Sunday, August 23, 2009

Well we finally got back to the Mt. Pleasant Home and unpacked our things from our week long "camping" at the Martin's Cabin---Martin RV Park-- hahahahahaha
Had a great time with the brothers and it was a sad thing to see them take off down the road without us! Lyle and Elaine will be traveling down to Ohio to be with Ron and Bonnie for a few days before they take off solo, to see Niagara Falls, Statue of Liberty and down south to visit with friends in South Carolina and then heading west to sight see back to California. We had a great time with them and Frank and I are so glad that they could make this trip with us. We will begin to do our regular chores and I am sure Frank will start to do some wood turning, since Hunting is only one month away. No one wanted to leave the cabin it was so beautiful and the weather was perfect. Bill and Eleanor were the perfect host. We celebrated Ron's 65th birthday with 2 cakes and a bonfire. He is putting in his resignation tomorrow for retirement. Now all brothers will be retired and able to travel together sometime. We think that will be great!!

Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009

8:30 a.m. - Frank and Lyle, with big smiles on their faces were up and gone to a Wood Turner's Meeting here in Traverse City. Frank got in touch with one of the instructors that teaches wood turning at the seminars he has gone to and asked if him if him and Lyle could come by and see him since the guy lives in Traverse City and we were spending the night there. The instructor mentioned that they were having a Wood Turner's meeting this a.m. and they were welcome to come along to the meeting. Frank is so00000 excited!!! He said, it is like meeting an NFL Quarterback! hahahaha
10:30 a.m. - It has rained all night and it is still raining. This weather is suppose to hang in here until Monday and Tuesday.
12:30 p.m. - Frank and Lyle got back from their meeting and happy campers! They had a great time and as usual, learned a great deal from the PRO. More wood turning tips and to just be able to hear them discuss and critique some of the projects other brought in to "show and tell". A rare thing for both Frank and Lyle to be together for something like this. These instructors don't come to Merced, Williams or Mt. Pleasant, that's for sure. Frank signed up to be a member of this Northern Michigan Wood Turners Association. They meet the 2nd Saturday of every month. So we will just come up here for the night on a Friday, he will go to the meeting and then we will drive back to Mt. Pleasant, since it is only 11/2 hr. away. A lot of the guys who belong to this meeting from all over Michigan also go someplace to "winter". Quite a few go to AZ, which surprised Frank. Frank has met so many people from all over by getting involved with the wood turning. It is amazing how big an organization it is.
3:00 p.m. - Just pulled into the Isabella Village Park and the weather is a sultry 90 degrees, with humidity. Talked to one of the ladies that live here and she said they have had a lot of rain today-more than they have had all summer. It has been only about 75 degrees all the month of July and it was the coldest July they have had in years. I guess we brought the warm weather with us.

Drove 94 miles today

TOTAL DRIVING FROM CALIFORNIA TO MT. PLEASANT ---3,413

Friday, August 7, 2009

9:45 a.m. - We are on our way to Traverse City, MI - we will stop and have lunch with Eleanor and Bill today before we get to Traverse city and the weather is cool about 57 degrees but clear blue skies.

10:45 a.m. - We are going through Pellston, MI which is called "The Ice Box" of the nation. Lyle remarked he would not like to be living in a city with that kind of title. (me either) Lyle and Elaine have remarked it is hard to believe that this area around lake Michigan which is so beautiful now could be under snow in the winter!

10:50 a.m. - Just pulled into Eleanor and Bills place in Charlevoix, MI. It is a nice day today, so after sitting on the back patio for awhile Bill suggested we take the boat and go for a boat ride around the lake and then dock it and go into town for some lunch. that sounded great for all of us. The boat ride was great, around the lake then under the stow bridge they have in Charlevoix and out to Lake Michigan. Lyle and Elaine just loved the trip and loved the town and all the shops. Lyle was amazed as to how many people are here, especially during touring season! Pulled into the boating slip at the Harbor and went and had a great lunch at the local diner, then on to the local fish market to get some more Whitefish and Perch, then a nice relaxing boat ride to the beach house. What a great time had by all.

5:00 p.m.- Stopped at a roadside fruit stand and picked up some Cherry merchandise since all this area is the "Cherry Capital of the World". The clouds are starting to form and it is getting overcast, it feels a little more humid now. rain is expected this evening and through the weekend. Lyle and Elaine will get a little taste of Michigan storms, wind, rain and humidity this weekend.

6:15 p.m. - Pulled into the Traverse City KOAwith overcast skies and 68 degrees. We have a nice shaded area and it is a clean park and we are looking for a good restful night. Glad we are not continuing on to Mt. Pleasant tonight even tho it is only about 1/12 hr. away. It would have been just a little too much driving for all of us. A relaxing evening sitting outside, with the clouds forming more for the rain that is expected.

Drove 119 miles today

Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009

10:00 a.m. - This is our 2nd day in Mackinaw City and we are up and at the boat dock to catch the ferry over to Mackinac Island. We will be crossing over Lake Michigan and what a beautiful sight this is today. The skies are clear, blue and the water is sparkling. We sat on top and this particular ferry takes you under the "Might Mac" and that was quite a thing to see. The cars going over the bridge looked like little match box cars. It was interesting to hear how and why the bridge was built and to see it from the water's angle. While on the Island we took a Horse and Buggy carriage tour. It is a great way to see the sights of the island and hear the history behind it. After the tour we got dropped off at Fort Mackinac and toured some of the building with the history of the American Revolution War. We saw the presentation of the Rifle Firing and the Cannon Firing and both events were very interesting and informative. Lye just loves this kind of history and was very impressed with all that is on this island. We also went and saw the "Arch Rock" and had lunch at the "Tea Room" connected with the Grand Hotel. The food was suburb and the service was from many nations. Most of the waiters and servers were from different parts of the world. Jamaica, Ukraine, plus a lot of college students both from abroad and the states. We then walked the streets looking at the different shops, bought Mackinac Fudge - of course- and some smoked fish and some cheese, all of which this part of Michigan is famous for. They make and sell about 10,000 lbs of fudge a DAY during the summer months. Caught the 4:00 p.m. ferry back to Mackinaw City and this time sat down below where #1 it is much warmer, and #2 we could see the lake and bridge from a different view. We had more wave action than earlier in the day, but a lot more interesting. Got back to the RV about 5:30 p.m. after a little dinner in town and we are pretty much wiped out again. We did a lot of walking and climbing steps. It was a beautiful quiet night to sit outside by the bonfire.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

9:00 a.m. - On our way again with at 62 degree weather but nice and sunny. What a lovely stay we had at this great RV Park.

10:15 a.m. - We pulled off the road to view a beautiful city park along the way as we travel along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. The sun is out full force now and not a cloud in sight with a temperature of 70 degrees. The sun is making the lake sparkle like diamonds. We stopped here in Manistique to gas up for probably the last time until we get to Mt. Pleasant, with gas at $2.69 a gallon.

12:15 p.m. - Stopped at our "usual" stop when we come up to the Upper Peninsula. Frank needed to get his fix of smoked fish-- which he LOVES! We also bought some Pasties--(past-ies) that the UP is noted for and some good ole Black Cherry Ice Cream! yum yum. We are still driving along the Lake Michigan shoreline and there are a few white cap's appearing on the lake now, but it is still a beautiful crystal blue color. We are having to wait for some oncoming traffic to clear because of road construction. Every state we have been in has had road/or detours because of road construction.

1:00 p.m. - Crossing the Mackinac Bridge at 69 degrees with sunny skies and the cost for us in the RV pulling the Jeep is $10.00 just a car is $3.00. We are on our way to the KOA Campground in Mackinaw City. ( The city is spelled different and pronounced different also) city is Mack-in-aw the bridge is pronounced the same way but spelled Mack-in-ac.

2:30 p.m. - We unpacked, and hooked up and now are on our way to Sault Ste. Marie to the "SOO" locks. It is about one hour away and the drive is just lovely. Lyle and Elaine just love these hardwoods and all the green. We hung around the area because at 5:40 p.m. a ship was scheduled to come through the Locks and we wanted to see that happen. We watched it come in and it is amazing how the water in the Locks is so low for the ships to come through and then raised, quite fast to make the passageway as deep as lake Michigan so the ship can pass on through. this ship was on the way to Thunder Bay in Michigan carrying wheat on board and then another one came in about 10 minutes later and it was from Norway and going back with a load of cement on board. After we saw all that we had a "Yooper" dinner of pasties and fish and chips. Stopped at the Mackinac Crossings which is a mini mall and went through all the shops and bought our tickets to take the ferry boat across to Mackinac Island tomorrow another full day in store. We did not get back to the RV Park until 10:30 p.m.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

9:00 a.m. - Pulling out of this beautiful RV campsite in Ashland, Wisconsin- Kreher RV Park. so glad that Frank found out about this park. It is run by the city, and is a public RV Park, no tents. It is so clean, modern and right on the lake, couldn't ask for anything better and the price is right also--$20.00 Lyle made a nice bonfire this morning and we cooked polish sausage and they were excellent!. We are on our way to Escanaba, MI today which is about 240 miles down the road.

10:30 a.m. - Just crossed into Michigan at 62 degrees with puffy clouds.

12:30 p.m. - We stopped for a break and are about 1 hour away from Escanaba, MI where we will change time zones for the last time and be on Eastern Time. All is well with a 65 degree, sunny, puffy white, blue skies. We are in Iron Mountain, Mi now and checking out the Iron Mine here. One of those things--"seen it once - that's enough".

4:00 p.m.- Michigan time---Pulled into Whitefish RV Park in Rapid River, MI which is just 2 miles east of Escanaba, MI and the temperature is a nice 68 degrees with a slight breeze and sunny. Lyle, Elaine, Frank love this kind of weather. It is OK for me if I can wear a sweatshirt. This is a nice clean RV Park with lots of shade trees and green grass all around. Looks like they took a Mobile Home Park and converted some of their empty lots into RV sites.

5:00 p.m. - Went into the town of Rapid River and had dinner at the local restaurant. We had Whitefish of course, since this area is noted and famous for this kind of fish. We traveled through some beautiful woods all along the rim of lake superior today. After dinner we took a drive into Escanaba to check it out. Lyle and Elaine are amazed at how many different hard woods there are here and the how green everything is. We are all very tired today for some reason and are going to take time to catch up on some sleep and rest.

Drove 234 miles today

Monday August 3, 2009

9:00 a.m. - We are leaving the Grand Casino RV Park in Hinckey, MN on a foggy 60 degree temperature this a.m. Hopefully we will see some sun as we travel northward to I-2 across the top part of Wisconsin and Michigan. This was the nicest, cleanest, RV Park and the cheapest we have stayed in so far, with the cost only $20.00. A rough evening last night, but all is well now.

11:30 a.m. - We decided at the last minute to park our RVs and take a side trip to see the "Split Rock Lighthouse" on Lake Superior, just outside of Duluth, MN. It was a great ride to get there and the lighthouse was very nice and informative, and we also saw some beautiful waterfalls. It took us about 3 hours to complete the trip and get back to where we parked our RVs. But it was well worth it.

5:00 p.m. - e are on the road again to -?- where ever? We have not made reservations any place for tonight yet so we will have to see what we can find on the road.

6:30 p.m. - We pulled into a Wal-Mart Parking Lot and were going to stay there for the night and while Elaine and I were in the store getting some things, Frank thought he would check out the only campground in Ashland, Wisconsin and came back to us and said it was a beautiful campground and they had sites side by side for both of us to enjoy. So we all went to this lovely RV campsite which is right on Lake Superior!!! You just pulled in, got your site, then filled out a ticket with your $20.00 and put it in a slot and your set for the night. Great!! Lyle and Elaine could not get over the different cloud formations in the sky. We saw a different sunset between the edges of the clouds and and full moon peeking through the clouds also. We built a campfire and sat out until 10:00 p.m. A lovely and relaxing evening.

By the way-- the corn was delicious!!

Drove 143 miles today - because we did more sightseeing than planned.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

9:00 a.m. - We left the KOA Campground at Jackson, MN after a good night sleep and a great dinner with the "family". We are on our way to Hinckley, MN where we will be staying tonight.

12:00 a.m. - We are about 116 miles from our destination traveling from Jackson, MN up Highway 71 and outside of Willmar, MN then catching Hwy 23 to Hinckley, MN. We have not been on this route before so everything is as new for us as it is for Lyle and Elaine. There is a lot of farming going on here and many detours. We have had to take more back roads than ever because they are rebuilding a bridge in this area. Lyle and Elaine just love this drive, as does Frank. We stopped at a stand along the side of the road to buy some ears of fresh, sweet corn on the cob for dinner tonight. Since this is corn country, it should be very tasty. The weather is beautiful with temperatures about 75 degrees and nice and sunny. We talked to Johnny (Martin) and all is well with them and we are looking forward to seeing him again.

3:30 p.m. - Pulled into the Grand Casino RV Resort in Hinckley for the night. Both Elaine and i had laundry to do so we went and got that task done while Lyle and Frank got things together for our BBQ. It started to rain while we were doing laundry and when we got back to our RVs and Lyle finished cooking the meat the rain came down hard!! The temperature dropped and it rained almost all night.

10:00 p.m. - Just got back online to let you know that we are fine so far. There is Tornado Warnings all around us and severe thunderstorms for this area. It is moving on East which we are glad for that. The Casino has made a statement that if, there is a Tornado spotted coming our way, they will come door to door and evacuate the Park and everyone goes into the Casino. Hopefully that will not happen. I have all my stuff together and my laptop ready to go, if needed.

(don't laugh). First time Lyle and Elaine have seen anything like this, let alone been so close to it. She does not like it any more than I do, and Lyle is like many, not worring about it.

Drove 253 miles today

Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009

9:00 a.m. - With 26,758 miles on our RV we got on the road to Jackson, Minnesota. It is a beautiful morning and the weather is about 63 degrees with sun and clear skies. It feels more like a 70 degree temperature. We had a short rain and wind storm pass over us last night, but it is in front of us now and the temperature all day is suppose to be in the mid to high 70's. SWEET!

10:00 a.m. - We are about 20 miles from Mitchell, SD and we are still seeing "hundreds" of motorcycle riders. It is unbelievable that this many "bikers" would come to this Sturgis Rally. One book that I was reading says that during this Rally the city of Sturgis took in last year more than $10.4 million dollar in taxable sales transactions and the traffic count in Sturgis was 57,000 plus per DAY. No wonder the town of Sturgis caters to the motorcycle riders. If their not riding their bikes they are towing them with trailers behind their pickups and RVs. We are stopping at a Cabala's here in Mitchell, SD.

12:45 p.m. - We are back on the road towards Minnesota and decided to stop at "The World's Only Corn Palace" here in Mitchell.

1:45 p.m. - That was very interesting and it is a Palace that every year they build on the outside of this a different theme from over 600,000 ears of corn sawed in half and nailed to the building in a "corn by number" process. You can start watching them do this the beginning of summer and continue all summer long. In the fall they start stripping off the old and start thinking of what to put on the following year. This has been going on since 1892! The red neck pheasant is the State Bird and they have so many that hunting is welcomed! It is 71 degrees and still sunny with puffy clouds. We had lunch at the Corn Palace and then on the road again.

2:30 p.m. - Just crossed into Minnesota and it is 411 miles across the state of S.D.--FYI-- Not much here except fields and fields of corn.

4:00 p.m. - Pulled into the KOA Campgrounds in Jackson, MN. Ron and Lori Gray live just across the state line in Spirit Lake, Iowa, about 1/2 hour away. He was on his way back home from the Minneapolis airport when I called him, where he had just picked up his daughter, Jamie and son-in-law Brian and their little son, Alex. They had to come to Jackson, MN on their way home so we met at the KOA Campground and we will be meeting them and Lori at their home in Iowa and then on to dinner. It was weird how they were just about the same distance from Jackson, coming from the airport as we were coming from Mitchell, SD.

6:00 p.m. -Lyle, Elaine, Frank and Iwent to Ron and Lori Gray's home and got together with them, Brian and Jamie and little Alex. Had a great time and great food at at restaurant/golf club. Little Alex is only 2 yrs old and the cutest little thing. We had a good time sitting around and just talking after dinner.

9:30 p.m. - Just getting back to the RV and another state for Lyle and Elaine to put in their logs as to what states that have seen on this trip so far.