24 States in 27 Days - Day 8:

Oct. 17th, 2012, Wednesday: After a rainy night, we woke to sunshine. It was 5:15 Oregon time, but 8:15 Michigan time. An amazing breakfast was prepared and waiting for us as we appeared in our morning glory. Homemade biscuits with cherry jam, sauteed onions, peppers and jalapenos in eggs, fresh hot coffee, delish! Outside a fat groundhog was busy rummaging in the compost pile, enjoying breakfast too. Later we took off with my Aunt and Uncle on a tour of Williamston. Since they were moving soon, this was a chance for them to see some friends and share some of their favorite spots with us. We walked through a park along the Red Cedar river that had been hit by a tornado 2 years prior, leaving broken trees in its wake. These stumps had been carved by different artists and were cool to see. 

Walking around town, in and out of shops, we especially enjoyed visiting a local letterpress business. From there we drove west to East Lansing and through the Michigan State campus - it’s huge! In 2005, Eliza and I had visited, but we only saw part of the campus that time. We were dropped off nearby to explore while my aunt and uncle headed off to an appointment. 

We walked all over, taking sign photos (Brad) and autumn colors or architecture photos (Jana) along with checking out a couple of galleries and shops. 

The sun was out and temperatures climbed into the 70’s, heating us up as we wandered around. After we were picked up we went to the downtown area of Old Lansing. The Grand River flowed nearby and we checked out the fish ladder before walking through the shopping district. 

More signs for Brad to photograph! 

After a snack of gourmet popcorns, we drove past the capitol building where my uncle used to work before starting his own consulting business. 

We offered to fix dinner that night, but they had a gift certificate to a local restaurant they wanted to use and suggested going out to eat there. Our meals were delicious, but soon after we sat down a three piece band started playing and pretty much drowned out any possibility of conversation! Another group at a nearby table ended up leaving, but we’d already ordered, so we stayed, trying to talk during pauses in the music. Back at their house I worked on uploading photos while we visited, sharing pictures of our trip so far, and looking at photos they had. That night we opened the window and slept to the sounds of dripping rain outside.