Kismet: Fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny. To me, kismet is free will on the open road. Following the tug of the steering wheel as the off-center alignment brings you where you normally wouldn’t have time or patience to go. We just spent 16 days and 1921.9 miles on a Great Lakes Road Trip exploring eastern Wisconsin and northern, lower Michigan. Some of our trip was planned, some wasn’t. Here are our kismet moments, in no particular rank or order:
If you ever visit downtown Sheboygan, Wisconsin, first look for Norman Rockwell and then try and park downwind from Field to Fork bakery and grocery on 8th Street. Let your nose guide you in to a lovely place that both supports the local economy and encourages global sustainability. A pleasant surprise and our newest favorite place to eat, Field to Fork was friendly, worldly, and kid-friendly. Field to Fork is the only place I know of in Wisconsin with a cheese cave.
Goodale’s Bakery just off of the main drag in Grayling, Michigan is not the most likely of tourist destinations. Desperate for coffee and adult conversation, we stumbled into the bakery somewhat by accident. A favorite venue for local residents for miles around, Goodale’s Bakery is now on or “must visit” list for next summer (and the summer after, and so on). Here is a photo of my son enjoying the messiest donut in the entire display case. We stocked up on fresh-baked breads and cookies to freeze at the cabin and keep within snacking distance.
Eating the Messiest Donut at Goodale’s Bakery
If you have (1) a motorcycle or (2) a favorite music CD, please bring either (or both) to the Tunnel of Trees Scenic Highway 119 between Harbor Springs and Good Hart, Michigan. Without a care in the world, we snaked along the bluffs of Lake Michigan, into and out of fields, forest, passing dream homes along the way. Motorcyclists and convertible owners looked content on a summer day fit for open windows and napping kids.
Midway we stopped at the Thorne Swift Nature Preserve at the Lower Shore Drive turn off. A short (perfect distance) hike to the rocky shores of Lake Michigan, we skipped stones, scampered on the big rocks, and tormented the resident biologist with incessant questions. Making a mental note to avoid the drive with trailer in pull or teenage driver, Tunnel of Trees was worth the wanderlust.
Tunnel of Trees: Senic Highway 119
