The day began with cooking up some waffles on the brand new griddle. They were quite tasty. We were all packed and ready to go. Denielle said she would do the driving. Our first quest was to find a man made out of plastic barrels. That was so challenging that we gave up trying to find him. Oh well, on to the next stop we went. The John Dillinger Museum was pretty interesting with interactive displays and original artifacts from the Depression Era and his life. Together we learned gangster vocabulary words, I wore a bulletproof vest, spent a little time in jail right after getting fingerprinted. There were even life-sized wax figures of famous gangsters during that era. Overall, this was a neat experience. Next to the museum was an art display called “From Trash to Treasure.” This was also a fun little display of household items found in junkyards and transformed into works of art. So much for visiting Hammond, Indiana, we were on to our next stop.
Live Gospel Music McDonalds? Not this time. We came, we saw, we had a light snack. The performances are on 3 different days in the evening. There were some glass decorations like you would see in a church and a collection of Gospel singer awards were on display. I did hear gospel music playing on the speakers when I went to the restroom. Maybe another time. A little further down the road, we looked for an obsessed sign builder. This simply didn’t exist and I certainly had no obsession to try to find it anymore. Let’s head to Michigan now!
Trucking along to some fine tunes in the car, I did most of the driving now. We were looking for Exit 34. Coloma, Michigan was the place. This was a worthwhile stop for sure. Wine, chocolate and Cider! First stop was Contessa Wine Cellars. This had an old world charm to it as well as modern amenities. There was quite an array of wines to taste. We bought a bottle and looked around outside. Spectacular orchard vistas could be seen from the terrace overlooking the rich, green valley below. Just ¼ mile away was The Chocolate Garden. The truffles here are the most delicious ones on the face of the earth, I am convinced! This place was featured on the Food Network and Fine Living TV. We each had a cyan pepper truffle. Creamy gooey chocolate with a BITE! Yummy. We washed it down with cider from Grandpa’s Cider Mill. We sat at the bar, had an open mind and tried different cider shots. Some of the blends were rum, peanut butter, mango, horchata , and pumpkin. We got a pint of horchata. It was delicious!
We drove for another half hour over to Bangor, Michigan were we found a giant Muffler Man (turned into a Viking) at a high school football field. 5 minutes of pictures and ooohs and aaaawwws. Ok….let’s go. We drove another hour and arrived at perhaps the highlight of the day. Crane’s Pie Pantry Restaurant located in Fennville, Michigan. It was more than a meal….it was an experience. It was like dining in a country kitchen/antique store. Nick knacks all around made for a lot of eye candy and photographs. They had awesome pies, chili, and apple butter bread. Lot’s of history here, including a stuffed dog from the 1930’s that sits on a sleigh! This place has been here since 1916 and I would gladly stop here again and again.
After getting all tossed around in Holland on our quest for the Dutch-Themed town….we gave up. U-Turn city is what they should call it.. Route 31 is soooo bizarre and ass-backwards. Let’s head to Rockford and have dinner at Rosie’s Diner (The most famous diner in the world!). This spot is a real treat! 3 different silver boxcars make up the experience. We sat at a booth and felt at peace. BBQ pork sandwich and chips for me. Denny had pork chops and mashed potatoes, I think. There’s even a mini golf course behind the diner that opens this weekend. It looked fun with all the giant food items.. Finally we made it to pop’s place and relaxed for the evening. An exhausting but real exciting birthday journey to the “Coasts of Gowen.”
The End
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