OK, so we are in Petoskey (Northwest lower Michigan for those not in the know)–cherry country.  And Bob’s mouth has been watering for 500 miles thinking about Michigan cherry pie.  The desk clerk says go to the Grand Traverse Pie Company downtown.  We go. It’s 7:30 AM. They open at 7:00.  Wow.  Look at this:

Here is my dream come true.  This place was great; every kind of pie imagined; and coffee for a buck.

We made friends with a group of local seniors who evidently come here every morning for coffee. As we chatted one lady asked what high schools we attended in Saginaw (Andy–Saginaw High; Bob–Arthur Hill).  She knew them both and said she taught English at South Intermediate School in 1957.  Hold on.  I went to South Intermediate School in 1957 (seventh grade).  Her name then was Miss Blessing; I do not remember the name.  But it is possible I had her for English.  Small world.

Now with the best pie in the country in our guts, we hit the road down 31 along the coast.  You may not believe this, but this ride was as good as the Pacific Coast Hwy last year!  The sights of Lake Michigan were worth the whole trip.

That is Traverse Bay in the background; beautiful stuff; great ride on down the coast to Ludington where the car ferry crosses Lake Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin.  Here is the ticket booth and boat.  It would cost $100 for a motorcycle and driver; one would really have to want to save some time driving around!

By the way, I do not remember the city, but we stopped at a great Putt-Putt and had a game.  Hah! Tied through 17 holes; Bob wins by one stroke on the 18th.  We need to play again to give Andy a chance to catch up!  Stopped in Grand Rapids for the night.  Tomorrow, back roads down to Ft. Wayne.