Saturday, September 29, 2007

I'm a Mackinaw Maniac

I love, love, love Mackinaw Island.

The trip was amazing. We spent three glorious and hot (80 degrees plus) days biking and hiking around mackinaw island. With no cars, it is an incredibly cycle and hiker friendly getaway. Minus the piles of horse matter along the way, it is a lovely place to visit.

We had some amazing meals while visiting. First night, was Goodfella's - a local from New York told us it was the best pizza. It wasn't bad - even the guy from NJ gave it two thumbs up. Second night, we ate at a fancier joint recommended by a friend - The Woods. Holy Crap, was that some good food. I had a filet that melted in my mouth. To. Die. For. (I just recently learned that I use that phrase a lot when talking about food.)

Here are some pics from the trip. *Please note that I married Ansel Adams, so I've included some of his nature shots as well.


Gorgeous Lake Michigan.


A trail in the middle of the island. Truly amazing that we were surrounded by water, yet when hiking in the trails, you felt like you were in the middle of a forest, a milltion miles away from the water.


Arched Rock


Can you believe this is a lake? I'm new to this lake stuff, so I might keep saying this, but this is what I imagine the carribean to look like. Oh, but it's too cold to swim in it!




I'm now obsessed with the natural habitats of the Great Lakes. My job has influenced my interest in ecological restoration, but once you hit these beaches, you will want to be a part of it too.





This could be my favorite picture of the trip...Why, you ask? Because now P. will go biking with me. He got the hang of it and now I have him hooked! Century races, here we come!



And the really great part of Mackinaw - My hips didn't hurt once. It's been almost two years since my hip surgery and sure enough, I think I'm finally getting better. Now I'm inspired to do more.

I talked with a good friend who lives in Cali tonight, and she is doing triathalons every few weeks. I've got the bug to train and will be getting back into it next spring. Anyone want to join?
































5 comments:

Rachel said...

Great Pics!! Why go to places like Aruba or Key West when you've got the beautiful MI Beaches (=

Pete said...

Do I sense some slight sarcasm in that reply?

Rachel said...

I did have to laugh at some of your dad-like comments on the pictures you sent. Soon I'll be hearing you say a Dad quote for yourself "I've been a lot of places, and you're not going to find anything as nice as Michigan beaches" With that being said there are indeed some beautiful beaches.

Todd Cohen said...

Wow....I didn't know you had hip surgery. Couldn't even tell as you did your little jig during the Jack Johnson tune at your wedding.

Nice pictures. If I ever have my bar mitzvah again, I'm hiring you to take shots of the whole thing.

MtngirlinCali said...

OK, that picture of P on the bike is priceless! Oh, to see him try a century on a bike with a basket. ;)

I read about Mackinaw in one of my tri magazines. They recommend it for the off-season because of all the great hiking and biking. Looks gorgeous!

So, if you want to travel, we've put the Las Vegas Iron Girl Tri on the calendar for next April. Oly and Sprint distances, at Lake Las Vegas resort. It's gonna rock!