Moving Out and Going Home

 We got through the process of closing bank accounts, turning off utilities, packing up the apartment (a lot easier than packing the house up when we left for State College), and cleaning. We enjoyed two going away parties with friends from Penn State and the Nittany Mountain Bike Association. We bought each other going away presents (a Saint's Cafe mug for Ann and a Penn State t-shirt for me), got a last loaf of bread from our favorite bakery, Gemelli's, hit the discount bins once more at Appalachian Outdoors. We turned in our keys, jumped in our now two cars (that sure made packing our stuff easier) and hit the road headed home to Houghton after 9 months in Pennsylvania.

The drive west again across I-80 (we'd made that trek many times from State College taking advantage of the proximity family in Ohio and Michigan) was rote, except for almost losing the rear wheel of the Subaru. A quick re-mounting of the wheel on the shoulder set us on our way again.

We stopped overnight in Ann Arbor to visit our son Ben at the University of Michigan and Ann's mom, then finally turned north for Lake Superior the next day. But it really didn't feel like we were coming home until we crossed the Mackinaw Bridge over Lake Michigan, trimmed in a scrim of fog, into the Upper Peninsula. The 5 hour drive across the UP to Houghton is longer than the drive from the Ohio boarder to the bridge, but each step the familiar sites along the shores of lakes Michigan and Superior stirred our memories and heightened our anticipation.

Dramatic  clouds, beaches and blue water, sun and rain gave us a taste the of north woods we'd left behind 3 seasons ago. We stopped for dinner in Marquette, gateway to the hills of the western UP 100 miles east of Houghton. The UP's largest city (20,000 of the 300,000 residents of the UP) is a place we visit regularly, and has our favorite Mexican restaurant. Sitting on the patio at the Border Grill waiting for our food a mountain biker in full face helmet wove through the tables and walked in for dinner. Now we knew we were almost there.

An hour later we topped the crest of the Huron Mountains, saw Keweenaw Bay, a half an hour later the glint of sunset off Portage Lake and the Quincy mine shaft house in the distance. Then we were driving through downtown Houghton. 5 minutes later we pulled into our driveway. Home.

Our renters the Kims did a great job of caring for our house. All was neat and clean, but for the dozens of little hand prints 30 inches up on all our glass doors (aren't 4 year olds cute?) It's always hard to turn your home over to strangers you've met only once, but they were a great relief to us. Even fixed the snowblower and vacuum when they broke without even having to contact us.

Our time in State College was wonderful. After 21 years in Houghton, we were ready for a break. State College is a great town in a beautiful area of rocky forested mountains and rich agricultural valleys. Trips north and south through the Appalachians are easy and bring a sense of remoteness. Head east or west and find a major metropolis to enjoy in just a few hours. Spring and fall there are fantastic. Winter was a bit of a bust, with enough snow and ice to be a pain without being good enough to play in, and the summer heat we gratefully skipped. We will miss the places and people in State College even as we were renewed in our appreciation of Houghton and our friends there. State College now joins Ann Arbor and Chicago in feeling like a home away from home for us. Welcome home.