Let me tell you about my most recent solo adventure – a chaotic little loop through Northern MI and the UP that made me question my life choices in all the best ways. It involved goats, scrape metal, bears and just enough solo reflection to remember I’m a badass with a soft spot for my whippet Maizie, who I missed the entire time.
Let’s start from the top. I rolled into what I can only describe as the hillbilly part of Michigan. Which I say with love because hi, I’m a hillbilly-country-city-ghetto hybrid girl.
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Sometimes you hit a wall. Life, with all its chaos and expectations, just feels like a never-ending loop of “WTF am I even doing?” That is me these days. Burnt out, stretched thin, and craving some kind of sign from the universe and trying to find my true self.
So, I said “f*ck it” and packed my bags. Just me, a few too many snacks, and a vague plan to drive until I felt something again. Spoiler alert: I found a hell of a lot more than I expected.
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Well enough people told me to Go to Hell, so I finally decided to do it. Literally.
And what better day to choose, than the warmest day of the year so far? 80 degrees in April? Whoa – it was meant for a day in Hell.
I’m normally a better planner when we go on trips, but this one was totally spur of the moment. My youngest son Bob and I grabbed our phones (and money for lunch), plugged in 4045 Patterson Lake Rd in the GPS and headed out with nothing more than the Hell, MI website telling us what to expect.
The first thing we noticed when we arrived is what a welcoming place Hell is. Everyone from the time we arrived to the time we left was extremely friendly, helpful, and attentive.
Which made us feel very comfortable walking through the Gates of Hell.
From there I tortured Bob with the obligatory pictures with the face cutouts.
We obviously couldn’t do everything there was to do in Hell because um…some of it required reservations and we didn’t bring anyone to get married to – yes, you can get married in Hell.
But we very much enjoyed looking at all of the art and humor displayed on the grounds
Spring is Around the Corner
We ate lunch at the Hell Hole which was excellent – they have everything from salads to burgers to pasties. We had burgers, but I’m really regretting not trying the pasties – guess I’m gonna have to go back.
After lunch we visited the gift shop where we bought the most amazing post cards, and mailed them from Hell’s official post office – they even get singed on the way out! I knew just who would appreciate my mail from Hell…
Once I spotted the Locks of Love Bridge, I knew there was no way I could leave Hell without locking Rob in – so now he is trapped FOREVER. I bought a lock at the gift shop, and they let me borrow a sharpie to write on it, but you can bring your own lock too – there were so many beautiful locks on the bridge!
Other things to do in Hell? Enjoy ice cream at the Creamatory at Screams (the ice cream was excellent), visit the Hell Saloon, play putt putt golf, be Mayor of Hell for a day, buy a piece of Hell and get a degree from the prestigious Damnation University.
Instead of those things, I took more pictures…because of course I did.
One of my favorite spur of the moment trips to date – would definitely go again. If you find yourself in SE Michigan you should definitely GO TO HELL.
It was a perfect “between the busy” moment spent with Hockey Bob. An opportunity to talk about the past week, share funny stories and just enjoy being together on our walk to the Chelsea Farmers Market at the new Palmer Commons event space (304 S. Main St, Chelsea, MI 48118).
