The Peach Martini

A congenial spot you'll like a lot!

Road Trip!

I love spontaneous road trips on a Sunday afternoon, especially when the weather is rather fall-like.
Today we hopped in the little red car and took off in a Northern direction, up State Road 9. We weren’t entirely sure where we were going – we knew food would be involved at some point, but other than that, we were limited only by the fact that it was Sunday afternoon and we both have to work tomorrow. Our destination ended up being the Big Boy restaurant in Coldwater, MI. We’re easy to please! 🙂

Along the way, we learned some interesting things:

  • US12 in Michigan is called The Heritage Trail. This particular weekend was Michigan’s Longest Garage Sale – you can read more about it here – Michigan’s Longest Garage Sale.
  • In Howe, IN there is a rather large campus for a military school, amazingly enough called The Howe School, which has apparently been in existence since 1884. The buildings were equal parts beautifully old and spooky. You can read more about the school here – The Howe Military School.
  • There is a fascinating site in Rome City, IN called Sylvan Springs – it started out as Kneipp Springs Sanitarium, a facility built in the late 1890’s as a health resort for those suffering from The White Plague (aka tuberculosis). The doctor found he could not keep up with increasing numbers of patients, and in the 1900’s, a group of medically trained nuns from (name of convent) in Ohio arrived to assist. They based their treatments on the theories of Fr. Sebastian Kneipp, an Austrian priest who advocated natural spring water treatments, exercise, nutrition and herbal remedies. Over time, many of the nuns and guests reported visitation of the Virgin Mary in addition to miraculous cures of the patients. In 1976, the sanitarium was sold to The Way International – a religious organization many claim to have a cult-like following**. TWI operated a college of sorts there for 20 years before moving to Colorado. The campus is on the State’s register of most endangered landmarks, and seems to face an uncertain future year after year. As we drove by, there were banners advertising an open house and guided tours upon making an appointment…which is on my list of things to do. You can read more about Sylvan Springs here – Sylvan Springs in Rome City, IN.

What places are near your neck of the woods that are often overlooked or that you’ve recently discovered??

**I do not have first-hand knowledge, nor am I insinuating/accusing the organization of being a cult. The only experience I have of this organization is merely reading about it and reading about experiences of both active members and ex-members.**

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