27th Stop was HOME SWEET HOME!!!

When we left Winchester, VA it started to rain and it rained on and off (mostly on) until we got north of the NC state line. 

Ed was thinking about doing a short driving day and making an overnight stop at the Enfield/Rocky Mount KOA and we did stop but did not check in ... that's another story altogether.  He decided that we would head on home and that's what we did.  We had the RV in the driveway around 4:30pm on Monday, 10/15 and now it's time to unload and get ready for the FH RV Club trip to Myrtle Beach (11/1 - 11/8) and start making plans for January in Florida.

Anyway, we're home and thanks to all for keeping up with us ... I had over 1000 page views when I finally got logged on this morning and I know close to 700 of them was probably Ed but Judy, Jan, Pat, Betsy, Dave, Karen, Ellen, Elmer and my bro, Jimmy, to name a few, were regulars.  I hope I didn't bore you too much but if you timed it right and read my blog before going to bed, I'm sure I helped you fall asleep.

Until the next trip...Happy Trails!

NOW FOR THE YARD WORK!!!



my INVASIVE swamp sunflowers...some of
them were over 7' high!!!



26th Stop - Winchester, Virginia -- SOUTHBOUND!!!

When we left the Saratoga Springs area, it was raining and it was cold.  Ed said he wanted to pull out at 09:00 and I set my alarm and we pulled out of the driveway to the campground at 08:58.  Of course it helped that we picked up the carpets and hooked up the car the night before since we knew there was rain in the forecast.

It was a long driving day for Ed but at least the rain stopped just north of Oneonta and it was nice.  Ed wanted to get through Pennsylvania so we pulled into Candy Hill Campground in Winchester, VA around 16:00.  We opened the door and immediately took off our sweatshirts and opened the windows...it was warm outside...a good sign that we're getting closer to home.

If Jimmy and Sheri are reading this...thanks so much for including us in on all the festivities and we were very glad that we got to spend time with you two.  It doesn't happen very often and now that we're ALL retired maybe we can work something out.

25th Stop - Gansevoort, NY

We checked into Coldbrook RV Park & Family Campground today; it's located at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, just minutes from Saratoga Springs and Lake George.

We met Jimmy & Sheri and Greg & Stephanie in downtown Saratoga Springs for dinner and the downtown strip is REALLY nice.  Lots of restaurants and shops and I hope we have time to go back during the day to check it out.

Thursday night was the rehearsal at Longfellow's where the wedding and reception for Stephanie (my niece) and Greg will be held on Friday.  Afterwards, the rehearsal dinner was held at Lillian's in downtown Saratoga Springs...NICE! 

Jan M kept asking for a picture of me and my evil twin so here it is...it wasn't easy to get!



My brother giving his youngest daughter, Stephanie, "away"

 The wedding on Friday evening was absolutely GREAT and the Bride and Groom looked stunning (yes, even he looked stunning) and everyone had fun at the reception afterwards to celebrate the marriage.  We pooped out a little after 9pm and I can just imagine how Sheri, my sister-in-law, felt after everything (there was a breakfast at Longfellow's the next morning!) was all over with. 

Saturday morning we woke up early to get to the breakfast and say our good-byes and when we went out there was frost on the pumpkin and the car windows were iced up.  In other words...it was DAMN cold!  After the breakfast we headed to downtown Saratoga Springs to see it in the daylight and did a little walking around.  There's a good chance of rain tonight so we're picking up the carpets outside and Ed's hooking up the car tonight. 

We're heading SOUTH when we leave here and even the highs in the 60's sound good right now.

24th Stop - Verona, NY

Ed had called The Villages at Turning Stone RV Park in Verona to see if we could check in a day early and they had one back-in site left and we grabbed it.  We didn't realize it but it was Columbus Day weekend so the park was filled.  Sunday we were able to move over to the pull-thru site that we originally had reserved and when we stepped outside the RV on Monday, the park was emptying out. 

When we arrived a little before 3pm and squeezed into the site, we called my twin bro, Jimmy, to let him and Sheri know we had arrived.  We were able to meet up with them for the days we were in Verona. 

While we were in Verona, Jan M urged Ed to drive to Lake Ontario and touch the fifth Great Lake since he's already dipped his hand in Lakes Michigan, Superior, Huron and Erie.  So we got up early Monday morning and drove to Oswego and he not only dipped his hand in but his feet got wet, too (not intentionally).  Dave C suggested a place to go to pick up some fresh apples up in that neck of the woods but we had to head back to make sure we didn't miss lunner (late lunch/early dinner) with the family.

Monday we got to see Erica (Jim's & Sheri's daughter) and her husband, Bill, and I wanted to get a picture of the four of them but my brother is VERY camera shy; hence, no group picture of Erica and Bill with Sheri and Jim...he's such a party-pooper. 

23rd Stop - Westfield, NY

Eastward bound!

The Thor Diesel Club Rally ended on Friday and we both went to the continental breakfast and said good-bye to the friends we met there.  Friday morning the Thor guys came and finished up the work on our coach and we pulled out of the Elkhart County Fairgrounds and headed for the Ohio Turnpike.

Along the way was when we realized the foliage had really started changing and the colors were awesome even though it was overcast.  Somewhere before Cleveland, we hit the rain and it was still raining when we crossed the NY state line and checked into the KOA Westfield Lake Erie Kampground a little after 5pm.  The KOA campground is right across the street from Lake Erie.

We found that this weekend the campgrounds are booked because MOST of the campgrounds close down mid-October so they're having early Halloween parties and the fall foliage is attracting the last campers.

  
It rained all night but Saturday ended up becoming a nice autumn day.  We drove into the small town of Westfield on Lake Erie (made sure we didn't blink or we would have missed it) and it was cold and windy but Ed got to touch the lake bringing the count up to four out of five Great Lakes he touched on this trip. 

We headed back to the KOA and brought the slides in, hooked up the car and jumped right back on the thruway making the stop an easy off/easy on for the night. 

22nd Stop - Goshen, Indiana

We said good-bye to the people that we met at the Elkhart Campground at the Mandalay Travel Club rally and pulled out this morning for the short ride.  When I say short, Ed didn't even bother hooking up the car; I just followed behind him for the ride.

We're now staying at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds and there's a sea of Mandalay coaches and a few others made by Thor. 

The fairgrounds are really nice and occasionally we hear clop-clop-clop as the horse-drawn Amish buggies go up and down the street. 

On Sunday, all the coaches that were at the Mandalay Rally in Elkhart arrived and filled in some more sites here at the Fairgrounds for the opening day that included a social hour, chili cook-off competition (no...Ed didn't compete and everyone who knows ME understands why I didn't), a pot luck dinner where the food ran out pretty quick considering there's almost 200 people here at this rally.  After dinner, a blue grass band played.

Monday started off with a continental breakfast; in addition to the full hook-up campsite, four days of breakfasts and dinners are included along with the beer, wine, munchies for the social hour.  The days are filled with seminars on (to name a few):  RV electrical safety, Onan generator maintenance, Freightliner chassis, Blue Ox Tow Bars & Brake Systems, Tire Pressure Monitoring, Furnace & Water Heater Maintenance and a few I was interested in...shorten/weave t-shirts, digital camera.  The seminars are put on by the vendors who are here for the week in the big building where the social hours are held and Thor brought in 5 coaches to put on display.

The thing that Ed likes (besides the free wine and beer) is the fact that you can get a lot of work done while we're here.  Thor workers are here going around fixing problems on coaches and it doesn't matter if they're brand new and under warranty or not.  We fall under the NOT (under warranty) category so we have to pay for the parts and they never charged for the labor;  very convenient. 

Tuesday was Ed's birthday and it was announced at dinner (not sure how the speaker found out about it) and the crowd sang happy birthday to him.  I treated him to dinner (ok...so it was free but I gave him my extra piece of salisbury steak!!!).

Tonight there is a variety show after dinner and tomorrow there's a doo-wop dance since the theme of this rally is "Strolling Back in Time".  Friday, hopefully we'll have all the work done that Ed asked for, we'll be heading east towards NY.

21st Stop - Elkhart, Indiana

Before we left Ionia this morning, we got a group shot of "the girls" ... Mandy, Molly and Lily.


We arrived at Elkhart Campground in Elkhart, Indiana today and we ran into quite a bit of rain along the way.  When we were checking in it was raining AND hailing and we got drenched! 

Ed and I will be here at this campground for a week and then heading just down the road to the Elkhart County Fairgrounds in Goshen for the Thor Rally.  

Sunday was our last day spent with Carol, Gary and Lily before they headed back to Arizona.  It was cold and we all layered up and packed the dogs in the car and headed to downtown Elkhart to check out the Riverwalk and the city's first-ever fall flower "Carpet of Mums".    We just walked up the ramp to a "viewing platform" overlooking 7,000 pots of jewel-toned mums when a young man unloaded a camera from a channel 2-ABC car called out to us asking if he could talk to us.  We told him we weren't from the area and he said that was fine and started asking questions.  Next thing I know, Carol, Gary and Ed had volunteered me to answer them and the guy was pinning a microphone to my jacket and pointed the camera and asked me my name and started asking questions.  After it was all over they all made fun of me and we went on our walk along the river and then took a ride on Beardsley to look at the big houses that the wealthy had built in Elkhart in 1910 and then to the Wellfield Botanical Gardens.  The Gardens had been under construction the last time Ed and I had stopped there last year and this year we (the dogs, too)
were able to walk around the lake and the gardens were beautiful with a lot of flowers still in bloom. That evening, my 6 seconds of fame (my name was spelled wrong, as usual) aired on TV during the local news:  http://www.abc57.com/news/local/Celebration-in-downtown-Elkhart-170905571.html!

Monday we waved good bye to Carol, Gary and Lily as they drove out of the campground.  In the afternoon we drove to South Bend to go to the Studebaker Museum...LOTS of nice looking cars!  Notre Dame Campus was close by so we headed there and were able to walk the dogs around the campus with us.  Beautiful buildings/architecture!!!  I don't understand though...the students looked sooooo young!!! 

Tuesday, Ed and I went to Shipshewana to the BIG flea market there.  We passed a lot of Amish horse and buggys along the way and Molly and Mandy were kept very busy watching for them. 

We "crashed" the Mandalay Travel Club Rally that started here at this campground on Thursday and joined in on the happy hours and Friday's breakfast and dinner.  These rigs will be heading over to the Thor Diesel Club rally at the fairgrounds in Goshen on Sunday (we're leaving Saturday to check in).

20th Stop - Ionia, Michigan

Another beautiful day in Michigan.  We left Traverse City and topped the RV tanks off with diesel (diesel is going up and regular gas is down below $4/gal) and headed to Ionia.

We checked into Alice Springs RV Park & Resort not far from plenty of shopping (Meijers, Walmart, etc.) and restaurants along the main drag that leads to downtown Ionia.  This is within driving distance to Holt where Ed's Mom lives so we'll be spending some time with her at this location.  My old (as in childhood) friend, Joanne Ward Fornusek, doesn't live far from here BUT she's going to be in NY visiting her family and I won't be able to get together with her this year.  I'm disappointed I won't see her but happy that she'll be with her family and in my old house...her sister, Mel (aka Mary Ellen) bought my parents' house.

Gary and Carol (and Lily, too) headed to NY while their rig stays here in the site next to us.  They'll have long days of driving on Sunday (going) and Friday (returning) and packing a lot of visits with family and friends while they're in the Mid-Hudson Valley.  Once they return, we'll probably be heading to Elkhart, IN instead of South Haven, MI as originally planned.

It's Tuesday and the temperature has dropped and some rain has fallen.  Other than visiting family, this will be a quiet stop but at least it's a very nice campground.  I'll chill and read a book while Ed paces and goes for bike rides and tries to think of things to do. 

Check back this weekend and find out where we end up once Carol and Gary return and we head out to the next stop.




Ed with his Mom and sister, Pat

19th Stop - Traverse City, MI

Since we had a lot of rain our last day in Mackinaw City, everything was wet packing up in the morning (again!).  We were packed up and pulling out of the campground by 11:00am and arrived at Holiday Park Campground in Traverse City around 1:00pm.  We'll be here for a week...the longest stay at any place since we started this trip (we're here 7 nights!).

We really like this campground here...really nice site, wi-fi is great, we have cable, water pressure is great and it's close to a LOT of things. 

We pulled into our sites and Pat (Ed's sister) and Michael (her husband) were just walking up to our see if we had arrived;  they're staying here in their pop-up for the weekend.  After we got set up, we went for a walk with Gary and Carol and the dogs around the campground.  We left Gary and Carol (they headed into Traverse City and walked around) and headed up to Jan's (Ed's sister) and Jerry's house for a fish fry and a LOT of food for a going away party for Kris (daughter of Jan & Jerry) who will be heading to Los Angeles for a new job. 

Sunday, Ed and I went wine tasting with the family.  Ed had a hard time keeping up with lead-foot Jan; she forgot he was following her.  There's a LOT of vineyards and wineries up towards Northport and one of the ones we stopped at was the Ciccone Vineyard which is owned by Madonna's father and stepmother.
(CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE)

Monday was a beautiful clear day and we loaded Molly, Mandy and Lily into the car and we headed to Sleeping Bear Dunes in Empire.  The Dunes are part of the National Lakeshore park overlooking Lake Michigan and LOTS of sand.  We drove through the park and stopped at some of the lookouts and then went to the dunes where Ed, Carol and Gary climbed up to the top while I sat back with the three dogs and took pictures and chatted with some people who were out sightseeing (I felt like the welcome wagon).

Tuesday we headed to downtown Traverse City and walked around town browsing at the storefronts along the way and found a good place for lunch. 

Wednesday we had another beautiful clear warm day in the 80's so we headed to Sutton's Bay to walk around, browse in the shops and had lunch.  If the weatherman is right, we'll be dropping into the 60's tomorrow!

Thursday ended up being cold and rainy and I started worrying about leaving my heavy jacket back home in the closet (well, it wasn't THAT cold but it will be probably be soon!).  BUT when the rain stopped, we had a beautiful sunset so there's a silver lining to every dark cloud, right?

Friday it was still chilly but a beautiful day but it was time to say good-bye to sister Jan, bro-in-law Jerry and niece Kris.  We met them at Sleder's Family Tavern (est. 1882) in Traverse City where they served all-u-can fish.  Let me tell you, Ed has had his share of lake fish since we hit Michigan and tonight he was able to get some more smelt (Kris is holding up one here in this pic) so he was happy.

Saturday, we'll pack up and head to Ionia where we'll be closer to Ed's Mom.  Carol and Gary will be leaving their rig in Ionia and heading to NY to visit family and friends they left behind when they sold their house (with OUR campsite) and moved to Arizona.

18th stop - Mackinaw City, Michigan

It was a short drive from Sault Ste Marie (Upper Peninsula) across the Mackinaw Bridge to Mackinaw City, Michigan today and we checked into Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground in early afternoon.  (Click on pictures to enlarge.)

The campground is located on the shores of Lake Huron and on a clear day you can look across and see Mackinac Island and the Grand Hotel.  The color (and it's clear) of the water of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan has to be seen because it's too hard to describe and it still amazes me everytime I come back up here near the lakes.

On Wednesday, Ed stayed behind at the campground to do dog duty and sent me packing with Carol and Gary across the straits from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island.  The weather indicated a slight chance of rain so I packed two ponchos...one for me and one for Carol since we both took our cameras and we didn't want to get them wet; Gary was on his own to deal with the elements.

We cruised over on one of those hydro boats that kick up the rooster tail in the back and once we got off the boat, I think Carol fell in love with the island.  There are no motor vehicles on the island (only emergency vehicles, when needed) and you get around by walking, bicycles or by horse.  We opted for the horse-drawn carriage ride and did that first after we walked up the main drag.  We first boarded a carriage pulled by two horses (Buck and Doc) and it took us up past some local landmarks and then up past the Grand Hotel which has the world's largest front porch (featured in the movie Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour).  We found out MANY interesting facts about the hotel but I don't want to bore you with them...it's like "you had to be there" to really appreciate them.  Once we got to the top we switched over to a horse-drawn wagon pulled by three horses (Bubba, Jenny and LT Dan) that took us through the woods and up to Fort Mackinac and "arch rock". 

 

Once we were done with the carriage ride, we walked along the main street again and checked out the Sea Biscuit...it had Guinness beer (or ale, whatever it is) and Carol and Gary couldn't pass it by.  We did some more walking and by the time we went back to wait to get on the ferry going back to MC, we had some raindrops but it was just enough to make me unfold the poncho (Gary and Carol took cover) and by the time I got it over my head it was over with.

That evening we all went up to walk up and down the main street of downtown Mackinaw City and checked out some shops and found a restaurant to eat at. 

Thursday, we all drove down to Petoskey to check that out...NICE downtown area and, again, a beautiful waterfront on Little Traverse Bay.

Friday was the FIRST day that we had rain all day since we started our trip.  It was cold (in the 60's) and damp and Ed went with Gary and Carol to find a fresh fish market and pasties and when they came back we sat outside under the awning at the picnic table and played Mexican Train (which Ed won).  We layered up with jackets over our sweatshirts and sat outside and had ribs (courtesy of Gary) for dinner. 

Next stop will be Traverse City on Saturday.

17th Stop - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

First off, I mentioned to Ed that I couldn't believe that there's been over 500 "pageviews" on this blog and then he confessed that probably 300 of them were his.  He keeps logging on to refresh his memory on where we've been and where we're going.  For all those who are keeping up with our travels, thanks; I miss you.

We're still in the Upper Peninsula and arrived at the Aune Osborne Campground in Sault Ste. Marie, MI to spend Labor Day Weekend.  From our campsite we have a front row seat of big (up to 1000 feet long) freighters going up and down the St. Mary's River (between U.S. and Canada) going through the Soo Locks.  We REALLY like this campground and are thinking about coming back here again in the future even though they only have water and electric and only a handful are 50 amp sites.  If anyone is coming this way in an RV, I would highly recommend making a stop here for a few days.

After dinner on Saturday, Carol suggested going up to the Soo Locks to watch the freighters go through.  There's like a 3-level "reviewing" stand alongside the closest lock so we stood watching the freighters going up and down in the lock (low water for Lake Huron side and high water for Lake Superior side).  It's a big tourist attraction and draws a lot of people.

Sunday Ed, Carol, Gary and I took the boat ride that goes through the Soo Locks on the Canadian side and returns through a lock on the U.S. side.  It was a gorgeous day and the boat ride was great.  We were elated at the beginning of the cruise to find that it came down the river as far as where we were camped and we were able to see that Molly was NOT up on the dashboard barking at people that were standing along the river's edge in front of the campsite.

Monday we headed up to downtown Sault Ste Marie to walk along the main street and find a restaurant to eat at.  The timing was just right because the sky was starting to look like something was going to happen and we found a restaurant and the rain, thunder and lightning came.  Mandy was NOT happy with the thunder part and was hyperventilating when we returned to the RV.

16th Stop - Ishpeming, Michigan

It was another short travel day with a 2-hour ride from Houghton to Ishpeming, still in the Upper Peninsula.  We checked into Country Village RV Park and there's a brewery-restaurant within walking distance and it didn't take Ed and Carol long to head up and check out the brews.  BBQ ribs were the special of the day so all four us went back there for dinner after getting the dogs out and fed.  The ribs ended up being scrumptious.

We took a ride to Marquette on Lake Superior and it's the kind of town Carol and Gary like...a college town with lots to do.  We walked around and stopped at the Wild Rover Irish Pub for a bite and much needed drink to quench our thirsts after the walk around town. 

Ed wanted to go check out the Yooper Tourist Trap.  A Yooper is an Upper Peninsula native/resident and Gary and Ed are starting to sound like one (ah ya, ya ya)...it's sort of like the South's version of a redneck I think.

It was Carol's birthday on the 31st so they headed back up to Marquette and we kept Lily company so they wouldn't have to worry about rushing back.  They were back early though and we celebrated her birthday with an ice cream cake.

It's Labor Day weekend and quite a few rigs came in today but the park is not full which surprises us because it's a nice park. 

We're spending the remainder of Labor Day weekend in Sault Ste. Marie.

15th Stop - Houghton, Michigan

Today it was a two hour drive from Iron Mountain, MI (CST) to Houghton, MI (EDT) on the Keweenaw Peninsula surrounded by Lake Superior.  We checked into the City of Houghton RV Park on the Portage River and for $28/night we have full hook-up with cable, wi-fi and one of the nicest waterfront views above the city beach and boats going by on the river.

Since we were only able to reserve two nights here, Ed and I hurried up and set up the RV and headed for the Quincy Copper Mines in Hancock across the river from Houghton.  It was a pretty good tour and it was 38 degrees in the mine. 

On Monday, Ed and Gary headed to the Adventure Copper Mines in Greenland to do a tour there and when they got back we took a drive up to the top of the peninsula and checked out Copper Harbor.  It was a nice ride with lots of great views of Lake Superior but we were glad to get back and sit out overlooking the river admiring the waterfront view from our campsites on a beautiful clear day.

 

This place definitely deserved a longer stay and understood why we were only able to book two nights; we were lucky to get those. 

14th stop - Iron Mountain, Michigan

After checking the weather forecast we left our carpets down on the site that consisted of dirt, dirt and more dirt.  I woke up to raindrops on the roof and Mandy moving up to lay between the headboard and my pillow, probably waiting for the thunder.  When we started packing up in the morning we had lots of mud on the carpets and on the dogs' paws and our shoes so everything got packed (wet) into plastic bags (except the dogs, of course).

It was a short ride (two hours) and we crossed the state line from Wisconsin into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and checked into Summer Breeze Campground in Iron Mountain.  We checked out the area and found an alpaca farm where we got to feed them and get up close to them.  They were so sweet and gentle.

We also went on a tour of an iron mine and rode down 400 feet into a mine on a train and the guide walked us through the mine and gave the history of how it was done over 100 years ago.  It was very interesting but I didn't like the bats flying around.  It was also very cold and very damp and felt good once we were back up into the heat.

Ed has started his pasty tasting in the Upper Peninsula and has already tried two and will look for more to try along the way.  We still have three more stops (Houghton, Ishpeming and Sault Ste. Marie) in the U.P. before we head down into the "mitt" part of Michigan. 

13th Stop - Minocqua, Wisconsin

We arrived at Patricia Lake Campground in Minocqua in early afternoon.  The sites were tight getting into with the trees but once you were in, they were a pretty good size.  We had another catastrophe when we arrived but I figure I won't put it in writing; it will be something Ed might want to tell about (in a few years).  Unfortunately, with all the trees, there’s no grass so that means lots of dirt for the dogs to lay in and track in the RV. 

Minocqua is a pretty nice little town with lots of shops along the main street and lots of restaurants.  We went to town and walked around the shops and ended up eating at Otto’s Beer and Brat Garden which was really neat; we ate in the Garden part.

The temperatures are in the 70’s and it gets a bit cool at night.  Ed reminded me that it was MY idea not to bring the big electric heater so we stopped at Walmart on the way back to the campground and bought a comforter to use as a blanket (can you believe we couldn’t find any blankets in Wally world?!) on the bed.

Gary bought some firewood and when I saw smoke drifting past the RV I figured he must have started the campfire.  We sat around the campfire for a while playing smokey-eyes chairs (sort of like musical chairs) whenever the smoke changed direction. 

We ended up back on the Wisconsin River on another boat cruise on a pontoon boat made to look like a paddle wheel.  It was a relaxing ride and we only got to see turtles and some blue herrings.

12th stop - Kewaunee, Wisconsin

A thunderstorm woke me up this morning (well, actually it was Mandy who woke me up because of the thunder) and we had lots of rain.  It's only about the 3rd rainfall we've had along the way since we left Fairfield Harbour and, unfortunately, it had to be a day we were leaving to head to another destination.  Ed was drenched and by the time he was all unhooked and we were ready to pull out, the rain stopped.

We only had a 1-hour drive from Bailey's Harbor to Kewaunee which is located along Lake Michigan approximately 35 minutes east of Green Bay.  Gary and Carol are going to head to GB and take the tour of the Green Bay Packers Lambeau Stadium.  Both Ed and I decided to check out the area around where we're staying since neither of us are "into" football.

We drove to Algoma and stopped to walk down to the lake and see if the dogs wanted to get wet.  Everytime Mandy got her feet wet, she charged at Molly trying to get her to play.  We went to a winery there and then drove to a winery in Kewaunee. 

We went for a ride along some back roads with Carol and Gary after dinner one night and found acres of sunflowers; even though the petals were dead it was still some sight.  We also found an alpaca farm along one of the back roads.

11th Stop - Bailey's Harbor, Wisconsin

We arrived at Bailey's Grove Campground in Door County today and grabbed some brochures from the office to see what to do here.  Ed and I rode our bikes down the hill to the main street that ran along Lake Michigan.  We stopped at the Cornerstone Pub for lunch and then we had to pedal UPhill to get back to the campground; did not leave a good feeling on a full stomach!

We've been busy exploring Door County and enjoying the beautiful weather.  We drove up to the northern tip of the peninsula and boarded the Island Clipper ferry to go over to Washington Island where we boarded the Viking Train (towed by a SUV).  Our first stop was an ostrich farm but it had other animals there to check out and that was neat.  We checked out "downtown" but Ed blinked and he missed it and a couple of other stops before we boarded to ferry to head back to mainland. 

(CLICK PICTURES TO ENLARGE)

We checked out Egg Harbor, Fish Creek and Sister Bay where we ate at a Swedish restaurant (Al Johnson's) with a grassy roof with goats ON TOP!!!  Now that was neat! 

Then Ed had to do some wine tasting so we visited 6 wineries where he ended up buying over a case of wine along the way.  Gary suggested we get a trailer to carry all the wine home but I don't think it will last long if we keep doing our little happy hours.  Ed definitely is stashing some bottles away for Mary N to taste once we get home.

10th Stop - Brussels, WI

We're in Door County now and we're spending two nights at Quiet Woods South Campground Resort and it's anything but quiet.  It's Friday and this place is packed full with lots and lots of children running around.  This campground, though, is definitely geared for kids...they bring in a bunch of those big blow up things for Saturday, there's a pool, a waterslide, playgrounds, a clown comes in and makes balloon shapes...

They had great food at very good prices in the lounge and Friday night it was buy one drink, get one free so Ed was happy getting 4 cans of beer for $4.  They also had great fresh donuts in the morning so we survived our stay. 

It has really cooled down and we definitely don't need the air conditioning or the windows open. 

We took a ride around the area and went to a county park overlooking Green Bay (part of Lake Michigan) and then found a nice little restaurant where we could sit on the back deck overlooking the water.

This is only a two-night stay at this stop.

Pawpurrs on the Road - 2012

9th Stop - Lake Delton, Wisconsin

We checked into the Country Roads Motorhome & RV Park just before noon today.  This is a 55+ (children, under 18 years of age, have to be attended by an adult at all times) RV Park with big sites 1.5 miles from the Wisconsin Dells. 

We drove down the main drag of Wisconsin Dells after we set up camp and talk about a TOURIST TRAP!!!  It's known as the waterpark capital of the world and there's people all over the place and lots of restaurants, waterparks, amusement parks, attractions, boat rides, etc, etc.... 

 

Wednesday the four of us went on a boat tour of the upper Dells with two stops where we got off the boat and checked out the "scenery"...lots of rock formations and, of course, a concession stand at the end of the path.  


Thursday, Ed and I went on one of those duck (watercraft) rides and luckily there was a top to cover the passenger seats because it started to rain and some cool temperatures blew in.

8th Stop - Spring Green, Wisconsin

We left Amana, Iowa this morning thinking it would be an easy ride to Spring Green, Wisconsin.  WRONG!  We were riding along and an alarm went off and then the air lock on the door started to pop.  The alarm went off and the popping stopped but just down the road, the alarm started back up and the ride became VERY rough.  It turns out that our diesel pusher no longer had that nice air-cushion ride.  The air dumped out and it was awful...I think I know now what those rodeo guys feel when they get on that bronco or bull.  On top of that, my back pain had returned so I was bracing myself on each bump hoping to avoid the pain...it didn't work.

Gary and Carol pulled over behind us and Ed called Good Sam's Emergency Roadside Assistance and it took them a while to get there but the guy found the problem and was able to do a temporary fix so we could get to Spring Green. 

We're staying at Wisconsin Riverside Resort which has a bar & grille and restaurant and is located on the Wisconsin River. 

We visited the House on the Rock in Spring Green on Sunday and if you're ever in the area, you've got to check this place out!!!  It's unbelievable and  it took us 4 hours to get through it and we must have walked 3 miles throughout this maze of rooms/buildings/exhibits.  We were exhausted by the time we limped to the parking lot and if we had known, would have tried to do it in two days instead of all at once.  There was soooo much to see! (click ono the pictures to enlarge)

Monday Gary and Ed suited up and rented tubes and put some beer on ice in a small cooler and got dropped off up river so they could leisurely drift down.  It was a beautiful day and Carol and I went to the bar overlooking the river at the campground and sat there with our cameras (oh...and a drink) waiting for them to drift in and come ashore.  They floated in, out of beer but laughing as they tried to get out of the tubes. 

7th Stop - Amana, Iowa

We ended up heading to Amana a day early after Ed made several phone calls around for a couple of parts for the air conditioners.  The back one is not working and the front one ends up working overtime thanks to the high temperatures.

Carol and Gary also pulled into Amana early and they had just checked in and were pulling into their site (they came in on 80 East / we came in on 80 West) when we pulled up to the office to check in.  Once we got set up, Gary and Ed went out to look for corn (you would think it would be easy to find in Iowa!) and over an hour later they were back.  They "had" to stop at the brewery to get directions for a place to buy corn...go figure!! 

We were getting ready to eat and Ed got a call from Pat, his sister, who was heading to Iowa City returning from Cheyenne, WY with her hubby, Michael.  They stopped for a short visit and sat and had some corn on the cob.  Unfortunately, there were a lot of flies that came around while we were eating and while I was swatting one, I hit Ed in the eye with the flyswatter.  I thought he was joking until Gary noticed his eye was bloodshot...uh oh.  Luckily Pat was good at first aid and she put a bandage on his eye and wrapped up his head with gauze to give it a rest for the night.  We may have to look for an urgent care place tomorrow.  Am I in deep doo-doo, or what?

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We rode our bikes on the bike trail to one of the Amana Colonies (7 villages make up the colonies).  It was HOT!!!  The bike trail led right to the brewery so we "lost" Ed and Gary there and Carol and I pedaled on around the town and stopped and checked out a few places. 

Ed ended up getting an appointment with an eye doctor (at the suggestion of our eye doctor back home) to get his eye checked so we went to Cedar Rapids.  Ed's going to live but the fly swatter has been put out of commission (better the swatter, than me) and he's on antibiotics to avoid an infection from the burst blood vessels. 

We ended up going to the Ronnenberg, a German restaurant, for dinner in town which was great.

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More bike riding on the trails into town to check out the local stores and luckily we had bags and baskets on our bikes since we ended up supporting some of the local merchants.

6th Stop - Joliet, Illinois

We got an early start to head to Joliet, IL; Ed found the bicycle he wanted in Chicago so this stop was only an hour's drive to go pick it up.

We arrived at the Hollywood Casino & RV Park a little after noon time and quickly unhooked the car and set up the RV before heading to Chicago.  Traffic was horrendous and Ed said during the week it's worse.  We got back to the RV Park and once we finished cleaning the site (Ed borrowed a shovel and broom from the maintenance guy and scraped thick layers of dry mud off the patio while I raked a bunch of leaves from the site and picked up dog poop someone left behind), the maintenance guy came with a bunch of gravel and filled in a muddy rut someone had left after driving off the pad.  We ended up going over to the casino for dinner and checked out the slot machines.  High technology has taken over and it's definitely not the way we remember it when we played with coins.  We tried playing in one machine and lost a $1 in a matter of a second so Ed found someone to explain how it worked.  He got another $1 and ended up with a voucher for $6.70.  Monday is 55 where you play $5 and you get $5 so we're going back to see how that works.  My limit has been set for $10 and once it's spent, I'm outta there.

OK...Monday we went back to the casino and we each "won" $5 on a scratch off and the casino "gave" us $5.  Ed had his voucher from the day earlier and with his $10 that he got, he left with $25+ in his pocket.  He was the lucky one.  I lost the $10 that I got from the casino PLUS I put $10 of my own money in the machines and I ended up "donating" it to the casino. Oh well...it's not that fun anymore because all you do is sit there and push a button on the machines.

5th Stop - Fenton, Missouri

We arrived in Fenton, Missouri on Thursday, 7/26 and checked into the Covered Bridge RV Park.  Friday we went to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, spread out over 79 acres, it's the oldest botanical gardens in the country.  On display was the Lantern Festival exhibition and that with all the gardens (Japanese, Chinese, Victorian, the Climatron and many more) was awesome.  I loved it and Ed's favorite was the Climatron with all the tropical plants under the dome.  We had to walk a couple of miles there and then we went on and walked more on the Anheuser-Busch tour.  Ed liked the very end of the tour when he got to do some tasting in the Hospitality Room.

It's been VERY hot (we're worried that Gary and Carol aren't going to leave the cool weather of Colorado...they're suppose to meet us in Amana on the 1st of August) and the back a/c of our RV pooped out when we first started out and the main a/c is working hard to keep the rig cool but today when we got back we ended up taking the dogs outside to sit in the shade since there was a breeze blowing.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we're heading back to St. Louis and checking out the downtown area.

(click on the pictures below to enlarge them)

On Friday, we headed to downtown Missouri and stopped at City Gardens where there were sculptures, gardens and water spouts for the kids (and Ed) to run through to cool off.  We took a lot of pictures there and then headed to the waterfront to see the Arch, the Mississippi Riverfront and Lacledes Landing where we had lunch.