The Plaza Hotel Bay City

... there is one rivalry to rule them all... Ohio State v. Michigan. And really and truly, the only rivalry that is stronger is Red Sox v. Yankees. I took all of this in good humor and fun, and never really held anything against the state of Michigan or it's people... just it's University and Wolverines.

That is until, I actually arrived here.

Now to be fair, the people of Michigan are incredibly nice. I have yet ...

... layered my shirts. Iguazu was perfect we were in shorts capris tanks tshirts it was great.

The downside to this time of year is that nothing is really in its full glory. The vineyards for example would be nice to see in bloom but things were still beautiful. I'm sure there are lots of perks to going in the summer but one of the best things about going when we did was that everything was so personal and we didn't have to wait for anything. There ...

It's a strange feeling that I'm actually the one who is ready for our trip tomorrow morning. Normally, I'm the last-minute packer who crams in way too many things. However, since I had to travel from Portage to Caro meant I packed all my stuff along with a few of Bradley's items.

Mom is getting all of her stuff together. Jo got a majority of Bradley's clothes and other necessities (movies, games, etc) around for me tonight. The ...

... to the
north end where we got back on I-475 headed west then back north of
I-75.

We stopped at 3pm today in Birch Run, MI at a Super 8. We originally
had planned to stop at a Super 8 on the west side of Saginaw, MI but I
found this one for $50 a night and it was close to the town of
Frankenmuth, MI.

I knew this was going to happen one of these days sooner than later
and today it happened. We went to this restaurant that is huge and is
tauted all over ...

Bay city baby! We made it. The first 30 miles it was overcast which 
was nice cuz I got a lil burnt yesterday. Then after Midland we hit 
the farmland and it started raining. The rain wasn't too bad but the 
wind was pretty strong. I threw on some rainy day music to help the 
time pass. A lil Ray Lamontagne and then some Regina Spektor. It was 
nice riding in the rain.

Now we are getting free food at some weekly bay front festival thing. 
Yay free food!

I didn't die. That’s how we started our conversations with our parents today. That’s because most of us went parasailing this morning! None of us have done it before. Oh, was it worth it! That was such an amazing opportunity. I’m a little bummed that we didn’t bring our cameras. No one is going to believe us that 4 elementary school ...

... on what I am doing and where I am going (I'll do the best I can), so feel free to check in here now and then to keep up to date on my adventures. Currently, I am in MI, which is not too exciting, but the fact I am leaving so soon has just started to sink in. I have only one week left here, then I return home for a little over a week, and then I depart from the country. It is ...

July 15, 2008 Michigan, USA After 20 months of travel we have finally come home. We are exhausted but had a wonderful time. Thanks for following along. We hope to complete this blog later with some financial summary so you can see how much a trip like this actually costs. If you are interested in that sort of thing check back in a few months. In the meantime we're going to take a long nap.

... knowing what should not be known We make the Golden Journey to Samarkand. Sweet to ride forth at evening from the wells When shadows pass gigantic on the sand, And softly through the silence beat the bells Along the Golden Road to Samarkand. According to the Wikipedia the poem is fully inscribed on the clock tower of the barracks of the British Army's 22nd Special Air Service regiment in Hereford.

... cat. We were the only patrons in the place. One of the barrels was labeled Moscotel... is that what I think it is??? Yep! I had two. Nice place to stop for a quiet drink. Address: C. de Nuñez de Arce Naturbier - We stumbled on this place. A German brewery that brews all organic beer. Not bad. We had the dunkel and the helles, both good. Address: Plaza de Santa Ana La Casa del Abuelo - This is a tapas bar known for their prawns. Grilled with garlic and olive oil... yummy! You throw ...