We had planned a 3 week road trip for October, 2007 travelling to the eastern USA to enjoy the fall colors, visit family and friends and take in a conference.   

 Our first night was spent in Duluth/Superior at The Best Western Bay Walk Inn.  This was an older hotel just off the #2 but the service was excellent and the hotel was clean, quiet and served a nice complimentary breakfast in the morning.  After another full day of driving we made it to St. Ignace, Michigan, just on the west side of Mackinaw City.  Here we found a standard Quality Inn, quite new and up to the expected standards of this particular chain.  There were a lot of restaurants right around the hotel for supper and again we enjoyed a complimentary breakfast.  On the following day we spent some time in the delightful town of Frankenmuth, MI.  This town was founded in 1845 by 15 Bavarians who arrived to evangelize the native people in the area.  There is a lot of Bavarian architecture and it is now a thriving tourist town complete with shops selling excellent fudge, cheese, taffy etc. and a variety of ethnic Bavarian restaurants.  The next few days were spent in the Leamington ON area, visiting relatives and enjoying the sights and sounds of the local corn harvest,  walking the shores of Lake Ontario and just generally enjoying the gorgeous weather.

On leaving Leamington, we travelled all day (with a stop at the Factory Shops in Monroeville) and arrived in New Stanton, PA by evening.  Here we checked into a Days Inn for a fantastic GM special of $45.00.  Although it was an older hotel, it was fine and did the job quite nicely.  The following day we stopped at Fallingwater, a very dramatic house sited over a waterfall in the Laurel Highlands and was named one of the “50 places of a lifetime” by National Geographic Traveler.  Designed in 1935, it is a masterpiece of modern architecture and a symbol of the importance of living in harmony with the natural world.

The next week we spent in Lancaster County of Pennsylvania with family.  This has got to be one of the most beautiful areas of the U.S. and though we have visited here at least half a dozen times before, we always find something new to see and do.  The rolling countryside is dotted with Amish farms and we never tired of just touring around.  We spent time at the horse auction in New Holland and also the produce auction in Leola where grocers from Philadelphia and Baltimore come to buy monstrous heads of cauliflower, broccoli etc.  What a colorful place!  We spent one day at the Landis Valley Museum, a living history village of Pennsylvania Dutch life with nearly 100,00 objects depicting rural America.  Too soon, it was time to move on in our journey.

After stopping in Ohio to see friends, we arrived in Chicago and spent a weekend there.  Again, friends were kind enough to tour us around and we drove down the Magnificent Mile with all its high end shops,  had a lot of fun at “the Bean”, a huge bean shaped sculpture made of shiny steel that reflects the Chicago skyline as well as yourself and the people around you.  We were also able to go up the Sears Tower and view the city from way up high.  Fortunately for us, it was a clear day and we were able to see the Great Lakes in the distance.  A most enjoyable time!  We took in a conference in Milwaukee,  staying at a very fine Hyatt, and spent out last night at the Country Inn and Suites in Albertville north of Minneapolis, also know for its outlet mall.  Again we found the hotel quite new and we were very well looked after.  The Country Inns also serve a hot complimentary breakfast.

Needless to say, we were happy to arrive home after putting on a lot of miles but decided we were very fortunate to enjoy warmer than average weather and breathtaking fall colors.  Overall it was a very wonderful road trip!