Monday, September 24, 2012

Simple Michigan Weekend

Its A Great Day for Football!  

Well with all Emaley and I have been doing lately on the weekends it is a good thing that we don't have season tickets to the Spartan football games this year.  However,  this weekend was our annual Landscape Architecture Alumni Tailgate at Michigan State University, and I needed to do some networking as the suits call it.



Tailgate always seems such a fun time at Michigan State University.  Get a group of people together who can relax a bit and enjoy a few cold ones, before their favorite college football team tees up for another MSU victory.  What made even better is all the delicacies.  White-bean chili, donuts,  cookies, fresh fruit,  pie, dogs on the grill,  coffee and even a growler from out visit to Short's Brewery a few weeks back.




Emaley and I got student section tickets because it was our last semester here at MSU,  possibly the last Hurrah in Spartan Stadium.   What a place to see a football game.  With the new mega-screen watching the game is no problem, and the play reviews are excellent.  This kept Emaley happy as I watched the action down on the field. While she likes football,  I think she likes it much more with finger food in sight and the option to go do something else in the next room.  Hey,  got to learn something new about your better half every day right?



All in all the weather turned out nice,  cheap tickets and a happy lady kept this man happy.  Also,  the Spartans half time show was kinda cool this week too.  Well a video is not on youtube yet, but when it is be rest assure I will post a link.  Here is to keeping my lady happy another day while I got a good football game in. For the Record the Spartans did end up winning on this most glorious of days,  23 -7 against the Eastern Michigan Eagles.  

Next week I plan on taking my lady for some more "civilized culture" in Grand Rapids, MI.  Can anyone in the cloud guess what that may be?   Oh, yeah and it is a relatively free event next week too. 

- Michigan Love. 



Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Quest to find the Barski Burger: How a Sport's Bar in the Forest Changed My Outlook on Eating, Travel, Life, and the Future



College life certainly has its ups and downs. A fact that Kyle and I were finding out on a whole new level this past summer as we slipped into a new realm of higher education that is graduate school. Life was becoming more work focused, find work, do work, find work, do work, it never ended. So, as the party scene started to become no longer a part of our feasible life style, so too we felt drifting from us free time, a sense of spontaneity, youth. And this, my friends, if you continue to follow us in our path of adventure, you will find quite quickly is most certainly not US.
No longer wishing to feel like a walk on in Ground Hog Day, we packed the car with the ever-ready-to-go camping essentials and hit the road. Desitination? The little west Michigan town of Baldwin. You might ask why. Good question, sure the town is primarily a tourist town, a feature we've both come to value and dislike at the same time. (lesson learned: stay out side of town, venture in after peak hours to get the real feel of the place) But, as for Baldwin in specific- sure we love the area's lakes and rivers, as well as the vast wilderness of the Manistee National Forest or perhaps even the local festivities which include the annual Blessing of the Bikes (in which thousands of motorcyclists come from around the United States) and Troutarama, as well as Shrine of the Pines.
But the reason for the trip in particular; a quest! The suggestion to make a drive from East Lansing to Baldwin for the sole purpose of visiting a biker bar with a legendary burger. Behold, I give you the knowledge of Barski and his Barski Burger!



Again, you might be thinking we really were crazy graduate students to drive over 2.5 hrs just to get some ground beef and fries. Perhaps, or perhaps not! The little town is pretty much located along on street (M37/M10) so we figured it be east to find the eatery. Ummm not really, but stopping in a little shop gave us more than just directions. The owner of the clothing shop we stopped in gave us some local history and told us the way to Barksi, just a bit further North on M37.





When you pull up and see the place it's complete biker bar heaven. Casual atmosphere, comfort foods, and the standard draft and bottle beer choices make an out of towner feel like a local. As Kyle quickly noticed, the bar proudly displays the Polish flag and serves several traditional Polish style entrees. I ordered the kielbasa with kraut and rye served with an out of this world horseradish aioli (even Kyle, who hates horseradish said this stuff was bomb.) And the kielbasa was by far some of the best I've ever had, and I know a good Polish kielbasa when I taste one!
This brings me to the holy grail of burgers, totally worthy of the name Barski. The Barski Burger. Burger, bacon, pickles, garlic aioli, toasted bun, home made fries. Ermagoshgood! When the plates were licked clean, literally, we took another look at the menu and debated getting the bleu cheese poppers (we like finger food, a lot) but thought better of it considering we'd be in a tent in the back woods for the night. But no worries, we're set up for another reason to visit Baldwin and the crew at Barski Bar.
Kyle's in Burger Heaven
As I recount this summer weekend trip on a chilly September day, sitting in a computer lab back on MSU's campus, sounded by mounds of work walling me in once again, I am reminded of that warm summer afternoon Kyle and I left all this behind to find a burger in the woods. And, I am also reminded that just because the present seems doggedly boring and the to-do list never ending, we are together, and together we are only a relatively short drive, a few good conversions and radio-singalongs away from foodie paradise. So, hold fast friends! and dream of that Burger of burgers.


Bridge Walking


Almost across the bridge to Mackinaw City

I took Emaley on a nice weekend for her birthday on September 4th.  I wanted to complete the annual Mackinaw Bridge Walk as a significant achievement in my recovery process from an injury in winter 2012 and I also wanted to take her to a unique event for her birthday.
Cruising on Torch Lake
 Everywhere you go in Northern Michigan is great on Labor Day,  but this Michigan tradition is kinda cool.  After spending much of the weekend with my family at the cottage we decided to head to THE BRIDGE, that is what we call the Mackinaw Bridge in Michigan.  We arrived late from boating at the incredibly deep Torch Lake,  did you know Torch lake has an average depth of 256 ft.  Oh, and on the way up north we stopped at Shorts Brewery in Bellaire (Emaley's fav brewery- Soft Parade will seriously knock your socks off for a fruity beer).  Michigan is just blessed with great brews and even better places to drink them.   These adventures resulted in a late night crossing of the bride, in the car,  to camp in the U.P.   That's Upper Peninsula of Michigan for those of you reading from abroad.

Bridge Walk Day was Sweet.  We got up late, nearly the last wave of people to start walking the bridge.  The Bridge is different when walking it at 3 mph. For one, it is taller, much taller and you really get to see the craftsmanship of all the rivets but one thing remains constant it never seems to be a full 5 miles. Don't worry it is,  I checked it in the car.

The Weekend was another first for us as neither of us had walked that 5 miles of the North Country Trail known as The Bridge. (Seriously check this route out. If you walk it, you have to plan to cross the bridge on Labor Day or else consider the only honorable option. Take a ferry to Mackinaw Island, walk 5 miles, and then take a ferry back to the other side.)   I believe I can speak for both us of when I said we enjoyed it.  After all what is not to love,  another hot day in Northern Michigan.  I had my girl by my side and I got to talk to the locals after most of the "fudgies" left because of the work week beginning Tuesday morning.  Ahh, the life of a college student with energy.
Pro tip: Start on the UP side in St. Ignace to beat the crowds of people needing to be bussed over the bridge from the south

The bridge walk took us 1.5 hours and was well worth the expeince.  People come from all over Michigan and even abroad to walk the bridge.   Along with the barefooted folks we saw walking the bridge we meet a few Canadians along the way.  Nice folks. 


Michigan Love,
KB

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Paddleboarding on the West Coast



Well, summer and its long, warm days are winding down for most of us in Michigan, but that doesn't stop Kyle and I from getting outside and trying something new. As usual with us, this weekend trip was mostly unplanned and spontaneous, however; there were two key factors we knew would be happening.

First, the greatest harvest of garden variety tomatoes and hot peppers would be happening and as a result a good pint of salsa would be happening. Yes, I'm kicking myself that no pictures of this salsa or the jalapeno poppers stuffed with with cream cheese and wrapped in strips of crispy bacon that graced our friday-date-night-in table were taken, but oh well, we're just getting into this blog thing. As a note I guarantee your man will LOVE you, and on you, when you make these and if he says "Woah! that's way too many!" simply say, "No, dear just trust me, you'll thank me in about 10 minutes when they're almost gone."

Secondly, an attempt to succeed at this new phenomena, this seemingly super simple water based activity that has come to sweep this part of the country. THIS being of course the SUP, the Paddleboard. Basically a surf board with a paddle. Pretty straightforward right? Well it is, and it isn't. Since we were already in a West Michigan lakeside town that solved a lot of issues. We went up to Mackinaw Kite Co. in downtown Grand Haven,  got a couple boards and headed out to Pigeon River near his childhood home in West Olive.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

On a whim in East Lansing. Idea from CCC museum!

Hello Everyone,

We know that no-one ever reads to first post.   So, I guess this is for our own
benefit.  We are having fun.   More will come later about us,  you may read
back to those post.   Lost in all this is the secret word, in case I ask about it
later for a prize.  Mitten.    I typically wear gloves, but my girl likes mittens.
Combined with my girl Emaley Baxter, I date Michigan.

-Signing Off-    Kyle Brusveen