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.