Best Road Trips in Michigan

Summer is the time for road trips, and what better place for a scenic trip than Michigan! 

ArborMotion is happy to help out with preparing your vehicle for summer fun. Stop in and have our technicians check your vehicle; oil change, fluids, brakes, lights, and wiper blades. 

Once your vehicle is all set and ready to go, here are some amazing trips to take with your family this summer:

US-2 from St. Ignace to Manistique

This trip calls for a ride across the Mackinac Bridge, which is a sight in itself! The highway joins the Lake Michigan shoreline for several miles which allows for breath taking views. Locals stop along the way for picnics on the dunes and of course, swimming in Lake Michigan. Obviously, any trips to the Upper Peninsula call for an authentic pasty. 

M-23 from Tawas City to Alpena

Considered Michigan’s “Sunrise Coast,” this trip offers up a Great Lakes setting. Lake Huron will be the main attraction for this trip, offering places for you to picnic and beautiful scenery. Alpena’s waterfront park is adjacent to the marina of the shores of Thunder Bay, making it a perfect stop. 

M-22 from Arcadia to Frankfort

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a highlight of this trip! Start off your trip in Arcadia at the scenic turnout called Inspiration Point. Once you climb the steps, you’ll be able to witness a spectacular view from on top of the bluffs. Once you make it to Frankfort, grab a Michigan craft beer at Stormcloud Brewing Company and have a stroll along the pier to a lighthouse. 

Take advantage of living in the Great Lakes State and make it a summer to remember! And let us, here at ArborMotion, make sure that your vehicle is in great condition for all of your summer fun. Contact ArborMotion today – we specialize in foreign car repair in Ann Arbor.

The Music that Drives You

Hi All! Is there a better feeling on a sunny day than rolling down the windows and cranking some tunes on a country road? Probably.....no for sure, yes there are many better things, but it still is a pretty cool feeling. Now, before we go down this road I have a disclaimer or two. I believe that everyone has the right to like and dislike any music they want for whatever reason they want, and no-one is in the wrong. My iTunes, for example, is full of many different kinds of songs and genres, including country, classical, rap, pop, rock and 80's hair. If I like it, I like it, and you should play what you like too. The second disclaimer, is that I don't care to talk about songs with cars in them, or songs about driving. I like Tom Cochrane's "Life Is a Highway" very much, but not at all a fan of the Beach Boys' "Little Deuce Coupe" or Van Halen's "I Can't Drive 55", and I am not about to make a dumb list about car songs that people will argue and debate over. That sounds awful. Like that Van Halen song. What I am talking about is music that hits whatever mood you are in while driving, and makes you feel "it". What is "it"? I don't know really, just that when you feel "it", you know "it". I drive 50 or so miles one way from Maumee, Ohio to Ann Arbor, Michigan on my daily commute, and I listen to a ton of music. I put my iTunes on and hit shuffle, hitting the next button until I find a song that fits. Sometimes, I don't find that song until I am pulling in the parking lot, which is as frustrating as it sounds. When I do find that song, I might play it over and over again to keep "it" going. I don't have a very good singing voice by any means, but that doesn't stop me from singing at the top of my lungs, if I am so inclined. I wouldn't advise singing as loud as possible when there are other passengers in the car, but hey, whatever you want to do, do it! That's the whole point here. Music and driving can intertwine to create an amazing experience, and has for me for many years. When I got my first car 20 years ago, I helped my dad install in it a slammin' Aiwa flip-face CD player and Sony 6" door speakers. For the little 1981 VW Golf, that was more than enough. That CD player found it's way through my next couple cars until college where I hooked it up an amp and two 12" Rockford Fosgate sub-woofers. I sincerely apologize to everyone in my life back then for being "that guy". I have learned from that era, and keep the music a little less intrusive. I also don't wear hoop earrings, frost the tips of my hair or wear ridiculously baggy pants anymore, which has nothing to do with this entry but I feel it necessary to make that clear. Various poor style choices aside, music while driving folks, is where "it's" at. 

Keep The Drive Alive!

Read more of Nick's blog posts here!