There are many things in life I am not good at, but I think the top three (in no particular order) have to be cartwheels, calculus, and goodbyes. Today’s blog I want to focus on the latter (I can’t imagine a calculus blog would do well, sorry Mr. Benson).
Day three of my trip was the first time I stayed in one place. I woke up in beautiful Escanaba Michigan after a night out on the town with one of my best friends Garth.
Garth and I met about 6 years ago when we played junior hockey together in New Hampshire, and have been super close friends since that point. With that being said, we haven’t seen each other in person since 2020. And while we don’t talk every day like we used to, this trip with him made me realize we are closer than ever.
We both made a promise though to find a way to see each other in the next year, something I think we will be able to do.
On Sunday, we had a great time climbing Sugarloaf Mountain with his sister and explored a bit of Marquette. Sidebar, why is the school of Marquette not in the town of Marquette and is instead in Wisconsin?!?!!?
But after that day (and an incredible Culver’s dinner), we had a quiet night in and it hit me that after that night who knows the next time we will see each other? I don’t know if it was just watching Guardians of the Galaxy 3 for the first time, but it was a very sad goodbye to Garth. I talked about this idea a few weeks ago and it’s something that still doesn’t get any easier.
And I think that is going to be my best path forward with the many hellos and goodbyes I will have in short order for this trip. At the bare minimum I need to do a better job at just putting my friends and that friendship first and not be afraid to reach out if it has been too long.
Life gets busy for everyone, and remembering to take a step back is certainly something I am trying to do a bit better at.
I know this trip will fly by, and that’s a big reason I am doing this daily blog. I’m still just confused that people read the stuff I write, but mainly this series is helping me out a ton. Whether it’s reminding myself to take that step back, or to just document and remember everything that is going on.
Enough gross stuff, let’s talk about how cool the upper peninsula of Michigan is.
The UP rocks
We need to do a better job as a society of talking about how great the upper peninsula of Michigan is. The scenery there is so gorgeous and it feels so undervalued in terms of spots people travel to.
Again, I think I’ve learned I am a bit biased toward loving the midwest, but this is a place people should go to at least once in their life if they can.
This area feels like its own state. I mean each city has a sign that says something like “2008 UP State Champions football” on it. There are a ton of cool small towns, and if you like being outside, this is the place for you.
Being sandwiched between several great lakes gives it such a unique amalgamation of things to do, and people to meet. I was unfortunately unable to visit the Eduard Fitzgerald Museum, but it’s just another reason to go back to the UP.
4 Responses
Ha! Funny I stumbled across this! I was reading through to see if you made it to Arkansas yet. There is a beautiful glass chapel in the woods somewhere there… Thorn something….can’t recall. Anyway search architect Fay Jones. Everyone raves about it. I also loved the UP but could live without pasties.
You are doing my dream road trip!
Have fun
Thank you so much Mr. Benson! I will be going through Arkansas toward the beginning of June. I am certainly enjoying every day