July 24, 2010 · 9:03 pm

lawrence ks

Our $49,99 ($57 w/tax) hotel room in Lawrence wasn’t bad at all – spacious, clean, sort of soft  beds but sleepable. There were some loud party girls at 2 a.m.  but that’s to be expected. So for the record, the motel is the Virginia Inn. I’d stay there again.

we ate breakfast at Milton’s on Massachusetts – good hearty omelette and strong coffee then walked along the street in the blistering heat, stopping in at vintage shops and KU apparel stores. Kids got the obligatory jayhawks t-shirts although lily got her’s  at a vintage shop.

we’re now at the ramada inn in Salina, ks. for a family gathering and this is the only sight  I’m  likely to see here.

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July 22, 2010 · 2:30 pm

Social B&B networks – the ultimate test:Iowa

Granted, my criteria for the usefulness of Social B&B networks is a bit Iowa-centric – but be that as it may, the only network I could find that included listings for places like Des Moines or Lawrence Kansas is…..airb&B.com

So good for them – and me. Interestingly, since the NYTimes story on these sites ran last Sunday, the number of Iowa options has grown from about 7 to 12. Not all have what I consider to be all-important photos of the lodging – and at least one of the photos was off-putting (two women standing in a worn and cluttered living room with a sagging couch draped in an old quilt. No thank you.)

But there are some great-looking options – a farm house in Cumming outside Des Moines ($30 a night); a beautiful cottage with a front porch overlooking the Mississippi in Dubuque ($100), a 19th-century restored cabin in Decorah ($100), some intriguing vintage trailers ($75) in the woods outside Sioux City owned by some artists and a pretty “historic home” in Iowa City ($55). There’s also an odd Quonset hut dwelling in Dickens, Ia  (in northwest Iowa near Spencer) that apparently doubles as an artists’ studio/gallery space. ($50)

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July 21, 2010 · 2:33 pm

frustrating search for cabin/canoe in northeast Iowa

I’ve been trying for two days to reach a cabin/canoe rental place near Decorah in beautiful northeast Iowa to see if it has anything available on Aug. 1 for four people (me, a friend and our two teens visiting a nearby college) but it’s been frustrating. I’ve left emails and phone messages and heard nothing back. I did check with the tourism office and the place is still open but sparsely staffed (they’re probably all out canoeing.)

I can’t understand why businesses like this offer ways to communicate then don’t respond. The email address is particularly frustrating because when you try to use it up pops a message saying you need to go through a screening in order to use the email.  Huh?

Meanwhile, I heard about another place and tried to contact it via the Internet but you need a Facebook account to reach them – which I don’t have and don’t want.

Come on people – don’t you want my business?

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July 19, 2010 · 4:32 pm

Portaging a bike on the Great Western Trail in central Iowa

I’ve portaged  a canoe, hauling it on my shoulders across land between one lake and another, but I never portaged a bicycle until yesterday on the Great Western Trail just north of Martinsdale, Iowa.  Fortunately, we didn’t have to haul our bikes  far – just lift them up and between the branches of a tree that had fallen across the trail, completely blocking it. The trail was  rough in general, with fallen twigs and branches, thanks to a ferocious storm in the wee hours of Sunday morning that downed trees all over the metro and caused power outages.

We should have taken this into consideration when we choose a trail to ride on a few hours later.

The good news is after we portaged our bikes, we encountered a truck on the trail – a rare and jarring sight – that appeared to be public works of some sort.  An hour later, on our ride back to Martinsdale, the fallen tree was gone and we breezed right through – no further portaging required. Impressive service!

All this made me wonder if there is a trail hot line you can call to find out the condition on a trail – or to report a problem like a fallen tree.

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July 17, 2010 · 5:27 pm

Shakespeare – Stratford (Ont), Ashland (OR), Des Moines

Shakespeare is here, there, everywhere and we’ve seen some of it – unfortunately not in Stratford, Ontario for about ten years. I used to go there a lot as a kid growing up in suburban Detroit and judging from a recent NYTimes review of “Stratford’s” latest season it’s as good as ever with Christopher Plummer, at age 80 no less, among the performers. In March we saw a very modern Hamlet at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland

And on Thursday,  we saw a lively production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” (a rather silly play methinks) performed by the Repertory Theater of Iowa on the lovely grounds of  Salisbury House, an old English stone and brick mansion in, of all places,  Des Moines that provides a perfect backdrop for a Shakespearean play.  A local tycoon built Salisbury House in the 1920s,  inspired by a visit to the King’s House in Salisbury, England, which dates back to the 13th century according to Wikipedia. (And judging from the pix of Kings House, the Des Moines replica is pretty darned close.) Catch the “Merry Wives” while  (and if) you can – performances through this Sunday…

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July 14, 2010 · 11:08 pm

Now that we’ve been to Oregon…

Now that we’ve been to Oregon (during a trip last March), there seem to be a lot of stories about places we went to or near.  (Or maybe I’m just more aware of them now and my world view is less Saul Steinberg.)  Anyway, here’s a few examples:

– A recent Wall Street Journal review raved about the Hip Hop Hamlet we saw at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. (I raved first!)

– A recent NYTimes story mentioned several restaurants in Ashland, including the stylish Asian one we ate at called Sesame. (Although I was confused by the story because it says Sesame opened “last April” – we ate there “last March” or maybe that’s “March” in NYTimes style) Others mentioned: The Loft, Blue, Chateaulin.

–  We drove not far from the northern Portland suburb that has since become known as the hometown of a little boy who has gone missing in a strange, sad, highly publicized case.

– And this is the weirdest one: We almost stayed at the Hotel Lucia in Portland, opting instead for its sister hotel, the Hotel DeLuxe. Turns out that the Hotel Lucia is the hotel where a  massage therapist claims she was assaulted by Al Gore.

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July 13, 2010 · 6:08 pm

Traverse City, MI – one of best beach towns

More accolades for the area we’re visiting in northern Michigan. In June, AOl.com named Traverse City one of the best beach towns. Does “up north” usually get this good press or am I just noticing it because we’re going there or is there a move afoot to help Michigan’s battered economy through increased tourism? Or all of the above?

8. Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City’s tawny beaches and towering dunes merit the moniker Malibu of Michigan. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore features wilderness islands, trails through diverse ecosystems, and preserved historic farmsteads. This part of Michigan has a deep history and South Manitou Island, reachable by ferry, recreates pioneer days from old schoolhouse to 1871 lighthouse while area museums celebrate everything from steam railroads to Scandinavian heritage. Traverse City’s Victorian downtown boasts hundreds of galleries, boutiques and restaurants. Foodies should pick up a Tasty Traverse guide if they want to chat with brewers and bakers, fromageres and fishermen. There are also those great American summer activities like mini-golf, bumper boats, go karts, and video arcades. Early July brings the famous National Cherry Festival with arts-and-crafts fairs, air shows, and cherries baked, pressed, and jammed in every way possible.

Tip: The picturesque Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsulas north of town proved surprisingly conducive to grape-growing, notable for Rieslings, Pinot Noirs, and ice wines (try Chateau Grand Traverse).

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July 13, 2010 · 1:51 am

Leland, Mi – one of 10 best summer lake towns!

More good press about the area we’re visiting in northern Michigan in August! Budget Travel named the town of Leland as one of the 10 best summer lake towns. We’ll be staying nearby in Glen Arbor, Mi – which I picked in part because it’s near Leland (and the Leelanau Pennisula) and cheaper to stay than Leland.

Here’s the blurb:

America’s 10 best summer lake towns

by Beth Collins
updated 7/10/2010 1:02:22 AM ET

Leland, Mich., on Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau
Leland rests on a peninsula between Lake Michigan and petite Lake Leelanau. Families who’ve been spending the summer here for generations often arrive by boat and never set foot in a car during their stay. The town’s roots as a fishing village aren’t hard to spot — the main attraction here is Fishtown, a cluster of old shanties converted into shops and restaurants, now a lakeside historic district. Locals love the pretzel-bread sandwiches at the Village Cheese Shanty (199 E. River Rd., villagecheeseshanty.com), and kids never let parents walk by the Dam Candy Store without stopping for an ice cream cone or chocolate-covered cherries (197 W. River Rd.). The 107-year-old Riverside Inn and Restaurant, one block from downtown, has a homey feel but is classy enough to offer an extensive international wine list and dining on the deck with views of the Leland River (302 River St., theriverside-inn.com, 231-256-9971, from $100). If you do bring a car, make time to explore the wineries of northern Michigan. The pinot noir from Chateau Fontaine, just three miles outside Leland, has a vibrant berry flavor — it’s the perfect summer wine (2290 S. French Rd., 231-256-0000, chateaufontaine.com).

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July 11, 2010 · 2:39 pm

The High Trestle Trail – central Iowa

We have now ridden the entire 20 miles of the High Trestle trail – and it’s a nice addition to the trail offerings in this area. Earlier we did the Ankeny to Slater portion. Yesterday we did the Slater to just past Madrid bit – and it was a pleasant trail through wide open cornfields, with a few portions canopied by trees. Just past Madrid the smooth concrete trail goes native – becoming a bumpy gravel trail that leads for about a mile to the Des Moines River and the new High Trestle Trail bridge which is really great. It’s not done yet but we were surprised that we could walk – and even ride if we want – across it. We parked our bikes at the edge and walked onto the bridge to catch the glorious view of the broad river and tree-covered banks, with the occasional motorboat speeding underneath the bridge. A young couple rode their bikes east across the bridge and reported that there was a gravel trail/road on the other side, to date. How great it will be when the bridge opens and the trail going further west is paved!

We had a nice picnic in a pretty little town park in Madrid, near the public library. No one there, just us and the flies.

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July 10, 2010 · 3:52 pm

Iowa City restaurant recommendation

The new Motley Cow in Iowa City – in a modern building with a plate glass front – didn’t look as interesting as the old funky Motley Cow in Iowa City but we tried it last week for lunch (when Devotay, a favorite tapas place across the street, was, alas, closing by 2 p.m.  – close to when we arrived) and it was still very good. I had a beautifully cooked piece of salmon (moist on the inside but not raw, crisp on the outside but not dry) atop a bed of spring greens with a light cumin-buttermilk dressing and capers. My daughter’s dish escapes me but was good too. So thumbs up.

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