9/1 - Epilogue

And so, today, we're back on our own, reflecting on the fun we had and looking forward to continuing our traveling adventures.  Some of us have moved on and others are staying on here in Traverse City for a few days, but we've all had a great time.  We congratulate the Sponenbergs for putting on a fabulous tour and we congratulate ourselves as caravanners because we did, indeed, wear our leaders out...

8/31 - Day 18 - Music and Boone's

Today started off cloudy and the day stayed a little gray until the afternoon, but we still had a great time on our last tour of the caravan.  We started at the Music House Museum(http://www.musichouse.org/), which houses an incredible collection of instruments and "music machines" from early phonographs and nickelodeons to full-sized pipe organs.  We had a very informative and entertaining tour, and all left with a greater appreciation for this genre of entertainment devices.

This upright paino was quite an interesting introduction to the collection; it's in the lobby.

The exhibits celebrate local history, like this "general store" area, not just musical machines.

This disc contains indents and stops that trigger various sounds when rotated inside one of the early music machines.

This one is a hand-cranked organ.

This Wurlitzer was used during the silent film era.  They still show them here during special exhibits.

Yes, it's a little loud,,,

This pipe organ was donated from a local church.

These bells are tied into the sound effects from the Wurlitzer.

A "player grand".

This self-playing violin was fascinating.

Later in the morning, the carpool caravan headed out the Old Mission Peninsula for a driving tour, culminating with a picnic lunch at the local lighthouse.  We saw quite a few interesting "cottages" (actually huge homes) and passed numerous orchards and vineyards on the Peninsula as we returned to Traverse City.

We're right at the 45th Parallel in this area.

This lighthouse guided navigation around the two "arms" of Traverse Bay.

Picnic lunch!

Everyone had a chance to rest and freshen up in the afternoon, and then after "social hour" we carpooled to our "final dinner" at Boones Long Lake Inn (http://www.booneslli.com/), famous locally for their Prime Rib dinners.  Many of our group took that recommendation, although others reported excellent Whitefish and Walleye preparations, and the T-Bone steak had a few takers as well.  Everyone enjoyed the great food and company.  Nancy Wolfe presented Steve and Andi with specially-selected gifts and mementos of the trip, and everyone hung around after dinner to compare notes on travel plans and destination for the future.  Friends old and new alike made plans to catch up "down the road".

We couldn't believe we were heading to our closing dinner!

No caravan would be complete without recognition for the great leaders!

Thanks!

8/30 - Day 17 - Tall Ship Sailing

We had a real treat for breakfast this morning as one of our volunteer teams put on quite a spread featuring eggs, ham, pancakes, and more fruit than we've seen all trip.  What a great way to start the day!

And, a beautiful day it was, with clear skies and light winds.  It was a good thing, since our morning destination was the Tall Ship Manitou (http://www.tallshipsailing.com/).  We had a private three-hour sailing adventure out in Traverse Bay that was outstanding.  The day remained sunny and winds only picked up a little on the water.  It was a very relaxing sail, and everyone enjoyed watching the hard-working crew masterfully working the rigging.  We had our "picnic lunch" on the water as well.

We carpooled to the dock for the Tall Ship "Manitou".

We were soon ready for the "safety demonstration".

Some of our caravanners were enlisted to "heave-ho"!

And the sails were soon hoisted.

"Team member down"!

Even the topsail was unfurled...

...and, yes, that's quite a way up!

With direction from our fearless leader,...

...we were soon under way with various couples taking turns at the wheel.

"Nap time"!

Even though the crew lives on board, we were invited below decks to view the living areas.

Love the stove!

Sparkling...

"Lean"!

We were able to get a group picture during the sail.

Post-sail, it was back on the shuttle to the parking area.

Back on dry land and safely across the street to the ship offices, we were soon headed back home for a short break before dinner.  Once again taking advantage of the Resort's hospitality in the clubhouse, we gathered for "social hour" where our fearless leaders, Steve and Andi, were serenaded to a rousing rendition of "O Sponenberg", a recent composition.  We soon found ourselves  carpooling to dinner at TraVino Traverse Wine & Grill, conveniently located just down the street.  We had a nice private room overlooking the local golf course and most people enjoyed the dinner, although a few got surprised when the "spicy" Cavatappi Diavolo turned out to be excessively "hot".