Days 1 & 2 - From the "Woodlot" to the Woods

We did it - we started on our vacation - Pat and Paul's big adventure.

The air-con is fixed so of course the weather was cool and rainy from about the time we crossed the Bluewater Bridge till we got closer to Indiana - where the forecast changed to a tornado watch.
So we turned the van and trailer west and headed towards the big bright spot in the sky - which turned out to be above the shores of Lake Michigan - Van Buren State Park near Kalamazoo Michigan - (you're singing right? "a-b-c-d-e-f-g-h-I got a gal in Kalamazoo").

The wedding of the year was amazing. Friday night at the Woodlot restaurant in Toronto was a gourmet experience (including the sighting of one of the "Top Chef Canada"'s contestants). The Woodlot has some of the best food in the country - and partying there with our kids and friends was a treat! Then Sunday, we headed to Langdon Hall in Cambridge for more food, and festivities. A wonderful weekend. Check out the photographer's blog for some terrific pics.

But we were unprepared for how tired we were once everything was over and we still had to pack for this trip. Then to get turned around because of "potential tornados" put us off a bit but in the end, the State Park was lovely - till the rain started....

The new trailer held up pretty well but it was quite the downpour so we did get somewhat damp - but this was not as frustrating as trying to get around Chicago in the pouring rain - no one was singing then!

We persevered however and kept to our plan of trying at least one meal from "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" series by visting a great place north of Chicago in Glenview called ,"Hackneys on Harms"(one of 6 Hackneys in the Chicago area - all family-run businesses begun in 1939 at this site) - with onion rings to die for and guinness marinated hamburgers on homemade rye bread. Sounds odd but tastes wonderful. The diet is definitely on the run.

Tonight we are staying at a KOA near Madison in Wisconsin - to dry out, warm up and hopefully sleep without hearing the lashing of rain that kept us up last night. Of course, it is going down to near freezing tonight so ..... (We actually ARE having a good time so far!)