After being cooped up at home for months due to Covid, we really wanted a change of scenery

Where: Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota

When: August 2–20, 2020

Who: Rabbi Alport, Dr. Alport, Yosef Meir (12), Devora Leah (5)

Why: After being cooped up at home for months due to Covid, we really wanted a change of scenery. We did not feel safe flying , due to the crowding in airports and on the plane, so we planned to take a big road trip. One major concern we had in planning the trip was what to do about Shabbos, since we always try to spend Shabbos in a Jewish community.

We didn’t want to visit big cities where we would normally spend Shabbosim on trips, and many small, out-of-town communities were closed to outsiders. Fortunately, Rabbi Michoel Feinstein at Chabad of Green Bay, Wisconsin and Rabbi Yonah Grossman at Chabad of Fargo, North Dakota graciously invited us for socially-distant Shabbos meals.

With Shabbos taken care of, we planned an itinerary that took us on an almost 5,000-mile round trip through Michigan’s UP (Upper Peninsula), the Wisconsin Dells, Minneapolis, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park, returning via Chicago and two national parks (Indiana Dunes and Cuyahoga Valley).

Mackinac Island — Our first stop on the trip was Mackinac Island (pronounced Mackinaw), a picturesque island at the entrance to Michigan’s UP. Besides the amazing views and relaxing island vibe, it is famous for its prohibition against cars. The only way to get around is by bike, on foot, or in a horse-drawn carriage like this one.

Tahquamenon Falls — Also located in the UP, Tahquamenon Falls is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi, more than 200 feet across, with a drop of almost 50 feet. Four miles downstream are the lower falls, an area that we had fun exploring in a rented rowboat.