croatia: zagreb, istria & plitvice lakes national park

April 27, 2022

We visited Croatia in October of 2021, starting in Zagreb, and working our way west to Istria, where we stopped in Opatija, Motovun, Rovinj and Pula.  Then we continued southeast to Plitvice Lakes National Park where we explored the park in cold, windy and rainy weather. This was our first international trip since the pandemic started.

We also went south to Dalmatia, along the coast, which I’ll feature in an upcoming video.

In Croatia, we strolled among the disheveled and forlorn populace of Zagreb and ate pizza and fluffy pillows of warm bread with beer and rakija. We took a funicular to the Upper Town and visited the Museum of Broken Relationships with its sad tales and detritus of heartbreak. We chatted with the waiter at the Bulldog Café about divisive matters of the world. Later, we walked around the Green Horseshoe and found actors rehearsing an opera on the portico of the Croatian National Theatre. We drove to the Eastern Riviera in Opatija and promenaded down the Lungomare to meet a woman surrounded by seagulls. We enjoyed the vineyard views of Istria from the hill town of Motovun. We immersed ourselves in blue light with harbor views and seafood at Gostionica “La Gondola” in Rovinj. We wandered through the Old Town and to the Church of St. Euphemia after checking out the rock-carved “beaches.” We bicycled on a trail leading to a rocky beach where we swam under the shade of cypresses and Aleppo pines. We visited the Roman amphitheater and strolled through Pula. Finally, we were serenaded by waterfalls as we traipsed through Plitvice National Park in the pouring rain on boardwalks lined with tropical plants and marsh grasses growing out of limestone.

I recommend watching on YouTube for the best experience. 🙂

Our top six experiences in the northern portion of Croatia were:
6) Plitvice Lakes National Park (rainy, cold and miserable, but beautiful)
5) Zagreb, especially the Upper Town (Gradac) and Tkalčićeva Street
4) Motovun
3) Opatija
2) Pula and the Roman ruins
1) Rovinj (our favorite of the entire trip)

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Our northern route in Croatia from Polarsteps

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michigan’s lower peninsula: “the mitten”

April 13, 2022

We explored Michigan as part of our Great Lakes Road Trip in May-June of 2021. Our explorations included Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. This video covers Michigan’s lower peninsula, affectionately referred to as “the Mitten” (see map below).

The Michigan Mitten is all about eclectic folksy inns; tunnels of trees; expansive sand dunes; famous authors like Hemingway, Bruce Catton, and Jim Harrison; lighthouses; weathered fish shanties; cherry orchards and grape vineyards; megachurches and the American Taliban; presidential museums; Henry Ford and the automobile; the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; and obscure battlefields.

After crossing the Mackinac Bridge over the Straits of Mackinac, we: cruised through the Tunnel of Trees to Petoskey; enjoyed the thatch houses at Charlevoix; hiked the Cottonwood Trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore; enjoyed a lovely dinner at The Cove in Leland, with views of weathered shanties on the Fishtown dock. We drove by Jim Harrison’s old home — writer’s cottage and all, and then cruised through cherry orchards and wineries up the slim Old Mission Peninsula, where we found another lighthouse. We came face-to-face with the DeVos evangelical mission in Holland, wandered the grounds of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum (which was sadly closed due to COVID), and endured a bad experience with our Airbnb in Detroit, which turned out to be in the derelict Hamtramck neighborhood, and lost most of our money. We wandered through Ann Arbor and watched In the Heights at the Michigan Theater. We learned about the history of cars and American innovation at The Henry Ford in Dearborn. After dropping Mike at the Detroit airport, I went on to learn about an obscure battle in the War of 1812 at the River Raisin National Battlefield Park: “Remember the Raisin!”

Our top ten experiences in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula were:
10) Cross Village & the Tunnel of Trees
9) Grand Haven and the Tri-Cities Historical Museum
8) Grand Rapids and the grounds of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
7) Petoskey
6) Charlevoix
5) Dearborn: The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village
4) Ann Arbor: the charming town & the University of Michigan
3) The Old Mission Peninsula: cherry orchards, wineries, & lighthouses
2) Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
1) Leelanau Peninsula: Leland, Fishtown, and Jim Harrison’s old home

Michigan road trip 2021
“The Mitten”

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michigan’s upper peninsula to mackinac island

April 6, 2022

We explored Michigan as the last part of our Great Lakes Road Trip in May-June of 2021. Our explorations included Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. This video covers the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (see map below).

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac. It is bounded primarily by Lake Superior to the north and flanked by Lake Huron and Lake Michigan along much of its south. Residents are nicknamed Yoopers (derived from “UP-ers”) and have a strong regional identity, enhanced by the perception that the rest of the state neglects them.

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is all about Pictured Rocks, huge ships going at a snail’s pace through the Soo Locks, lighthouses, “yoopers,” waterfalls, shipwrecks, Lake Superior, and pasties.

We visited the Sand Point Lighthouse in Escanaba and the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse in Marquette, watched The Sand Lot on a big screen at the Delft Bistro, and explored Miners Castle, Miners Beach, Sable Falls, and the Au Sable Lighthouse Trail (accompanied by black flies and mosquitoes aplenty) at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We went on a 2-hour sunset cruise with Pictured Rocks Cruises after eating pasties at Muldoon’s Pasties. We found “Yoosta be a Yooper” bumper stickers in Munising. We visited waterfalls in Munising and Tahquamenon (rhymes with Phenomenon) Falls State Park, the Edmund Fitzgerald and other shipwrecks at Whitefish Point’s Shipwreck Museum and a ship moving glacially through the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie. We enjoyed a leisurely bicycle ride around Mackinac Island and crossed the Straits of Mackinac on the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge, known as the “Mighty Mac.”

Our top eight experiences in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula were:

8) Crossing the Mackinac Bridge
7) Escanaba
6) Marquette
5) Sault Ste. Marie and the Soo Locks
4) Whitefish Point and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
3) Tahquamenon Falls State Park
2) Bicycling all over Mackinac Island
1) Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Munising: Pictured Rocks Cruises, Miners Beach, Miners Falls & pasties!

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

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a wisconsin road trip: of apostle islands & cheeseheads

March 23, 2022

We explored Wisconsin as part of our Great Lakes Road Trip in May-June of 2021. Our explorations included Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Wisconsin is all about scenic Rt. 13, the charming town of Bayfield, the murals of Ashland, lakes, freshwater fishing, boating, sandstone formations, maritime history, dairy cows, cheese & cheese curds, beer, bratwurst and fish boils. It is about walks along the Mississippi and the Milwaukee Rivers and Lake Superior. It is about the University of Wisconsin in Madison, locks and dams, charming villages, grottoes and smoked fish.

We cruised through Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on a cold and blustery day, searched for waterfalls at Copper Falls State Park, climbed inside of a giant sturgeon at the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, stopped for a beer flight at Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. in Chippewa Falls, and paid our respects to veterans at the High Ground on Memorial Day, topped off by an old-fashioned Chinese meal at Shaw Lee in Wisconsin Rapids. We strolled through Witches Gulch and watched a dog jump over an abyss at Stand Rock in Wisconsin Dells. We climbed the steep boulder-strewn trail at Devil’s Lake State Park to the Devil’s Doorway. We enjoyed a Bodega Bowl in the shadow of the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, and wandered around the stunning University of Wisconsin campus. We meandered down State Street and enjoyed dumplings at Chen’s Noodles & Dumplings. We munched on cheese curds and beer at Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee. We wandered through the “Streets of Old Milwaukee” and the European Village and learned about Nelson Mandela at the Milwaukee Public Museum. We glimpsed all-things-beer including Miller Brewing and the Pabst Mansion, then met “the Fonz” on the Riverwalk. We explored the Public Market and the Historic Third Ward. We learned about maritime history in Sturgeon Bay and walked along limestone bedrock fronting Lake Michigan at Cave Point County Park. We witnessed a conflagration and ate whitefish at a fish boil at Pelletier’s in Fish Creek. We soaked up a stunning sunset at Sunset Beach at Fish Creek. And finally, we donned cheeseheads and did the “Lambeau Leap” at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

Our top ten experiences in Wisconsin were:
10) Green Bay – Lambeau Field
9) Dickeyville Grotto
8) Hayward Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum
7) Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. in Chippewa Falls
6) Wisconsin Dells
5) Devil’s Lake State Park: The Balanced Rock Trail
4) Milwaukee : Milwaukee Public Museum, Riverwalk, the Historic Third Ward & the Milwaukee Public Market
3) Madison: University of Wisconsin, State Street, & the Wisconsin State Capitol
2) Apostle Island National Lakeshore: Apostle Islands Cruises (The Grand Tour)
1) Door County: Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay, Fish Creek & Pelletier’s Nightly Fish Boil, & Cave Point County Park

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Our Wisconsin route

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minnesota {points north}

March 9, 2022

We explored Minnesota as part of our Great Lakes Road Trip in May-June of 2021. Our explorations included Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Northern Minnesota is all about Lake Superior and the shipping, mining, lumber and fur trading industries. It is about voyageurs and outdoorsmen: canoe paddlers, campers and traders. It is about 12,000 lakes, pictographs at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), aerial lift bridges, the charming Stillwater on the St. Croix River, and ruins of a 130-year-old sandstone quarry along the Kettle River. It is about Frank Lloyd Wright gas stations, railroad museums, and famous football players such as Bronko Nagurski. It is about Dorothy Molter, aka the Root Beer Lady.

In Duluth, we watched the James R. Barker, the first 1000-foot class vessel constructed entirely on the Great Lakes in 1976, pass through the Aerial Lift Bridge, which spans the Duluth Ship Canal. The 1,000-ton central span rises 138 feet like an elevator to let ships enter the harbor. We saw a huge collection of rolling stock at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum. And returning to Duluth after our exploration of the North Shore, we enjoyed a seaplane ride over the largest and busiest port on the Great Lakes, with views of the Aerial Lift Bridge and the surrounding metro area. To top it all off, we had dinner at Bridgeman’s, a mid-century modern diner complete with a Friday night fish fry and a raspberry hot fudge wonder.

Here are my top ten favorite experiences of northern Minnesota:

10) hiking the Quarry Loop Trail at Banning State Park
9) Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
8) dinner at the iconic Bridgeman’s in Duluth
7) Stillwater, the charming self-proclaimed “Birthplace of Minnesota”
6) Voyageur’s National Park and the Arrowhead Lodge
5) Palisade Head on the North Shore
4) Tettegouche State Park
3) Duluth and the Aerial Lift Bridge: watching the huge cargo ships go through the bridge
2) Canoeing on Hegman Lake in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW)
1) Seaplane tour of Duluth with Beaver Air

our complete Minnesota road trip
road trip through northern Minnesota (detail)

If you’d like to subscribe to my YouTube channel, you can find it here: Cathy Dutchak YouTube Channel.

Thank you for watching! 🙂

minnesota {points south}

February 23, 2022

We explored Minnesota as part of our Great Lakes Road Trip in May-June of 2021. Our explorations included Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Southern Minnesota was all about marine art, the birthplace of waterskiing, and the world’s largest 16-foot-tall work boot. It was about SPAM, the Jolly Green Giant, horizontal landscapes of endless farmland, Blue Mounds, Pipestone quarries and the Indian pipes made from them, Sioux quartzite, and invisible petroglyphs. It was a land of German towns, waterfalls, and the Mississippi River. It was also about reconciliation in Mankato and a bank robbery by the notorious James-Younger gang in Northfield.

In Minneapolis, we strolled through sculpture gardens, across old stone bridges, and under signs for Gold Medal Flour and Pillsbury’s Best Flour. We cruised through the University of Minnesota, bicycled around lakes in Minneapolis, and sang to musical murals. We browsed the Minnesota History Museum and learned about iron ore, lumber, the collapse of Interstate 35 in 2007, Minnesota blizzards & tornadoes, and Sinclair Lewis. We paid our respects to George Floyd, Prince and Bob Dylan, peeked into the On Being studio, and met Charlie Brown and the gang in St. Paul.

Here are my top ten favorites of southern Minnesota (The Twin Cities & south):

10) George Floyd Square in Minneapolis
9)  Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona
8) Pipestone National Monument
7) The charming town of Northfield and the Northfield Historical Society Museum
6) The SPAM Museum in Austin
5) Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
4) Blue Mounds State Park near Luverne
3) Bikeride around Minneapolis lakes
2) Minnesota History Museum in St. Paul
1) Murals of Minneapolis (especially Prince, Bob Dylan & the Music Wall)

Here’s the map of our route in 2021. I’ll cover the northern part of Minnesota in another video.

Our Minnesota Road Trip
Minnesota {points south}

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arizona {points south}

February 9, 2022

In November of 2020, as part of our Canyon & Cactus Road Trip, I: crossed into Arizona and fell in love with chartreuse leaves in Oak Canyon on the way to Sedona; drove south to Montezuma Castle National Monument and Montezuma Well; hiked the Eagles Nest Loop at Red Rock State Park in Sedona; sat quietly under Buddhist prayer flags at Amitabha Stupa & Peace Park in Sedona, turned the prayer wheel, and walked 3x clockwise offering lots of prayers; got a wonderful 90-minute hot stone massage at Namti Spa; spent Election Day nearly getting struck by lightning at Tuzigoot National Monument; spent a day in Phoenix at the Phoenix Art Museum and the Heard Museum; visited Casa Grande Ruins National Monument; met a huge variety of cacti at Desert Botanical Garden and wandered through Old Town Scottsdale; hiked through Saguaro National Park (West and East); avoided rattlesnakes on a climb to see petrogylphs by the Hohokam people at the Signal Hill Trail; wandered through the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, finding javelinas and more cacti: hedgehog, barrel, staghorn, teddy bear cholla, catclaw, dwarf organ pipe cactus, Woolly Jacket prickly pear, Cowboy Whiskers Prickly Pear and ocotillo. Followed a van in Tucson with a bumper sticker: “BIDEN 2020: He won’t inject you with bleach.” Went to Tumacácori National Historical Park and Tubac, where I bought some colorful cactus and coyote yard ornaments; lit a candle for our country and my children at Mission San Xavier del Bac; gobbled down Indian fry bread at Cafe Santa Rosa in Tucson; wandered through the charming but scruffy town of Bisbee, a former copper mining town; missed the shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone; took a fabulous (but freezing) hike at the sky island of Chiricahua National Monument; got a flat tire driving on a dirt road to Fort Bowie, but didn’t even visit there after all that.

Here are my top ten favorites in southern Arizona, with a couple of odds & ends thrown in:

11) Odds & Ends: Old Town Scottsdale, ASU Gammage Auditorium in Phoenix, Casa Ruins National Monument, Tumacácori National Historical Park, & Bisbee
10) Pipe Spring National Monument (northern Arizona)
9) Montezuma Castle & Montezuma Well
8) Tombstone
7) Tuzigoot National Monument
6) Arizona Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson
5) Phoenix: (a) Phoenix Art Museum, (b) Heard Museum, (c) Desert Botanical Garden
4) City of Tucson & Saguaro National Park West & East
3) Tubac & Mission San Xavier del Bac
2) Sedona, Red Rock State Park, & Amitabha Stupa
1) Chiricahua National Monument

Here’s the map of our route in 2020.  The red shows our route in 2018.  Pipestone National Monument is in the north central part of the state, where we dipped down from Utah for a short visit and then returned to Utah.

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Arizona: Brown route = 2020; Red route = 2018

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utah: points southwest

January 26, 2022

As part of our “Canyon & Cactus Road Trip” in October-November of 2020, we spent two weeks exploring the National and State Parks in southwest Utah. This “video/slideshow” encapsulates our two week trip through this fabulous state.

In southwest Utah, we: met with our son and his girlfriend in Green River. Hiked the narrow slot canyon, Little Wild Horse Canyon, in the San Rafael Swell. Wandered amidst goblin-shaped rock formations at Goblin Valley State Park after picnicking at a red picnic table. Hiked throughout Capitol Reef National Park and learned about the Mormon community and the orchards there. Stopped for astounding scenic overlooks at Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Strolled among towering sandstone chimneys at Kodachrome Basin State Park. Encountered more bulbous columns called hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park on the Queen’s Garden and Navajo Loop Trail. Celebrated my 65th birthday, officially becoming a senior citizen in Bryce. Climbed ever upward in snow and 4°F temps to Cedar Breaks National Monument, where my fingers nearly froze off in just a few minutes of being outdoors. Hiked the Scout Lookout Trail at Zion National Park, where Ariana was the only one of us to make it to the top of Angel’s Landing. Hiked the Kayenta Trail and the Emerald Pool Trails at Zion, where we had fabulous views of the Virgin River. Decked myself out in neoprene socks, water shoes and waterproof pants to hike and wade up the Narrows at Zion. Observed changes in plant species from wildflowers and willows on the canyon floor to cacti and pinyon pines at higher elevations. Enjoyed a fabulous bacon-wrapped meatloaf Napoleon at Switchback Grille in Springdale, and said our goodbyes to Alex and Ariana as they headed back to Denver the next morning. Squeezed in a couple more hikes in Zion and then drove to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. Enjoyed an excellent belated birthday dinner in St. George at the Painted Pony Restaurant. Hiked the Petrified Dunes Trail at Snow Canyon State Park.

Our top 10 sights to see in southwest Utah were (in descending order):

10) Cedar Breaks National Monument & Cedar City
9) Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
8) Dixie National Forest & Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
7) Goblin Valley State Park
6) Snow Canyon State Park
5) Kodachrome Basin State Park
4) Capitol Reef National Park
3) Little Wild Horse Canyon in San Rafael Swell
2) Bryce Canyon National Park
1) Zion National Park & Springdale

We explored southeast Utah in 2018; I’ll make another video about that trip later.

Below is the map showing our route through southwest Utah.

Brown route = 2020, red route = 2018
Our 2020 route through southeast Utah

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three days in chicago

January 17, 2022

Chicago is a city: of soaring and gleaming architecture, of towering views, of Lake Michigan shoreline, of Crown Fountain, of the mirrored “Bean,” of serpentine bridges, of The Chicago Theatre in “Everyone’s Neighborhood,” of Marina City’s corncobs, of pizza, Italian food and hatch chili, of art from Gauguin to Calder to El Greco, of temples of worship, of colorful murals and diverse neighborhoods, of Frank Lloyd Wright and Ernest Hemingway, of rusted figures walking in a crowd through Grant Park, of the University of Chicago, of the old Pullman factory with its integrated town and amenities, of the Chicago Cubs, and of the impossibly turquoise Chicago River.

Our top 10 sights to see in Chicago were:

10) Riverwalk
9) Bahá’i Temple House of Worship
8) Pullman National Monument
7) Ukrainian Village
6) Pilsen murals
5) Agora in Grant Park
4) The Art Institute
3) Chicago 360
2) A lakefront bicycle ride
1) Chicago River Boat Architecture Tour

This “video/slideshow” encapsulates our three day trip in August of 2020.

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This is my first ever “video.” Hopefully I can improve over time as I’m able to figure out more special features of iMovie and, especially, as I’m able to incorporate more actual video into the slideshows.

Thank you for watching! 🙂

happy belated new year: looking ahead to twenty twenty-two

January 7, 2022

Happy belated New Year! I’ve enjoyed having my year off from blogging but I’m ready to open it up again for 2022. I didn’t accomplish anything I set out to do; instead I focused on restoring my health and trying to make the most of life while struggling through another year of pandemic.

I don’t intend to write much this year. Instead, I want to experiment with making videos of some of my travels, focusing on travels since the pandemic began and maybe some of my past travels. If I’m able to travel any this year, I’ll try to make some for those travels as well.

There’s one big caveat. I’ve never made a video before; I’ll have to learn as I go along. Since I don’t actually have much video footage, they’ll be mostly slideshow videos (with photos only) set to music.  I’ll try to take more videos while traveling in the future.  The only writing I’ll do is a list of my “Top 10” for a destination, and maybe a paragraph of highlights. That will be the extent of it.

Mostly, I just want to have fun and challenge myself to learn something new. 🙂

Here are some pages from my 2022 bullet journal where I plot out my year as I’d like it to be.  Who knows if any of it will happen, especially with the pandemic still tearing its way through the world.  We can always hope.

my overall goals
Word of the year, as yet unknown, & some goals
my travel dreams for 2022
January cover page
my reading goals

Happy New Year! I wish all of you good health and much happiness in 2022.