Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu!

I'm in my final days in Ann Arbor with dental work, and farewells to my writing and cycling groups behind me. Touring time has also come to an end as I spend my last few days meeting deadlines, pondering fall travel, and getting the Element packed and ready to point eastward.

A Memorable Option 
With a few places still on my "to see" list last week, I made a choice to visit the small town of Chelsea, Michigan. While many folks would visit to see the Purple Rose Theater, founded by "hometown" actor, Jeff Daniels; I had my own agenda.

Growing up, my mother always made us breakfast, and one of my favorites (which I'll be enjoying soon) is corn pancakes. While she may have "doctored up" the batter, the pancake mix began with Jiffy corn muffin mix, and the end result was a fluffy, crisp-edged stack of pancakes soaked in butter and syrup. So, there was no resisting a visit to Chelsea Milling Company to tour the plant responsible for this lifetime of deliciousness. Founded in the 1800s as a traditional flour mill, the company continues as a family-run business, with more than 300 employees, who appear to be pretty happy. Chelsea Milling doesn't spend any money on advertising, but they do invest well in their workers. There are now 19 Jiffy mixes, but the corn muffin brand accounts for 90% of production -- 1.5 million boxes a day! Sometimes it's the little things, like the memorable Jiffy box, that matter. 

On Saturday I roll into Ohiopyle State Park in PA, where I'll be off the grid for five nights, and in the woods for the solar eclipse.