Spurlock Family Travel Blog

2023 July 4th Holiday (7 days)    Sandy dunes. Sunny beaches. Cherry orchards. World-class wineries. On the northwest edge of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, the small town of Traverse City is a hub for foodies, wine connoisseurs, outdoor enthusiasts, and cherry lovers. Surrounded by water, towering forests, and gorgeous beaches, this Lake Michigan beach town is the perfect destination for a summer or fall getaway! You'll be in awe of the crystal clear waters and the wind blowing through your hair on a large lake that feeds into Lake Michigan.   You can't feel more patriotic during the 4th of July than The Cherry Festival, Thunderbird Airshow, Grand Traverse Bay, riding bikes along the water, visiting botanical gardens, historic tours, wonderful food and a visit with friends from the opposite coast of the US. SATURDAY SPICER ORCHARDS  The drive from Ohio to Traverse is about 7 hours.  What better way to break up the trip than to pick cherries at a U-Pick cherry...

Nashville, Tennessee for Dan's 50th! Dan was the best man in our wedding and a great man. When his wife Michelle said they were planning a 50th birthday party for him in Tennessee, we knew we wouldn't miss it so we booked a hotel at the Marriott.Great? Location and it's right across from printer's Ali a nice off broadwarea.  Of bars midnight snacks and even a bur last show. I was surprised that Nashville is only about 50% country music in about 50% other rock pop and hip hop. None of the bars have covers and every single bar is 3 stories high with an additional rooftop and there's a band on every single level.Make sure to bring some cash to tip the bands wherever you go. It's some really good talent!

MARRIOTT OCEANWATCH AT GRANDE DUNES MURRELLS INLET HUNTINGTON STATE PARK - You MUST experience this gem.  We brought our bikes and never expected the adventure.  The Atalya castle ($2 fee) is worth the history,  tour and beauty.  The bike paths were great and we even explored the trails - super fun and a bit muddy - isn't that what makes it fun? We saw all kinds of wildlife including the resident alligators along the marsh and pink spoonbill birds that look like flamingos.  The Nature Center is beautiful and has public restrooms as well.  It even makes you think about having an RV and staying overnight at the beautiful facilities. WICKED TUNA - Wonderful seating outside.  The dragon roll appetizer was AMAZING.  Fried avocado stuffed with seafood and baked with tempura, served with spicy mayo.  Dylan did quite well practicing chopsticks for the first time! The catch of the day was grouper served with zucchini and pureed cauliflower in a g...

NEW YORK TO OHIO Day 9 of 9 Saturday, July 6, 2019 Mixed storms and sun, hot and humid 9 days, 5 cities, 2 countries ****I have been journaling almost all of my travels since graduating college in 2003.  In 2019, I decided to make them digital! I'm happy to share our adventures with you, but keep in mind they are actually for me and my family!**** BRUNSWICK, OHIO On our way home from New York, we passed through northern Ohio.  Mom mentioned that her dad is buried close to the area we were passing through.  I was excited to see my grandfather's gravesite because I was three years old when he passed from lung cancer.  My memory of him is running into the home they lived in and hopping on his lap.  He always had a half dollar to give us when we visited.   His name is engraved on a plaque memorializing America's veterans who are buried at this cemetery.  You can see mom pointing to it above.  Take the first entrance into the cemetery...

MONTREAL Day  8 of 9 Friday, July 5th, 2019 Rainy mid 70s ****I have been journalling almost all of my travels since graduating college in 2003.  In 2019, I decided to make them digital! I'm happy to share our adventures with you, but keep in mind they are actually for me and my family!**** Dylan and I hit the gym this morning after packing our things and waiting for mom and Paris to finish packing. We did some abs, upper body circuits and finished with the bikes.  This kid is a champ! UNDERGROUND CITY The Montreal people prefer to call this the Underground Passages according to our tour guide Francois.  But guess what, Google and all the maps call it the underground city.  Her reasoning is there are shops and restaurants, the subway and convention center but there are no schools, government buildings and the like that would make it a "city".  Good point - tell Google that :) 41 miles of tunnels to shopping, walkway over Chinato...

MONTREAL Day 7 of 9 Thursday, July 4th (Independance Day) *NOT celebrated in Canada :) Sunny and 90 degree ****I have been journalling almost all of my travels since graduating college in 2003.  In 2019, I decided to make them digital! I'm happy to share our adventures with you, but keep in mind they are actually for me and my family!**** Our plan was to get the famous Fairmont Bagels for breakfast and continue through Mont Royale to the St. Joseph Oratory.  The weather was 90 degrees,  Sahara dry, beating sun and we knew parking would be tough. We found a spot quickly and paid at the meter to only realize after 4 blocks of walking that we were about 10 blocks away still!  That was a map fail on my part. FAIRMONT BAGEL We chose one of each blueberry, multigrain, garlic and onion with strawberry and Lox cream cheese.  The tiny storefront was super hot with no air conditioning so we were happy there wasn't seating inside. Instead, we cho...