Paradise Lighthouse on the upper Peninsula

We drove from Chicago over to Detroit, then we planned to drive to the upper peninsula. Even though I lived in Birmingham Michigan, a Detroit suburb, I had never been to the upper peninsula. On the way we saw a sign for Mackinac Island, check it out!

When our niece Tracy came out for two weeks we took her to Las Vegas. Sitting in the Paris Hotel looking down at the fountain is special. Check it out.

We really wanted to give our niece Tracy Herman the best vacation in So Cal possible, so we took her to Long Beach and visited the Queen Mary. The ball room looks so amazing!

They had a booth set up where you can have your picture taken with lion cubs from the local zoo. If it claws your face, I guess you could sue yourself because good luck, you are in Mexico. We had a timeshare at Pueblo Bonito where we stayed for at least 10 years.

We decided to trade our Cabo San Lucas Pueblo Bonitos timeshare unit for one at their sister property in Mazatlán. What an amazing week we had there. We once again risked our lives doing something crazy, traveling into the heart of the city by open cab, called a pneumonia, to visit a night spot we had seen during our day tour. We found out later that shootings had taken place around the city during our visit, and trucks with armed police were all over the place. Tour ships had stopped coming to Mazatlán because of the street violence. But as usual, we had a blast that night!

If you find yourself in Los Angeles at Christmas, you MUST drive out to Riverside and stay at the Mission inn. We made it out almost every year for 5 years. The way they light it up is magical. So many U.S. Presidents have stayed here! If you can't make it, check it out here!

The journey to Magdalena Bay to see the gray whales and their babies is not for the faint of heart. You have to drive into the heart of Baja on very sketchy road, with who know who on those roads. What an amazing adventure it was. Check out my video of the day!