Ernest Hemingway's "The Big Two Hearted River Part I & Part II" is a moving story about the restorative power of nature. I know that now. But when I first encountered it as a college undergrad, the takeaway was that I must go fly-fishing and cook my catch for breakfast. Imagine my delight at finding myself all these years later casting out a line from the banks of the Bear River in Petoskey, Michigan. I'm visiting Michigan's lower peninsula on a literary pilgrimage to the places that inspired Hemingway's Nick Adams stories. He fished this very river and though these days it's strictly catch-and-release, the experience is the fulfillment of a life-long dream. Ernest Hemingway spent 22 summers in towns around Lake Michigan. The landscape and people of Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas informed Hemingway's writing for much of his life. But as rewarding as it is to walk in Papa H's waders, I'm equally grateful for the Inn at Bay Harbor, where I'm ensconced in quiet luxury.
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