Arg's Travel Log

[SnowbirdTom]

9 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I'll probably be in Detroit the 2nd week of May. After that I'll hit Port Huron, Saginaw, West Branch, and Gaylord before crossing into the UP. 

 

 

 

If you have a hole in your schedule while in Detroit, I’d be happy to take you out on White Lake Oaks.

 

There’s a nice little microbrewery just down the road from it called CJ’s Brewery.

Edited April 17, 2023 by SnowbirdTom

[Argonne69]

Another day, another trip to downtown Chicago for a dentist and doctor's visit. Highlight of the day was another pleasant visit to Franklin Tap to meet up with three good friends. Celebrated another day on Earth with a Goose Island Bourbon County Double Barrel Toasted Barrel imperial stout. This is some premium stuff. Expensive as all get out, but our host Ryan took very good care of us old patrons. 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Argonne69

[503Mike]

On 4/12/2023 at 5:26 PM, Argonne69 said:

 

Portland is a great craft beer town. I've heard good things about Bend. 

 

 

Bend/central Oregon is fantastic for both beer and golf. You really can't go anywhere in Oregon anymore without stepping on a good to great brewery, winery, and/or distillery. The golf here is not half bad either 😉

[Argonne69]

Another visit to Off Square Brewing yesterday for a Belgian dubbel and a bite to eat. Skipped the awful Q, and tried the burger. That's more like it. Caramelized onions, mushrooms, greens, smoked gouda, truffle aioli, and a brioche bun. Cooked perfectly, and the fries were better than average.

 

 

Dropped off Bessie the other day for a recall repair and an oil change. 'Hoping that it's finished today.

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by Argonne69

[ssp]

Arg.... not sure if you saw this.  https://www.golfmonthly.com/courses/ive-played-over-1000-courses-and-these-are-my-favourite-10?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwAR3wR3W_-IRyLgkwNUc3xKA79-jEsQ8EXmmo9RTpOAntgIevPVwrUe7OaoY&mibextid=l066kq#lgqmpgni44cvynqt8wb

 

[Argonne69]

Picked up Bessie from the dealer. There was no charge for the recall repair, but ouch, oil changes on an RV are expensive. $255. 'Really gotta stop being lazy and get my behind under the rig and do it myself. 

 

I was planning to leave town a week from tomorrow to play PFAU down in Bloomington, but I called the course and they're closed for a tournament on the following Monday and Tuesday. I have to decide if I'll skip the course, or head out two days later. Sound like the course is definitely worth a visit.

 

If I delay the departure, I may play a round on a local goat track just to see how well I can swing a club. 'Hate to travel to a top course and find out that I'm not quite ready to hit the links. There are a couple of cheap courses in northwest Indiana that I haven't played, so I could still chalk up another new course.

 

Today's chore is to clean out some of the hundreds of golf balls in the back of my Honda. 'Probably leave a few dozen for old times sake. Lol. 

 

[hammergolf]

5 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Picked up Bessie from the dealer. There was no charge for the recall repair, but ouch, oil changes on an RV are expensive. $255. 'Really gotta stop being lazy and get my behind under the rig and do it myself. 

 

I was planning to leave town a week from tomorrow to play PFAU down in Bloomington, but I called the course and they're closed for a tournament on the following Monday and Tuesday. I have to decide if I'll skip the course, or head out two days later. Sound like the course is definitely worth a visit.

 

If I delay the departure, I may play a round on a local goat track just to see how well I can swing a club. 'Hate to travel to a top course and find out that I'm not quite ready to hit the links. There are a couple of cheap courses in northwest Indiana that I haven't played, so I could still chalk up another new course.

 

Today's chore is to clean out some of the hundreds of golf balls in the back of my Honda. 'Probably leave a few dozen for old times sake. Lol. 

 

Delay a couple days and play your first round back at home to knock the rust off. Then you can play PFAU. Glad you’re healing up!

[sunbeltgolfer]

9 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Picked up Bessie from the dealer. There was no charge for the recall repair, but ouch, oil changes on an RV are expensive. $255. 'Really gotta stop being lazy and get my behind under the rig and do it myself. 

 

I was planning to leave town a week from tomorrow to play PFAU down in Bloomington, but I called the course and they're closed for a tournament on the following Monday and Tuesday. I have to decide if I'll skip the course, or head out two days later. Sound like the course is definitely worth a visit.

 

If I delay the departure, I may play a round on a local goat track just to see how well I can swing a club. 'Hate to travel to a top course and find out that I'm not quite ready to hit the links. There are a couple of cheap courses in northwest Indiana that I haven't played, so I could still chalk up another new course.

 

Today's chore is to clean out some of the hundreds of golf balls in the back of my Honda. 'Probably leave a few dozen for old times sake. Lol. 

 

You're not going to be able to control the Honda once you remove all that weight from the back.

[Cubsfan44]

9 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Picked up Bessie from the dealer. There was no charge for the recall repair, but ouch, oil changes on an RV are expensive. $255. 'Really gotta stop being lazy and get my behind under the rig and do it myself. 

 

I was planning to leave town a week from tomorrow to play PFAU down in Bloomington, but I called the course and they're closed for a tournament on the following Monday and Tuesday. I have to decide if I'll skip the course, or head out two days later. Sound like the course is definitely worth a visit.

 

If I delay the departure, I may play a round on a local goat track just to see how well I can swing a club. 'Hate to travel to a top course and find out that I'm not quite ready to hit the links. There are a couple of cheap courses in northwest Indiana that I haven't played, so I could still chalk up another new course.

 

Today's chore is to clean out some of the hundreds of golf balls in the back of my Honda. 'Probably leave a few dozen for old times sake. Lol. 

 

Arg, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed following along with your travels and am glad to hear you are close to getting back out there.  If you are interested, I’d love to host you at Flossmoor Golf Club for a round before you leave town again.  
 

Hopefully I can start a trend of getting you hosted on some private courses for this next leg of your journey. 
 

[sabram]

On 4/21/2023 at 10:42 AM, ssp said:

Arg.... not sure if you saw this.  https://www.golfmonthly.com/courses/ive-played-over-1000-courses-and-these-are-my-favourite-10?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwAR3wR3W_-IRyLgkwNUc3xKA79-jEsQ8EXmmo9RTpOAntgIevPVwrUe7OaoY&mibextid=l066kq#lgqmpgni44cvynqt8wb

 

Interesting article. I've played 800 + courses, including 5 of the author's top 10. I'd be hard pressed to come up with my own top 10,  but Kingsbarns very likely would not make it.  Teeth of the Dog, Sunningdale and Royal County Down probably would.  I have a trip to Southeast England coming up this Fall. I'm playing nine rounds eight of which have been booked.  Tandridge is one of my three options for the last open spot. I was leaning toward a different choice but will now have to look at in again.

[Argonne69]

Enjoyable evening last night. Drove to Greektown in Chicago, and had dinner at Athena's. One of my favorite restaurants in the area. It's been a while since I had saganaki, Rodity's rose, and spinach stuffed chicken breast. The braised lamb is quite tasty, too. They have a large, glass atrium that is very nice, especially in the summer. Unfortunately a large highrise was built across the street, so the views of downtown Chicago are now blocked.

 

 

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Argonne69

[hammergolf]

5 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Enjoyable evening last night. Drove to Greektown in Chicago, and had dinner at Athena's. One of my favorite restaurants in the area. It's been a while since I had saganaki, Rodity's rose, and spinach stuffed chicken breast. The braised lamb is quite tasty, too. They have a large, glass atrium that is very nice, especially in the summer. Unfortunately a large highrise was built across the street, so the views of downtown Chicago are now blocked.

 

 

 

You should try the almond cookies the bakery next door makes. Amazing!

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Pfau is great, and tough!

 

You could play a bunch of nice courses around Indy:

 

Purgatory

The Fort

Heartland Crossing

Trophy Club

Plum Creek

 

Trident Brewing and Sun King both have good beer as well.

[Argonne69]

9 hours ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

Pfau is great, and tough!

 

You could play a bunch of nice courses around Indy:

 

Purgatory

The Fort

Heartland Crossing

Trophy Club

Plum Creek

 

Trident Brewing and Sun King both have good beer as well.

 

I was only planning to play one round, but I may consider two. I've played Purgatory, The Fort, and Trophy Club. I'll check out the other two. Thanks.

 

[Argonne69]

The "great" train journey begins today. South Shore commuter train to downtown Chicago, the Blue Line to O'Hare airport, and then an early afternoon flight to Miami. It's been 3 years and 3 months since I last flew. Hopefully security is a little less of a hassle. 

 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/a0vdfn84tnucc71/AACGmHszWfpxxejP30YEY8Zqa?dl=0

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Argonne69

[Double Mocha Man]

14 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

The "great" train journey begins today. South Shore commuter train to downtown Chicago, the Blue Line to O'Hare airport, and then an early afternoon flight to Miami. It's been 3 years and 3 months since I last flew. Hopefully security is a little less of a hassle. 

 

 

Any planned beer stops along the way?Will all your meals be taken on the plane or on the trains?

[Argonne69]

6 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Any planned beer stops along the way?Will all your meals be taken on the plane or on the trains?

 

Not sure. Doesn't seem to be much around my hotel near the airport. I have a scheduled 8 hour layover in DC before the Capitol Limited departs for Chicago. Might take a walk through the Washington Mall, and stop for a drink before hopping on the Metro for a short ride back to Union Station. I'll get into Chicago mid morning on Thursday, so I might stop at Franklin Tap (again) for lunch before taking the South Shore back to northwest Indiana. 

 

I'll have dinner tonight near the hotel in Miami. Probably have breakfast, lunch and dinner on the Silver Meteor tomorrow, and a light breakfast the next morning. 

 

I'll have dinner and breakfast on the Capitol Limited. Since I'm riding in coach on that leg, the food options are limited to the cafe offerings, as the diner car is no longer open to coach passengers. 

 

Amtrak now has a bidding process for upgrades. I put in a bid for a sleeper car on the CL. I'll get notified tomorrow if my bid was accepted. If not I'll be sleeping and eating in coach. I've traveled in a sleeper car 3 times before on the Limited, so I won't be missing much if I don't get the upgrade. I generally spend most of my time in the observation car watching the scenery roll by. 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

I really hate flying. Been sitting on the plane at the gate for nearly an hour. Minor maintenance issue waiting for the paperwork to get signed off. At least that's the story we've been hearing for the past hour. Fingers crossed that the flight doesn't get canceled. Practically zero chance of getting on a later flight and still making my morning departure. 

 

On a positive note, I actually have an open seat next to me, so I don't feel like a sardine. 

 

 

[graveydellic]

4 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

I really hate flying. Been sitting on the plane at the gate for nearly an hour. Minor maintenance issue waiting for the paperwork to get signed off. At least that's the story we've been hearing for the past hour. Fingers crossed that the flight doesn't get canceled. Practically zero chance of getting on a later flight and still making my morning departure. 

 

On a positive note, I actually have an open seat next to me, so I don't feel like a sardine. 

 

 

 

Bad luck, but it happens.  I probably take 35 flights a year and I don't remember the last time I encountered a maintenance issue.  I feel like most of the big airlines have figured it out to minimize issues.  After all, they are losing money and messing up their own schedule the longer they sit there.  

[Argonne69]

4 minutes ago, graveydellic said:

 

Bad luck, but it happens.  I probably take 35 flights a year and I don't remember the last time I encountered a maintenance issue.  I feel like most of the big airlines have figured it out to minimize issues.  After all, they are losing money and messing up their own schedule the longer they sit there.  

 

Sounds like an engine fan blade got stratched. Might have been debris or a bird strike on the inbound flight. Maintenance had to measure its depth to ensure it didn't exceed specs. Looks like we'll be pushing away from the gate shortly. Going to be a late dinner. 

 

[Argonne69]

Cog Hill GC, Lemont, IL. Course #4 (Dubsdread) is in the lower right. Funny, but the course looks easier from up here. Lol. It hosted the PGA Western Open for years, and the earliest BMW Championships. 

 

Dubs is my 2nd favorite course in the area. The Glen Club is tops. I've played Dubsdread a number of times. Most locals think it's overpriced, but after playing some pricey courses in the east I don't think it's unreasonable at $155. However, other than The Glen Club it's much more expensive than the other top courses in the area. 

 

It has some nice elevation changes, but won't be mistaken for a course in Maine. Plenty of trees along the narrow fairways, and tricky, multi-section greens. Bunkers are tough. 7 cows. 

 

 

[stevopagolf]

The East Coast has the best private golf in the country and some of the most overpriced public golf around!  There are  some exceptions but, you need to get away from the Jersey shore and west of Philadelphia to find some reasonable tracks

[Double Mocha Man]

36 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Cog Hill GC, Lemont, IL. Course #4 (Dubsdread) is in the lower right. Funny, but the course looks easier from up here. Lol. It hosted the PGA Western Open for years, and the earliest BMW Championships. 

 

Dubs is my 2nd favorite course in the area. The Glen Club is tops. I've played Dubsdread a number of times. Most locals think it's overpriced, but after playing some pricey courses in the east I don't think it's unreasonable at $155. However, other than The Glen Club it's much more expensive than the other top courses in the area. 

 

It has some nice elevation changes, but won't be mistaken for a course in Maine. Plenty of trees along the narrow fairways, and tricky, multi-section greens. Bunkers are tough. 7 cows. 

 

 

 

It's been awhile since you handed out a cow!  But that's a flying cow.

[Dancin]

If you're making the drive out to play Cog Hill Dubbs from the city or north, drive a little further and play Mistwood at half the price for a more enjoyable round.

[Argonne69]

Lol. Well, it's not Texas Q or a gourmet burger, but not much to choose from near the hotel. IHOP for the win? 

 

 

Stopped at a local bar that had Victory Golden Monkey listed on their website. Try again. Don't know why places put menus on their websites, and then don't bother to keep them current. 

 

Strolled down to The Pilot House. 6th floor bar overlooking the airport. Not much of a beer selection, but they do make a tasty margarita. Chalk up another first. Don't think I've ever had eggs, pancakes, and a margarita. 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Argonne69

[Double Mocha Man]

7 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Lol. Well, it's not Texas Q or a gourmet burger, but not much to choose from near the hotel. IHOP for the win? 

 

 

 

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.  It might not get any better on the train...

[Argonne69]

3 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.  It might not get any better on the train...

 

Unfortunately you're probably right. Many years ago the food on the train wasn't bad. Decent steak, and a good breakfast. Sadly, cost cutting has killed the experience. Many routes now serve box lunches to 1st class sleeping car passengers. 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Argonne69

[hammergolf]

3 hours ago, Dancin said:

If you're making the drive out to play Cog Hill Dubbs from the city or north, drive a little further and play Mistwood at half the price for a more enjoyable round.

Agree, both great tracks! Dubs is definitely much tougher, especially the greens. 

[Argonne69]

Woke up early this morning and checked my email. A message from Amtrak was actually good news, as my bid for a sleeper car on the Capital Limited was accepted. I bid on a roomette, and as a backup I also bid on a full bedroom. I didn't get the roomette, but for $40 more I got a full bedroom. Not cheap at $265 for the upgrade, but it's still much cheaper than the advertised fare when I booked the coach ticket. It'll be nice to sleep on a flat surface in a dark room. I've slept in coach once before, and while the large reclining seat is fine, the constant din of passengers getting on and off the train at stops during the night doesn't allow for a good night's sleep. 

 

Sitting in the Miami station waiting to board. It's been a while since I took a taxi. Wow. $26 to travel 3 miles from the hotel to the station. Mind you it took 20 minutes in heavy morning traffic, but still. 

 

Not sure if the Silver Meteor serves breakfast as we pull out of Miami at 8:10 am, but at least I grabbed a muffin and a banana at the hotel for a morning snack. 

 

All aboard. 

 

 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Good news and bad news. Good news is that Amtrak finally replaced some of the old rolling stock with new equipment. Viewliner sleeping car is new, and the diner/lounge is very nice. 

 

Unfortunately the "flex meals" are basically pre-made meals reheated by the diner staff. Cheese omelet with breakfast potatoes and sausage links were edible, but no where near as tasty as the fresh made meals of yesteryear. 

 

 

 

 

Spoke with a staffer, and he said that the traditional dining car will return this summer. They're still dealing with the fallout of the pandemic and equipment shortages. The Silver Meteor was shut down for some time, leaving the Silver Star as the only train serving Miami. 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by Argonne69