As some of you know, our Panama Canal cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Seattle, Washington never happened due to health reasons. After consultations and testing, we now seem to have a working theory of what went wrong and what to do about it. So, when our yearly get-together with three other couples rolled around, we decided that we could venture away from home and be reasonably assured we would not need a hospital visit. I am happy to say that thankfully our assumption was correct, and we had a very good time.
We started these couples trips in 2021 and we have been to Louisville, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Oxford, Mississippi. It was so hot and humid last year in Oxford that we decided to venture farther north this year. After much research and discussion, we agreed on South Haven, Michigan – a resort town on Lake Michigan.
Despite the traffic and road construction in Indianapolis (who thinks it is a good idea to completely shut down two Interstates at a time – apparently Indianapolis does), we were the second couple to arrive at our bed and breakfast (B&B) destination on Thursday – The Vintage Inn at Veritas Estates – just a little after check-in time of 3:00 pm. Once we parked and stepped out of the car, we were met by a number of friendly chickens. However, as soon as they realized we had no snacks to give them, they went about their business of scratching in the yard.
The Inn was clearly marked for the guest use and private use. We rang the doorbell at the guest door and was greeted by Sherrie, co-owner and wine-master of the Inn. Her husband Tim, co-owner and chef of the Inn, was running errands.
Our group’s rooms were on the 2nd floor and another couple had the room on the 3rd floor. The staircase was winding, narrow, with narrow wooden steps. Sherrie offered to carry our luggage, but we were able to handle it. The rule – one hand on the railing at all times. There are no bedrooms on the first floor. Our room was the Loire Valley Room. I chose it mainly because it had a nice walk-in shower and not a free-standing claw tub/shower. The room did not have any closets and limited drawer space which was a little awkward. We just lived out of the suitcase.
As guests of the Inn, we were entitled to a free wine tasting of five wines or one free full glass of wine. We gathered in the sunroom and Sherrie explained the different wines she had created. I chose to have one glass of wine – the Wren White Blend (from Sherrie’s description – A 40% Gewurzträminer / 60% Riesling Blend with a pronounced aroma of lychee and jasmine. The flavors deliver the same exotic sweetness and finish with a zingy note of grapefruit pith.)
Chuck had a glass of one of the red wines – the Tannat (delivers rich aromas of black currant and red plum, with subtle notes of licorice, smoked meats, and black cardamom.) He liked the glass of Tannat so much that he bought two bottles for the weekend.
We thought we were going to have our Chef’s dinner that evening but there was a mix-up and our dinner was to be on Saturday night. Since we didn’t have any other plans, Sherrie made us a reservation at the Hawkshead Restaurant at the Country Club where Tim had worked as the Chef before opening the B&B. I had a bowl of lobster bisque and Chuck had a bowl of the soup of the day – potato soup with beef and we split the blackened whitefish sandwich and sweet potato fries. The food was very good although the service was slow.
It was late by the time we got back from the restaurant, and we were all tired from traveling. We spent a while talking and reminiscing before we all called it a night.
Travel Trivia
Michigan – The Great Lake State
Michigan is the only state in the U.S which consists of two peninsulas – the Lower (mainly an industrial area) and Upper Peninsulas (sparsely populated but mineral-rich).
Michigan has an estimated 65,000 inland lakes and ponds. This puts any person in the state within a distance of six miles from a natural water source.
Michigan also has the nation’s longest freshwater coastline (3,288 miles), and second-longest coastline of any U.S. state, after Alaska.
The architect of the capitol – Elijah E. Meyers – is the only architect to design the capitol buildings of three U.S. states, Michigan, Texas and Colorado.
According to the Guinness World Records, Michigan is home to the world’s tallest identical twins Michael and James Lanier (b. 27 November 1969) from Troy, Michigan, both stand 7 ft 3 in.
The state is the birthplace of “Motown Records” which is one of the most successful soul music companies.
Apples are the largest and most valuable fruit crop in Michigan. The state has 11.3 million apple trees. Michigan is the third largest apple producing state in the U.S.