Indy: The Start of Our Starbucks Mug Obsession

The first leg of our Texas Road Trip was the shortest one- Chicago to Indianapolis. It was just supposed to be a short, starter-leg of our trip, where we would stop by her parents’ house in Indy to drop off some of her stuff she didn’t want to take with her to Texas.

However, it felt like the longest since my friend, who is perpetually running late, kept pushing back our departure time. First it was 2pm, then 4pm, then 8pm. I don’t think she actually picked me up at my apartment until after midnight! And of course we were both starving since we had expected to by in Indy by dinnertime!

Texas Road Trip

Next up on my “Things I did on my Summer Vacation” Report (aka my “Blogging Hiatus” Report): Time to discuss my TEXAS ROAD TRIP! Lots of food-themed adventures during that trip that I’d like to share. Plus, it’ll be good to keep those places in mind in case I’m ever around that way again!

Greenbush: The Hidden Gem of the Trip

I LOVE this place!

Bells: Arguably Our Most Fun Stop!

Third stop on our Anti-DLD Brew Tour was Bell's Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Directly south of Grand Rapids, I had thought for a half minute that I might just bike down to Kalamazoo while my friends drove. Unfortunately, the beautiful bike path that heads directly north of Grand Rapids, does not go south :( So I would have been taking my chance at roads that I'm unfamiliar with. Not the best idea for a solo cyclist! Which is how I ended up on the bike path heading north while my friends slept in that morning!

Founders: Bands, Bikes, and . . . Beer?

After visiting New Holland and checking into our hotel, the second stop on our Anti-DLD Brew Tour was Founders Brewery in Grand Rapids, Michigan! Since we had gotten a fairly late start and had already made a stop for dinner, we didn’t get to Founders until fairly late. That evening they had a couple of bands playing, and it was pretty crowded inside.

New Holland: So Many Beers, So Little Time!

First stop on our Anti-DLD Brew Tour was New Holland Brewery in Holland, Michigan! We went that Saturday, figuring is was "sort of kind of on the way" to Grand Rapids, where we had planned to spend the night. The plan was to grab dinner and a few brews at New Holland, drive to GR to check into our hotel, then spend the evening at Founders.

We ended up getting there later than expected, which meant we missed our friends who started eating/drinking without us! Whatever. We saw them on the street as they were leaving and we were going in. We didn't want to be rushed, so we ended up finding some seats at the bar and ordering some noms, as well as a taster of every beer on the ment. Yes, this menu:

Adventures of Anti-Dark Lord Day!

My first adventure after dropping off the face of this blog was to commiserate not being able to get tickets to Dark Lord Day at Three Floyds, only one of the greatest days of the year for a dark beer fanatic like myself.

Last year, it was sadly impossibly hard to get tickets. I had about 10 friends waiting by their computers when tickets went on sale, and only 1 friend was able to get one. They only allow you to buy two in the first place, and my friend actually didn’t get one himself; his cousin was the lucky one who scored two! So the rest of us were left with nothing but sadness, jealousy, and a free weekend!