Days 4 -7 of my Lake Michigan trip were filled primarily with driving. On Tuesday (Day 4), I woke up early and drove from my friends apartment in Chicago to Minneapolis to attend a baseball game at Target Field. I got caught in traffic leaving Chicago and on the south side of Milwaukee, but it wasn't too bad because I was anticipating delays around these two cities. I stopped at a McDonald's/gas station between Milwaukee and Madison to get out of the truck and book a hotel in the Twin Cities area. I then hopped back in my truck and drove to my hotel on the eastern edge of the Twin Cities. I then rested for a little while before heading out to a park and ride lot for the Minneapolis light rail for the Phillies vs. Twins game that night. I was able to park for free at the park and ride lot and avoid some of the inner city traffic and downtown parking congestion. I have written about Target Field in a precious blog post. It is hard to believe that Target Field was my 18 ballpark this season! You can check my progress by clicking the ballpark map on the side panel. Unfortunately the game was a night game and I didn't really have time to explore the Twin Cities. However, after the game I stayed downtown to watch the 4th quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The bars Downtown Minneapolis had $2 beers with a Twins ticket stubs so I took advantage of that. After the game I got back on the light rail and drove back to my hotel.
On Day 5 of the trip the plan was to drive from Minneapolis to my families cabin in Michigan's UP. This was free lodging for me and gave me the opportunity to spend some time at the cabin this summer. Growing up I went to the cabin about once a year for a week. En route to the UP, I stopped at the Leinenkugel's brewery in Chippewa Falls, WI. The tour was free and it was interesting to see workings of an active brewery. More worth of mention is that I got a few free samples of their brews. After a sandwich at a deli in Chippewa Falls I continued to the UP. I bought food and a cooler at a Wal-mart in Rhinelander, WI and made it to the turn off for the cabin at around 6:30 PM. One thing I noticed traveling some of the back highways of Wisconsin is nearly every little town has a couple hole-in-the-wall bars.
When most people talk about going "Up North", they go to a summer home on a lake where they jet ski, boat, and just hang out. Going "Up North" to my family's cabin doesn't have these luxuries but I kind of like it that way. The cabin is essentially a hunting camp - a building with no plumbing and no electricity (we can actually turn lights on using a car battery and a dc/ac converter but there are no power lines near the cabin). We have a two-hole outhouse, old barn with some boats, and a fire pit. The cabin steps from a lake so I spend most of my time up there fishing. I spent Day 6 of my trip doing just that. I caught quite a few fish including two big bluegill (8-11 inches) and a big crappie (11 inches). I also saw a moose at the edge of the lake! By the time I rowed over towards the moose in a boat, she stepped back into the woods.
On Friday, Day 7 of the trip, I cleaned up the cabin and headed back to my parents' house. It took me a solid 8 hours driving to get home but I made it home for dinner. Although things are a little more laid back at home, I still have a lot of planning and logistics to take care of for my trip to England, my next ballpark trip, and finding a new place to live for August.
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