I’ve been wanting to add more topics to my blog, and this begins one of those topics! I love to travel, but I don’t get to do a lot of it…yet. While thinking about this topic, I realized there’s so many fun and interesting places that I’ve been that most of my readers have either never heard of or haven’t had a chance to go, so this is me traveling again via the internet! There are also so many other places I want to visit, and if you happen to live in the area I discuss, feel free to comment on the posts! I’m excited to do these, and I hope you get a better flavor of what I’m like.
Today’s Journey: Hale, MI
That little red dot is Hale.
On today’s trip around the world, we’re starting off a little closer to home. My home, to be exact, or rather, the home of my childhood and young adult years. I grew up in a little town in the northeastern lower peninsula named Hale. (For those who may not know, Michigan has two peninsulas, the Lower and Upper.) Both peninsulas are beautiful! What I love most about Hale is that it’s surrounded by forests, lakes, and farms.
Google maps screenshot of downtown Hale!
Before moving to Madison, WI, I’d lived in a few bigger cities, but nothing prepared me for Madison’s size and living here. It’s honestly a breath of fresh air to go home where life moves a bit slower and you can avoid and weekend traffic by taking the back dirt roads. Seriously, traffic in Michigan moves in two directions on summer and holiday weekends: North on Friday night and South on Sunday. If you want to avoid the rush, go the opposite direction. Once Hale started getting busy, we always took the back roads where we needed to go.
One of my favorite things to do was to walk in my grandpa’s woods. I’d also play with my sisters and cousins in them. We’d get lost, get our feet wet, and give a pint of blood each to Michigan’s state bird: the mosquito. Because of this, I’ve grown to love nature so much. My goal is to eventually own a house out in the middle of the woods. Living in the city is killing me slowly. It’s also why you’ll find that so many of my stories’ settings are rural and in forests. If I could spend my time anywhere, it would be the forest, first and foremost.
If you’re ever in the area and feel like stopping by Hale to check it out, here’s a few things to note:
*You’ll need to purchase a Kocher’s doughnut
*Grab an ice cream cone at The Victorian Cafe
*Attempt to run up all the stares at Iargo Springs (not far out of town and totally worth it)
*While you’re at Iargo, check out Lumberman’s monument just up the road
*Buy some bacon from Alward’s Market
*There are about 60 lakes in the vicinity, so take a swim or go kayaking!
*Visit my dad and sister at Bernard Building Center (Bonus points if you let Tasha design your kitchen/bath)
*Finally, check out the small town restaurants. You won’t want to miss them!
Heather Karn 