Sunrises, Shipwrecks and Sunsets

September 10, 2011

Munising, MI

Yesterday was a travel day, and an easy one at that.  The pups were up early, watching the sun rise over the St. Mary's River.  We finished travel preparations and said "So long" to our neighbors at the Elks Lodge and were on the road around 9:30.  Looping around Sault Ste. Marie to I-75, we were soon exiting onto M-28, which we followed west to the little burg of Munising.  We'd stopped here during the caravan, and wanted to visit again for a couple of days on our own.

Once set up, we were relaxing when another coach pulled into the site next to us.  We were surprised to see Henry and Marcia, another couple from the caravan.  They stopped back like we did, to see some additional sights.

I got the grill out and we had a great dinner of Pork Tenderloin, Mushroom Risotto (left over from the Labor Day get-together) and Corn-on-the-Cob.  It was good to sit outside with our wine then get back in the swing of our normal meal preparation.

Today, we were up early (at least the pups were).  After a walk around the Park in a pretty dense fog, we headed for town just as the sun started to burn through.  Our destination was the Glass-bottomed Boat Shipwreck Tour.  This is the "companion" tour to the Pictured Rocks sail that we did on the caravan.  It turned out to be a beautiful day for a short cruise along Grand Island, and the stories about the shipwrecks were interesting.  As it turns out, Geri got better pictures with her phone from the side of the boat than I did through the viewing ports in the bottom and the whole thing was probably not worth the price, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

OK, there's a bald eagle right in the center of this picture.  Can you see it?  Me, neither.  Unfortunately, I didn't have time to switch to a telephoto lens...

Another look at this lighthouse, which we saw on the Pictured Rocks tour several weeks ago.

Through the viewing port in the bottom of the tour boat, here's the anchor (one of the few recognizable pieces) of one shipwreck.

These formations are called "pestles", formed as hard stones wear away the sandstone as the lake currents move them around.  Can you guess this one's nickname?

Here, you can see the stone in the bottom of the pestle, still grinding away after who knows how many years/centuries.

Back on dry land, we did a little grocery shopping and headed home for lunch and a relaxing afternoon.  I managed to (I hope) fix up all the errors in my address books, syncing everything a few times between Outlook on the C, the new iPad, and the Android phone.  I finished entering all our "loyalty cards" into the Keyring app so I don't have to carry a fistful of key chain dongles around, and installed Gmail plus a couple of apps on the iPad.  I'm about ready to tackle the project of consolidating all my various email addresses into one; I'd set up multiple addresses when I started using Gmail thinking I'd better control spam and prevent hijacking and identity theft.  It's probably not needed and too complicated, so simplification is the order of the day.

After walking the pups around the Park, we once again sat out with our glass of wine.  This Park is right on Lake Superior, and we're about 3 campsites and 200' away from the water.  I took advantage of the outdoor grill being deployed to reheat some sauce and cook up some Angel Hair Pasta for dinner.  Everyone, pups included, enjoyed that.  We all walked down to the water's edge at sunset, as did half the people in the park; tomorrow, we'll remember to bring folding chairs!  Geri and I finished off the evening with a nice Chianti.

Tomorrow, we'll pack the camera bag in the Rover and take off for some waterfall viewing...

Soo revisited

September 8, 2011
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Yesterday, we took a drive out to a section of the St. Mary's River called "the Rock Cut", where a narrow channel was excavated to allow the large freighters passage to lake Huron.  Unfortunately, there wasn't any easy way to get a view of the passage, so we headed back home, with a quick shopping stop on the way.  For dinner, we had a very nice linguine and meatballs with sauce I'd made back in Traverse City.

Today was another beautiful day.  I headed out mid-morning for some sightseeing (Geri wasn't keen on the places on the agenda).  My first stop was the "Tower of History" (), a 200+ foot tall concrete tower right off the downtown area that looks and feels totally out of place.  It turns out that it was built as an adjunct to St. Mary's Church, designed as a modern interpretation of the Crucifixion, and eventually turned over to the City to run.  The views were great.

The Edison Power Plant is in the center, still generating 25-30 megawatts despite being over 100 years old.

The museum ship Valley Camp, to be toured later...

From there, it was off to the Soo Locks Visitor's Center, right at the locks.  Since the next ship wasn't due for several hours, I collected Geri and we had a great lunch at Karl's Cuisine, right across the street, before climbing the observation deck and watching the "American Spirit", a 1,004' ore-carrier, up-lock.

The section of Portage Ave right by the Locks is the most "touristy" area in town.

Fudge is very popular...

The Army Corps of Engineers runs the Locks.

Observation deck

Freighter "American Spirit" heading into the Poe Lock.

1,004' feet long...

...and off into Lake Superior.

Our next stop was the museum ship Valley Camp (), but only because the "combo ticket" admission to the Tower of History included entry.  It was interesting, though, as they've converted a 700'+ 1917-vintage freighter into a semi-floating museum.  In addition to being able to see the inner workings of this type of ship, they have hundreds of artifacts relating to all things "Great Lakes".  A little scattered and disorganized, it was nonetheless intriguing.

Like a lot of museums in The Lakes, there are a few artifacts from the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Tonight, we were still full from lunch, so a nice salad was all we needed.  We'll do some inside packing tonight, since we're back on the road, starting our westward leg, tomorrow morning...

Back to the Soo

September 6, 2011
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Today, we had a great drive back to the Soo.  The weather was perfect for a drive.  We headed east from Traverse City on M-72, then north on US-131 before cutting east again for a few miles through Gaylord to I-75.  From there, it was straight north almost to the end of the Interstate (no need to cross into Ontario this time).  We crossed the Mackinac Bridge (one of the few we've seen that has a toll in both directions), had lunch at the Rest Area just on the northern side of the straights separating Lakes Huron and Michigan, and were soon ensconced in a nice 50A site at the Sault Ste. Marie Elks Lodge.  When I checked in, I found that their Tuesday night dinner was Geri's new favorite: "Broasted Chicken".  So, our dinner choice was made for us.  We had way more food than we could eat, had another beer at the bar afterwards, and spent some time yakking with some of the locals who are always interested in hearing about the travels of the members staying in their RV sites.

Ready to get back on the road

September 5, 2011
Traverse City, Michigan

We've had great weather and spent the past few days relaxing in the Traverse City area.  The pups got groomed, Geri got the laundry caught up, and we've laid out a plan for the next phase of our "summer vacation".  We're going to back-track a bit and re-visit Sault Ste. Marie (the locks) and Munising (shipwreck boat tour).  Then, we'll head for Duluth before continuing west to Rapid City.

Several other couples from our caravan have stayed on through the holiday (great minds think alike).  We had brunch at the Grand Traverse Resort (beautiful view from the 16th floor restaurant; wish we'd taken a picture!) yesterday, and did a Labor Day grilling party today.  Tomorrow, we're all on the road in different directions...

How many Monaco owners does it take to grill some hot dogs?

Another great caravan completed

September 1, 2011
Traverse City, Michigan

We've wrapped up our "3 Sides of Lake Michigan" caravan here in Traverse City.  We had a great time and met lots of new people.  We'll stay here through the Labor Day holiday, catching up on laundry and relaxing for a few days.

In the meantime, you can catch up with the caravan happenings by clicking here:

http://mim3sidesoflakemichigan2011.blogspot.com/

Once you've linked over to the caravan's blog, scroll down  to the "older posts" and then work "forward" in time through the end of the trip...

Caravanning!!!

August 20, 2011
Green Bay, Wisconsin

Whew, the past week has been a blur, and we won't come up for air much until the end of the month, so Blog updates will be sporadic at best. We started our Monacos in Motion caravan last Sunday. Two days in, the couple doing the trip Blog had to drop out due to a family emergency and I was asked to take over. I'm still catching up, and hope to have that Blog complete by tomorrow or Monday. It's difficult, though, when the days are full of activities.

In the meantime, I'll post links to the Caravan Blog as substitutes for our own, plus update Facebook as we go...

So, on Sunday, we drove from Madison to Baraboo, Wisconsin. With a stop for fuel, it still only took 90 minutes. We were soon parked at Fox Hill Campground and ready for adventure...

Caravan Day 1

Monday was all about the circus.

Caravan Day 2

Tuesday, we visited the International Crane Foundation, then took in a magic/comedy show in the evening.

Caravan Day 3

I'm still working on the rest of the week, and will post additional links as they're done.  Wednesday, we did the Wisconsin Dells by water, with the "Duck Boats" in the morning and the "Jet Boats" in the afternoon (yes, we got wet).  Thursday was a travel day, with all the coaches moving to Green Bay, followed by a wine tasting and dinner out.  Yesterday, we did museums: the National Railroad Museum in the morning, lunch at Titletown Brewing Company, then the Neville Museum (local history exhibits) in the afternoon.  This morning we headed to Lambeau Field for a behind-the-scenes tour of a NFL stadium, followed by another great lunch.  Tonight it's a dinner theater excursion and tomorrow we're back on the road (it is a caravan, after all).  Whew!

FMCA "Family Reunion" is wrapping up

August 13, 2011
Alliant Energy Center, Madison, WI

Well, it was another great week. We picked up quite a few items from the vendors at the FMCA "Family Reunion", and enjoyed our time here in Madison, Wisconsin's capitol.

It was an easy drive on Sunday, heading from Manitowoc to Madison, and Jim and Peggy followed us as we headed South on I-43 to Sheboygan, then west on WI-23 to Fond du Lac, US-151 to I-39 South into the Madison area. They headed for the vendor parking area and we parked overnight in the "holding area" about 5 miles away, then decided to fuel up the Rover. That's when Geri suggested Mexican for dinner and technology (we're in a Verizon 4G area here!) kicked in. She was able to use her phone to find a place right near the Capitol in downtown Madison, then just hit "directions" and "navigate" and, voila, we were eating burritos and enjoying a pitcher of Margaritas. Life is good...

Wisconsin Capitol - no protests or recall elections today, but plenty of homeless people hanging out...

Moonrise over Lake Monoma, near the FMCA Holding Area.

Monday morning we were up early and headed for the Alliant Energy Center before coffee. We were soon parked, getting a prime spot in the first row to the rear of the exhibition building, about 200' away. Most of the seminars and vendor displays are in this building, so it's very convenient.

Tuesday was an off-day, with events not starting until Wednesday, so we did some shopping and generally relaxed. Wednesday, seminars started and the new motorhomes on display opened in the evening. While the newer floorplans are very desirable (most larger coaches have a bath-and-a-half layout with an en suite full bath in the rear), nothing we saw has the interior quality of what we already have. Just as well, since neither of us remembered to buy the PowerBall tickets.

Thursday, the vendor area opened, and by Friday we'd made the obligatory loops through the exhibition center. There are a lot more vendors at FMCA since there are almost 2,000 coaches here (over 2,000 when you count vendors and exhibit coaches). I looked at several things like step covers (very cool in stainless steel) and a replacement sliding tray for one of the bays (great for tool storage) but decided against the big-ticket items. I did pick up an upgraded over-the-air TV antenna and signal finder, and a replacement "stinger" plus a couple of accessories for our tow bar. Geri got into the act as well, getting a stove-top grill thingie, some towel racks, a set of hanging pockets for the side of her seat, and a set of mops (you can't go to a major rally without getting caught by someone selling things with which to clean).

Overall, we got pretty much everything we "needed", which was probably a little more than we expected. One thing I didn't get at either rally was LED light bulbs. They are much more energy-efficient and that helps when we're boondocking, which we do from time to time. Unfortunately, the days of "rally pricing" meaning a good deal are over, I guess. Things the used to be cheaper at rallies now seem priced higher, as if a captive audience is expected to pay more. Things that used to be done gratis, like tow bar maintenance, are now priced at retail for parts. Sign of the times, I guess. Anyway, I'm not paying 2-3 times higher for LED lights that I can buy online and change out over the winter, especially since our two weeks of boondocking at the rallies is coming to an end. End of rant...

So, today the FMCA activities wrapped up. For once, I decided to attend the closing business meeting of the organization (reading of minutes and reports, introduction of newly-elected officers) and, quite to my surprise, we were one of 10 attendees to win the $250 drawing at the end (clearly designed to enhance attendance). Woo-Hoo! Great way to wrap up "rally season"!

We'll finish up our week with a nice dinner of leftover pasta, and finish our travel preparations in the morning. We have an easy drive and a 1:00 PM check-in at our next destination, so we'll have plenty of time to get ready...