That's not to say that it's really any easier at any other crossing, but this is one of the busy ones.  When 9/11 happened, these people were used to running back and forth to work, or to go out for an evening, maybe even see a movie.  I used to just stop and say "Hi, I'm going to Canada."  No one worried about anything.  One of the reasons that it's taken me so long to get back now is because I had to have a passport.  It's new to me.  I grew up in pre-apocolyptic times.  I have traveled back and forth to Canada, especially through Detroit and Windsor at least a hundred times in my life.  But now it's different.

Now you choose which boat to get soaked on.  If in the U.S. you will take the Maid of the Mist.  If you are in Ontario you will take the Hornblower.  I actually took the Maid of the Mist 16 years ago, when all the raincoats on all the boats from either side were blue.  I didn't take either cruise this time, because they are wet and miserable.  So, everyone should go once for the experience, but if you go twice, shame on you.

But, what about the crossing?  We had to drive up on a curb like structure on our way to Canada.  They asked all the usual questions, and asked me if my son was my son.  Legitimate question, since he could have been anyone with the same last name.  I'd never thought about that.  They wanted to know about alcohol and tobacco and such.  We waited in line about a half hour at a busy time on a Friday and we were gone.

Our plan was to go back the next day and go to the Cave of the Winds.  That's where everything got a little weird for me.  We got our stuff, minus our luggage which was tucked away in our hotel room, and we headed to the bridge.  Traffic was backed up for over a mile.  We sat in line for an hour and barely even moved.  We met some very nice people who live there, and they said that this was not common.  They should know.  But, was that true?  I still want to know.  After sitting in traffic that barely moved.  I mean only half a block or so, and that was because people were giving up and leaving in front of us.  The line itself had not moved at all.  We finally gave up and took the turn to go back to the Canadian Niagara Falls.  Sorry U.S.  I was only in town for a couple of days, and I didn't want to spend it all in line to get into my own country.

I always meet people in my travels whether it be at a comic book store, Tim Horton's, my hotel, a rock and roll wax museum or just watching the fireworks on a Friday night.  I saw the lines then, and I wondered what the deal was.  So, in my curious way, I started to ask people about the border crossing issue.  I was on the Canadian side, so the people that I talked to were from Canada.  Most of them don't bother with the crossing.  Most of them find it too much trouble, even though they used to cross it all the time to go to the casino, theater, or out to eat.  It's just too much trouble.  I talked to a retired couple who were in town for their honeymoon from Saskatchewan.  They were both widowed and giving love a second chance.  It was great, but would they go to the U.S?  No.  He used to be a trucker, and he told me all about his travels throughout both Canada and the U.S.  He said that something just changed.  It was like the whole world had gone nuts.  They did not even bring their passports with them, even though they were going to be looking at the U.S.  They had no desire to go, because of the border crossing.  So, there I was in Canada, I'd seen the border going back, and I wondered if I was going to be able to get back home.

So, there we were watching fireworks that I'm pretty sure are put on by Canada.  We listened to some live music before the fireworks that was also on the Canadian side.  Everything was beautiful, but how long would it really take to get back into the U.S?  No one mentioned some big thing at the border during the day, so we didn't know if that was normal, or if something had happened.  We did see police when we turned off, so maybe it was an incident.  Maybe it was just crowd control.  We weren't sure.  The locals all said that it wasn't normally like that, but they all also said that they never bothered to cross Rainbow Bridge, because it was too much trouble.  So, what was the deal?

So, we spent the rest of our brief visit playing on Clifton Hill, looking at Dinosaurs, riding the SkyWheel, walking through the gardens, and checking out the Hard Rock Casino.  We had a really good time.  We never did try to cross that border again, because we were on our way to Port Huron, Michigan.  We packed our bags and took off across the Ontario Peninsula to cross at the Michigan border.  It wasn't as busy up there as it was in Niagara, so what could go wrong?

Well, you tell me, America.  I got to Port Huron, and saw the biggest bridge I think I've ever seen towering hundreds and hundreds of feet above the water that was emptying into Lake Huron, and I got stuck in line at the border.  I got into a line that was only cars.  There weren't even any SUVs in my line.  I thought it should be easy.  I thought about a half hour.  No.  I don't even know how long we were there, but it was long enough for me to wonder why you couldn't use a cell phone up there.  I don't even like cell phones, but we were bored.  I was snapping pictures and my son was complaining.  At one point, I saw the officials take some guy away in handcuffs.  They stopped everything.

Was it a coincidence?  Did we just happen to be at these crossings when incidents happened?  As we passed, we noticed that there was little to no line on the side heading to Canada.  We talked during our wait, and we wondered if they would actually catch a terrorist if they were coming across the Canadian border.  After much deliberation, and the time to deliberate, we decided that they probably wouldn't  That's the irony.  We decided that if someone was trying to do something bad, that they would probably have prepared for it.  That guy that got arrested probably didn't do anything serious, because he was dumb enough to get caught doing whatever he did.  Real criminals know how to get through border crossings.  When we finally did cross, the guy we talked to to get back into the U.S. didn't even ask if my son was my son.  Looking back at my Canadian crossing a few days earlier, I found that I was upset.  That was the only question that I really thought made much sense.

So, I must say that my experience with the border left a lot of questions in my mind.  I wonder if being more thorough actually helps.  I wonder if there is really a good way to secure a border.  What should the border patrol really ask?  What are they really looking for?  Why are there so many arrests and problems on our side?  I'm not judging.  I just wonder about that stuff.  In the mean time, I say don't stop traveling because of it.  Just be aware and be prepared when you come back to this country.  Save a little extra time for what I'm assured is a rare hold up.
Enjoy!

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