Back Into Civilization

On Thursday Wayne, Lynda, Dorcas and I completed another delightful wilderness canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). This trip has become an annual tradition for us. Dorcas and I have gone to the BWCAW every year with Wayne and Lynda since Dorcas and I met in 1997 (save one year when we went to the Allagash River in Maine instead.) This year we put in on Moose Lake with high winds and cold rainy weather. The weather soon warmed and was clear and mild for the remainder of the trip. We took out on Snowbank Lake 14 days later. The trip was characterized by excellent weather, fewer and shorter portages than usual, better campsites than usual and slower fishing than usual. In spite of the poor fishing, we did manage to catch enough fish for one big fish fry buffet. There were no really outstanding events to note; it was just a very relaxing and enjoyable trip. We saw a moose, although it was on the car shuttle just before putting in. We saw bald eagles, loons, ospreys, weasels and beavers. Loons are normally solitary birds, but on our last camp, where we stayed three nights, about eight loons gathered each morning and each evening. We suspect they may have been convening in preparation to migrate south for the winter.

We drove the Honda from Snowbank Lake to pick up Wayne's truck at Moose Lake. There the truck wouldn't start, a recent continuing problem with that vehicle. However, we jiggled and tightened the battery cables, and it appears to run fine now. After loading all our boats and gear we drove back to Fall Lake CG to secure a campsite for the next two nights. There we found our respective RVs to be unharmed and well. Then Wayne and I drove into Ely to drop our boats at the Spirit of the Wilderness outfitters for more hull repairs; we're pretty hard on our boats. We picked up some milk shakes at Dairy Queen (another tradition) and, amazingly, we still had some milk shake left for Lynda and Dorcas when we returned to the campground. That night we all went back into Ely for dinner at the Chocolate Moose (yet another tradition!), where we ate on the patio and watched all the voyageurs come and go.

On Friday we all went back to town and attended Ely's Harvest Moon festival. There we strolled though the vendors' tents and ate "barbeque" sandwiches or whatever it is that passes for barbeque in northern Minnesota. We also watched a professional lumberjack show, featuring two world champion lumberjacks competing in traditional lumberjack events, such as axe throwing, the boom run, the hot saw and single bucking. The boom running was particularly fun as the contestants ran along a line of logs cabled together in a pool and back again. Each contestant got three tries and each one got wet at least once. The hot saw event was also fun, in a redneck sort of way. A hot saw is a highly modified chain saw that is loud and dangerous. Like a go-kart with teeth. Very cool, but does it come with Bud Light? For the axe throwing event, Ely's main street and a sidewalk were just beyond the oak slab target. It looked like a disaster in the making, but no one got hurt.


We had planned to buy walleye fillets at Zups Foods in Ely and fry them over a wood fire back at camp, just as we do in the BWCAW. However, we found that walleye fillets were selling for $13.99/lb. We figured that it would cost us over $65 to replicate the fish fry we normally do in the wilderness. We settled for rib eyes and saved about $50. I guess we should appreciate our Boundary Waters catch a little more.


We checked out of Fall Lake CG on Saturday morning and went to town and retrieved our boats. As usual, the Spirit of the Wilderness did an excellent job on the boats. If you are ever there drop in and tell Ginny, Steve and Luke hey for us. We had planned to head on over to Vertin's Cafe for their breakfast of skillets and caramel rolls, the last of our grand traditions, but were devastated to learn Vertin's had closed. We were directed to Britton's instead, "where the locals eat" but it was not nearly as good as Vertin's. Britton's may not rise to "tradition" status.

We have turned the corner for this long summer trip and will be headed south from here on. Next stop: Duluth.

Into the Wild - BWCAW 2009

It's been a slow news week here at Fall Lake Campground. Our friends Wayne and Lynda arrived Wednesday afternoon. We scavenged enough firewood abandoned at vacant camp sites to have several nice camp fires, so we made a big fire and had a party. It was good to see friends from home, and talk with other folks who didn't talk funny.

On Thursday we all went into town for shopping and chores. We went to the post office to mail some letters and pick up our mail forwarded from home; we did some shopping at the downtown shops; and we bought our last groceries, mainly bread for our BWCAW trip. We acquired our entry permit, bought fishing licenses and picked up the boat, which was in for some hull repairs. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing final packing for our wilderness trip.

This morning we will put into the BWCAW for 13 nights and 14 days. We will put in on Moose Lake, about 15 miles east of Ely. From there we will head primarily north and east and eventually loop back to Snowbank Lake, where we will park a second car. This is an area we have not visited in a long time. It is in the heart of the 1999 blowdown area. In most years since the blowdown, the forest service has restricted camp fires in that area, due to high fuel loads on the ground. This year it has been a little wetter, and there are no burning restrictions, so we decided to visit that area. We expect to see a lot of boats, including motor boats on Moose Lake; it is a very busy lake. However, by this evening or tomorrow, we will have traveled far enough that the traffic will have thinned out considerably. In a day or so, we will be well back into the wilderness. A cool front is coming through as I write, and there was a little rain last night and this morning. For the next few days the temperatures will range highs in the mid 50s and lows in the upper 30s. BRRRR!!!! It should be dry, however, at least for the first week, and after a few days, it looks like it will warm a bit. On a trip such as this, we are prepared for pretty much any kind of weather.

We plan to take out about Thursday Sept 10, so it will be a while before there is another post to this journal. Bon voyage!

Ely!!!

We slept relatively late again today. The folks at Lakehead Boat Basin said check-out was 10:00, but the lot had pretty much cleared out, and they said it was alright to stay until noon. We leisurely prepared the coach to travel, and I drove over to Fitgers Brewhouse and filled my growler with 2 liters of Brewhouse Brown IPA. That probably won't last until we put into the Boundary Waters, but I can refill it again when we head south back through Duluth. We filled up with 107 gallons of diesel north of Duluth; baby was thirsty. Our drive to Ely was pleasant and uneventful. For at least the next few trips, "uneventful" will be very satisfying.

It is always exciting to arrive in Ely. There is the thrill of being on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and we know we are at home where every other car is loaded with canoes. As we passed through town, we dropped the canoe at the Spirit of the Wilderness outfitter's shop to get some dings on the hull repaired. It should be ready on Wednesday, Thursday at the latest, in time for our BWCAW put-in.

We are parked at the Fall Lake Campground in the Superior National Forest. We have a non-reservable site, so we could stay here up to two weeks. We are tentatively scheduled to put-in on Friday, but Snowbank Lake, our entry point of choice, was booked. They only let x parties put-in each day at a particular entry point. We probably should have reserved a permit earlier. There are other suitable entry points still available, and we could delay our put-in a day or two to expand our options, if necessary. Our friends Wayne and Lynda left NC on Sunday afternoon and will probably arrive here at Fall Lake either Wednesday or Thursday.

In the meantime, we have no particular agenda for the next four days. We are boat-less, so we can't paddle. There are a few short trails in the area, so we may hike a bit. We have some final packing to do before we put-in, so that is our only priority. I think we will have a lot of time to read and do nothing. Fall Lake is a popular entry point, perhaps we will go down to the landing and watch the voyageurs come and go. Life in the slow lane is good.

Chillin' in Duluth

We spent the day today decompressing in the Duluth area. We slept late, and then we met our friends George and Irene on Barker's Island in Superior Wisconsin. George and Irene have a coach the same make, model and floor plan as ours, so George is a member of a small dedicated support group to which I belong. He is a font of wisdom and advice when I have a problem. George and Irene are traveling a similar loop as we are through Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan, except they are traveling in the opposite direction. Our routes intersected in Duluth today, and we were glad we could spend a few hours with them. At Barkers Island we toured the SS Meteor, the last surviving "Whaleback" freighter. The Meteor was launched in 1896 and hauled loads of minerals and grain across the Great Lakes for the next 76 years. The Meteor was one of 43 whalebacks built that feature a distinctive submarine-shaped hull. It kinda looks like a big black banana. Some benefits of this design were that the hull could be quickly constructed, and it was more hydrodynamically efficient than conventional hulls of the era. Its ultimate demise was that it could not be built as long or haul as much freight as more modern hull designs. After the tour we had a nice fish lunch at the Galley Restaurant at Barker's Island Inn.

After lunch we visited some grocery stores trying to get a few final items for our Boundary Waters trip. One item we have taken in the past, but that we can't find now, is ham packaged in a foil pouch. If anybody knows where we can find this item, please let us know. Metal cans and glass jars and bottles cannot be taken into the Boundary Waters, which makes certain menu items, particularly meats, a challenge.

The visibility here is greater than we have ever seen it, so we couldn't resist a drive up Skyline Drive to view Duluth and its harbor from the bluffs. The views were outstanding with visibility probably exceeding 50 miles. Finally, we drove to Fitger's Brewery to re-fill my "growler". We were devastated to discover that Minnesota state law prohibits the off-site sale of beer on Sundays. What a silly law! For Dorcas and me every day is Saturday, but that argument swayed no one. No growler today. Well, I guess I will have to wait until tomorrow and pick it up on our way out of town as we head for Ely MN.

The temperature has been downright chilly here in Duluth. We are camped literally out on Lake Superior, whose water temperatures are currently 42 degrees. The days have been near 70 degrees and the evenings near 50. It should be a little warmer as we head north towards Minnesota's interior.

Back to Normal in Duluth

Our 340 mile drive to Duluth was pleasantly unremarkable. The coach drove like a dream. Our weariness is balanced by our feelings of relief over the good outcome of our breakdown ordeal. Dorcas had a severe headache and slept a couple of hours on the way. The fact that she could sleep in the rear bedroom while the engine was running is a testament to how quietly it was running. I was tired too, from a lack of sleep the night before, but was able to stay alert for the drive, thanks largely to the rocking tunes on the Sirius/XM radio. We are now camped at Lakehead Boat Basin, overlooking the Duluth harbor. We are located 3 blocks from the famous aerial lift bridge and can watch it go up and down, and see the freighters pass. We also have a good view of the Duluth waterfront across the bay. The sky is perfectly clear and the temperature is pleasantly cool.

We plan to sleep late tomorrow and then meet our friends George and Irene for lunch as they pass through Duluth on their way to Wisconsin and Michigan.

On the Road Again - All Patched up.

Greg and Dale from Greg's Towing and Repair arrived about4:30 EDT with the biggest tow truck I have ever seen. It was bigger than the motor home. It took about an hour to get the coach set on his wheel hoist, remove the drive shaft, and hook up the lights and air supply. Then we were off to the Cummins Power Repair Facility in De Pere, WI, a suburb of Green Bay, with Dorcas, Matilda and me following in the Element. The 3.5 hour drive was uneventful, except when we went under a 14' 1" trestle. Our coach has a nominal clearance of 12' 1", but with the front end jacked up, who knows? Greg was on his toes and crept under the bridge until he was sure he could clear it. The upper 6" of the CB antenna wacked the bridge, but everything else cleared comfortably.

We arrived at the Cummins facility about 8:00 CDT, having gained an hour as we crossed into central time. They were expecting us and immediately backed us into a service bay. Within about a half hour they were taking things apart. It was immediately apparent that they would need to access the engine from the wardrobe inside the coach so Dorcas and I began unpacking the closet. Dave, our service advisor, removed the sliding mirror doors and began pulling carpet to expose the access panels to the top of the engine. Dave 2, our chief mechanic and one of two that worked on the engine, began pulling the valve cover. The best scenario would be that whatever was broken was on the top end of the engine, accessible by removing the valve cover. If it was something down in the cylinders, it would be a much more difficult job. In short order Dave 2 discovered a broken rocker lever. Unfortunately, the part was not in stock. Dang. However, someone realized they had a similar engine in a crate and could scavenge the part off that engine. Cool! Dave 2 pulled the push tubes and inspected some other parts to see if there was any secondary damage, and found none. He began putting things back together and adjusted the valve lash. An out-of-spec valve lash may have caused the rocker lever to break in the first place, although that adjustment is not usually done until an engine has 100,000 miles. It is possible that the value lash may not have been properly adjusted at the factory when the engine was assembled. They buttoned up the engine and it ran like a top, seemingly with less clatter than before. The job was relatively simple and straight-forward, from an engine standpoint. The complicating factor was that the engine was stuffed into the back of an RV, with little consideration given to future service requirements. In order to remove the valve cover and access the rocker assemblies, they had to remove the carpet from the wardrobe and a step in the bedroom (we thought we were going to have to remove the bed!) and several large fresh air pipes passing over the engine. All this through a small rear hatch and a small overhead panel.

The mechanics were super. There were two to three guys working most of the time. They were scheduled to quit at 11:30, but stayed late to get us finished. I pulled out of the service bay at 1:30 am. We had anticipated sleeping in the car, but were thrilled to be able to sleep in the coach. (We had called about a motel, but the rates were out of sight. Something about that football team playing up the road at Lambeau Field). They topped off the engine oil and coolant, both of which were very low, and performed an oil analysis. They also gave us a real break on the charges. I don't know how many hours they spent working on the coach. There were 2-3 guys working much of the time from about 9:00 until 1:00, but the labor charge was only $484. However, the best part is that they considered it a warranty repair. We paid only $125, which was the cost for the valve adjustment. We were very fortunate; it could have been much worse.

All in all, we came out very well. There was considerable stress, and we lost some sleep, but we are back on the road only about a day behind schedule and 200 miles off course. Hopefully we will be in Duluth this evening. All is right in the world again.

Wreckers Come and Wreckers Go.

Eric from Mr. Wrecker out of Marquette arrived about 11:30. It turned out his "stinger", the low boom that extends from under the tow truck and attaches under the coach, was not long enough to reach the front suspension hardware necessary to lift the vehicle. There was no other suitable suspension or frame member closer to the front coach. Eric was a really nice guy, and I appreciate that he knew enough to know that his equipment would not do the job without potentially damaging the coach. After a little fuming and cussing (by me, not Eric) he called Coach-Net to let them know about the problem. If Coach-Net had transmitted all the info to Eric that they had taken from me last night, he would have known that it wouldn't work, and they could have dispatched a different wrecker. Eric has gone and Coach-Net said they would find us another tow. At 1:10 Coach-Net called and said a suitable tow was being dispatched from Ironwood MI 2.5 hours away (and our original destination last night).

I guess I didn't mention the weather here. It has been misting rain since we stopped last night and is currently 51 degrees. The forecast through tomorrow is for more rain and even colder temperatures. Thankfully, we have all the comforts of home here in the coach as we wait patiently in Stump's parking lot. Or not so patiently: 17 hours and counting.

Broken Down 5 miles from the Middle of Nowhere.

We left Marquette MI about 8:00 PM last night happy and ignorant, with full bellies and a full load of groceries. We had intended to drive about 3 hours and spend the night at the Wal-Mart in Ironwood MI, just at the Wisconsin line, and pull into Duluth this morning.

But alas, some things are not meant to be. About 40 miles west of Marquette we are cruising at 55 mph, and suddenly there is a loud knocking sound from the engine and a significant loss of power. Within 30 seconds I pulled off the road and shut down the engine. No warning lights on the dashboard came on, and the engine did not shut down. There is no apparent loss of oil, and I can see no fluid leaking from the engine. I did briefly have Dorcas restart the engine so I could look into the engine compartment. The sound is definitely internal to the engine. Not good. I called Cummins, our engine manufacturer, but it was after-hours for them. Then I called Coach-Net, our emergency road service. Lisa was very helpful, and with the help of our GPS, she pinpointed our location exactly. She asked if we were in a safe location, and I told her we were. If we had not been, she would have sent a tow immediately to move us to a safe location. I spoke to Gregory, Coach-Net's technician, and he said it sounded like an internal engine failure, and I shoudn't drive the coach, or greater damage could occur. We are parked in the parking lot at Stump's Tavern. I went in to ask if it was OK to spend the night here. Stump said fine, so we ordered a beer. We had plenty of beer in the coach, but I thought it was the right thing to do. All the bar flies told us how they heard us blow up, and everybody had gotten up to look out the window. Then they began to diagnose our problem and give advise. Actually they were very nice.

This morning I had additional conversataions with both Cummins and Coach-Net. It looks like we are going to De Pere WI, near Green Bay, about 180 miles south of our current location. That is the closest qualified Cummins service center. There is a Cummins service center in Duluth, which is where we really want to be, but they don't have the lift necessary to raise the coach if it turns out we need to drop the engine. At De Pere they will be open until 11:00 PM CDT (12:00 EDT), so we should have an idea what's wrong sometime this evening.

So here we sit in downtown Three Lakes in the parking lot at Stump's Tavern waiting for our tow. We drove back 5 miles to Michigamme and gassed up the Honda at the Michigamme Market. There we saw the tee shirt shown in the photo, which says it all: "MICHIGAMME MICHIGAN, WHERE THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IS SOMEWHERE ". I guess it turns out we are broken down 5 miles west of the middle of nowhere.

The Toledo War

Have you ever really looked at a map of Michigan? How did Michigan end up with its Upper Peninsula? By any stretch of logic, the UP should be a part of Wisconsin, not Michigan. What's that all about?

A little known story in American history is that Michigan and Ohio nearly went to war over that little jog in the border over Toledo. The original border between the Michigan territory and Ohio was defined in 1787 by a line from the southern tip of Lake Michigan directly east to the shore of Lake Erie, placing Toledo south of the line and comfortably in Ohio. In 1818 , a more refined survey revealed that Lake Michigan actually extended 20 miles further south than originally thought, moving the line southward and placing Toledo in the Michigan territory. When Michigan applied for statehood in 1883, the issue came to a head over what became known as the "Toledo Strip". Negotiations between Michigan and Ohio broke down and in 1835 each sent its militia to claim the disputed territory. Both militias got lost in the swamps near Perrysburg OH and never engaged. Ultimately, as a condition of statehood, Congress offered Michigan most the Upper Peninsula if it relinquished its claim to the Toledo strip. Michigan reluctantly accepted, and the rest is, as they say, history. Ironically, Ohio was considered to be the winner of the deal at the time, but it turned out that the natural resources, particularly iron, copper and timber, in the UP were much more valuable than the city of Toledo. Michigan 1, Ohio 0.

The Toledo War Another view And for those with no life one more version.

In our next installment we will reveal how Florida swindled its panhandle from Georgia and Alabama.

The Mighty Mack

On Thursday we moved about 10 miles to the north end of Petoskey to Hearthside Grove Motorcoach Resort. Hearthside Grove is another deeded RV lot community, and you guessed it, we had a coupon for three free nights. This resort is a little different from the other deeded communities we have visited in that it is family owned and operated. The Rose brothers are hands-on and work every day at the resort and spend time with their guests. It had the friendliest and warmest atmosphere of any resort of this kind that we have visited. We actually arrived at a very opportune time. The day we arrived they had a professional videographer producing an updated marketing video for the resort. We were filmed being escorted to our campsite, led by Kirk Rose riding his new Segway PT; backing into our site; and receiving our welcome gift bag from concierge director Mary Stewart Adams. We will star in their new DVD. They promised to send us a copy when it is finished in a few months. I think there will also be excerpts on their web site. Anybody want our autograph?

The park is very nice. It is not landscaped quite as nicely as the MCR at Bay Harbor and does not have the expanse of open common space, but the individual lots are much larger, and the lot prices, should one decide to buy, are a bit lower. And, of course, it is much friendlier.

On Friday we drove 30 miles north to Mackinaw City to catch a tour boat to Mackinac Island. We had debated whether to take Matilda and leave the bikes at home, or to take the bikes and leave the pooch. The bikes won. We got a good look at the mighty Mackinac Bridge as the tour boat took us under the bridge and from Lake Huron into Lake Michigan and back to Lake Huron then to the island. The Mackinac Bridge is a very impressive sight to behold. It is the third longest suspension bridge in the world and the longest in the western hemisphere. The total length of the Mackinac Bridge is 26,372 feet. The length of the suspension bridge (including anchorages) is 8,614 feet.

We were glad we decided to take the bikes. No motor vehicles are allowed on Mackinac Island. The primary modes of transport on the island are bicycle and horse-drawn carriage. In fact the island boasts the only state highway, M-185, that does not allow motor vehicles. And with all the horse carriages, you really have to watch where you step. When we disembarked on Main Street, we could not believe all the people. You couldn't pull your bike into the street without getting run over by a carriage (who had no right-of-way) or a pedestrian (who did have right-of-way) or another bike. Finding a bicycle parking space was as bad as it is for automobiles in most cities. The Post Office had a 10 minute parking limit for bicycles! Quickly we decided to head out of town to try to find some solitude. We headed up on a higher trail with views of the harbor in search of Arch Rock. Somehow we missed the trail to Sugar Loaf Rock and ended up on British Landing Road, that runs along the ridge through the middle of the island. Finally we circled back to town on the Lake Shore Road, a level, but heavily traveled loop road around the island. The one place on the island I really wanted to see was the Grand Hotel. The Grand Hotel was an important setting for the film "Somewhere In Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. "Somewhere in Time" is definitely a chick-flick, but contains some very interesting plot twists and some para-normal aspects that make it one of my favorites. Disappointingly, you could not enter the ground of the Grand Hotel without paying an entrance fee. Luckily I was still able to get a few photos before they threw me out. You would think that with room rates ranging from $395 to $705 per night, $10 was trivial. I think they really just wanted to keep the riff-raff out.

We enjoyed the island and were glad we went, yet we were a little disappointed. It was very crowded and didn't have that magical feel that I expected. Plus, there was an additional fee to go into almost all the historical attractions, such as Fort Mackinac. While it does have some nice bike trails, and solitude can be found on the smaller, more remote trails, I don't think we will want to go back anytime soon.





On Saturday the resort hosted a breakfast for all the guests out by the pool. The breakfast included eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and pancakes. All were prepared by the resort staff including owners Kirk and Craig. We got a chance to chat with some other campers, both lot owners and transients like us. After breakfast we had a chance to ride the resort's new Segway transporters. The Rose boys use them to escort coaches to their campsites and to zip around the resort. They are in the process of setting up a rental program and a tour operation to take guests on the Little Traverse Wheelway to Petoskey and beyond.

In the afternoon, we had intended to go into Petoskey to attend the last day of their annual Festival on the Bay, but we got sidetracked instead. It was such nice weather and such a nice camp site that we decided to drag out the food we had brought for our upcoming Boundary Waters trip and do some meal preparation. We made meal plans, packaged what food we had with us and made a grocery list to get the remainder. Packing the food is definitely the hardest part of preparing for the Boundary Waters. In past years we have done it at home, where we have a dehydrator, vacuum packer and lots of room to spread out. It is even a bigger challenge to prepare on the road. Plus, it's very difficult to run to the store and get grits and country ham up here. They look at you like you are from the moon.

We regret that we didn't see more things in the area. We had heard that Harbor Springs was nice, and we never got down to the waterfront in Petoskey. I guess there's always next year.

Things Are Looking Up in Michigan's Upper Lower Penisula

Things improved immensely after leaving the "resort from hell " (RFH). On Tuesday we drove about 85 miles northeast up the Lake Michigan coast to just south of Petoskey, MI and checked into The Motorcoach Resort at Bay Harbor. This resort was previously owned by Monaco Coach Corporation, formerly a major manufacturer of motor homes, but Monaco recently emerged from chapter 11, and this resort has been sold off to another company. A result is that construction at this resort has been behind schedule and only opened a few weeks ago. Actually the facilities were in very good shape and the place looked very nice. The landscaping was very nicely done, with green grassy knolls, flowing waterscapes and fountains, and flower gardens. There was a nine-hole putting course that mimicked fine putting greens. But then, little things were lacking. They had no list of the cable TV channels; they just haven't compiled it yet. The wi-fi system was not yet working. I asked about pet rules, and the lady said they hadn't written the rules yet. Great, no rules! This is another of those luxury resorts that sells deeded RV lots. They put us on lot No 10 which lists for $200,000 and rents for $79/night. Thankfully (and frankly the only reason we were there at all) we had a coupon for two free nights.

On Wednesday we backtracked about 10 miles south on US 31 to Charlevoix. Charlevoix is a very pretty little harbor resort town with a newly renovated town marina. The very short Pine River connects Lake Charlevoix and Round Lake with Lake Michigan. We spent an hour or two watching all shapes and sizes of pleasure boats travel up and down the Pine River and through the US 31 draw bridge. Matilda had a big time sniffing and playing with other dogs on the waterfront. She was also a big hit in front of the shops along Bridge Street. The Little Traverse Wheelway is a paved bike trail that runs 23 miles from downtown Charlevoix north to Harbor Springs. We didn't get a chance to bike on the trail, but it looked very inviting. Well, there's always next year; we are compiling a list of excuses to come back to NW Michigan.

Our weather has been generally very good on this trip; cool and dry. As fate would have it, during our stay at the RFH it was rainy, hot and humid. The good weather has returned again with dry clear skies and unseasonably cool temperatures.

Oh did I forget to mention that I almost got into a fist fight with a neighboring camper at the RFH over a picnic table? Oh well, that's another story ....

No Room at the Inn (continued)... The Resort From Hell

When last we saw our intrepid adventurers, Myron and Dorcas, they were being evicted from their happy home. It was Friday morning, the beginning of the weekend, at one of the most popular summer vacation areas in Michigan. They were shut out of their next intended destination, Platte River Campground, in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Where would they go? What would they do? Would they perish in Michigan's upper lower peninsula and never be seen again?

The ranger at Sleeping Bear Dunes gave all the losers a sheet listing other campgrounds in the area. I guess it was like a consolation prize. We were familiar with several campgrounds on the list. One was the place we were having to leave. Another was D.H. Day CG, the other federal CG in the park, which we knew filled up even before Platte River. Several were state forest campgrounds, but they were primitive and few had sites that would fit our rig. Also, they had no phone and we couldn't call them to check availability. I didn't feel like going on a wild goose chase. We recognized one campground that was pretty close to Platte River because we had seen it on our list of campgrounds that honored Passport America, a discount camping club we belong to. Passport America card holders pay half the normal rate at participating campgrounds. It looked like a good choice given our limited options, so we called Sunny Woods Resort. The lady said she had one site left, and she would save it for us if we got there quickly. She said the site did not have a sewer connection because another camper had run over it, and her husband had buried the connection instead of repairing it. I guess that should have tipped us off to something, but we really weren't watching for the signs. We were just grateful we had a place to go, and it was very close to where we wanted to be.

There were more ominous signs during check-in. The lady was having a hard time entering our registration data. It turns out the space bar on her keyboard didn't work. She tried pounding on it repeatedly and apparently that eventually worked. I told her keyboards were cheap, and she should get a new one. She said she couldn't replace the keyboard without replacing the PC and printer. That didn't make sense to me, but I didn't argue. Then she couldn't find the reservation she had just made for us while on the phone, so she made a new one. Next she couldn't get the system to accept a motor home over 25'. Finally she registered us as a motor home less than 25' and gave us that rate. I should have run away screaming, but I was morbidly fascinated. The nominal rate for our site was $48/night, but after the Passport America discount and the idiot discount, we paid $19/night (including taxes) for 4 nights. I asked if we could get additional credit for having no working sewer, but she didn't appreciate my humor. Then she began to tell me her troubles: each month she doesn't know if she can make the payments on the property; she no longer advertises her park since the motorcycle gang camping here beat her up; she screens dogs camping in the park since she was attacked by a camper's dog; Good Sam Club won't return her calls about joining their program (go figure). At that point I began backing up towards the door, trying to make a clean escape.

Her directions to the campground had us going down the road behind the store and turning left at the bath house. We couldn't find the bath house, only a run down shanty; oh wait, that's it! We were assigned site #8. We found sites #7 and #9. It was clear where they were. #8 should be between #7 and #9. There was an "8" on the back of the power pedestal for #9, but no obvious site #8. There was no sewer fixture (oh, wait, it was buried), but there was no power pedestal either. About that time a park employee came by, but she could not tell us where #8 was. Finally we decided to just pull into the grassy space between #7 and #9. Before pulling in we had to clear some overhead limbs, including a large dead hanging widow maker. We plugged into the power pedestal for #9. The folks on #9 were tenting and using the 20A receptacle, so we used the 30A receptacle. I won't go on except to say that by Monday night they had not picked up the trash from the weekend and the flies were getting pretty bad. Also, the toilet paper in the the men's "shanty" was out for two days, even after we 1) called the office and 2) mentioned it to an employee cleaning the "shanty". We probably should have left. Our standards are not terribly high, but this was a new low for us. Thankfully we had some activities planned and would not be spending much time at Sunny Woods Resort.

Over the next few days we continued to explore the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We paddled on the lower Platte River. The Platte is a very busy river, perhaps as busy as the Crystal River was, where we paddled a few days earlier. Even though we put on late in the afternoon, there were still a large number of tubers on the river. The lower Platte flows from M-22 about 4.5 miles and empties into Lake Michigan. We paddled out into the big pond for a little ways before turning back to the landing. That evening we attended a ranger program on area ship wrecks. Taking the Manitou Straits shaves 15 miles off the trip from Chicago to the lower great lakes, so many pilots take this trecherous short cut. After the program Matilda met Mitze a red merle Australian shepherd. The next day we climbed Sleeping Bear Dune, hiked to Pyramid Point and watched the sunset from Empire Bluff. On Saturday night we went to Cherry Bowl Drive-in Theatre, which is the only drive-in in northern Michigan and only about three miles from our camp. We saw a double feature and enjoyed 50's music and memorabilia. The on-screen snack bar commercials were campy and great. At the Cherry Bowl diner they were giving away samples of cherry pizza; different, but not bad! We had the boat on the car, so we had to park on the back row. We carried our recliners down to the front and watched the movie from there. The next day at the Empire town beach a group of horse riders arrived and rode their horses into Lake Michigan. They had just completed an annual shore-to-shore ride and had left Lake Huron 5 days ago. And to think that dogs are not allowed on the beach. Tonight we had a craving for pizza. The first two pizza joints we tried were closed so we went to the Lumberjack Bar and Grill in Honor. I am normally leary of bar room food, but we took a gamble on a 16" Lumberjack Special and a pitcher of Molson's. The pizza was excellent and the beer, as always, was good. On the big screen TV we watched the Boston Red Sox whip the Tigers, after which most of the patrons in the bar, including us, left. They roll up the sidewalks pretty early on a Monday night in Honor, MI.

By the way, Dorcas' ankle continues to improve. I don't think I'll have to shoot her. On Tuesday we will move about 85 miles north and east up Lake Michigan to a real RV resort near Petoskey.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore ... No Room at the Inn!

On Tuesday we left St. Clair and traveled diagonally across Michigan's lower peninsula to it's northwest corner. We are currently camped at Sleepy Bear Campground, near Empire MI. As Dorcas and I have have attended motor home rallies and conventions, we have collected many offers and coupons for free or discounted camping. Often these offers are in conjunction with opportunities to invest in deeded campsite lots at various resort sites. Such was the case here. The owners of Sleepy Bear Campground were developing an adjacent tract as a luxury motor coach resort to be known as Indigo Bluffs. They let us stay free for four days and three nights at Sleepy Bear, so we would look at Indigo Bluffs, and hopefully be enticed to buy a lot. The hitch was that they were way behind in the construction at Indigo Bluffs, and there really wasn't a lot to see except a raw construction site and a few freshly poured stamped concrete pads. As the sales rep told us, "You have to use your imagination." The folks were very nice, and there was no pressure to buy, or even to look, for that matter. On Friday, our final day at Sleepy Bear, Diana our host, brought us a freshly baked cherry pie. Very nice!

Empire MI is the jumping off point for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Major features include North and South Manitou Islands, 35 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and Sleeping Bear Dune. From Wikipedia:

"The park is named after a Chippewa legend of the sleeping bear. According to the legend, an enormous forest fire on the western shore of Lake Michigan drove a mother bear and her two cubs into the lake for shelter, determined to reach the opposite shore. After many miles of swimming, the two cubs lagged behind. When the mother bear reached the shore, she waited on the top of a high bluff. The exhausted cubs drowned in the lake, but the mother bear stayed and waited in hopes that her cubs would finally appear. Impressed by the mother bear's determination and faith, the Great Spirit created two islands (North and South Manitou Island) to commemorate the cubs, and the winds buried the sleeping bear under the sands of the dunes where she waits to this day. The "bear" was a small tree-covered knoll at the top edge of the bluff that, from the water, had the appearance of a sleeping bear. Wind and erosion have caused the "bear" to be greatly reduced in size over the years. Today only a small remnant remains."

On Wednesday we toured parts of the park north of Empire. We took the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive which offers outstanding views of Lake Michigan, Sleeping Bear Dune and the Manitou Islands. We walked out on a high bluff dune where visitors were sliding 200' down to the shore of Lake Michigan. It didn't look like much fun coming back up however; one step forward, two steps back! Matilda had big fun playing in all the sand. I think she expected us to scold her for digging and was surprised that we let her go on. We visited the town of Glen Arbor and scouted the Crystal River, an excellent paddling venue.

On Thursday we visited the Maritime Museum at the Coast Guard Station at Glen Haven. There we toured the museum and watched a live demonstration showing how sailors were evacuated from a ship stranded off the beach. Most of the beaches in the park are dog-free, but there is a section of beach here that allowed dogs. Matilda again had big fun playing in the waves and digging in the sand. When we had scouted the Crystal River the day before it was wall-to-wall kayaks, canoes and tubers; a very popular run. It was a very pretty river and we wanted to run it, so we decided to run it late in the afternoon. The Crystal River heads up in Glen Lake only about two miles from it's outlet in Lake Michigan, as the crow flies, but meanders about 8 miles from its source to its mouth. We did a section that was probably about 6 miles long, but the bike shuttle was only 1.1 miles, due to loops in the river. The river is very shallow, mostly less than one foot deep, and crystal clear. We put on at 5:00 PM, and there were only a few boaters on the river at that time. We finished up about 8:00 after a very leisurely float. We had two portages, one around a small dam and the other over a road culvert. We were able to duck low and paddle through one other culvert.

On Friday we had hoped to move over to the Platte River Campground, one of two federal campgrounds in the park and the only one with electric service. Both campgrounds are full every day and fill new vacancies at 8:00 each morning. We arrived at 6:30 AM hoping to get a spot, but found a long line of hopeful campers at the ranger station. The sign at the station said there would be 14 sites available that morning: 2 electric, 8 non-electric and 4 walk-in sites. There were 8 motor homes and travel trailers in the parking lot before we arrived, so we knew we would not get an electric site. They don't allow generator use, and we couldn't last 4 days without power, so we didn't want a non-electric site, even if we could get one. We figured our best chance was for one of the walk-in sites, which would probably go last. We had already scouted the walk-in sites and decided that they would work for us, at least for one night, then we could get a transfer site. Transfers are handled before they assign sites to new campers; campers already on a site, but who want to change their site, go to the head of the line. If we got a walk-in site, we could not sleep in the motor home, but there was a sunny place to park it, so the solar array would keep it charged up. We have a tent, sleeping bags, a cook stove and every thing we need to use the walk-in sites. Not an ideal arrangement, but workable. Well, it didn't work out that way. At 8:00, the rangers gave out numbers to those in line and began registering campers. Our number was 16. Remember there were 14 sites available? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the math. The two electric sites went down in about 10 seconds. We hoped that at least two parties ahead of us would get disgusted and leave, but it didn't happen. No. 14 got the last site. Dang. Ironically, the party behind us, No. 17 had handicapped credentials and got the handicapped site, which wasn't one of the original 14. We rushed back to Sleepy Bear to see if they had space for us to stay another night or two, but they were booked solid for the weekend, and we would have to leave. Where would we go? A busy summer weekend at a popular national park? No room at the inn!

To be continued ....

The News from Detroit City

Last night I went to sleep in Detroit city,
And I dreamed about those cotton fields and home.
I dreamed about my mother,
dear old papa, sister and brother,
And I dreamed about that girl,
whose been waitin' for so long.

I want to go home, I want to go home,
Oh Lord, I want to go home.

by Danny Dill and Mel Tillis

We don't want to go home just yet, but we did want to go to Detroit city. Dorcas and I have vowed to catch a Major League Baseball game every chance we get as we travel across the country on our adventures. It's pretty easy to do here in the upper Midwest, as there is a MLB town about every hundred miles. We saw the Cardinals in St. Louis in 2007 and the Twins in Minnesota last year. Unfortunately we missed the Cleveland Indians last week, since they were playing out on the west coast. We are camped only 50 miles north of Detroit and decided to stay at St. Clair a few days longer than we had originally planned, in order to catch a Tigers game. The Tigers were starting a home stand tonight against the Baltimore Orioles. We bought some cheap-seat tickets and headed to town. We parked near the Greektown Casino about eight blocks from Comerica Park and took a tour of downtown Detroit on the Detroit People Mover, a light rail train system that travels about on a 2.9 mile overhead track around the central area of downtown Detroit. We did one full circuit and got a fairly quick tour of the city. After our city tour we ate a fine dinner at Plaka Cafe, one of the many Greek restaurants in Detroit's Greektown.

Then disaster struck! Stepping out of the restaurant onto the street Dorcas turned her ankle on the low step onto the sidewalk. Those who know Dorcas know that turning her ankle is not terribly uncommon; it happens about once every year or so. It quickly began swelling turning blue, and my immediate concern was if her injury would affect our trip into the Boundary Waters about 3 weeks later. I suggested we go back into the restaurant and see if we could turn this mishap into a free meal or some windfall cash, or at least some ice in a bag, but Dorcas was too embarrassed to do any of those things, so we walked and hobbled (Dorcas in severe pain) the eight blocks to the stadium. We got to the stadium well before the start of the game and wandered around looking at the sights at Comerica Park. Later, as the swelling increased, it occurred to me that I could take Dorcas to the first aid station in the stadium and get some free treatment. There we met a very friendly nurse, whose day job is working in the ER. The nurse pronounced that the ankle was probably not broken. She applied an ace bandage and an ice pack, and prescribed rest and elevation (the usual RICE formula for a sprain), advice which Dorcas promptly ignored.

Meanwhile, back at the game ..... The Tigers are in 1st place in the AL Central Division, but were coming off an 11-1 defeat at Cleveland the night before. The fans wanted blood. Detroit was starting Justin Verlander, their ace right-hander. On his second pitch he gave up a home run to deep center by Brian Roberts, a North Carolina boy from Durham. It went downhill from there for the home team. Verlander gave up a series of hits (three singles and two doubles) all to left field. Baltimore finished with 5 runs in the top of the 1st. The Tigers redeemed themselves somewhat by scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the inning: 1st inning 5-3. It looked like it was going to be a very long night. Actually the game moved rather quickly from that point. Verlander settled down and gave up only 2 more hits through the 8th inning, while the Tigers manufactured two more runs. With the score tied 5 to 5 and two outs in the bottom of the 9th, Detroit's Clete Thomas pounds a dinger over the center field wall to give the Tigers a 6-5 win. The crowd goes wild! For those with too much time on their hands, here is a complete game summary. We escaped the big city without being mugged and without further incident and were back in camp well before midnight. Matilda had stayed with a neighbor and her two dogs and two cats, so she had a fun evening as well.

St. Clair Rocks Too!

On Thursday Dorcas got her hair cut at the Blue Water College of Cosmetology in Marysville. I offered to cut it for her for free. She declined and instead squandered $7.50 so an out of work auto worker, spending Obama's stimulus money in a futile attempt to learn another trade, could do it. After every step throughout the process the instructor would come over and check the student's work. Dorcas declined the optional blow dry for an additional $2.00 (that's my gal!). It must have come out OK. Momma is happy.

On Friday and Saturday we explored the small town of St. Clair. It turns out St. Clair is having their annual Riverfest event this weekend, featuring concerts and boat races. It's a pretty big event for such a small town. Friday night and Saturday night featured live music from about 5:30 until midnight, with five bands playing each night. The stage is actually on a barge tied up to the town waterfront boardwalk. Friday night's headliner was Eddie Money. Any rock and roller alive in the 70s and 80s will remember Eddie Money. He put on a great show and the crowd was "Shakin' " throughout his whole set. A surprisingly fun group was the Dave Hamilton Band, a local group from somewhere in Michigan. Dave Hamilton is a fantastic rock and blues guitar player and his group played a wide variety of rock styles. It was lots of fun to watch a black rock trio playing ZZ Top hits! We also enjoyed the Rod Stewart Tribute Band. The lead singer didn't sound particularly like Rod, but he had the look and mannerisms down pat. His band was also very good; a very strong musical performance. The disappointment of the show was Saturday's headliner, Josh Gracin. Gracin was an American Idol finalist in its second season. While Gracin is a very strong singer and entertaining performer, his band never exhibited any soul or instrumental improvisation. All his songs sounded pretty much the same. We left before he had finished his show, as did many other folks in the audience. Last year in late August we attended the Boundary Waters Blues Festival in Ely and really enjoyed it. This year they moved the date for that festival up to, ironically, this weekend. We really wanted to attend the Boundary Waters Blues Festival, but knew we couldn't due to the date change. The music at the St. Clair Riverfest was a pretty good substitute.

Another event on Saturday and Sunday was the St. Clair River Classic Offshore Powerboat Race. We didn't attend the races, but saw some of the big boats in town and cruising the river. It looked like it would br fun, in a sort of upper Midwest redneck kinda of way.

Quote of the Week

"I sold over 37 million records. If I had known, I would have saved the money."

Eddie Money, St. Clair MI, 7/31/09