Based on the number of people who have been vaccinated, travel restrictions have been lifted in most instances much to the delight of hotels and restaurants.

We recently made a trip to St. Louis to visit grandchildren who we have not seen in sixteen months. Two of our grandchildren – Josh and Jennifer were graduating – Josh from high school and Jennifer from college. We stayed for five days and it was a wonderful time!

Our travels experienced lots of memories. Here are just some.

Those signs along the highways stating which companies are responsible for keeping the next mile or two debris free seem to be looking for people to do so.

The signs displayed “cancelled “statements which I guess means that people no longer are interested in keeping the highways debris-free.

People have other things on their mind. Perhaps in the future we will see a resurgent of groups who want their name on the sign and thus they will continue to pick up trash on the roads.

Went to a Cubs/Cardinals game while in St. Louis. There were more Cubs fans than Cardinals fans. This is quite a rivalry. The game went into extra innings so I got to witness the new procedure which places a player on second base to start the extra inning. This resulted in the Cubs winning the game. But I did have a tasty grilled hot dog to allay my pain.

Cracker Barrel is back in full indoor dining. If you go, try the meat loaf with mashed potatoes and a side. I opted for the green beans along with a couple of rolls. And all this for $5.99!

Rest areas along the highways did not see a lot of cars. Most of the lots were filled with 18 wheelers. Guess auto drivers have decided that perhaps the rest area bathrooms may not be that clean. So people are using the rest rooms at restaurants along the way.

Gas prices increased since our last trip. We paid over $3 a gallon.

And just for the record, several McDonald restaurants along the way only had drive through service. The dining rooms were closed.

And finally, we drove through Indiana, Illinois and Missouri and yes, Michigan roads are still the worst! Even the newly paved roadways still have those rubber dividers which make a sound on our tires.

And I-69 in both directions is the worst! Can’t we just get it right on our roads!

Back home we discovered that Lake Orion is alive and striving! Restaurants have indoor dining, the Bald Mountain State Park is busy especially with Frisbee golf, baseball diamonds are seeing the excitement of Little League players, the miniature golf course on Lapeer Road is open, a relocated bike shop opened in the downtown area to attract and handle bikers from the various bike trails ,music can be heard at Wildwood Park and the dog park welcomes Fido and friends.

So lots to do “Where Living Is A Vacation”!

So enjoy your travels this Summer. And if you get a chance, try the Cracker Barrel meat loaf!

Bill Kalmar

Orion Twp.