Postcards From the Lake: Road Trip to a Birthday Retreat!

You don't turn 75 every day. Those five-and-zero birthdays are sometimes a bit of a kick in the pants. Rick wanted to do something special for my birthday and I wholeheartedly agreed. After all, between his trip south and my lake time, we hadn't seen each other for almost a month! So, he suggested meeting half-way between Lansing and Gaylord in Gladwin, Michigan. He would cycle up, I'd drive down, and we'd head back to the lake together a couple of days later. 

He chose the Riverwalk Hotel and Spa for our meeting spot, and a fine one it was, too. Rick had dined there before and knew they had a wonderful restaurant. And, all the sweeter, a spa with various services. (I picked massage, of course!)

 

The first night we skipped the restaurant and opted for take-out pizza on the patio, enjoying the creek that fed into the Cedar River. 

 

After, we meandered a bit, and then tossed beanbags. Rick's went into the hole on the target several times. I'm just lucky mine didn't land in the water!

 

Rick was exhausted from his ride (about 85 miles and it was hot) so we headed to our room early. It was an interesting space, large and beautifully appointed. Very nice art (in even nicer frames) on the walls, silk flowers in a vase on the desk and a far more extensive selection of coffee and tea than one usually sees in a hotel room. 

 

The only thing missing was a window. And there were no other rooms available to move to. It was like sleeping in a hermetically sealed room, which actually, isn't bad for sleeping. In fact, Rick went 12 hours, and I did 10 that first night. That's rare for both of us. (Apparently he missed the note on the website when booking the room regarding that feature!) 

No matter! We were rested for a good walk the next morning, exploring the town of Gladwin. Let's say there's not much to explore. At that time, pretty much everything was closed. And there wasn't much we felt would merit a return visit.

 

But it did some of the small-town charm things -- lovely potted plants on light posts and a war memorial.

 

And, a pretty mural. 

 

Gladwin is located in very rural Michigan, so we were able to see the contrast of the Amish or Mennonite farmer's transportation and the cars that surrounded it on main street

Not wanting to eat at the hotel twice, we looked about for restaurants. There aren't any (well, any we wanted to eat at) so we drove to the nearby town of Beaverton, where gas was 35 cents cheaper. We had an omelette lunch (yes, we'd had breakfast at the hotel -- yogurt and pastries in a bag. Tasty enough but not exactly breakfast.) The restaurant was one of those "up north" places I love -- lots of knotty pine, booths, a menu that is part diner, part more-than-diner. I suppose we could have gone to the movie after lunch, but we gave it a pass.

 

We got home and spent the rest of the afternoon munching appetizers on the patio, enjoying the river, the flowers, and just catching up! Then it was time for my massage! No photos there, but it was wonderful!

 

A quick change and it was down to dinner. Now, this is going to sound weird, but we brought our own wine. Not that the restaurant didn't have a lovely wine list (which we didn't know beforehand). They did. But this was a pricey bottle I'd given Rick for his birthday last month and he decided this was the occasion he wanted to have it. We asked the restaurant if they had a decanter (the waitress was clueless) so Rick opened it in the room so it could breathe while I had my massage.

 

We were seated on the terrace, an elevated view of the river. Wine at hand! It was a lovely view!

 

And the dinner was wonderful. A perfect birthday meal.  

I really couldn't have asked for a more relaxing and delightful birthday. I was able to read, to walk, to see someplace new, to have relaxation time, a massage and most of all, time to be with Rick after too long apart. 

 

Now, that three quarters of a century are behind me, what's next? I shudder to think! 

(And on another note, I'm very behind answering comments; I'm trying to catch up visiting and keep up with replies, so forgive me for falling behind!)