The Two Bill’s – Part 2

On August 21, 2016November 30, 2017 By Author Edmond GagnonIn Book Reviews, Entertainment, TravelLeave a comment

IMG_3510-002

This story appears in my first book, A Casual Traveler

The Way Back

Usually, going somewhere is more fun than coming back. Whenever I plan a trip I try to take that into account. I don’t know how everyone else feels, but I hate covering the same ground twice. I’d much rather make a loop and go out of my way, than drive down the same road more than once. Unless something is worth seeing again, from a different perspective.

Cathryn and I had a great ride getting to Vancouver, but I knew I had my work cut out for me, trying to find an eventful and scenic way back home. The whole idea of the trip was to cover new ground, since both of us had been out west before. Seattle came to mind. Although I’d been there twice, I never had time to see more than a few token attractions on the waterfront.

Continue reading “The Two Bill’s – Part 2” →

The Two Bill’s – Part 1

On August 11, 2016November 30, 2017 By Author Edmond GagnonIn Book Reviews, Entertainment, TravelLeave a comment

This story appears in my first book, A Casual Traveler

Westward Ho

Cathryn’s big question was, “How do I pack for a whole month?” She was faced with the dilemma of how to get her clothes, shoes, and toiletries into one small suitcase, that fit into the trunk portion of our Harley Davidson motorcycle. I had laid out a plan to ride all the way to Vancouver, and back, within a month…or so.

“You only need to pack for five to seven days,” I offered, “We can do our laundry along the way when we stop for more than a day.” I broke the trip into segments, staying in a few different places for more than one night at a time, so we could take a rest from the bike, and not have to be on it every day of the trip.

We met with our friends Greg and Brenda, to discuss the first leg of the trip. They changed their final destination, deciding to only ride as far as Milwaukee with us. It didn’t matter, we were going on with or without them. Figuring traffic would be lighter, and a hotel in downtown Milwaukee cheaper, we left at 9 am on Sunday, July 3rd.

Continue reading “The Two Bill’s – Part 1” →

Steerfish in Spearfish

On August 1, 2016August 1, 2016 By Author Edmond GagnonIn Entertainment, Food & Dining, TravelLeave a comment

IMG_4145-001

You never know what you’ll end up eating when you’re on the road and looking a good meal. Cathryn and I struck it rich in Spearfish, South Dakota when the manager at our motel recommended Steerfish Steak & Smoke.

Spearfish is one of those towns that most folks have never heard of, but this restaurant and the annual motorcycle rally in neighboring Sturgis have put them on the map. If you are ever anywhere in the area, visiting this eatery is a must.

Continue reading “Steerfish in Spearfish” →

Seattle’s more than Seafood

On July 26, 2016July 26, 2016 By Author Edmond GagnonIn Entertainment, Food & Dining, TravelLeave a comment

Seattle deserves a lot more time than we allowed ourselves there, but with a Kamikaze agenda, we hit enough bars and restaurants to give us a good taste of the seaside city. For me, downtown Seattle means Pike’s Market on the waterfront. You could spend a whole day wandering through the dozens of shops in buildings on both sides of the street, and not see it all.

Continue reading “Seattle’s more than Seafood” →

Bikes n Brews

On July 7, 2016July 7, 2016 By Author Edmond GagnonIn Entertainment, Food & Dining, TravelLeave a comment

Milwaukee, Wisconsin…home of the Brewers. And I don’t mean the baseball team. Shlitz, Blatz, and Pabst put Milwaukee on the beer map years ago. The Harley Davidson Museum is now a tourist attraction for motorcycle riders from all parts of the globe. They have their world headquarters and a factory there.

The old brewery buildings downtown have been converted to upscale condominiums. The city also converted other industrial buildings along the river into trendy shops and restaurants, creating the River Walk. It was hard to look at the old brewery buildings and not think about Laverne and Shirley.

Milwaukee was our first stop on our cross-country motorcycle trip. Our friends Greg and Brenda made the first leg of the ride with us and did the museum tour at HD. Cathryn tried out one of the bikes to get the real feel of riding a hawg, then her and I took a ride along the lakefront, where they set had off 4th of July fireworks the night before.

We stayed in the Astor, an old hotel downtown that has been refurbished to include trendy apartments.

Continue reading “Bikes n Brews” →

Relax at the Ben Miller Inn

On May 28, 2016May 29, 2016 By Author Edmond GagnonIn Entertainment, Food & DiningLeave a comment

IMG_2881-001

Two of the main buildings at the Ben Miller Inn & Spa are over one hundred and thirty years old, but it’s the simplicity and charm of the old grist mill, that keeps visitors coming back for some good old fashioned country R & R. It’s nestled in the rolling hills near Lake Huron, about ten minutes from downtown Goderich.

Rooms are available in different buildings or cottages, depending on the experience you are looking for. We stayed in one of the Mill rooms that overlooked a gushing stream and the Maitland River. The sound of the water and the view were amazing.

The room was clean will all the amenities, including a mini hideaway kitchenette. I was a bit disappointed with the overall condition of the old Inn. There is being old and there is looking old; the Inn looks like it could use some TLC. It was more evident on the property away from the main building.

Continue reading “Relax at the Ben Miller Inn” →

Charleston, South Carolina

On March 29, 2016May 14, 2016 By Author Edmond GagnonIn TravelLeave a comment

Leaving Myrtle Beach and arriving in Charleston, was like graduating to college directly from grade school. Even though the city wasn’t on the way home, we just had to make the detour and experience this gem of the south. Luckily, the city managed to remain mostly unscathed during the U.S. civil war. The architectural beauty of the 18th and 19th century buildings will punch any history buff right in the solar plexus.

Continue reading “Charleston, South Carolina” →

Myrtle Beach

On March 28, 2016May 14, 2016 By Author Edmond GagnonIn TravelLeave a comment

We weren’t planning a winter getaway this year, mostly for financial reasons – one being that we’ll be doing a three to four week bike trip to the west coast this summer, but I saw a post on Facebook about Myrtle Beach accepting Canadian money at par for food and lodging.

The next thing I knew we had five nights booked at the Admiral Motor Inn, in downtown Myrtle Beach for the March Break. They offered a thirty percent discount through Hotels.com that almost evened out the exchange rate. We scored an ocean front, ocean view efficiency room for sixty-two bucks a night (Canadian).

I hadn’t been to Myrtle Beach in over thirty years, but was impressed to see that they built a beautiful oceanfront boardwalk that runs almost a mile and a half. For folks like us who want to park the car and walk most places, it was perfect. It was ideal for strolling or getting to and from about two dozen bars, restaurants, arcades, beachwear shops and more.

Continue reading “Myrtle Beach” →