Great places to stop on U.S. 12 in Michigan

The huge U.S. 12 yard sale is this weekend all across southern Michigan. There are a lot of neat places to stop along the way any time of the year. The following is an informal list of some of my favorite U.S. 12 stops as well as some I have not yet visited. We will start at the western end of U.S. 12 in Michigan and work our way east.

New Buffalo Redamak's - "The hamburger that made New Buffalo, MI famous." I have not yet stopped in and tasted this famous burger, but it is on my list. I love their website. They have some great oldies music playing while you are looking around the site. Note: Redamak's only accepts cash, no cards or checks.

The Bean Counter - Great little coffee shop right on U.S. 12. As a recovering accountant I can appreciate the name (come on you know people always refer to accountants as bean counters).

Three Oaks Historic Drier's Meat Market - In business since just after the Civil War ended, Drier's Meat Market is a National Historic Site. They still throw sawdust on the floor and their ring bologna is as famous as it is tasty.

Featherbone Factory - Once home to a thriving women's garment factory, the Featherbone Factory is now home to Kinner Enterprises. They sell rustic home furnishings and hundreds of garden stepping stones and statues.

Okay, that is it for part one. I am posting the second half of this U.S. 12 adventure separately. I just kept coming up with more places to stop and the post was getting longer than I wanted it to be.

Giant garage sale on U.S. 12 this weekend

Beginning this Friday, August 11, and running through Sunday, August 13, you can shop at hundreds (perhaps thousands) of garage/yard sales from 9 am to 5 pm each day. I have heard of a lot of folks that make a weekend trip out of this. They start at one end of U.S. 12 as it runs across lower Michigan and start shopping. Speedier shoppers might accomplish this feat in a day, but the majority make a weekend out of it and stay at one of the many fine Bed and Breakfasts or hotels along U.S. 12.

Can you imagine if people from here in Michigan all the way to Washington state (where U.S. 12 ends) participated in this yard sale? The current holder of the "world's largest yard sale" title is the one along U.S. 127 from Kentucky to Georgia.

I'll be posting some places of interest along U.S. 12 tomorrow morning. There is more to U.S. 12 than yard sales, of course. :)

P.S. Interested in the history of U.S. 12? Check out the documentary, “From Moccasins to Main Street.”

P.P.S. Head over to www.us12heritagetrail.org for additional info.

Bid on a Chance to Travel on a Great Lakes Freighter

The bidding ends next Sunday, August 13, 2006, on a chance for two people to enjoy a 7-day "cruise" on a working great lakes freighter, The Saginaw. The current bid is $3,000. Normally trips like this would only be available for the shipping company's customers. The proceeds of the auction are to benefit the Port Colborne Marine and Historical Museum.

So unless you are a shipping customer or have the hankering to get your seaman's papers and work on a freighter this will be your best chance at a truly unique trip. All meals and beverages are included in the winning bid. You will be staying in the ship's spacious guest quarters during your trip with the possibility of a tour of the ship at the captain's discretion.

For more details on this unique auction head over to www.boatnerd.com.

Java Joe's Cafe, My Favorite U.P. Coffee Shop

Way up north across the Mighty Mac and located in lovely St. Ignace you will find one of the many treasures of Michigan's Upper Peninsula - Java Joe's Cafe. The name says 'Java,' but there is more to Java Joe's than coffee. The first time I stopped in there was in the evening with my wife to get a Chai Latte. The place was packed with people eating pizza. Yes, pizza. From the looks and smells of those pies, I would say that Java Joe's must serve up a mighty good pizza in addition to their yummy breakfast and excellent selection coffee.

The proprietor of the cafe, Joe Durm, is a friendly chap who loves to chat with his customers and seems genuinely interested in where they are heading or where they are from. He offers suggestions on places to stop along your way after hearing which direction you are taking from his store.

I can't vouch for the breakfast (I have always just stopped for caffeine) at Java Joe's Cafe, but judging by the sights, smells, and crowds it must be pretty good. Some of my family ate there last summer for breakfast and they were quite pleased with the quantity and quality of the food.

You can even make up your own cappuccino or latte flavor with the wide assortment of flavors in Java Joe's inventory. We had him create Caramel Apple Cappuccino when we stopped in on our way to Wisconsin. Joe said that in all of his years he had never before served up a Caramel Apple Cappuccino. It was so good. I need to find some apple flavoring and try to create my own.

When Joe isn't serving up coffee and pizzas he substitute teaches at the school on Mackinac Island. How cool is that to be a substitute teacher on Mackinac Island of all places?

Prices and Such

• Breakfast - from the Shortstack Pancakes at $2.89 up to the Hobo Omelet at $7.89
• Lunch - from the Veggie Burger at $4.59 up to the Whitefish Sandwich at $8.95
• Pizzas - average price for a 16" pizza is around $14.95 (I have to try the Smoked Whitefish sometime!)
• Coffees are anywhere from $1.29 for a small coffee to $3.75 for large specialty drinks

If you go: Java Joe's is located at 959 North State Street in St. Ignace. The cafe is located in the outskirts of the parking lots for the Holiday Inn Express and Comfort Inn.

Michigan Gas Prices and Economy Slow Tourism

Traffic at the Mackinac Bridge is down for the eighth year in a row. Currently it is down 2% from last year. Traffic counts in Cadillac and Traverse City also show a decline from the previous year. State parks have had fewer campers and less out-of-state visitors. Businesses across northern Michigan that count on the summer tourists to keep them open year-round are nervous. The average price of gas in Michigan is currently $3.089. That is $.80 more than drivers were paying one year ago.

Add in the fact that numerous families in Michigan are affected by the flood of job losses our state has been experiencing and you come up with a number that is bad for Michigan's tourism businesses. Folks here in Michigan simply have less disposable income. You cannot justify long car trips and vacations if that means you go without grocery money or the ability to pay your other bills.

I previously wrote about the tough time that U.P. businesses would be having this year back in April. This was when the average Michigan gas price was $2.79 per gallon.

Via the Traverse City Record Eagle.