Last fall, I headed up the winding, two-lane M-43 highway through Delton, Hastings and Lake Odessa, to end at my destination in Grand Ledge to visit a relative.
My first stop was Hastings, which began in 1836 when three entrepreneurs named Dibble, Kingsbury and Kendall bought 480 acres along the Thornapple River. The 88-mile river begins a few miles east of Charlotte and winds its way west, eventually emptying into the Grand River north of Grand Rapids.
In 1843, the state legislature designated Hastings as the county seat of Barry County. Hastings became a village in 1855, with a population of around 300, and in 1871, it officially became a city. The historic Barry County Courthouse, which is still in use today, was built in 1893.
Summerfest, Jazzfest, Fridays at the Fountain, Art Hops, the Christmas Parade, the St Patrick’s Day Parade, are just a few of the fun events in Hastings. The largest is the Barry-Roubaix bike race held every April since 2009. The race is known as the world’s largest gravel bike race with over 5,500 participants. I have ridden the race the last four years.
Richie’s Koffee Shop is a great little restaurant that has been around since 1979. They are known for their hamburgers, French fries and malts.
I stopped in for breakfast and sat at the counter. My omelette and pancake were very tasty. I asked the waitress if there was anything new at Richie’s and she said, “Not in the 33 years I have worked here.” Another waitress, who sat next to me eating her breakfast, told me that many regulars come in every day, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can often learn more about a town and its people by visiting a small, local restaurant, than by reading guide books or looking on the web.
I stopped into the Way Too Cheap thrift store packed with a little of everything. After buying a few old books, I asked the friendly owner where he got all his merchandise and he told me that most of it comes from online auctions of unpaid storage units. Kind of like the Storage Wars TV show, minus all of the colorful personalities.
Across the street is Arris Matrix Computer Sales and Service. The store is “packed to the gills” with old computers in various states of repair. My first job out of college was selling computers, so talking to Chuck the owner about all the old computer brands from 40 years ago was very enjoyable.
The Walldorff Brewpub and Bistro, in a classic brick building on the main corner downtown, is very popular. The 1866 building once had large ballrooms upstairs and the main floor has held a billiards and lunch room, hardware, furniture, clothing, drug and grocery stores. The brewpub and bistro opened in 2006 after a major renovation of the building. The Walldorff is known for its wood fired pizza, wood grilled steaks, ribs and burgers and pasta. They also brew a nice selection of beers and offer 9 different ever-changing taps.
I drove north through the small towns of Carleton and Woodland, and along the east side of Jordan Lake to end up in Lake Odessa.
My first stop was Meyer’s Hometown Bakery and Beanery. I love donuts, and this great bakery, voted 1st place in Mlive’s 2020 Michigan’s Best Donuts contest, did not disappoint. Jeff Meyer, the owner, was very friendly and we had a nice talk.
Lake Odessa has several antique malls and I could have spent hours visiting all of the stores and individual booths. I browsed through the three-floor, Lake Odessa Antique Mall, Bonanza Antiques and the 2 Sisters Antique Mall, buying a few small paper items.
On the way out of town, I stopped at the Lake Odessa Area Historical Society & Depot Museum. The unique, onion-dome depot museum was closed but the friendly ladies at the Ionia County Genealogical Society, with an office inside, gave me the scoop on local history.
My very enjoyable backroads trip, ended up winding back south through Woodbury, Sunfield , Mulliken and Grand Ledge.
