Raleigh, NC – October 2015

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Michigan Traveler

Falls Lake MapWe arrived at the Falls Lake State Recreation Area on Friday, September 18th. We didn’t start our duties as camp hosts until October 1st and it felt a bit odd coming in as campers. After setting up our daughter, Elisabeth joined us and we went out for dinner. Over dinner we decided that we were looking at what might be the last nice weekend for quite a while and decided that Elisabeth and I would go SCUBA diving on Saturday and Sunday.

We rented gear and tanks that night and the next morning Elisabeth picked me up. We drove to a popular dive site called Fantasy Lake. This is an old rock quarry that flooded and was turned into a SCUBA diving center. Popular is an understatement, the place was full of divers from dive shops from as far away as Greensboro, NC. Fortunately most of the diving activity was centered around the underwater training platforms and we chose a less populated area of the lake.20150920_140535

It was a beautiful day and the water was a pleasant temperature with decent underwater visibility. Fantasy Lake is full of neat things to find underwater, a bus, a couple of planes, glass-bottom boats, several cars, you name it. We found one of the cars on our first dive, and swam along to vertical wall of the quarry. It was almost like swimming along a reef wall in the Caribbean. We dove again after lunch and Elisabeth was getting more comfortable with her SCUBA skills.

Sunday we were back at Fantasy Lake and it was a lot less crowded. We bought Elisabeth a new buoyancy compensator as an early Christmas gift and she was very happy to get rid of her weight belt. We practiced buoyancy control on the roof of the bus, and swam back along the wall. After lunch we swam in, around, and through almost every underwater attraction in the lake. It was just a great weekend of diving and we are all looking forward to going to Bonaire in January.

DSCN5763We had a couple of relaxing days and then the weather closed in on us. There was one weather system after another bringing rain into the Carolinas. Fortunately, the weather was mostly clear on the day we had to move into the camp host site. We got all set up and I put up our sunshades on the awning to block some of the rain and make it easier to get outside a bit.

We watched the weather and saw Hurricane Joaquin run up the east coast. Finally after 12 days of constant, measurable rain we finally saw the sun. The last time North Carolina had 12 straight days of rain was in the 1980s.

DSCN5760One Saturday Elisabeth’s employer had a family fun day at a local attraction called Frankie’s, and we were invited to join in the activities. The rain put a damper on any outside activities, but the indoor attractions were a lot of fun. Over lunch we were able to meet and chat with some of her coworkers. We played arcade games and three rounds of laser tag. We had a terrific time and it’s nice to see an employer go the extra mile for their staff and families.

Our duties as camp hosts are simple. We make sure the bathrooms are clean, act as an example for other campers, and assist other campers as needed. Generally we are not needed to help other campers. However, we had a case where a woman had purchased a new camper and, although she had a three-hour session on how everything worked. She was very confused about how to use many of the features of her trailer. Over the next few days I spent a few hours walking her through the appliances and other components of her trailer. By the time she left, she felt much better about her situation and I felt we had provided the assistance we were put here for – a good feeling.

I had hiked a section of the NC Mountains to Sea Trail two years ago and I wanted to do another section before the weather turned cold. I had a great time and you can read the details in that post – Mountains to Sea Trail.

The next week we took a side trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We left the trailer at Falls Lake and stayed in hotels along the Parkway. You can read the details in that post – Blue Ridge Parkway.

20151024_175312The Rangers of Falls Lake, together with the non-profit Friends of Falls Lake, put on a Halloween party at the campground amphitheater. There were treats, games like Pit the Face on the Pumpkin, face-painting, campfire stories, and a night hike. It was well attended and everyone had a good time.

Holly Point Campground closed DSCN5892on November 1st for the winter and we moved to the Rolling View Campground of the Falls Lake State Recreation Area. Rolling View is open year round and we were able to continue as Camp Hosts. At Rolling View, in addition to being an example of good campers and assisting other campers, our duties were to check the campground every morning and post the list of campsites that were available for campers without reservations. This gave our normal exercise routine more of a purpose.

I was able to finish my audiologist appointments to fit and adjust my new hearing aids. I’m sure my family and friends DSCN5900will be happy that I won’t be asking them to repeat things as often. I guess this is just another measure of age along with bifocal glasses, knee problems, and enrolling in Medicare. I’m not sure I like any of these measures, but it is what it is.

We generally took it easy, hanging out and visiting with Elisabeth. One thing about the fulltime RV lifestyle is that you are not always sightseeing – we are living in a house that moves. As we began our preparations to leave I washed the trailer – DSCN5905generally a 3-4 hour job. Just like a house, you have to maintain it.

We spent Thanksgiving with Elisabeth and had a family dinner at her house. We had a wonderful meal and it was nicer because we had it with family. While our sons, Scott and David, weren’t there, we were able to talk to them on the phone. After dinner we helped Elisabeth decorate her place for Christmas – just a great time!

Friday, November 27th, we headed south. Next stop – Kings Bay, GA.

Posted in Fulltime RV, Michigan Traveler, North Carolina, Working on the Road | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Blue Ridge Parkway – October 2015

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Michigan Traveler

North Carolina is blessed with a wide variety of terrain, the Outer Banks on the Atlantic shoreline, reservoirs created by flood damage reduction dams, and the Great Smokey Mountains. You could spend years traveling around the state and still not experience it all. One week we decided to take our days off to explore part of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

DSCN5766The Blue Ridge Parkway began as a public works project to generate jobs and promote tourism after the Great Depression of the 1930’s. It rides the crest of the southern Appalachian Mountains and links two eastern National Parks – the Shenandoah and the Great Smokey Mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway, often called “America’s Favorite Drive,” is 355 miles long and is designed as a slow-paced, relaxing drive – the maximum speed is 45 miles per hour. There are no commercial vehicles allowed on the Parkway.DSCN5767

We drove to Asheville and spent the night in order to get a good start in the morning. Our first stop was the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center. This is a good place to start because there we got some detailed information on the Parkway and regional information as well. There is also a short video about the Parkway that describes its history and construction.

DSCN5768Our first stop was the Folk Art Center. When construction began on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a unique relationship was established between the National Park Service and the Southern Highland Craft Guild. The Folk Art Center was opened in 1980 to provide a facility to interpret Southern Appalachian mountain culture on the Parkway. It houses galleries, a library and the Guild archives. It showcases traditional and contemporary crafts made by artists living and working in the Appalachian Mountains.

While not right on the Parkway, DSCN5795a stop I recommend for everyone is Mount Mitchell State Park. Mount Mitchell’s dramatic summit is the highest point east of the Mississippi at 6,684 feet and was inspiration for one of the nation’s first state parks. From its easily accessible observation deck, the spruce-fir forest of Mount Mitchell State Park leads the eye to unmatched views. A museum explains the mountain’s cultural and natural history, and its trail network allows visitors to explore up close, offering short hikes near the summit and challenging treks leading to adjacent wilderness areas.

DSCN5786We drove to the summit and took the short hike up to the observation deck. From here you have a 3600 view of the surrounding mountains – DSCN5788what a sight! Just below the summit is the grave of Reverend Elisha Mitchell, a professor at the University of North Carolina, who lost his life during scientific exploration of Mount Mitchell in 1857.

We hiked one of the nature trails from the summit to the parking lot. The vegetation in this ecosystem was quite different from what we have in Falls Lake.

DSCN5808There are several waterfalls along the Parkway. We didn’t have the time to visit all of them and we chose to stop at Linville Falls. Linville Falls is probably the most photographed waterfall in North Carolina. It is said to be the most popular waterfall in the Blue Ridge Mountains because of its accessibility to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a spectacular three-tiered waterfall plunging into Linville Gorge, the “Grand Canyon of the Southern Appalachians.” It is a moderate 1.6 mile round trip hike, offering four overlooks of the falls, each revealing a different aspect of the falls. The Linville Falls start with a pair of waterfalls ending in a deep pool, but from there the pool empties into a corkscrew-like run to the bottom in the Linville Gorge. It is a fascinating geologic feature, and a unique experience.

DSCN5816It was late in the day when we headed for our next stop, the Linn Cove Viaduct. The Linn Cove Viaduct hugs the face of Grandfather Mountain and is recognized internationally as an engineering marvel. This was the last section of the Parkway to be completed. The viaduct was needed because of the damage that a traditional cut-and-fill road would have caused to Grandfather Mountain. The viaduct is 1,243 feet long and consists of 153 segments weighing 50 tons each. The bridge’s segments were precast at an indoor facility at the south side of the parkway. After being transported to the bridge site, each section was lowered into place by a custom crane placed on either edge of the existing structure. The only work done at ground level was drilling for the seven footings which support the viaduct. There was no access road other than the Blue Ridge Parkway itself.

We arrived after the Visitor Center had closed and tried to find an observation deck that was 300+ feet down the trail, but we never did find it! However, we did get a great view of the Viaduct from the trail below.

We spend the night in Blowing Rock, NC and got an early start the next morning to visit Grandfather Mountain. The weather was cool, but the skies were clear and the sun shining, promising that the day would only get better. DSCN5817Grandfather Mountain is a non-profit attraction, and a North Carolina state park near Linville, North Carolina. At 5,946 feet, it is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, one of the major chains of the Appalachian Mountains.

Until 2008, Grandfather Mountain was privately owned and operated as a nature preserve and tourist attraction. It was and still is best known for its mile-high swinging bridge, the highest in America, built in 1952 by Hugh Morton. The bridge links two of the mountain’s rocky peaks, and is known as the “swinging” bridge due to its tendency to sway in high winds. Morton inherited the mountain from his grandfather and developed the tourist attractions.

On September 29, 2008, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley announced that the state had agreed to purchase 2,600 acres of the undeveloped portions of Grandfather Mountain from the Morton family for $12 million. The area has been added to the North Carolina State Park system, becoming the 34th North Carolina state park. Grandfather Mountain State Park was officially established in 2009.

DSCN5832When we entered Grandfather Mountain we were given a CD that we could play as we drove through the park. It described the various features and scenes to watch for on the drive.   Our first stop was the Nature Museum. What impressed me most was the display of minerals. I have never seen such a wide range of quartz in one place. Near the Museum is the Animal Habitats. Here you can see Bald and Golden Eagles, deer, bear, river otters and more in their natural habitat. All of the animals on display are animals that have been injured or in some way not able to live in the wild any more.

On our way to the top we stopped at the Black Rock parking area to check out the view. This part of the mountain is State-owned land and you could see the network of hiking trails that led through the backcountry. The view from here was just awesome. With the clear skies, you could see forever!

DSCN5871We drove on to the top to walk across the Mile High Bridge. The bridge is 5,820 feet above sea level, hence the name, but the bridge is only 80 feet above the gorge below it. We climbed around on the rocky peak on the other side and enjoyed some absolutely marvelous views. We had lunch at a secluded picnic area that blocked the noise of the parking lot, yet had a nice view of the valley below.

DSCN5880After lunch we headed back to Falls Lake, but we had one more stop to make. Just north of Greensboro is the site of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Guilford Courthouse was the turning point of the Revolutionary War in the South. The Americas under General Nathaniel Greene were too weak to defeat the British forces under General Charles Cornwallis. Greene had split his forces and engaged the British in a series of small actions, forcing Cornwallis to pursue him. Cornwallis destroyed most of his baggage wagons to speed up his pursuit. Greene chose to fight at Guilford Courthouse. Although he outnumbered the British, the Redcoats were better trained and disciplined fighters. Greene’s defense was in three successive lines, starting with colonial militia, and ending up with the veterans of the Continental Army. DSCN5884At the end of the battle, Greene, with light casualties, withdrew to an old camp fifteen miles away. Cornwallis occupied Guilford Courthouse and stayed in the area for a few days then, exhausted with heavy casualties, began a retreat toward Wilmington, NC. In the following months Greene regained control of South Carolina and Cornwallis retreated to Yorktown in Virginia where he surrendered on October 1781.

It was interesting to drive around the battlefield, much of it surrounded with private homes, watching people walk, bike and run on the road the National Park Service maintains to lead people through the battle. As a former infantryman I could visualize the British and American soldiers maneuvering through the woods and fields as I traced the battle. I’m always glad that sites like these have been preserved.

We returned to Falls Lake to resume our camp host duties.

 

Posted in Fulltime RV, Michigan Traveler, North Carolina | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hiking the Mountains to Sea Trail

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Michigan Traveler

20151013_093957I love to hike. While we live in a fifth wheel trailer full time, I don’t consider that camping. Backpacking – carrying everything you need on your back is my idea of a good time. I know that sounds odd to some of you, but it’s my thing!

The NC Mountains-to-Sea Trail is North Carolina’s premier hiking trail. The North Carolina state trail was established in 2000 and stretches 1150 miles from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smokey Mountains all the way to Jockey’s Ridge State Park in the Outer Banks. Two years ago I hiked a section from near the Falls Lake Dam to the Holly Point Campground where we were serving as Camp Hosts. This year I wanted to do another section that ran from just west of the Rolling View Campground and Marina to Holly Point.

20151014_130455I started at the end of Santee Road and had to bushwhack through the woods to find the trail along the shore of Falls Lake. Once I found the trail it was pretty easy going. The trail is well defined and marked with white circle markings on trees and posts. It was the perfect day, although a little overcast, the sky cleared throughout the day.

20151013_113620I’m an avid geocacher and there are a lot of geocaches that have been hidden along the trail. I had downloaded all of the nearby caches to my GPS and the hunt was on. One of the first caches I found was appropriate for the Halloween season. It was called “Bone up on Your Caching Skills” and here is what it looked like. Geocaching made the hike take longer, but also made it more interesting.

On a few occasions the trail ran next to private homes. A couple of these had terrific views of the lake and I thought it would be great to live in one of them. The lake shore at night made for some great views.

Late in the afternoon I started looking for a place to spend the night. When I served in a Ranger company in the Michigan National Guard, I preferred hammocks over ground beds. You don’t have to find a piece of flat ground that is clear of rocks, 20151013_17430020151014_07291120151014_072954etc, and it doesn’t matter if the ground is wet. However, in a hammock you have to worry about cold air under you more than over you, so I placed a “space blanket” on the hammock under the sleeping bag to reflect my body heat back to me. A waterproof, nylon rain fly above the hammock served to protect me from rain and morning dew. I just let it hang straight down on each side. There was plenty of room above me and no wind-blown rain could get under it. I slipped a large trash bag over my backpack and I was set for the night.

20151030_134040I built a small alcohol stove from two soft drink cans that worked wonderfully and weighed much less than my Coleman gas stove. I wish I had discovered this a long time ago.

I woke early the next morning, brewed some coffee for breakfast and refilled my water bottles from the lake with my water filter. The sunrise shining on the far shore was an awesome sight. I checked my GPS and realized that I had been camped almost on top of a geocache. I walked around the area looking for it without success. I still can’t believe that I wandered all around the area the night before and in the morning and still couldn’t find it – Oh, the frustrations of geocaching!

20151014_094602There are many old structures in the area. I hiked past one former homestead that still had the old buildings – house, barn, and sheds. These old buildings give you a sense of the history of the community around Falls Lake.

About 3:00 in the afternoon I hiked back into our campsite at the Holly Point Campground. What a great time! Twenty miles of easy hiking over two days and geocaching (seven new caches found). The outdoors is a wonderful place!

Posted in Fulltime RV, Michigan Traveler, North Carolina | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Family Reunion and Heading South – September 2015

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Michigan Traveler

DSCN5507Summer is our prime time for seeing family and friends from Michigan. Pat’s brother, Geri, had been talking about having a Smith Family Reunion for quite awhile and decided this was the year to do it. He was building a new pole barn on the farm and it would be an excellent place to use in case of bad weather. There was a family meeting to decide what had to be done and who would be responsible for each action. Pat became the “Communications Director” to make sure the word got out to everyone, and I was her unofficial assistant.

Throughout the summer we monitored the progress on the new building and communicated with the extended family to make sure things were getting done. As the date got closer we were concerned about the weather, but it looked like we would get a break.

DSCN5718On September 12th, the weather was threatening in the morning, but by late morning the skies cleared and the wind moderated. Everyone had a great time. There was family memorabilia displayed along with a quilt and printout of the family tree. Everyone brought their favorite dishes for the potluck dinner. People were able to tour the family farmhouse.20150912_153907

Other activities included a Piñata for the kids to break, three-legged sack race, horseback rides, a hay ride, and just hanging out with family members that we see once a year at Christmas. I even held an impromptu wine tasting of some of my homemade wines.

20150912_16075820DSCN5732While it was a lot of work, everyone enjoyed themselves and wanted to know if we would do it again next summer. Time will tell on that one!

On Tuesday morning we hooked up and began our trip south to North Carolina. We made an overnight stop at Delaware State Park, just north of Columbus, OH and then stopped at Camp Creek State Park in West Virginia.

DSCN5743Camp Creek State Park in nestled in the DSCN5746valley of the West Virginia mountains. It’s a small park, but a very pleasant place to stay. Our plan was to do some hiking in the area as there are several trails in the foothills surrounding the park. The weather was nice, although cloudy at times. I was a bit disappointed in the trails. Maybe it was just the trails that we chose, but we found the trails being used as logging trails and not good for hiking. Many of the areas we hiked through were really torn up by heavy logging trucks and other tracked equipment. Because of that we decided not to extend our stay and we left on Friday, September 18th for Raleigh, NC

We were scheduled to serve as Camp Hosts at the Holly Point Campground in the Falls Lake State Recreation Area for the month of October. Because I had a doctor’s appointment on September 22nd, we decided to arrive early and just camp there. This is the same park we camped in when we were here in April as Camp Hosts and it felt like we had come home! After all, home is where you park it!

Posted in Fulltime RV, Michigan, Michigan Traveler, North Carolina | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Leelanau Peninsula and Mackinac Island, August 2015

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Michigan Traveler

After spending most of the summer in Bad Axe or Rifle Lake, we decided to do some traveling on our own. Earlier this year I met (virtually) Jim and Diana Belisle.   Jim and Diana are also fulltime RVers from Michigan and are “workkamping” at the Cherry Hill RV Resort near Suttons Bay. Jim also maintains a blog like ours – ExploRVistas.

DSCN5559On August 21st we drove through some big rain storms to arrive at Cherry Hill. Jim and Diana met us on arrival and we made plans to meet for dinner that night. Cherry Hill is nestled in the wine country of the Leelanau Peninsula. This part of Michigan, right on the 45th Parallel, has much of the same weather as the wine growing regions of Central Germany and has been the center of Michigan’s wine industry for years. We took a day to visit a number of local wineries, sampled their wines, and returned with several bottles to add to our wine collection.

While we were touring wineries, I was also looking for local geocaches. While looking for one, we toured the Inland Seas Education Program. This is a great place to learn about the inland lakes of Michigan. The 77′ Great Lakes Schoolship, “Inland Seas.” sails students in the Suttons Bay area to become “scientists for the day.” They assist in sailing the vessel and learn about local history and geology.

Suttons Bay is a popular tourist destination and has many eclectic eateries. I surprised Pat with fresh cut flowers for our 42nd wedding anniversary, and we celebrated by going out to dinner at the Boones North Country Grill Pub. I had thoughts of eating on the patio but the weather didn’t support that. We were able to get a nice table by a window and had a wonderful meal.

IMG_8406aWe were joined by Jim and Diana for a day of kayaking on the Platte River. The Platte is an easy-going river and a fun paddle. We started at the National Forest Campground and ended in Lake Michigan. The weather was wonderful and we had a great time. We took a side trip on the way back to stop at the National Park Service Visitor Center and get some more information on the area. We climbed part of the Sleeping Bear sand dune and toured the restored buildings of Historic Glen Haven. Our final stop was the Cherry Republic in Lake Leelanau which included tastings of cherry jam, cherry salsa, chocolate covered cherries and, of course, cherry wine.

DSCN5571There are some great bicycle trails DSCN5572in northern Michigan. We rode from Suttons Bay into Traverse City along the Leelanau Trail. This trail is a part of the Rails to Trails initiative that turns the unused railroad right of way into hiking and biking trails. It was a great ride through the countryside. We arrived in Traverse City and had a picnic lunch near the shore of the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay. Then we boarded a bus that took us and our bikes back to Suttons Bay. It’s a great deal, even better for seniors who get half price.

DSCN5586The day before we left we joined Jim and Diana and visited the Leelanau Historical Society Museum. This small museum gives a personal feel to the history of the Great Lakes, especially North and South Manitou Island. We checked out another small winery and had lunch at the Cove in Fishtown. A nice way to end our visit to the Leelanau Peninsula.

August 30th saw us driving along US-31 to Mackinac City. This route took us along the Lake Michigan shoreline with some great views.

In Mackinac City we stayed at the Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground. Mill Creek is a VERY big campground with nice facilities for kids, families, and adults. One of the nicest features is that they have left the shoreline as a public space without campsites. They have fire circles all along the shore so you can have a campfire and watch the night fall on Lake Huron and the “Big Mac,” the Mackinac Bridge that connects the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.20150830_165424

We arrived early enough that we had plenty of time to explore the town. The South Central State Trail, another Rails to Trails bicycle trail runs right past the campground into downtown Mackinac City, so we rode our bikes into town. After checking out the area, we decided it was time for a good Michigan pasty for dinner. Pasties are very popular in northern Michigan thanks to the Welsh miners who made this old world meal to pack for lunch in the copper mines of the Upper Peninsula. I recommend Cunningham’s on Main Street for this treat.

The next morning we were up early to take the ferry to Mackinac Island. All of the ferries run shuttles from the local hotels and campgrounds – they’ll even shuttle your bikes! We took our bikes on the ferry so we could ride around to the various sites. The day started out a little cool and foggy, but soon cleared into a beautiful day.

DSCN5632Our first stop on the island was Fort Mackinac. DSCN5640This fort, built by the British during the fur trading days changed hands several times during the Revolution and War of 1812. It has been years since I last visited the fort and the displays have been much expanded and improved. State Park staff put on demonstrations of weapons firing and lead tours throughout the day. We spent the rest of the day riding around the island. Along the way we visited the Arch Rock, took a short hike on a nature trail through a bog, then rode up some steep hills to visit Fort Holmes. Fort Holmes was initially left undefended by the British, then later by the Americas. In 1814 the British captured Fort Mackinac by establishing an artillery position at the site of Fort Holmes. When I first visited this site, it was nothing more than an old trench. In 2014 the State of Michigan was able to finish the reconstruction of the fort and it is now an excellent reconstruction of the final structure.

DSCN5656You have to at least ride or walk past the Grand Hotel.  For a fee they will let you walk onto the front porch (the longest porch in the world).  We finished our visit by treating ourselves to delicious ice cream cones, then took the ferry back to Mackinac City.

The next day was a bit of a sightseeing marathon. We rode our bikes into town to tour the Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw, “The Queen of the Lakes.” The Mackinaw was built at the beginning of WWII to keep the shipping lanes of the Great DSCN5678Lakes open so iron ore could continue to be shipped to the steel plants without interruption. Until 2006, the “Mighty Mac – the Heavyweight Champion” did just that. Her motto was, “We move ships when no one else can!” In 2006, she was retired and replaced with the new, more powerful Mackinaw. It is unusual for the Coast Guard to name a new cutter after an old one, but they wanted to continue the legacy of the Mackinaw on the Great Lakes. The original Mackinaw is now a floating museum in Mackinac City, operated by a volunteer foundation. The tour is very informative with displays and videos throughout the ship. I recommend it to anyone coming to the Mackinac City area.

DSCN5692I am a true lighthouse fanatic. I never saw a lighthouse I didn’t want to tour. The old Mackinac Point Lighthouse is one of my favorites. The Mackinac Point Light helped to guide ships through the Straits of Mackinac for decades. When the Mackinac Bridge was completed with its own system of lights and fog horns, the Mackinac Point Light was inactivated and eventually taken over by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Jim Belisle, our friend from Cherry Hill RV Resort, made it personal when he told us that his grandfather had built the original Mackinac Point Lighthouse. Jim is on the board of the non-profit foundation that restored and maintains the lighthouse. Jim wrote a detail post about the Mackinac Point Lighthouse on his own blog, ExploRVistas.

While we didn’t visit it, Colonial Fort Michilimackinac is another great attraction. Fort Michilimackinac was the initial French settlement, later occupied by the British. Eventually the British governor realized how vulnerable the settlement was at this location and relocated to the easier defended Mackinac Island. As on Mackinac Island, State Park re-enactors give demonstrations of period activities.

A unique location is The Headlands, operated by Emmet County. This is the Sixth International Dark Skies Park in the United States and the ninth one in the entire world. An International Dark Sky Association (IDA) International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) is a land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage, and/or public enjoyment. The land may be publicly owned, or privately owned provided that the landowner(s) consent to the right of permanent, ongoing public access to specific areas included in the IDA designation.DSCN5710

Our final stop was the McCulpin Lighthouse, also restored and maintained by Emmet County. It was originally built in 1869. It was purchased by Emmet County in 2008 and opened for tours in 2009. This is another well-maintained lighthouse. They have also built and maintain a short trail to the lakeshore that highlights the evolution of settlers in the area. Along this trail they have life size photos of these settlers and what they did to contribute to the area – just a great way to bring history to life.

On September 3rd, we drove to meet the rest of Pat’s family at the cottage on Rifle Lake for Labor Day. As usual we had a great time boating on the lake, having dinners together, and generally hanging out. It was a nice change of pace to live life in the slow lane! On Labor Day, after a last trip around the lake in the pontoon boat, we packed up and headed back to Bad Axe.

Posted in Fulltime RV, Michigan, Michigan Traveler, National Parks, Working on the Road | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Enjoying Huron County, Michigan, July – August 2015

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Michigan Traveler

When we started fulltime RVing back in 2011, our first stop was at the vacation home of our friends, Stan and Betsy, in Lake City. Stan has a huge workshop in their backyard and a gravel parking spot right next to his shed. It was like having your own private campground and Stan even put in a 30 amp RV plug for us.

Both Stan and Betsy have retired and have a good life in the area. We went with them to play Euchre at the Elks Lodge in Cadillac, I did some geocaching in area and Stan paddled with me to the other side of the lake to recover a cache that was on an island. Later in the week we were blessed to have another set of friends, Roger and Darcy join us for dinner one evening and it was great to spend time with old friends.

Sunday, July 19th, we headed back to Bad Axe, it was certainly different without three girls with us and we settled into the farm routine. I mowed the lawn and worked on finishing up a couple of batches of wine that Geri and I had started in June. Pat worked in the gardens, weeding, hoeing, and picked fresh vegetables and fruit.

One day we took a drive up to Pointe Aux Barques to visit a couple of Pat’s cousins, Margie and Don Wessels. They had just bought a new fifth wheel trailer and were camping at Lighthouse Park.

DSCN5514We took advantage of being in the area to visit Grindstone City. In 1834 Captain Aaron Peer pulled his ship into a protective bay on the north shore of the Thumb to weather out a storm on Lake Huron. While making repairs to his ship his crew discovered a large deposit of sandstone that had a very fine grit, perfect for grindstones and sharpening stones. Worldwide demand soon earned the town the nickname of Grindstone Capital of the World.

The town became largely a company-built town, with homes, a grist mill, wharfs, and a booming industry with two quarries. A salt mining operation produced 125 barrels of salt each day during the 1870s, and the first railroad built into Grindstone City began transporting the stones by rail in the 1890s.

By 1888, the Cleveland Stone Company bought property owned by other companies to become the sole quarry and grindstone company in town, employing about 150 men and manufacturing 35 to 40 tons of grindstones each day.

Sharpening materials like carborundum became popular during World War I. Natural grindstones produced a finer edge, but inexpensive carborundum ultimately replaced the natural stones.

The grindstone industry at Grindstone City died in 1929. The town platted the area and sold the property mostly for summer or retirement homes.

Today, the few traces left of the grindstone industry here are some of the large grindstones used as decor for private homes or piled, seeming nonchalantly, at places like the town’s free public lake access and boat launch park.

One of the best things about Grindstone Ice CreamGrindstone City is the General Store which is now an ice cream parlor and claims to have the largest ice cream cones in the Thumb. I think they are the largest ice cream cones in the country. On our way in I saw a guy with a cone with three huge scoops and jokingly said, “You got a small one, right?” Then I got inside and discovered that was a Small! Each scoop is the size of a softball, a Baby size is one scoop, Kiddy is two scoops, and a Small is three scoops. We both got Kiddy cones and I estimated we each had about half a quart of ice cream!

DSCN5527Once a year the Detroit Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Division Association and the 425th Regimental Association have a joint picnic at the Bruce VFW Post in St. Clair Shores. It’s a lot of fun for my fellow Rangers to hang out with the Paratroopers of the 82nd. The weather was beautiful as always – I don’t know why we always seem to have great weather for this event. There is always plenty of food, free beer, and war stories that get better with every telling. When we start the event with the Pledge of Allegiance I felt such pride. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to hang out with these warriors.

DSCN5554We took a day to make another DSCN5553run up to Grindstone City for more ice cream and to do some geocaching in the area. We made a special stop at a local winery called the Dizzy Daisy Winery. I’m not sure where the name came from, but there is an interesting back story. A local farmer decided to grow grapes on a portion of his land with the intent of selling them; however, there were no buyers. Consequently he decided to make wine himself. He studied and researched, converted a building he used for milk into a winery and the Dizzy Daisy was born. We sampled some of his wide variety of wines and I found it interesting to see the owner working in the tasting room.

I normally use my brother-in-law’s dumping area behind the barn for a makeshift rifle and pistol range. This year I took some time to build a frame to hang some targets and measure a 25 meter distance from the target. It was nice to have a decent range to fire on and to see my marksmanship skills haven’t degraded too bad.

20150821_102811My primary mode of exercise has been bicycling and I combined exercise with geocaching for a couple of days with a couple of 20 mile rides to find some clusters of caches. I explored some of the local back roads and some wind turbine farms. A one geocache I saw a couple of deer fawns. Great exercise and great fun!

We decided to do some local traveling and on August 23rd left Bad Axe for Suttons Bay on the Leelanau Peninsula near Traverse City.

Posted in Fulltime RV, Michigan, Michigan Traveler, National Guard | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rifle Lake and Bad Axe, MI – July 2015

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Michigan Traveler

Rose City MapIt’s always a pleasure staying in Bad Axe. It’s Pat’s home town and she gets to see family and old friends. We stay at her brother’s house, just north of the old family farm, and camp in his backyard. He has several acres and he was kind enough to put in 30 amp RV outlets in his pole barn so we can get sufficient power to our RV. Our granddaughters always enjoy the wide open spaces and the fruit and vegetable garden. They help pick raspberries, but I’m not sure how many make it to the table!DSCN5258

We enrolled them in the vacation bible school program at the church we attend when are in the area, and in the summer reading program at the local library. They enjoyed both programs and had lots of stories to share with us. They were even featured in a front page article on the library program in the local paper!

One afternoon we visited the Huron County Pioneer Log Cabin Village. This is the largest collection of log cabins in the state of Michigan. We toured a general store, blacksmith shop, a barn, and an old one-room schoolhouse. The girls listened to Pat talk about her experiences as a one-room school student. They spent more time here than any of the other buildings. We also toured a single family dwelling that housed a family with eleven children – very cramped quarters!

DSCN5323A highlight of the visit was a trip to Dave and Rosemary Seagroves to ride some of Rosemary’s horses. The girls and Robin’s son, Jeremiah, rode in the corral until they were comfortable and then were able to ride in the open field behind the house. Pat’s sister, Mary Lee, and I rode a couple of more challenging horses in the field while Rosemary worked with the kids. It was certainly a BIG difference from a horseback ride at a camp or county fair, and a great time was had by all!

On July 2nd, we drove to the Smith Family cottage on Rifle Lake, near Lupton, MI.

There is a family tradition to gather at the cottage over the week of Independence Day. Pat’s brothers bought a new cottage that is right on the shore of Rifle Lake. Mary Lee and Welton’s fifth wheel (from Milwaukee) and ours park in the driveway of the garage, across the street and the rest of the family stays in the cottage. Elisabeth and Katrina had their own, private accommodations – tents behind the garage! It is a week of family fellowship, fun, and way too much to eat!

DSCN5336The kids decorated the DSCN5353cottage golf cart and we drove it in the park’s Golf Cart Parade. Nearby Rose City has a fireworks display that is quite the show for a small town. We arrived just before dusk and laid on the lawn on the hill overlooking where the fireworks are lit. It’s a great show and laying right under the exploding fireworks is a unique experience. The kids loved it!

One of the new, favorite things to doDSCN5368 was to fish off the end of the dock. The five kids shared two fishing rods with a lot of cooperation and only a little conflict – the grandparents were happy with this. There were no shy fishermen in this group, the kids baited their own hooks, and only needed help getting the fish off the hook when it had been swallowed by the fish. The keepers were cleaned by the adults and saved for a fish fry at the end of the week. The prize for the largest fish went to Katrina for her 14-inch largemouth bass.

DSCN5414Tubing behind the pontoon DSCN5403boat was another popular activity. Being pulled by the pontoon boat, rather than a ski boat meant slower speeds, but also the opportunity to stand on the tube. Needless to say our kids had almost no fear and tried every different way to ride the tube.

DSCN5496I keep a small sailboat at the cottage. I took it out and gave the girls a chance to try their hand manning the sails. The winds were light so it was a bit of work to sail around the lake.

One day, Pat, Mary Lee, and 20150708_165645Maureen took the kids to play miniature golf and they had a great time. Pat was very pleased with herself for scoring a “hole in one.”

DSCN5501One of the last things we did at the cottage was celebrate the birthday of Pat’s brother, Geri, and sister, Mary Lee. Welton and Geri’s boys had been hard at work building a bean bag toss game for both of them. Geri thought it was a surprise for Mary Lee, and he was the one surprised when he found he was getting on too.

On Monday, July 13th, we left the trailer at the cottage and drove to the Holiday Inn in Flint so I could fly the girls to Memphis to deliver them to their other grandparents. We played in the pool and had pizza for dinner – a great finale to a wonderful month. The next day was supposed to be an uneventful trip. 20150714_065958We were up at 4:00 AM for a 5:40 departure. We got to the airport in plenty of time, the girls were terrific during the long trip. In Memphis, we met 20150714_121742Dave and Jackie Smalley outside of baggage claim and I collected hugs from everyone and an extra one from each of the girls for Pat. I had a few hours to relax before I flew back to Flint. I made it to Atlanta without any problems, and that is where the problems began. My 9:00 flight was delayed to 9:20, then 10:06, then 11:35. The airport was closed due to high winds. I finally departed from Atlanta at 1:34 AM and arrived back to our room at the Holiday Inn at 4:10 AM – talk about a long day!

After sleeping in we drove back to the cottage, hooked up the trailer and were on our way to visit our friends, Betsy and Stan Pash in Lake City.

Posted in Fulltime RV, Michigan, Michigan Traveler | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lansing, MI – May/June 2015

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Michigan Traveler

DSCN5034Lansing Cottonwood Campground is a gem in the south end of Lansing. It’s like being in the country even though you are still in the city. Tucked away off Aurelius Road, it has a pond for fishing and boating, many mature trees, and a nice trail that leads to the primitive campsites – a true urban park!DSCN5010

Things were quiet when we first arrived, but that changed dramatically over Memorial Day weekend, at one point I noted there were only 6-8 unoccupied campsites.

DSCN5031In honor of Memorial Day, we went to the Memorial Day Parade in our old home town of DeWitt.  DeWitt is “small town Americana” at its best. The parade consisted of the VFW/American Legion Honor Guard, followed by a float with the VFW/American Legion officers, and the DeWitt High School band. While the parade has gotten smaller over the years, the crowd has not. We all lined the streets of the downtown area and followed the band as we all joined the parade to walk to the cemetery. The band played, wreaths were placed at the veterans monument, the mayor gave a short speech remembering his father’s service in the Navy in WW II, the VFW/American Legion Honor fired the salute, and the band played a medley of patriotic music. It made me proud to say I was from DeWitt.

By lunch the campground was already clearing out. While it will be nice to have a peaceful and quiet campground again, it was fun to watch all of the young families with their kids playing in the pool, on the playground, and boating in the pond.

DSCN5078The Sunday after Memorial Day Pat and I visited the Michigan Historical Center. This is a great place to learn about Michigan history. They have a special exhibit that changes frequently, and the regular exhibits take you through Michigan’s early years. There are highlights of the timber, mining and automotive history and it was especially to tour the part of the Museum dedicated to the 50’s and 60’s.

Pat flew to Tacoma, WA to pick up our three granddaughters – they will be with us until the middle of July, I hope they don’t wear us out too much! I had my hands full get the trailer organized and putting the tent up for Katrina and Elisabeth (our daughter) to share. Both parties arrived with a half hour of each other at Detroit Metropolitan Airport where I picked them up for the drive to Lansing. The next morning we did some repacking and left for Dearborn for the wedding of our nephew Steve Smith to his fiancee, Brooke Murphy.

DSCN5185The wedding was held at the Dearborn Inn, with the wedding outdoors on the grounds and the reception in the ballroom. The weather was a bit uncertain, but it was only a bit overcast, with the sun coming out right after the bride and groom exchanged their vows. It was like it was planned that the sun would shine on this new family.

Our three granddaughters (10, and 8 years old twins) were on their best behavior, but once the dancing started they became the center of attention on the dance floor. It was fun to watch them enjoying themselves, and the whole family had a great time.

DSCN5214The next week was spend enjoying the campground with the girls and finishing up some errands in the area.  Pat took Katrina shopping one afternoon and I helped the twins to kayak in the pond in the campground. This is a nice pond, big enough to do some semi-serious kayaking, but not too big that the girls couldn’t kayak by themselves. We drove up to Mt. Pleasant to have lunch with my sister and her husband. They enjoyed visiting with the girls (who wouldn’t?) and we brought each other up on what we have been doing and plans for the future.

Pat and her friend, Darcy, took the girls to the Potter Park Zoo while I started packing for our drive to Bad Axe.DSCN5226

On Friday, June 19th, we made our way to Bad Axe. We stopped at Bronner’s Christmas Store in Frankenmuth, MI. Bronner’s has Christmas 361 days a year and they thought it was quite a treat to wander through all of the decorations. We even had lunch at the feet of a giant Santa Claus!

We arrived at Pat’s brother’s house late that afternoon and were quickly set up in his backyard.

 

 

 

Posted in Fulltime RV, Michigan, Michigan Traveler | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

On the Road to Michigan – May 2015

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Michigan Traveler

Route MapIt was great to spend so much time with our daughter in North Carolina, but we were anxious to get back to Michigan to see family and friends. The trip was a bit of a blitz, with only a few long stopovers.

We took two days to get to Delaware State Park, just north of Columbus, OH. Our goal was just to relax for a couple of days and to visit some friends from our time in Key West. 20150509_093803We met John and Terri two years ago in Key West, and John has been my best buddy for geocaching since he introduced me to the sport. We had a great time visiting and having dinner at our campsite.

Our next stop was Middlebury, IN. We had noticed hydraulic fluid collecting on the footpad of one of our leveling jacks, but couldn’t figure out what was causing it. We had had the leveling jack inspected at an RV dealer in Pensacola, but even they didn’t know what was causing it. Quadra Systems makes the Bigfoot Leveling System and is based in White Pigeon, MI, so we decided to travel via White Pigeon and have it checked out by the people that manufactured it. We had an appointment for 7:00 AM, which made for an early departure from the KOA campground in Middlebury. Fortunately they were able to find the problem (a very minor one) and we were on the road within a half hour.

With only about 75 miles to our next stop at the Woodchip RV Park in Byron Center, MI, just south of Grand Rapids, we arrived early in the morning. Fortunately we were able to get into a site right away. We knew there was a weather front moving into the area and it was nice to be all set up and able to sit through the storm nice and dry!

Both of my uncles live in the greater Grand Rapids area and we made plans with my sister to meet all of them for dinner. Ever since my dad passed away in October of 2010 I have felt the need to have a stronger connection to them.

Third BattalionThe primary reason for staying in this area was to see family and old friends. I used to command the 3rd Battalion, 126th Infantry of the Michigan Army National Guard and I was able to meet with several of my former comrades in the Third Michigan NCO Club at the Grand Valley Armory. Two of my former staff officers both have winter homes in the Phoenix area and didn’t know it. Now they will be able to see each other while in Arizona. Another one had served as a commander in the northeastern provinces in Afghanistan. Wow, did he have some stories to share with us! I was proud of him and even prouder to hear from him that much of what he did was based on what he had learned from me over the years we served together.

Pat had some friends in the area from high school in Bad Axe. Kay and Lynn have been our friends for years. After dinner we were able to watch some videos of Lynn singing in barbershop quartet competitions. Lynn was a member of a couple of national award winning quartets as a part of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, better known as the SPEBSQSA. My dad had also been an active Barbershopper and I really enjoyed watching Lynn’s performances.

After all of these visits I couldn’t believe we had spent time with these people who are important to us and didn’t take a single picture! What a lost opportunity!

Even though we consider our trailer our home, it is still a trailer. Consequently the rolling aspect needs regular maintenance. We made an appointment with Cummins Bridgeway, LLC to have the wheel bearings inspected and replaced/repacked. We also asked them to inspected the brakes. We only had a short trip to make to get to our next stop in Lansing, so we planned to have the work done on Friday morning on our way out of town.

We were enjoying breakfast when I got a call from Matt, our service advisor, that one of the drum brakes was literally falling apart and the other three had severe wear on the linings. We told him to go ahead and do what had to be done. We spent most of the day shopping and hanging out in the area and were finally able to pick up our trailer around 6:00 pm. This definitely made for a late arrival in Lansing, but a much safer trip.

Posted in Fulltime RV, Michigan, Michigan Traveler, Ohio | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Raleigh, NC – April 2015 – Part Two

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Michigan Traveler

DSCN4997The last part of our stay in Raleigh seemed to fly by.

Pat and I took part of a day to visit the North Carolina Museum of History. I was impressed with the way the history was displayed. As we walked through the displays there were placards that told the story of individuals who lived in the area during each period. This made the display much more personal to me. The displays that had the biggest impact were those that dealt with the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. Blacks had many opportunities and took advantage of them. North Carolina’s largest city, Wilmington, had a large population of black professionals; physicians, attorneys, etc. Unfortunately, the white population did not DSCN5004like how things were turning out and literally took over the city by force, removed the black leadership and put them on a train out of town. Black legislators were voted out of office and most of the gains from Reconstruction were lost. The Civil Rights Act of the 1960’s began to correct this situation. I went back to the Museum with Elisabeth the following Saturday. It was nice to see her interest and to be able to share it with her.

Also during this time, we finished the batch of homemade wine that I had started when we arrived, enjoyed dinners, both at our campsite and at Elisabeth’s house. Having the time together was the best part of the trip.

Our time in Raleigh ended rather dramatically. While cleaning the bathrooms on our last day in camp, 20150504_215905I stood up under a wall-mounted hand dryer and cut the top of my head. This required a trip to the local urgent care clinic and eight staples in my scalp. Fortunately the whole thing was covered by Workman’s Compensation and I was in good enough shape to drive the next day.

On Tuesday, May 5th, we started our trip back to Michigan.

Posted in Fulltime RV, Michigan Traveler, North Carolina, Working on the Road | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment