Michigan Gas Prices Week of 8/14/06

The average price of unleaded gas in Michigan is down to $3.016 as of today, August 14. This morning I saw prices as low as $2.88 in Portage, Michigan. One year ago we were paying $2.524 per gallon. Does it seem odd to anyone that after gas spiked last week up to $3.19 on the report of the oil leak in the Alaskan pipeline that it has since dropped about $.18 to $.30? The initial knee-jerk reaction of a possible oil supply problem has been diffused by BP stating that they can partially run their Prudhoe Bay oil field and consequently, the price of oil has dropped over $1 per barrel.

When the news of the oil leak was initially reported I asked my wife why a reputable company would want to let the whole world know about a leak. Anyone else out there wonder if BP made sure that everyone got themselves in a right little panic to drive up oil prices and help them continue to rake in their record profits?

Fuel data courtesy of AAA's Fuel Gauge Report.

Great Lakes Folk Festival is in East Lansing this weekend

What a great weekend to spend some time outside! The Great Lakes Folk Festival is in East Lansing this weekend and they could not have better weather than this. The price of admission? Free, but there will be folks passing the bucket for donations. Drop some bills in and enjoy the perfomers. The festival kicks off this evening at 6 and runs until 11 pm. Saturday, it runs from noon until 11 pm and Sunday from noon until 6 pm.

Check out the HUB from the Lansing State Journal for all of the details. There are too many to list here so be sure to read all about it at the HUB.

Visit the Farm House Bakery near Vandalia

Thanks to my sister, Emily, for this review. A delightful little bakery can be found over near Vandalia, just north of town. Located one mile off of M-60, the Farm House Bakery has many treats to offer.

Open Thursday through Saturday, the Farm House has an array of delectable treats to offer. Starting at seven a.m., breakfast is served with surprising efficiency.

On a recent visit, my sister and I received our food quite quickly. We both ordered the Farmer’s Wife, which consists of their wonderful egg casserole; choice of French Toast, pancakes (both served with pure maple syrup) or biscuits and gravy; choice of meat (a mild sausage or bacon); and choice of pastry (cinnamon roll, glazed donut, bismark, apple fritter, or muffin). Each breakfast also comes with a dish of fresh fruit (grapes, melon, and pineapple). Beverages include milk, juice, and great coffee.

My sister and I both chose the biscuits and gravy and sausage, but she went with a cinnamon roll while I chose the blueberry muffin. Both are excellent choices and come icing drizzled all over the top. The muffin was FULL of blueberries, just the way I prefer.

I personally have tried the apple fritter, cinnamon roll, and blueberry muffin. (The bakery happens to be conveniently located on my way to work.) There are other varieties of muffins left to sample. Also available are fresh-baked breads and pies, as well as other sweet goods.

The Farm House also serves lunch. They offer sandwiches, regular and buffalo burgers and subs.

If you plan on going on a Saturday morning, go early in order to find a table. Hopefully you aren’t shy as tables are sometimes shared by more than one party. If you do have to wait, it will be well-worth the time.

The Farm House Bakery is open Thursday through Saturday, from 7 am to 4 pm, and is located at 59573 White Temple Road.

Part 2 of U.S. 12 places of interest in Michigan

This is the continuation of some of the many places of interest along U.S. 12 in Michigan. Enjoy! See part one, here. White Pigeon Bup's Drive-In - The drive-in restaurant is still alive and well along U.S. 12. Bup's has excellent home made root beer. You can have a frosty mug of it while you are there and/or buy it by the gallon for $3. Yum!

Coldwater The Capri Drive-In - One of America's Top 10 drive-in theaters. Great prices and specials all summer long.

Northwoods Coffee Co. - In addition to their excellent coffee, Northwoods Coffee Co. has excellent food and lodge decor. Their website leaves a lot to be desired though.

Clinton The Clinton Inn - Officially opened for business on Thanksgiving Day in 1901. They are open for lunch and dinner as well as Sunday Brunch.

Saline An abundant number of Antique stores, Art Galleries, and Coffee Shops proliferate this little town. I like to refer to it as "Little Ann Arbor" due to its proximity to Ann Arbor and the fact that with all of the development between Saline and Ann Arbor you can not really tell when you leave one town and enter the other.

Well, that is as far as I am going with this review of places of interest along U.S. 12 in Michigan. Once you leave Saline, the quaintness of the "old Chicago Road" disappears into strip malls and fields of concrete. There are numerous other stops to make along U.S. 12 and I would like to list them sometime in the future.

Great places to stop on U.S. 12 in Michigan

The huge U.S. 12 yard sale is this weekend all across southern Michigan. There are a lot of neat places to stop along the way any time of the year. The following is an informal list of some of my favorite U.S. 12 stops as well as some I have not yet visited. We will start at the western end of U.S. 12 in Michigan and work our way east.

New Buffalo Redamak's - "The hamburger that made New Buffalo, MI famous." I have not yet stopped in and tasted this famous burger, but it is on my list. I love their website. They have some great oldies music playing while you are looking around the site. Note: Redamak's only accepts cash, no cards or checks.

The Bean Counter - Great little coffee shop right on U.S. 12. As a recovering accountant I can appreciate the name (come on you know people always refer to accountants as bean counters).

Three Oaks Historic Drier's Meat Market - In business since just after the Civil War ended, Drier's Meat Market is a National Historic Site. They still throw sawdust on the floor and their ring bologna is as famous as it is tasty.

Featherbone Factory - Once home to a thriving women's garment factory, the Featherbone Factory is now home to Kinner Enterprises. They sell rustic home furnishings and hundreds of garden stepping stones and statues.

Okay, that is it for part one. I am posting the second half of this U.S. 12 adventure separately. I just kept coming up with more places to stop and the post was getting longer than I wanted it to be.