A week ago today, I was winding down vacation and exploring Frankenmuth, Michigan. We went for Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland and for the Little Bavaria appeal of the town but were pleasantly surprised to find classic cars everywhere we looked.

That’s because the town was preparing for an enormous weekend long auto show set to start on Friday. Many car owners arrived on Thursday and spent the evening cruising the block.

Remember cruising?

That’s when carloads of (usually) teenagers went out driving along a popular route in town, often socializing with riders in other cars. If you’re not familiar, see the movie “American Graffiti.”

Most American towns have cracked down on this activity for the last several decades and you just don’t see it done much. However, Frankenmuth welcomed these drivers to cruise the block and even challenge each other at times.

The cops were miraculously absentee while we stood and watched all those beautiful old cars go by. By the way, those drivers were all ages – from teenagers to elderly – and all seemed to be having a blast.

They were expecting thousands of cars for the weekend and I hated to leave without seeing them all. I’m thinking it would be fun to go back next year and check out all the fun they have planned.

As much as I enjoy planning a trip, there’s something special about rolling into town and encountering the unexpected. This is one of the reasons we travel and one of the things that make adventuring amazing.