StringGrrl sees the World

 Boardman Lake is smack-dab downtown in Traverse City, MI. Easily accessible from the lake are three, maybe even four breweries. Local kayak liveries have scheduled tours to kayak and bike to several local breweries and taprooms. So on this August Sunday, StringGrrl and I decided that we should make the tour ourselves.  Coffee first! It would be irresponsible to embark on day drinking un-caffeinated Boardman Lake Trail Bridge and entry to the River There is a free public launch in Hull Park, just behind the Traverse Area Public Library. Parking adequate for up to 5 cars and up to 5 trucks with trailers, right near the launch and more parking elsewhere in the park made for an easy launch that morning. We paddled our way into the river first to have a coffee while drifting through town. Ideally, one should be able to portage the canoe past the dam and connect directly into Grand Traverse Bay, but construction near the dam made that portage just inconvenient enough that StringGrr...

Sign marking Entrance to Pond, sign on island accessible floating downstream from Alcona  In the Huron National Forest, the Au Sable River runs from Grayling east to Lake Huron. On the river there are over a hundred designated campsites, many are boat-in access only. Unlike trying to camp "dispersed" which prohibits camping within 200 ft from streams, rivers, ponds, lakes or other bodies of water, the Au Sable River Campsites have been established and maintained by the US Forest Service and Parks staff.  recreation.gov to reserve a site The Au Sable River camps span 55 miles of the Au Sable River and are separated into several segments: Alcona Pond, the AuSable Semi-Primitive Non-Motorized Area, Loud Pond, Five Channels Pond, Cooke Pond, Foote Pond and the Lower Au Sable. Loud Pond, is one of the easiest places to put in and get to campsites without long stretches of paddling or having to car spot to have a nice weekend or overnight trip. Which is why it has become my def...

Craft Brewing is not what normally comes to mind when people ask about Japan. They'll ask if you like raw fish (there is more to Japanese cuisine than Sashimi or Sushi), or they'll comment about Sake (there is more than just rice wine in Japan); but if you look, you will definitely find some. Our recent trip to Tokyo, this April just after the Sakura had been swept away by rain :-( we were able to find a perfectly suitable refuge for the Craft Beer Lover.  Moonrise Kingdom(via their Instagram) StringGrrl with one of the NEIPA/Hazy IPA on tap from Japanese Craft Breweries As a treat, the owners shared an American Milk Stout from Left Hand Brewing out of Colorado Local ExPat who gave up their stool to make room for StringGrrl and Kam Carryout beer from Kyoto Brewing Company, Vertere

StringGrrl has been an avid Gearheads supporter for years Team 1189 Gearheads are sponsored by ESI Group (a part of Keysight) StringGrrl's travel companion Kam prepares to sacrifice his beard for the team Kam has had a standing deal with the team. Not a "bet", since betting is antithetical to the FIRST Robotics Ideals. Let's call it a Merit Based Objective, where when the team Advances in the event, they can "reconfigure" Kam's beard. It's been a deal since 2015 when Kam started to mentor the team. Since then, Facial Hair Funday has been a part of Gearheads robotics and Kam's key contribution to the spirit of the event.  Enjoy the suffering of Kam as he wears a ridiculous beard for 2 consecutive weekends. Gearhead mentor and team members dyed Kam's beard Black & Yellow for team spirit Phase 1: the Yellow Phase 2: the Black Phase 3: if the team advances from Qualifiers...

Not far from Munich we've had the good fortune to find ourselves in smaller cozy little towns or villages. One of which is Aichach and it's little adjacent village Wittelsbach. There we stayed in a modern little hotel tucked up against the woods and a few fields.  Naturhotel Wittelsbach The naturhotel has two levels and maybe 20 rooms (? Sorry if I didn't really count). All the rooms face the back side of hotel and have wide open clear views from the hotel, over the fields, and to the woods.  Balcony view, failing to capture a picture of the glorious post sunset sky.  A short walk from the hotel you'll find an old church, recently repaired and renovated, and a maintained forest trail "wanderweg".