Home again, home again, jiggity jog!

September 16 – The party is once again over!  It seems we have so much time when we leave but once we get to this point, we look back and it went so fast.  It was another great trip with lots of lighthouses seen in addition to several of the Great Lakes.  We had our ups and downs, but we got past them and were very happy that we chose Michigan for our trip.

This year is in Orange

We spent quite a while packing more stuff and stripping the bed and bathroom.  I had a short coughing spell before bed last night and did OK all night but was getting a bit nauseous again this morning so made a bottle of ginger ale and sipped on it all the way home.  Traffic on I-75 is always heavy and once we hit the turnpike it wasn’t quite so bad.  We literally HIT a lot of love bugs and it showered just enough that I didn’t have to put my wipers on, but it did wash some of the bugs off.  Bill has a job lined up for tomorrow!

It was 1 PM when we arrived at the warehouse and Mark left his slides out so we couldn’t park on the concrete.  We only loaded a few more things in the truck and took that home and went back for a second load.  We have one more trip tomorrow for the clothes on hangers and some things down in the compartments.  The fridge was a lot in itself.  I had bags of blueberries and rhubarb!

Jared was here when we got home and later Kam brought Shiloh and Jude over as she’d taken them to her house to the pool and then to dinner while he was moving to their new place.  They’ve both grown in 3 ½ months!  It was so good to see them!  They are excited about their new place and I know it will take a while to get settled in.  This is their last night here and I know they would rather be at their own place but it worked out fine for the summer.

So, I’m putting to rest another summer adventure, but a new one is happening the 25^th as my friend Melissa and I head off for Ireland for 10 days!  I won’t have my laptop so won’t be journaling but will post some things on Instagram for any of my readers who are on.

Happy Travels to all my friends and readers!

Arrived at Stephen Foster Cultural State Park

September 15 – I had a terrible night last night, up coughing at 3 AM and was almost an hour before I finally had it under control.  I felt sick at my stomach and really was not interested in eating this morning.  Eventually I did throw up and immediately felt better.  Bill made me some ginger ale and I sipped on it until we were ready to go and I felt fine.  I never had any appetite though.

We left later than planned so were behind when we started.  Then Bill wanted to stop in Cordele to spend 30 minutes with a guy who used to work at West Orange.  He was pulling into the Flying J just as we were so timing was perfect.  A few minutes later his wife joined us.  The 30 minute visit went  into over an hour.  It was good to see them and visit but we had told our friends we’d be arriving by 2.  We decided while we were stopped there to fill up and it had a Wendy’s so I went in and got us some lunch that we ate while driving.

Bill called them as we were pulling thru the entrance and they all met us at our site.  They were waiting on us to go to lunch.  It had taken us 2 hours to get there so lunch/early dinner it was fine with us.  We didn’t unhook since Bruce was driving the 6 of us.  It was great to see Jean and Paul!  We were sorry they didn’t get to camp as planned but it was certainly better than no visit at all.

Bruce and Sharon had discussed a couple of places to eat and we went to the one he referred to as the “red neck” bar and grill.  It was after the lunch crowd so we enjoyed a leisurely lunch and there were conversations going all around the table.  Each couple left with leftovers!  No dessert and Paul and I joked about ice cream after but nothing is that a close!  Then I totally forgot that I made a pie to share, oh well, Bill will enjoy it!

We all gathered at Bruce and Sharon’s RV (inside in the AC).  The guys had their conversation going and the girls had ours!  Jean brought a scrapbook she made ever since we started taking trips together and all of the postcards, birthday cards, etc. that I’ve sent over the years.  It was a trip down memory lane!  She said she’d get me stamps so I’d send more photos of where we go!  Sharon and I discussed some crocheting projects as she is teaching herself and wants to try some new things.  Later I sent her a pattern for dishcloths and I use the same yarn she has been using!

Bill borrowed a ladder from Bruce and washed the front of the RV.  He was hot and sweaty and we were both tired.  The heat and humidity are already getting to us!

We packed more stuff to have ready to load in the truck when we got home.

Traffic, traffic and more traffic!

September 14 – Things are really winding down now.  The weather is heating up and “we’re not in Michigan anymore”….  We left at 9 AM.

The people partying by the RV last night were still there at 2 this morning when I had a coughing jag.  I was about 30 minutes of coughing before I managed to calm down and go back to sleep.  When we got up this morning the people were gone and the trash was all picked up.  It was a mess at 2 AM.

This was to be a long driving day and it was, 390 miles.  We normally aim at 350.  We arrived at a Sam’s outside of Macon around 6:15.  Later than we normally plan but we stopped early for lunch at a rest area and I was so tired that I needed a nap, so once I woke up we had lunch.

Traffic around Atlanta was terrible as usual.  We hit the city at the worst time of day and since Sharon and Sam had warned us about the construction work on 75 going through Atlanta, we opted for the 285 Western bypass.  Traffic was still terrible but there was no construction issue.  Once we got through there it was smooth sailing on to Macon.  Again we took the west bypass as there were 2 Wal-marts and a Sam’s and we figured we could stay at one.  One Wal-mart said no when Bill called, the second one never could get a manager to tell us so when he called Sam’s, it was a go.  We didn’t plan to do any shopping so no problem.

This is our first Sam’s and I hope some trucks come in as we’re not used to be the only ones in the lot.

I cooked pork chops, rice and made salads for dinner.  I also make a Jello pie to share with our friends tomorrow night when we meet up.

Some wasted time today

September 13 – I had a better night but Bill didn’t fare as well.  At least the weather is warmer out!  Bill wanted to leave by 9 but it was 10 since he wasn’t in a hurry to get up and moving.  We could have driven a lot further today if we had passed on the stop in Wilburforce, OH.  The GPS took us to road that I refused to take the RV on.  I mean some tiny 2 lane roads, with low hanging trees that were up and down and turn here and turn there.  I really thought we were lost!  We re-routed twice but finally arrived at National Historic Site, Charles Young Buffalo Soldier.  It was his home and apparently is only available to be seen by appointment.  Now I was ticked!  Especially as the parking area was a tiny circle drive and we were towing.  There was space to park IF I could maneuver in and out of single lane entries.  Of course I could do it!  There was another car of 2 ladies that Bill conversed with but I just took a photo of the house with the banner and headed back to the RV.  The trick to leaving was waiting for no cars in either direction so I could use both lanes to turn into.  Short wait, no problem!

So it was get back on a reasonable size road to get us to an interstate!  Yea, a real road!  Just as we approached the interstate exchange I saw a Wendy’s and though maybe since we’d spent so much time already on one stop, we’d better grab a quick lunch and move on.  I parked in a commercial area near the Wendy’s and Bill went it.  He said they were swamped and only had one counter person and one filling the orders.  I was beginning to think he got lost!  They had a new salad with apples and feta cheese and it was good.  Bill had a burger as expected but he did bring us each a Frosty that we put in the freezer.

After a couple of hours of driving it was time for a potty and Frosty break.  We pulled in a Rest Area and never left the RV.  Just 15 minutes to relax a bit and  then it was back on the highway.

The traffic was not nearly as bad as some big cities but there was a lot of construction and losing the right lane then getting it back, so I was back and forth between the two lanes a lot.  We were going to stop in Berea, KY but decided to go a bit farther to London, KY and we stopped at 4:30.  The lot at Walmart was rather full of cars and some trucks were already parked so I took what I could get but I didn’t like the spot.  I wanted to be facing the direction we’d be leaving.  So I had a glass of wine and we had a snack and later we walked over to Walmart for a few things, then later I made some skinny pizzas for dinner.  Bill went out to lock up the car and decided to unhook it so I could move us into a spot we liked better for leaving.  We hadn’t put the slides out yet in anticipation of moving.  So we ended up directly behind a trucker and we hooked the car up for a quick getaway in the morning.

This is a busy place.  Several trucks pulled in but I don’t know if they found spaces.  Then young people were gathered on both sides of us, revving up cars and trucks and getting out skate boards and socializing.  I guess they don’t have another place to go!

Bill watched some football and I typed up 2 days of journals.  He went on to bed and I waited for the noise to die down outside.

PS – Paul called to let us know that they wouldn’t get to meet us camping in Stephen Foster.  They got the new tires on the RV but the new brakes didn’t come in and so they may drive over for the day and meet us and Bruce and Sharon.  Poopy!

Airstreams everywhere

September 12- Neither of us had a good night with this chest thing.  We said we’d be ready to leave at 9, but that wasn’t happening.  We ate a small breakfast and finally left out about 10.  We were only going to Indian Lake State Park, drop the RV , then go to Jackson Center not far from there to tour the Airstream factory about 15 miles away.

The owner of Airstream used this all
 over the world
to lead travel caravans

The lake with a dredge and
lots of Canadian geese

It took FOREVER to get to the park.  It was all little back roads and I was beginning to think the GPS didn’t have a clue!  When we arrived, there’s no one if the entry station, so we drive in and see a sign to the office for registration.  Of course there’s only one person working the desk and there were people ahead of Bill.  Then when we got to our space there was no way we were going to try and put the RV in it.  There were trees up close and nasty mud along the side where we enter the RV.  So we took the spot next to it.  We didn’t have time to do anything but plug in the electric and turn on the AC for Molly.  We stopped at the office and I went in and told her we couldn’t get in the spot and went in the next one.  She said that was fine since no one was coming in until after we left. 

We made a wrong turn on the way to Jackson Center and lost some valuable time.  We

Inside a really old one

thought there’d be a fast food place to drive thru and grab a quick bite – Not Happening!  Luckily once we signed in for the tour I saw a water machine and a vending machine and had 3 singles.  I got a pack of Nabs and Bill got a tiny bag of chips.  I gave him one of my Nabs and they had jars of complimentary cookies so we each had a couple of cookies.  At least we wouldn’t have grumbling stomach sounds during the tour!

They told us no photos in the factory so Bill put the camera back in the truck.  Then as the tour started we were outside and they said we could take photos of the old models so I just used my phone.  The tour was good.  We got to see most of the entire process and everything is done by hand.  All of the furniture is made there, the side pieces are all cut out by hand and it’s all assembled by hand.  They have companies that supply the appliances, bathroom fixtures, chassis’s and tires.  We didn’t get to see many of them inside and most of the people touring are Airstream owners.  The tour was 90 minutes and it was all walking but we needed the exercise.  They are very well built units.  They are in the process of building new facility for expansion and to have their own Museum of old Airstreams.  They had a photo on the wall of the service office of the airstreams that used to be stuck in the ground along I-4 on the way to Tampa.

We got home faster than we got to the factory.  Bill had a snack to back up the lunch snack!  No satellite service again.  I did 2 loads of laundry while we had full hook up and we emptied some of the leftovers from the fridge.  The freezer is mostly rhubarb and blueberries.

Longer drive but not as long as later in the week! Ugh!

September 11 – Time to move on again!  Today was a longer dry to Mauee, OH.  We were on the road by 10 and traffic was no problem and the weather was great.  We arrived at our campground around 12:30.  We stay here any time we are in the area.  We always have a nice long pullthrough that’s good and level.

Neither os us slept well at all last night.  I ended up on the couch and had post nasel drip all night.  So when we were parked I had such a headache and we were both tired so Bill took a nap and so did I.  He woke me when we was showered and leaving to meet his friends for a late lunch.  I knew it was going to be several hours, men are no different than women!

When I felt better and my headache was better I did 2 loads of  laundry and caught up my checkbook.  Then I did some crocheting and organizing stuff we bought for Christmas etc.  Trying to be organized for unloading when we get home.

Bill called at 6 to say they were leaving lunch (that started at 3) and he was going to fill up the truck with cheap gas and stop at Meijers.  They carry Ohio sports stuff and Bill is always looking.  He picked up a coupe of things for us and got home at 7:15. He also stopped at Tony Packo’s and got himself a chili dog for dinner and a container of chicken soup with homemade little noodles for me.  It was really good, especially the noodles. 

We’re pulled up a little too far in the space to get satellite reception tonight so I caught up on journals and blogs and will do some reading and Bill has been reading.

Christmas all year long

September 10 - The rain did not bother us during the night but Bill was having a lot of trouble breathing with his machine and congestion. I slept with my back to him but by the time I got up this morning I realized it was too late I had already contracted his disease. My big concern is if it goes into my chest and I get bronchitis, I may not clear up before we leave for Ireland the 25th. I’m going to try taking some zinc and pick up some Echinacea when we go into Frankenmuth today. Of course this all happens when we only have one day to go to Frankenmuth. We didn’t get our as early as we had hoped and then it was drizzling out. 

Outside display

Our first stop was Bronners, the World’s Largest Christmas

Inside display

Store.  They aren’t lying! The amount of stuff is overwhelming.  It’s all done very orderly though.  Stockings, Santa suits, light up buildings, everything is together that are like items.  The ornaments are grouped that way also.  All teams, animals, music, woodland animals, and the list goes on and on.  We were there a couple of hours and just as we were ready to leave we ran into the couple me met from Florida at the rally.  They had just arrived.

The Memorial Chapel

Outside there are lots of displays that are there all year long.  There’s a replica of the chapel from Austria where “Silent Night” was first performed.  They had to get permission from Austria to build the replica.  There are placards posted with the song translated into probably 50 languages.  Very impressive!

Time for lunch!  We debated and ended up at the Bavarian Inn where they serve “world famous“ chicken. It’s very nice inside and the servers wear lederhosen and the Bavarian hats.  We were surprised at the menu as it was all dinners and appetizers, then I noticed in small print you can request a luncheon menu.  So I did.  The amount of food and cost for lunch was too much on the regular menu and I really wasn’t all that hungry.  Bill got a 2 piece “famous” chicken meal with mashed potatoes, veggies and a salad.  I had the traditional with schnitzel, sauerbraten and a piece of the famous chicken with sauerkraut and little cheese puff things.  The deal with the chicken is the batter is thin and a little grainy, not like flour and not loaded with coating.

 We saved dessert for   the bakery across the street.  Bill got a strudel and I got a round load of fruit stolen, which was not what I expected it to be.  I was thinking it would be like World Market stollen.  It was getting cooler out and some rain here and there so we decided to head home. 

 Neither of us was feeling all that good and I wasn’t hungry for any more “food” but did have a slice of my bread later.  It started raining out more but nothing like the downpours we’ve had in other places.

Busy day hunting a lighthouse

September 9 – It was 50 this morning and wasn’t expected to get over 65.  Good thing we’re headed south!  I woke Bill at 8:30 and we had some sausage with our cinnamon rolls and fruit.  We dressed, packed up and Bill wanted to take one last look at the first parking spot to see if our awning rod was there and don’t you know we found it!  It was on a picnic table and someone must have put it there as I looked on both tables when I first looked for it.  Anyway, Bill was once again a Happy Camper!

We did have more issues with the left front leveling jack and I’m so over it!  I tried repeatedly to get it to retract and it stays down about 4 inches and the error screen just flashes and the jack light stays on.  We just left and went on our way!

The drive to our campground, Weslyan woods, outside of Vassar, Michigan was rather uneventful. Traffic was not bad and the weather was good and we found our campground with no issues. However they had failed to leave our check-in packet and there was no one at the check-in building and no one answered when we called. We left a message and then just unhooked the RV and snuck through the gate to see if we could scope out a good spot. This is a very nice facility with a rather large campground in the back behind three small lakes. One area is electric and water only and another area is full hook up. On the way back I asked a lady if she knew anything about the place and she is a employee there and said we should have no problem just pick a spot and that the office person would probably be in around 1 o’clock after church. So we drove all around and picked site 28 because we could actually pull through on it although it is designed to have two RVs end to end. We went back and got the RV and the lady had given me her gate code and we parked with no difficulty as the sites are relatively level.

We ate our lunch and Bill did some rearranging in the back of the truck and an employee stopped by to see if we needed ice or firewood and we told him we had not officially checked in and he said the lady would be there from one until five. I assured him we would stop on our way out and make sure everything was kosher. We did stop and she said she had no one coming in on this site so we were good and we signed our appropriate papers and we headed onto Bay City Michigan where we had planned to see the Saginaw range Light House.

We googled the lighthouse and hit the direction button and it took us right to Lighthouse Lane which had a locked gate so I looked at the map at other roads that would get us there and it ended up all those roads are gated off because it’s private property owned by Dow Chemical. We googled other options and one lighthouse site gave directions to the Coast Guard facility where the Fresnel lens from the lighthouse is on display and that you are supposed to be able to see the lighthouse from across the river at the Coast Guard station. Well you cannot get on the Coast Guard property without a pass as it’s locked and gated. Property at the end of the drive after the Coast Guard is guarded and gated so we pulled into a boat repair kind of place that was not open and I went to the back along the river but the trees and shrubbery block any possible view. I asked a gentleman who was doing something at his boat at the marina next-door and he said there was a lot that had pathways but that with all the foliage in bloom he wasn’t sure I could locate the path. We drove back up to it because it is between the Coast Guard station and the private gated property and there so many sea oats along the roadway and there was one possible pass along the fence line but Bill would not allow me to venture back there. So it was a wasted trip and we don’t understand why the directions that everybody post don’t just tell you that you can’t see it except from the water.

We had brought our laptops with us because there is no Wi-Fi or phone service for ATT at the campground. I wanted to get a couple of days posted so on our way to Meijers we saw a McDonald’s and went in there for about an hour. We ordered beverages and I managed to complete and post today’s posting while Bill listened to music and watched videos and checked his email. From there we drove a couple of blocks down the road to the Meijers where we took in the last of our recyclables. Our final efforts garnered us $10.80. Brings the total for the summer of our recycle project to $167.30. 

Since we were now on the outskirts of Bay City all the good restaurants according to Yelp

Add caption

were behind us and I really did not want to backtrack so I looked towards the campground and in the town before our campground there was a place that was highly recommended.  When we got there it was closed, I guess they are not open on Sundays. So I checked at the town Vassar and we found Cork Pine Eatery and Saloon, which was also highly recommended. For a bar saloon type place they had a very large menu, however the girl did not point out the Sunday specials we didn’t see until after we had placed our orders. I wasn’t really very hungry but she said they make their own Alfredo sauce so I went with chicken Alfredo and a house salad. Bill had the lake perch platter which came with six planks of perch which was way more than he was going to eat after a salad and a baked potato. He ended up bringing home three of his fish fillets and I brought home more than half of my Alfredo. I have never had Alfredo with so much chicken in it.

On the way home we saw a beautiful Michigan sunset so we stopped and I took some photos and we managed to get back to the campground before total darkness. All of the seasonal people who are parked on the row in front of us had gone home but we noted there were six or seven cars behind us of people who are seasonals or just camping.

Although we have no phone service we do have great satellite service here, so we watched some TV and Bill got to watch some football.

He has been coughing more and I guess coming down with something worse than we had hoped and I have started to have a little cough and will blame it on him. Just as we were headed to bed we had some rain but not the thunderous out pores of rain that we had in Muskegon.

Last rally day

September 8 – It was 49 when we got up this morning, brrr!  We’re not in Florida that’s for sure!  It warmed up to 70, so turned out to be a really nice day!  Bill wasn’t feeling so good this morning.  A bit congested.  I cooked the sausage I bought yesterday and we had breakfast and then headed down to Clare, MI so we could go to the Amish Bakery I heard about and to the sporting goods place to use our gift card.

It’s only about 15 miles down the road and the exit for the bakery was also the one for the sporting goods shop, so that was nice.  Be the time we got there the bakery was just about out of the good stuff!  We left with a pan of cinnamon rolls and a bag of peanut butter cookies.  We each had a cookie right off since we didn’t have a sweet at breakfast!  (good excuse, huh?)

Jay’s is a huge sporting good place and the lot was packed as they were having an annual sale and had a gun range trailer set up and other extra vendors.  It’s sorta like Bass Pro Shop but they had NO sports equipment, all hunting and fishing stuff and I mean they had a lot of it.  Guns, bows, tackle, grills, camping stuff, clothing….  They did have a nice home décor area with woodsy stuff and after circling the store twice we ended up back there.  I found a runner for my kitchen table for $21.99, so we did OK.

We drove thru Clare to see the town and like lots of the old downtowns, they are all gift shops, restaurants ,etc.  We passed a Walgreens and I needed a battery so while I was in there Bill was checking out the best place for lunch.  It was The Whitehouse and we had passed it.  A tiny little place with 6 booths inside and the cook right where you can see her put your burger on the griddle.  They had some picnic tables outside.  They’ve been open in that spot since 1936.  I think the cook was there when it started!  She and the waitress were older than Bill!  While he parked I was lucky to get the next table that emptied.  Bill had a double BLT and I had a Reuben.  The service was a little slow but the sandwiches were good and the waitress was a sweetheart!

Time to head back to Harrison.  We did a test run to make sure what direction we wanted to take in leaving the fairgrounds to the highway.  The downtown has lots of barriers up and some we didn’t think I could get the RV towing the truck in and around so we opted to take the longer way. 

Tonight was a prepared dinner meal at the rally but we hadn’t paid for it and it started at 4:30.  I went down for the raffle drawings but we didn’t win anything, nothing new!   Then we just had chicken pot pies for dinner and went for the evening entertainment at 6:30.  Tonight was a solo male singer who was at the rally with his family and his parents.  We really enjoyed his selections but his range was not the best.  He only sang to recorded music and didn’t play any instruments. They had first timers, out of staters, and Canadians come up front and we had to do the "Chicken Dance" for the crowd.  should of had a video of that!  My knees were about done by the time we finished!  It was a "hoot" though!

We remembered to take our food and toy donation down!  We sat with Paul and Sandra again.  Neither couple won anything tonight.  We had our cookies and headed back to the RV.  We told Paul and Sandra if we didn’t see them in Frankenmuth we’d see them in November at the Florida Rally.  They were really nice folks and we enjoyed their company.

Good day at the rally!

September 7 – No rain but a bit cloudy and only 49 when I got up this morning.  Supposed

My 2nd Place badge

to get to 71 so was a nice day out.  I made an ham and cheese omelet once Bill finally got up and by the time we dressed and headed to the rally buildings we figured we were too late to play outdoor games.  Well the only one they had was beanbag baseball and they only had 4 teams but needed one more player.  Bill delegated me to play so I was sitting by the couple we met last night from Carefree Sam’s in Florida.  I played terrible but the team won!  They played 9 innings and it took so long there wasn’t time to play another full game so their rule is to play full innings until one team scored a run.  Well the other team scored a run in the first inning and we did not so we finished second.  I did get a 2^nd place pin but I really didn’t do anything to earn it!

We bought some raffle tickets and checked out the books sale but they really don’t have a lot of vendors or tables set up. Time to head home.  Bill wasn’t feeling very good so he laid down until it was lunch time.  Then we got ready to go into Harrison.  It’s not a very big town.  We went to a store that was like Big Lots or Ollie’s and found some things.  Then we went next door to Save-a-Lot for a couple of things we needed and we bought canned good for they rally food drive.

Tonight's entertainment

We opted to skip afternoon BINGO as Bill went at 5 for the hotdogs for his dinner and I ate at home and met him for the evening entertainment.  I caught up on my journal and my checkbook.    Tonight we won a door prize!  It was a pocket knife and a $20 gift card to a sporting goods company in the town just south of us.  The entertainment tonight was good also.  We are impressed at the quality of the entertainment compared to some we get in Florida.  We sat with Paul and Sandra from the Carefree Sams Club in Florida.  They are also going to Frankenmuth from here so we might run into them there.

We didn’t buy any 50/50 tickets tonight so we were not disappointed at not winning!  They served cookies and beverages again tonight so we got our cookies and headed back up the hill to the campground.

Michigan Fall Good Sam Rally

September 6 – It rained during the night but was clearing off by the time we got ready to leave.  Not much to do to leave but bring in the slides and put away the water, sewer and electric.  There was no rush since we were only about 70 miles to Harrison, but the first road was wavy and narrow and lots of traffic.  I know the people behind me were not happy.

We arrived just before noon at the Clare County Fairgrounds in Harrison, MI for the Fall Michigan State Good Sam Rally.  They were not the most organized we’ve ever dealt with, but really nice people.  They don’t really assign you a spot so in seeing the size of our RV they took up to a nice long open area spot to back in (the guy actually asked before we went  to the spot if I was good at backing in), well, backing was the least of the problem.  The site was very high in the back and Bill and I spent an hour trying to level.  We blocked up the front tires and moved around in the space but the leveling system kept saying we were at too much of an angle.  So Bill drove the truck to the entrance and told them we needed a different spot.  The next spot was a little difficult to get into, but I made it and the guy said he was very impressed with how I handled our RV.  We leveled in no time!  We are closer to our neighbors than in the other space but this was much less hassle.  The sites are all full hookup with 50 amp but the water pressure is only 20-22 so we filled our fresh water tank and just use our pump and get great pressure.

Everyone is very nice and there are quite a few Canadians.  There are only about 100 RV’s here and that makes the vendors and things not as good as larger rallies but that’s OK.  We finally got registered and got our rally bars and First Timer ribbons.  The opening ceremony was pretty quick and then the entertainment was awesome!  Just a 2 man group but they were one of the best we’ve had at any rally.  When he got out his trumpet I told Bill how I love the trumpet, especially Herb Alpert and don’t you know that was the first trumpet song he played was a Herb Alpert song.

Once the entertainment ended it took a bit to get organized for the day’s door prize drawing.   As usual we didn’t win that or the 50/50.  They served cookies and lemonade and we had some had headed back to the RV rather than play penny BINGO. 

We set up the TV but nothing we really wanted to watch so we read.  I stayed up until I finished my book but Bill was asleep by then.

Totally great day!

September 5 – Rain AGAIN all night.  I am getting no sleep!  It was overcast but dry when we got up and we managed to get out by 9.  I had to stop at the office and send a fax for the RV tech in Muskegon to the warranty company that is being a pain.  There wasn’t anyone there who knew how to send a fax so had to stop by on the way back home and got it sent.

Traverse City Bay

Before heading out of Traverse City I had Bill stop at the marina/park area of the Traverse City Bay so I could get some photos before the rains started up.  Good thing we did as there was rain on and off in different areas and for sure I’d have been stuck in it.  I did take my new rain jacket and tested it today and it works!  Also got to use my inside pockets and outside zipper pocket before heading off to Ireland with it later this month.

We only managed to see 2 lighthouses today.  Better than none, but they were far and no 4 lane roads or fast speeds.  The first was in Northport along the west coast of the Traverse City bay.  The Grand Traverse Lighthouse was in a state park so we had to pay $9 to enter the park and the only thing there IS the lighthouse.  The attendant that collected our money said it didn’t open until noon so we told her we’d just take photos as we weren’t going to wait an hour or more to go in.  Duh, it was open at 10 but they charge

Grand Traverse
Lighthouse

another $5 each to go in so we didn’t do that.  It was starting to drizzle again and the waves were stirring up.  I did get some nice photos and my passport stamp.  We talked with the lady in the gift shop and you can volunteer for 1 or 2 weeks there and you live in the lighthouse.  They have 2 couples at a time that share the space.  This lady and her sister were staying with their spouses.  They get a day off each week and work 10 – 4 in the gift shop and just doing light chores around to keep things looking clean and fresh.  They are planning to come back next year!  I would LOVE to stay in one but they don’t allow pets and Molly  is never left behind.

The drive was beautiful with orchards and vineyards all along the way.  Lots of serve yourself fruit and vegetable stands along the way.  Many beautiful houses along the shores and tons of sailboats moored. 

Mission Point Lighthouse

The second lighthouse was on the other side of the bay on the peninsular point.  Again the road was only 2 lane but the drive is either viewing the water or lush green areas of orchards and vineyards.  This light house was Mission Point.  It was just starting to drizzle when we parked as our luck would have it.

We stopped for lunch at the Jolly Pumpkin complex.  It’s a restaurant, tasting room, brewery and gift shop.  We were starved and only interested in food.  We were seated right away but the place was filling up fast.  It was really nice inside with a high ceiling in the main area and an upstairs or tables around most of the room.  It was a little pricey for the volume of food but excellent.  Bill had a BLT and I had a Rocket Salad with arugula, fried parsnips, Stilton cheese, apples, spiced walnuts and a champagne vinaigrette dressing.  It was delicious.  They bring an appetizer of fresh made potato chips with a special seasoning on them and a little bowl of dip.  I didn’t care for the dip but the chips were great!

On the way back we stopped at several unattended fruit and vegetable stands looking for

View from the tasting room

peaches or plums.  I thought the prices were high.  I did buy 2 nice slicing tomatoes at one stand and later a peck size bag of peaches that weren’t too bad.  Of course Bill ate one as soon as I got back in the car. We stopped at a vineyard on the way back and it had an amazing view of the vineyard and bay.  I wasn't in the mood for a tasting but I did get some nice photos.  We passed field after field of grapes on the vines.  Some were purple and some were white. They drape netting along the bottom of the vines where the  grapes are to keep the birds off until harvesting time. 

Some grapes sneeked out from
under the netting.

Time to head home and check on Molly and relax a while until it’s time to meet Sharon and Sam for dinner.  Pretty much we read and I did some posting and before we knew it, it was time to head out.  Of course by then the rains started but wasn’t too bad for driving.  We arrived just before Sam and Sharon and  it was so good to see them.  I told her this was crazy to have to meet over 1,000 miles from home when we’re 15 miles apart when we’re home.  We had not seen them in I think 2 years or so.  Dinner was great and we took a long time visiting before we even ordered and then after dinner they invited us to follow them to their place.  They live in a beautiful RV Resort and have a super nice lot right on a little lake/pond area with a fountain.  Their landscaping is gorgeous too.  It was raining so we ended up inside and visited at least another hour.  We invited them to join our club at the November Eustis rally and they are considering it.  I think they miss everyone and will enjoy seeing those they don’t get to see much now.

What a great day we had today, other than some rain, it was a really good day!

Headed north again

September 4 - What a rain we had last night!  This is becoming a regular thing and I’ve over it!  I can’t sleep with the pinging of rain all night!  There were puddles around the RV this morning and it was still drizzling.  By the time we dressed and ate we managed to get out and hook up the truck with no rain and then Bill unhooked the utilities with no rain, so we were off to a good start.

We hit a little rain on the way to Traverse City, but it quickly blew over and the sun came out.  We found our campground, Timber Ridge and it’s very nice.  Lots of trees but lots of amenities and full hookup pull thrus and they’re Passport America so half price is really good! 

As soon as we got settled we had lunch then headed off to

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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  It’s about 30 minutes and a nice scenic ride.  We stopped at the Visitor Center and watched the movie, bought a couple of post cards and I got my Passport stamp.  Bill got a map and off we went to the driving tour with 12 stops in and around one section of the dunes.  Wow!  The view of Lake Michigan and standing at the top of one of the dunes was awesome!  You can go to the bottom but if you can’t

Covered bridge on the dune road

make the walk back up the rescue team is $300.  We had no desire to even attempt the steep sandy walk down and definitely not back up!

The plan was to get back in time to shower and change and

The tiny specks are people

meet former camping friends who summer up here for dinner.  Well, we got there right on time and they were late, so I asked Bill if we were in the right place and he checked his message and we were in the right restaurant but on the wrong night!  He texted Sharon and said we’re here before he realized it was the wrong day.  She called and offered to pick a different place for tomorrow, the day Bill said, but he said we’d come back to

Once of the views along the ride

Ruby Tuesdays as they had plenty of choices.  Jeminy Christmas!  Dinner was good though!  I had the margarita special, an appetizer of wonderful meatballs and the salad bar and Bill had a steak that he loved.

On the way home we detoured to ACE is the place to get a cinch for the bikes in the back of truck, then it was back to the RV and use the cinch.  The entire process did not go according to plan!  Oh well!

I couldn’t get the WIFI to work here and the office is closed, so I will check with them tomorrow and try to get 2 days posted.

Time to hit the road

September 3 - No cooking today, just cold cereal and fruit for breakfast.  I didn’t want more dishes as I hadn’t washed them from last night.  Once we ate and dressed, Bill said he was taking a last bike ride up the office and taking the walkie talkies and chargers back.  When he got back he prepped the bikes for loading and got all the bungee cords out.  I finished up inside and we brought the slides in and then he unhooked the water and electric.  Things were going well, no rain, although it was looking a bit dreary out.

We pulled out on the lane in front of the RV which leads to the dump station and the gate for leaving.  We got the truck all hooked up and visited a few minutes with the neighbors we’d gotten to know and said our good-byes.  By then there was a line at the dump station, and no way around them.  Luckily it went pretty quickly and we had decided not to dump until we got to our stop for the night.  Bill wanted to stop in at the office and tell Shaun good-bye as he wasn’t in there when he took the walkie talkies back.  Jean and Shaun were both there and they asked where we were headed and thanked us for our input and help and asked if we’d be back in Michigan next year.  She had a card in her hand that she gave us as we all hugged and said goodbye.

Once we got on the road Bill opened the card and in it was $500.  Wow!  Totally unexpected!  There was no extra electric bill and $500, so I told Bill I had to take back some of the things I said!  They were very gracious in the end and were under no obligation to pay us in any way.  So, we ended our summer on a good note!

We drove about 2 hours to Bear Lake, MI to the Kampvilla Campground.  It’s a very nice place with a pool and HUGE playground.  Once we parked and had lunch we headed out to see some lighthouses!

  

Manistee Pierhead

We backtracked at bit to Manistee to see the Manistee Pierhead Lighthouse.  We didn’t have an actual address so we got to River Street and just followed it to a park and then we saw the marina area and beach.  Bill parked and I walked out to the beach area and took my photos.  On the way back into town I had spotted a couple of book stores and recalled one said used books.  So we found a parking space and walked up the street and found it.   Bill always has better luck and he found 3 books and the owner

USS City of Milwaukee

recommended a new author to me, so I got one of her books to try next.  We also saw the SS City of Milwaukee barge that transported railcars in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s and is the last remaining boat of its kind.

Frankfort Breakwater

Just a bit further north along the coast was Frankfort where we went to see the Frankfort Breakwater lighthouse.  Our map wasn’t quite specific so we first viewed it from the south side of the river and then we drove over the bridge and down Main Street to see it much better. 

Last lighthouse for the day was a little further north, Point Betsie.  It’s on a dune on the coast of Lake Michigan and is beautiful!  So

Point Bestie

majestic sitting high on the dune!  We went up the lighthouse, only 34 stairs, and just 4 guests can go at a time due to the tiny space at the top.  You are not allowed to walk around the outside at the top like some others allow.  You can walk all though the downstairs of the keepers quarters.  Some of the room are set up to look like they did in the day, and others are more museum/information rooms.  The view is awesome and the light is still used to this day, although it’s all automated now.

Bill in the lighthouse

The upstairs is now a bed and breakfast and one night cost over $300 per night or $2,100 for a week.  Along the beach is one of the places Petoskey stones can be found.  They contain fossils and wash up on the shores of Lake Michigan and are made into jewelry and other items.  We picked up some rocks we liked but doubt they are fossils!

Since we had to drive back through Frankfort to get back to Bear Lake we stopped there for dinner.  Their Main St was pretty packed still.  Most of the shops were still open and parking spaces were filled.  Bill dropped me off at Coho Grill while he scouted out a spot.  Bill had trouble finding something he’d eat.  He ended up with the Chef’s special chicken but had them not put pesto on it.  He said it was really good.  I had rabbit ragout over polenta and broccolini and it was delicious.  I had trouble deciding between emu stroganoff and the rabbit dish.  Bill is sometimes amazed at what I will try.  We strolled the avenue a bit and went in a couple of shops then we had ice cream for dessert.

Our rocks for today

  It was very sad as this was their last day for the season.  Bill asked if we could have some of the leftover ice cream but she said they’re donating it to a nursing home, so that was nice. 

Time to head back to our campground.  We were just a little under the tree so no satellite tonight.  I was able to get on the WIFI so I posted a couple of days, downloaded today’s photos and started on today’s entry but I was just tired so will post this when we have WIFI.