We Those of you know know us, know that we make a point to do an anniversary trip every year. Some are “big trips”–2016 circa Italy…2011 in Aruba…you get the point. Other years, we don’t splurge as much financially, but we still get away without our kids.
We always rely on our slew of family and friends to help with the kids–and it’s never an easy chore cuz the little stinkers are BUSY. But surprisingly this weekend wasn’t so crazy for their schedule. Thanks to Harold and Kim and the Grant’s for stepping up to the challenge.
This year we debated on going back up to the UP of Michigan–if you have any questions about why–see the above blog posts. It’s where or Summer Adventure ended and I wanted to go back. I really wanted to hike and be outdoors with such a nice fall, but we just couldn’t put together the trip we wanted. I think a lot of people had the same idea and most of the places we wanted to stay/visit were booked. So, maybe next summer.
We decided to take a little twist on one of our favorite places in Northern Michigan. We love to spend time in Traverse City and on the peninsulas…I mean, it’s beautiful, the food is awesome, and can you really go wrong with wineries and breweries/distilleries every 1/2 mile???
https://images.app.goo.gl/xcop5r39k3GxaoMD8
So this year, we decided to go to one of the spots that has become a little more special to me for a different reason. When I did my very first teacher training back in 2013, we went up to Glen Arbor where Patty is from and stayed for our first weekend retreat. It was early spring so cold, still snow, etc. We still hiked, ate, drank, did yoga– all of the things. Loved it.
Flash forward to a couple of years back as Sam and I are now leading the teacher training program and we stayed at a place that was close enough to come visit Glen Arbor again. Did the hikes, ate more food, drank some wine and beer…getting the gist here???
https://images.app.goo.gl/b53XYH8jgiwhXuL9A
Nevertheless, I have digressed. Tony and I decided to venture to the Glen Arbor area this year for our anniversary so I could take him on my favorite hike, explore a little, find a new hike together, and yep, drink some wine!!
We left on Friday morning and headed up to Traverse for a quick lunch and toast of bubbly –on the way even ran into a sweet friend from Grand Ledge–small world!
Then it was off to Glen Arbor. Saw a huge ship in the bay…decided to stop for wine and the view… #distractions
Arrived at our destination in mid-afternoon…the Homestead –highly recommend, though I would like to come back in the summer to enjoy!
https://www.thehomesteadresort.com
We had a nice little condo for the next couple of days. Outside our door was the little outdoor bar/restaurant and a lovely fountain/waterfall landscaping that sounded so loud, if you had to use the restroom, this would help…
Dropped our stuff off and headed over to the hike I am familiar with, Alligator Hill. Decided to do the advanced hike and take the bigger, longer loop. Beautiful afternoon and views. Great to be out in the fresh air too!!
After our walk we headed out to a lovely dinner at the highly recommended, http://www.restaurantlabecasse.com . Quiet while we were there but the food was superb and a great wine selection to go with dinner. Back home to rest up for another morning hike.
On day 2, we decided we wanted to try something new together and decided to head to Pyramid Point to do a loop trail there. Grabbed some coffee and hit the M-22 shop in town first. The Pyramid Point loop was a little bit of a drive so once we finally arrived, we decided to do that entire loop as well, instead of just the climb to the lookout. It was a short loop, maybe 3-4 miles at most. But we barely saw a soul after the lookout. Great views, quiet, fresh air, and sore legs!!!
The afternoon was a lunch of cheese, crackers, olives and what else….wine!!!
Then it was home for a quick nap and dinner at https://www.glenarborblu.com — this place was gorgeous and I can’t wait to go back in the summer. It’s right beside Lake Michigan and the outdoor seating looked heavenly–though not while we were there as it rained this evening!!!
The purpose of these trips is always to spend some time just the two of us. Our little family began here and I have always felt that it’s important to keep that first. It’s a lot of extra work–for our families to help, our kids to sacrifice mom/dad time, and for us to release the “parent guilt” (if we have it anymore…just kidding). I’m so grateful to have a partner who values our time as much as I do and who cherishes me and treats me like a queen. We have been very blessed with some amazing adventures over the first 18 years. Can’t wait to see where the Olds’ choose to go next….Cheers!
Stay tuned….
#grizwOlds #chooseyourOldsAdventure 
Made my day running into you!
LikeLike