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Pictured Rocks in Pictures
There is no way to adequately describe the 200-foot sandstone cliffs–carved by time and the elements into natural caves and bridges, painted by seeping minerals, and framed by emerald green waters–that comprise Pictured Rocks Natural Lake Shore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Photos don’t do it justice. The only way to fully appreciate these natural wonders is to explore them in a kayak, like we did with a tour provided by Paddling Michigan.
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The F-U State
I love Michigan, if for no other reason than it has the most interesting shape of any state: that of an upturned mitten. Every time I see it on a map I imagine that the wintery glove hides an extended middle finger. Florida may be the Sunshine State, but Michigan has more swagger, more attitude. Call it the F-U state.
The Upper Peninsula, or ‘U-P’ in the local vernacular, ruins the effect to some degree. It’s for that reason I don’t really consider it part of Michigan. Separated from the rest of the state by Lake Michigan on one side and Huron on the other, a skinny bridge provides the only physical link between the mitten and the U-P. Better, in my mind, to consider it part of Wisconsin.
But Michiganders are attached to the U-P, if only emotionally. They say it offers some pretty spectacular natural scenery. Wanting to judge for ourselves, we drive up the middle finger and directly into Wisconsin, um, I mean Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, for what we expect to be some great hiking and kayaking.
Reality TV
Shannon and I both despise rubberneckers. We hate the people who slow traffic to a crawl hoping to catch a glimpse of a fender bender or, fingers crossed, the jackpot of bodies strewn along the roadway. We similarly detest the beady little eyes that for some reason often drill into us when we arrive someplace new.
Maybe it reflects twenty years of city living, but we just don’t give a rat’s ass about what anyone else is doing. We don’t look. We don’t stare, because we don’t care. So it is with great shame that I confess how we were drawn in to watching reality TV of sorts. Continue Reading →
Casa Loma
At the peak of his power it is said that Sir Henry Pellatt controlled as much as 25% of the Canadian economy. To showcase his great wealth he built what was at the time the largest residence in North America: Casa Loma, a 98-room Gothic revival style castle set on a hill in midtown Toronto. By the end of his life, Sir Henry had lost everything and his great castle almost came to ruin. Saved and restored by the Kiwanis Club in 1937, the great residence is now open to visitors. It is also one of the few houses which permit interior photography . . . Continue Reading →
A Short Note on Canadian Wine
Ice Wine "Slushies" at Ice House Winery, Ontario, Canada
We love wine; perhaps too much. We love it at least as much as we love beer, which gets much more frequent attention here at EverywhereOnce. Certainly wine has reason to feel slighted. It shouldn’t. The East coast brews some world-class beers, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the embarrassment of brewery riches at our disposal. Our East coast winery experiences have been an embarrassment of a different sort. The “terroir” here just isn’t as well suited to the task, I’m afraid. So we’ve spent less time visiting, and therefore writing about, wineries.
One might naturally think that the cold weather conditions in Canada are positively dreadful for vinting wine. They’d be wrong.
A peculiar thing happens when grapes freeze on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved grape solids do not freeze, allowing for a more concentrated ‘must’ to be pressed from the frozen grapes. From this must, a fantastically sweet “ice wine” is made. Canada is the world’s largest producer of these delicious dessert wines, with Ontario accounting for 75% of Canadian output. If you’re in the area checking out Niagara Falls, Toronto, or other nearby destinations, you owe it to yourself to sample some of these awesome and truly unique wines.
Everywhere Once 