#98 Pure Michigan Adventuring

Ik deed een Badass-avontuur in Nederland.

It’s been a minute since I took time to explore Michigan.

And it’s been a minute since I did a solo adventure.

Add those together and you get a great badass experience!

I landed in Holland, Michigan and was immediately transported back in time to Oliver’s hockey days when our team took over a hotel during a tournament weekend– where the kids played in the hot tub until 2pm and the parents drank themselves silly well beyond that. It was so very cold during those tournaments and often challenging driving to logistically get to the games on time due to the snow and ice.

But in summertime – what a different story.

Holland Michigan feels much different with blue skies and green, green grass.

I’ve been slacking off on my pledge to solo adventure during work trips instead of my previous habits of hanging in the hotel room at night, binging on TV and snacks.

So I loaded myself back into my barely-running, aluminum-foil constructed little brown rental car from Colorado (nah…no clue what kind of car it was. It was brown. I think. Or gold. Maybe silver. Dunno. But it didn’t have any pick-up and it shuddered at random intervals), and I went where the best recommendations in the article “35 Fabulous Things to do in Holland, Michigan – the Ultimate Trip”.

I also gave myself a challenge to pack in as much Michigan “Fabulousness” that I could in two hours or less. Game on!

I started the adventure by heading to Mt. Pisgah – described as: The towering dune east of the Holland State Park is accessible via a boardwalk and stair system. With its apex 157 feet above Lake Michigan, the boardwalk culminates with breathtaking views of Lake Macatawa, marinas, Lake Michigan and Big Red.

Ummmm…. Couldn’t find it. I swear I couldn’t. I found myself in an illegal-for-me parking lot but no dunes, staircases, or signs were anywhere around.

But I did see the beach and there was a convenient parking lot with an open, but illegal, parking spot. So I stopped in there and gazed at the beautiful blue water for a few minutes. It was nice.

But it wasn’t badassy enough to count as an adventure.

So I decided to go blueberry picking. Hey, badass adventures can be wholesome!

Last time I went blueberry picking was when Emily was 3 and Oliver was 1 and Oliver was determined to eat all the blueberries that were trampled on the ground and Emily was determined to place blueberries in her belly button. Those days were magical!

It was also the same place when Emily started eating a donut and I realized I had no cash so I charged my credit card $0.75. I was so embarrassed to not have cash that I didn’t do what any rational person would do which would be to purchase additional things to bring the charge up to a reasonable level. But anyhoo….

It’s been a while since I went picking so I stopped at Bowerman Blueberries market to try it out.

The fella gave me a stern warning about bringing no drinks or food into the fields (I was empty handed with no bag, but ok), and that absolutely no animals were allowed in the fields (again…pretty obvious I didn’t even have a hamster hidden in a purse) and then he proudly pointed out the porta-potty “just in case”. (You couldn’t pay me enough.)

Anyways, he gave me a bucket and told me that “the berries are ten bucks a pound and the bucket holds about five pounds. And to go at it and have fun. But avoid the green ones.”

Got it! Sounded a bit pricy but it’s entertainment and fruit in one – and that’s a priceless adventure waiting for me.

I set out and found that this adventure required absolutely no skill. There were blueberries by the thousands. I could have stood in one place and filled my bucket in one fell swoop. But I didn’t, choosing instead to wander around in the bushes to check things out and absorb the beautiful Michigan sun.

Some of the blueberries have that nice iridescent sheen. Others were bright blue and shiny. There were bumblebees boinking around with the flowers.

I decided that my pickins were plenty and went up to tally in. Turns out I had picked myself one whole pound of berries. I handed the worker my credit card, and couldn’t figure out why they looked at me strange. Turns out I didn’t hear the prices correctly when I first went it – the berries weren’t a ten bucks a pound. They were one buck a pound. It happened again! I made them charge my credit card for a dollar. Farmstands and me seem to have this recurring theme.

I went inside their little store after checking out the adorable playground and outdoor areas.

This place is “world renowned” for its blueberry donuts. And hot dog and hallelujah, they ad a gluten free version! Got that, a magnet for my adventure fridge, and a jar of blueberry salsa to take to my badass friends on the boat this weekend.

(Bad news BA crew…TSA confiscated your blueberry salsa. Apparently, it is considered liquid. What a buzz kill.)

A nibble of the donut got me hungry, so I decided to drive to the top-rated hot dog stand by the beach.

The article I had read earlier proclaimed this stand to be the new wonder of the modern world! Better than anything ever tasted! Mind-blowingly delicious! Better than Cats!

They were fine.

I got a Chicago dog, which is hard to do bunless – and the order taker kind of looked at me weird when I asked for it. I don’t blame him. It looked a little sad and desperate. To make it feel better, I ordered their “world famous” chili and cheese fries.

They were fine.

But what was better than fine was the little picnic table I found right on the water and I just sat and watched the boats go by and enjoyed the pure Michigan air as I chomped on the dogs ‘n spuds. It felt like I was in one of those “Pure Michigan” commercials that are always riveting for some unclear reason.

When I got back to my room, I happily proceeded to work, binge tv and binge on freshly picked blueberries, as I glowed in the satisfaction of having a great evening.

I’m so glad I make the choice to adventure. And all this accomplished in under two hours! Badass Badge achieved.

A couple of mornings later, I noticed a sign in my hotel describing Holland’s Local Events for the night.

I realized another solo adventure was in my future.

Oooohhhh….there were some great choices!

· Street performers.

· A pet pageant and mural festival.

· And a Flower Tasting Experience.

Whatttttt???? I can’t do Flower Tasting just anywhere. I guess I better do that!

So after work, I headed over to the Windmill Gardens in Holland, which it turns out is a combination of Morton Arboretum, Linvilla Orchards, and WannaDo City. (Do any of you know all those references?)

This place was breathtaking.

Full of flowers, full of plants, and full of windmills, of course.

But it had clever ways for you to learn about what you were seeing and new ways to catch your eye.

I can’t describe it, so I’ll bombard you with pictures.

I got to walk around until the time of the tour, at which time I settled into the giant wedding tent at a table with two amazing, hilarious women – Carrie and Carol.

True friends for years and years, they were so warm and funny and we instantly connected. I wish I had more time to hang out with them. Carol and Carrie, I will plan on coming to your daughter’s wedding next year. Keep me posted on details! And send me pictures of the Bacon-Hanging-In-Trees Formal event you crashed last year in jeans. I want to see what you wear this year are actually legally going in with a ticket and everything! Thanks for making the night so much fun, ladies. I know I’ll see you again.

The flower tasting tour was freaking amazing. I had no idea so many flowers were edible.

But let me be perfectly clear here…just because they were edible did not mean they were something you want to eat.

When I work with my private duty teams, I talk to them about the difference between NEED and WANT services – NEED private duty services offers help with bathroom duties. WANT private duty services offers help picking up all your liquor bottles from the store for your party that night.

Eating flowers can be considered in the same philosophy. If you NEED to eat flowers because you are starving and there are no overly-hyped up hot dog stands available, you could eat a wide variety of flowers.

But do you really WANT to?

Only one was truly yummy, and that was the Day Lily Bud. Now listen here, according to the ranger, “Regular lilies are very dangerous and can make you extremely sick…or worse”. (Everyone in the group grabbed their pearls and gasped). “But Day Lilies aren’t really lilies, and you can eat them as much as you want. Just make sure you know the difference”.

Or how about I just stay away from anything with lily in the name. That sounds safer to me.

They were good, though. Tasted like a pea pod.

Did you know that Begonias are edible? And that each color flower tastes different? The yellow ones are lemony, the pink ones are floral tangy, and the white ones are sour citrusy.

Roses do the same thing – the different colors taste different. I had to try the deep red one when the ranger described it as “substantially floral undertones”. I did ok until suddenly the full flavor hit me and I did a regrettable but uncontrollable full-body shudder. Ick.

Daisies are also edible.

So are pansies.

Sunflowers of course are edible.

As is lavender. English lavender (lighter colored lavender) is better for noshing. The brighter kind is better for soap. Don’t mix ‘em up.

Some would make your food simply pretty – like this little blue flower – brings a pop of blue without any taste associated with it.

This dude was highly, highly onion. And you didn't just eat the stems like you do with chives. You eat the whole thing.

I think my life lesson from this tour is that any of these flowers are much better utilized for the aesthetic appeal to decorate food, but not really meant for a pleasant palate experience.

Eventually, we wandered back to the tent for the official flower food tasting.

Everything was laid out on some long tables with printed recipes by each dish.

We were sternly told that we each were allowed to take one item, with the exception of the macarons where we could take three. Got it.

I sampled a nice mock cocktail infused with elderflower.

There were cucumber-flower sandwiches and a variety of infused oils with bread to dip as well as a flower-crusted, gelatin topped brie with crackers. So alas, I couldn’t try much of that.

But I did sample the Gelato. It was a little warm in the tent so it was actually soup, but that was fine with me.

And I did sample the macarons – a violet one, a rose-raspberry one, and a Jasmine one.

The woman dishing out the gelato looked longingly at the macarons as we went by. We asked her which ones she likes best, and she glumly replied, “Oh, we don’t get to eat them. We didn’t buy enough for us to have” and then pointedly stared us down as we selected our picks.

I am a bad person. I did not share my macarons with her.

Maybe I should have, but I feel I left her plenty of cucumber sandwiches and flowered cheese aspic to fill her mopey little ranger belly.

All in all, a fantastic night, and a really cool way to explore this beautiful area.

One last bit of Holland fun was when I stopped at this coffee shop in downtown Holland to get my morning fix. OMG…they had Crème Brulee lattes.

They actually put crystal sugar on top and blow torched the top to a beautiful, carmelly-smelling crispy crusty layer.

I was such a happy person I anticipation of this glorious beverage…

..Until I kicked my table and managed to spill ½ of my bevie, including the upper crusty layer.

Clumsy me – but 2/3 of a cup of amazing coffee is better than nothing and I loved every, single, sip.

Holland, I will be back again – hopefully sooner rather than later. Thanks for getting me up and solo adventuring again. You have reinspired me to keep seeking out the beaty, the quirky, the fun, and the unusual.

Als je de keuze krijgt om in een hotelkamer te blijven of erop uit te gaan en op avontuur te gaan, kies dan altijd voor het avontuur.

Addendum #1:

Question: How does one turn a travel nightmare into a relatively better experience?

Answer: Listen to your trusty old American Airlines RoboBFF™.

Spoiler alert, I’m still not home yet, even though I have been travelling for 24 hours. I legit could have driven home in the amount of time it’s taking me to get there.

But every travel hiccup comes with a life lesson.

This life lesson is one that I want to pass on to you.

DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO AVOID CHARLOTTE AIRPORT.

Who out there agrees with me?

It’s constantly crowded, the food options suck, the wifi network sucks, the work areas suck, there are limited outlets, and the waiting areas are excessively congested.

And that’s on a good day.

My apologies to anyone who adores Charlotte airport. I’m open for debate (but you won’t win, just saying).

So yesterday afternoon, after a pleasant trip from Grand Rapids to Charlotte where I had the comfy exit row seat with nobody sitting next to me, I was looking forward to my upcoming final leg of the trip where I had gotten bumped up to first class. But I started becoming alarmed with the regular ping notifications about my flight getting delayed…and delayed….and delayed…and delayed. The weather was perfectly fine, so it couldn’t be that was the issue, right?

I was sitting criss-cross applesauce on the ground of gate C16 (if you know what H-E-Double Hockey Sticks that end of the terminal is, you’ll get why this was most unpleasant). I got back-to-back pings – Flight delayed by one additional hour. A minute later: Flight delayed by two hours.

And then my American Airlines RobotBFF™ sent me a ping with an interesting piece of guidance. Usually, when I get a notification like this from my RobotBFF™, it’s a little different in tone. It either says, “Flight cancelled. Please click here to rebook to an alternate flight”, or “Flights delayed. Are your travel plans flexible? Click here to see alternate flights”.

This time was different. It said, “You should rebook your flight. Click here.”

Hmmmm….No reason, just a strong suggestion.

I trusted my gut and my RoboBFF™, and I rebooked to early the next morning (and still at first class – better and better!). The airport was jam packed with disgruntled people, whose flights were being cancelled left and right. I realized I better jump on it and get a hotel room before there’s a mass exodus trying to snap up vacancies.

I mentioned how sucky Charlotte’s wifi is. You can appreciate that it took me a hot minute to be able to secure a spot, but I finally got through and got the heck outta there.

Here’s where an unexpected nice thing happened. I totally clicked with my Uber driver. He was hilarious and we spent the drive to the hotel talking and laughing hysterically. I was telling him about my edible flower adventure, and he was telling me about his most badass adventure (A train trip from Charlotte to Las Vegas stopping at Washington DC, Chicago, and multiple other places to sightsee – for only $500. I have now added this to my badass wish list.)

We were talking about the flight cancellations happening and I asked him if there had been bad weather during the day that might have triggered all these cancellations. He told me, “Nah…the weather has been bright skies, maybe a little rain but nothing much. They always say here that the flights are cancelled due to weather so they don’t have to give hotel vouchers, but it’s really because of staffing shortages.” Remember that for later.

I got to my hotel and got checked in. There was a SIXIT Hiring event going on at the bar (honestly, genius recruitment idea) but I think those fellas were getting rowdy because the receptionist looked like he was about to lose his marbles.

My bed was comfy. I got a few hours of sleep.

I jumped on the 4:30am shuttle back to the airport and noticed the line to go through security was – no exaggeration-- a mile long. (Ok, maybe a little exaggeration.) But not the TSA Precheck line. What a glorious thing that is to have that fine little designation. I breezed on through and hunted down any place that was open to get coffee.

Charlotte airport sucks. Nothing was open.

But I finally found a Starbucks that was open and ordered a gigantic cup of caffeinated heaven.

While I was waiting for them to create my caffeinated cup of heaven, there was a fellow standing next to me looking simply miserable. Without any kind of introduction, he launched into his horror story from the past day.

He was in a similar situation to me yesterday when his plane kept getting delayed and delayed and delayed. Unlike me, he actually got on board.

Unfortunately, there was a mechanical issue that resulted in an hour wait. Once that issue was fixed, the pilot reported that they had to wait for another hour because the co-pilot had timed out on his work allowance and they needed to find a replacement. After another hour, the pilot said that they were still unable to find a co-pilot and the flight attendants were also timing-out, so they were letting people off the plane to try to rebook, but they weren’t cancelling the flight in case they were able to get crew.

He, and the hundreds of other people in the same situation, got in line with the rebooking person. (But really, why aren’t people using the app? Just wondering!).

He said he waited two hours in line, when he got a ping that his original flight was boarding. So he left his place in line and went to the gate, only to be told that the ping was in error and they were cancelling the flight.

He gets back into the line and after another three hours gets rebooked for 36 hours from that time. When he asked for a hotel voucher, he was told that they won’t give one because the cancellation was due to weather.

He complained that that was untrue and that the pilot literally told everyone they had a crew shortage, but he was told to “file a complaint”.

So, thank you, thank you, thank you RoboBFF™ for the strong encouragement to reschedule. If I had waited until they officially cancelled the flight, I would not have gotten the three hours of sleep in a comfy hotel room. And I would not have known to add an across-country trip to my upcoming bucket list.

Good things happen – but sometimes you gotta look a little close to find them.

I’m still in Charlotte airport, so the travel adventure is not over yet. Think of me and send me your best wishes, ok?

Addendum Two:

By the way, Oliver and Julie came down for a visit last weekend. We snorkeled, had a birthday party with mom and dad to celebrate their birthdays, put together a giant jigsaw puzzle, swam in the pool hung out at *The Getaway, and played some great games of Milles Bournes. That was fantastic because I am now currently in the lead, which I will gloat to Oliver about until the next time we get together and he beats me.

I love those kids so much.

So, I'm getting close to my 100th adventure. What should I do?

Let me know. Let's make it a good one!!!