Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Jerry and Mitzy enjoying the woods
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Work with a View
Since BERT, our coach, is in for work 30 miles to the north, we spent the week staying with our good friend, Jamers. I took over her office and worked in style with a picture-window view of her woods that had wild turkeys, deer, a large assortment of birds, and squirrels and chipmunks. At various times of day they would walk by the window on their way to nourishment at her feeders and water troughs. Here is a picture of Jamers’ gorgeous place in the woods.



Feast In South Haven
One night we drove over to South Haven for a feast prepared by Kim with help from Phil. We ate at Patrick and Jan’s place. Here is an evening shot of their beautiful home.



Cats Across America?
Here is a shot of Jamers’ cat, Max, along with neighborhood casts, Lily and Morey (painted version).







Trail Hikes
Jamers’ neighbor, Tom, showed us the wooded trail that goes through their neighborhood and beyond. Every day since he took us on it we walked the Kids letting them run free and enjoy the scents and the scenes. Really nice, peaceful trail.





Ribarama
Every year Jamers hosts a banquet for 50 or so of her friends that includes intricately prepared grilled pork ribs and chicken (special sauces), baked beans (to die for), a bar full of libations (the good stuff), and catered appetizers and side dishes--all just wonderful food. It was a delightful affair and afforded us the opportunity to re-connect with longtime friends--some I had not seen in a decade or more. It was especially nice as, our daughter-in-law, Kelly, and our grandson, Austin, flew in from Denver to attend, bringing her mom and dad, who live in the area, to “Ribarama.” Jamers pays for the whole thing but accepts donations for local non-profits. This year the event raised well over $700 to support the ASPCA and Loaves and Fishes. If the stars align, we hope to attend next year. Here is a shot of Jamers along with her trusted sous chef, Patrick, one of Patrick taking a “smoking” break (smoking ribs that is), Jamers and Cody, and Kim.

Pups Across America

Headlights

Because of our coach taking so long to be fixed up and my business schedule, we have had to make some modifications to our plans. Here is what things look like as of now:

September 25 - October 7: Kalamazoo, MIchigan
October 8 - 9: Travel south
October 9-11: Visit Friends in Kentucky
October 12-14: Travel south
October 15-19: Visit Auntie in Orlando area
October 20: Arrive back on Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Michigan

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Boardwalk Mitzy and Jerry Wannabe
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Perfect Porkies



Wow! The weather here in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was magnificent--cool in the morning gradually warming to a blue-sky, soft-breeze low 80s.

Just at sunrise we took the Pups on a hike starting close to our campground, a two-plus mile trek that went on both sides of the Preque Isle River. In the course of our hike, we came upon Manabezbo Falls, Mandino Falls, and also Nawadaha Falls. Gorgeous.









After breakfast, we all loaded up in our car and took the South Boundary Road east and north for 36 miles to the park Visitor Center (you guessed it--this is a big park (60,000 acres). At the Visitor Center, along with viewing the exhibits, we took advantage of the free Internet, a nice treat when there is virtually zip for cell phone signals for 30 miles. From there we turned east, leaving the park to go through Silver City and into Ontonagon, where we first fueled up the car and then we fueled up ourselves at a local café (I had the meatloaf plate special and Jan had a taco salad). We also bought a couple tomatoes the size of cantaloupe from an old geezer in a pick-up truck. After touring this interesting town, we headed back into the park, first driving through the modern campground to check it out. Like our primitive campground, this one is right on Lake Superior and has the same awesome views plus water and electricity. Several sites have ample room for BERT, so we would certainly consider staying there in the future.

Next we drove to Lake of the Clouds, one of Michigan’s main natural attractions. The view was nice, but the harsh light made it unacceptable for photos. From here we retraced our tracks and were back in camp by mid-afternoon. We sat outside enjoying the weather and watching our fellow campers.



Monday: Travel Day



We left the campground early, heading south for 16 miles on the same country road we had come in on. At Wakefield we turned east on 28 and drove it a couple hundred miles through the middle of the Upper Peninsula, driving through 26 small towns and one bigger one (Marquette) before settling in on Lake Superior at the Tourist Park Campground in Munising. We parked within 30 feet of the water with a wonderful view. This is about as good as it gets for our kind of camping--great view, full hook-ups, excellent WiFi, close to all sorts of things. We had fresh trout and whitefish at Dogpatch, a local restaurant, and then enjoyed our camp setting and the 82-degree afternoon.



Tuesday: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore



During the night the temperature dropped, the winds increased, and the rains started, so once again we awoke happy not to be tenters!

We loaded into the car and spent the entire day admiring and exploring Picture Rocks National Lakeshore. We took 28 east for just a few miles then connected with county road H58. My plan was for us to drive the entire 52 miles to the end of the park, and then slowly work our way back with the morning sun behind us. Well, there was no visible sun, but I stuck to the plan anyway. For the most part the road was level and smooth, and we were surrounded by trees just starting to show their fall color.

When we got to Grand Marais (this is a place we’d like to re-visit in the future), we got some coffee to go and drove around the town. On the north end we stopped at a viewing station of Lake Superior. We also drove through a campground on the lake that would also be fun to stay at on a future visit. We bypassed Sable Falls, but stopped at the Log Slide Overlook where we took the short trail ending at the site where they used to slide logs down off the bluffs. We drove along the lake and passed by the white sands of Twelvemile Beach. We would have liked to spend more time, but we had to get back to Munising in time for our appointment.











After getting back to BERT (our Big Expensive Road Traveler), having lunch, and walking the Pups, we drove down to the dock for our glass-bottom boat tour of sunken ships. Because the waters were quite rough offshore (12 to 16 footers), the cruise was cut to viewing just one sunken wreck and viewing one old lighthouse. The old wooden iron ore hauler was interesting, but the water was stirred up because of the winds so the viewing was not ideal. Anyway, it was nice to get on the water, and because of the limited cruise the price was cut in half.



Getting back to camp, we decided to go see the things on our driving tour that we’d missed in the morning. So, loading up the Kids, we headed back to Pictured Rock. We stopped at Munising Falls, then drove out to Sand Point to view the old coast guard station, which is now the park headquarters, and looked at the remains of a few wrecks that were torn up by the shore. Next we drove to Miners Falls, taking the mile-plus path down to watch the tumbling waters--very nice. From here we took another short trail overlooking the big lake and the rock structure called Miners Castle.











After that we went back to our campsite where the weather had warmed, the sun had appeared, and the winds lessened. Jan built a fire on the beach where we had dinner and watched the sun go down.

One busy day!





Wednesday: Brrrrrrr!
After a windy night, we awoke to 40 degrees and 35-mile-an-hour winds. Jan and I spent the entire day working and got a lot done. There was an incentive to stay inside as the wind never let up, the rain would start and stop intermittently, and it hailed a couple of times to boot.

The UP
I’d forgotten how pretty Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is. Lot and lots to see--one could easily spend the entire summer here--maybe we will.

Thursday: Heading South



The weather stayed the same so it was time to go. After doing an online services account management recording with my friends from Service Strategies, we rolled out of the campground at 10:15. Jan drove the bus east on 28 as I worked on the computer. At 123 we turned south and then turned south again on I-75. I drove the bus over the Mackinaw Bridge and down into the Lower Peninsula. I turned south on 31 then south again on 131. We took this all the way down to Manton where we found a campground for the night.

Friday: Our Old Stomping Grounds



Jan got us back on 131 south and we drove to Grand Rapids, stopped for fuel, and then continued on another 30 miles to the small town of Wayland. Here we stopped at an RV service center to get more warranty work done. We unhooked our tow car and headed south to stay with our good friend, Jamers, in Kalamazoo while the coach was being fixed up. It was nice to be back in our old stomping grounds. Jan is from the area, and the two of us spent 15 years or so living here.

Saturday: The Big Rivalry
Jan’s brother, Wayne, and his wife Anna invited us to the Big Game. They are big supporters of our old college, Western Michigan University, and have great seats eleven rows up on the 45-yard line. The weather was perfect for football, 70 degrees, and to top it off, this was The Big Game: Western was playing their arch rivals, Central Michigan University. Similar to the other big rivalries in football, e.g., Ohio State-Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma, etc., there is some bad blood between the two schools. Hence, lots of nasty cracks about the intelligence and integrity of Central was bantered about in the crowd around us. My favorite comment was, “How do you get a Central graduate off of your porch? Pay him for the pizza!”

Anyway, to put it mildly, Western stomped them 44 to 14. Here are a few pics of the afternoon. By the way, the fan with the big head is Western’s president. Also note that Western is known for its fashion sense and takes pride in starting clothing trends. Note the sophisticated WMU fan wearing a chicken hat, for example.

Pups Across America

Headlights

September 18-October 7: Kalamazoo, MIchigan
October 8 On: TBD

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: photography, Michigan, Upper Peninsula

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Chilly Mitzy and Poetry Pups
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Devils Tower National Monument



I took the Pups out pre-dawn into the brisk 41-degree morning. Soon Jan and I drove the two miles to the Tower Trailhead, stopping to view a really big porcupine making his way up a hill. By 6:25 a.m. we were working our way up the trail that goes around Devils Tower. We were the only ones there (so we thought), which was totally opposite from the parking lot of the evening before when it was crowded with tour busses, motor homes, and cars full of tourists. We thoroughly enjoyed the easy 1.3-mile trek, stopping often to take pictures and watch the red squirrels gather pine cones for the upcoming winter. As we listened to the birds and critters we heard another noise, and looking up we saw three climbers halfway up the hill. We later found out that they had scaled the Tower the night before, camped on the peak, and were now making their way down--probably trying to avoid arrest!. Just a wonderful way to start the day.





Busted
When we drove back to camp, a brown note was on our windshield. Just as I pulled it off and before I could read it, up came the serious-looking camp host, decked out in full National Park attire. He ominously told us that our dogs had been barking non-stop for the two and a half hours we had been gone (actually it had been 65 minutes, but no sense arguing with an official of the law no matter what their lowly rank), and it was against regulations to leave them unattended. He also said that several of our camping neighbors had complained (it was Sunday morning you know), and he could hear the racket all the way across the campground. I apologized solemnly and vowed it would not happen again. Over the next hour, Jan and I apologized to all our neighbors. However, they all said they either hadn’t noticed or hadn’t cared. It seemed that a ranger driving through camp got all worked up and sounded the alarm. I really wish we had heard them though, as I guess they started to howl like the big savage canines they are and it set off coyotes from all around to start howling--could have loved to have recorded that. To give you an idea of how the Kids can howl, here is a 20-second movie, “Pups Gone Wild.”



I spent most of the rest of the morning finishing up last week’s blog, editing pictures, and planning out the next steps in our RV adventure. Jan did some painting and, of course, met several of our neighbors, all nice people with their own unique life stories to tell. Here is the “mini RV” of one of our neighbors.



Cowboy Poetry
Just like when we camped at Vega State Park in Colorado, by coincidence, our stay at Devils Tower occurred at the same time as their annual Cowboy Poetry event. We walked down and enjoyed the poetry of an 85-year-old local woman and the singing and joshing of a bunch of old cowboys and ranchers who belted out old cowboy songs. They were quite good actually. Here are a few pictures, including some young cowboys jostling on the grass.













Country Ride
Late in the afternoon we took a country ride (bumpy dirt roads, of course) to the Black Hills National Forest, and at Jerry’s request, we took one more trip to Prairie Dog Town.





Monday: Labor Day at Teddy Roosevelt National Monument
I took the pups out early to a much warmer morning. While I was away, Jan started getting the coach ready to go, and after breakfast we left the campground promptly at 7:57 a.m.



Stopping at the entrance to the park to get our mandatory picture of the park sign for the blog, we turned left on 24 and drove to Hewlett. We passed through the little town of Alva, population 50, and on through Alladin, where the posted sign said that there were 15 residents. At least according to the map our road turned into Wyoming 34 and we continued on east, turning north at the 85 junction. Soon we were in North Dakota, and we stopped for lunch in the coach at the tiny visitor center at Bowman, where I got my official state map and other information on what North Dakota had to offer. At Belfield we fueled up and then turned west on I-94 for the 15 miles to the entrance of Teddy Roosevelt National Monument in the town of Medora.



We set up camp, and late afternoon we drove the 36-mile scenic route, seeing a few wild horses and prairie dogs.



Tuesday: Wild Horses, Bison, and PDs
Returning from my morning Pup walk and within 100 yards of BERT, we spotted two wild horses, a stallion and a mare. I quickly took the Pups back to the coach, gathered my camera and tripod, and then returned taking pre-dawn pictures of these equines eating grass and small plants with purpose. I stood out there for 45 minutes taking photos and admiring this handsome couple.





After breakfast we returned to the 36-mile scenic route. In the early morning we had much better luck finding critters. In fact, we saw well over 100 bison, sometimes quite up close and personal. We had to stop a few times to let them cross the road. We also had great luck with the wild horses, viewing 50 or more during our trip. Of course the highlight for the Pups were the hundreds of prairie dogs.













Really Big Trucks



After working a few hours it was time to move on. While I worked in the passenger chair, Jan took us east on I-94, then north on 85. Here you would have sworn that the Really Big Truck Convention was going on with long trucks, wide trucks, and a vast assortment of really big trucks heading in all directions carrying equipment and supplies for energy and agriculture. I never saw so many signs saying, “Oversized Load” or “Wide Load.” At Walford City I had Jan turn east on 23--big mistake! There may have been concrete or asphalt below us, but you would never have known it. For close to 30 miles we shared the rough dirt paths with more really big trucks through a construction maze. Finally, we stopped and camped at the Van Hook Resort, in New Town, ND. Long day.

Wednesday: Lake Metigoshe



I worked till 10:00 a.m., and then it was time to head out. We took 23 east for about 50 miles and then took 83 north, passing by Minot. At Highway 5 we went east to Bottineau, north on a county road for six miles, and east again on 43 for six miles to the entrance of Lake Metigoshe State Park. We found a site, and set up in this picturesque setting. This very popular park was mostly empty (post-Labor Day), and we enjoyed the solitude. The weather was just about perfect, and we ended the day with a nice campfire.



Thursday: Peace Garden
While working on the computer in the wee hours, I suddenly heard a noise. I opened up the door and heard stereophonic howling--the coyotes were at full yap. This made me a little more careful of the Little Ones when I took them out a little later. This was followed with Jan and I hiking on the Old Oak Trail, a pretty walk through the woods.

At 8:00 a.m. the family loaded into the car and we drove the three miles south, 16 miles east, and three miles north to the North Dakota-Manitoba Canada border to visit the International Peace Garden. This joint collaboration of two governments is just a marvelous place to visit. The tranquil 2,300 acres include lakes, formal gardens, sunken gardens, memorial gardens, woods with hiking trails, a campground, a chapel, a 9-11 memorial, a museum, café, and more. Yes, it is a little isolated, but worth the visit. Check it out at www.peacegarden.com.













I worked the rest of the day while Jan did some more art--see what you think.



Friday: Minnesota
Jan and I took the Pups out for an early morning romp, and Jan found a live dragonfly partially iced over in the grass. Jerry was very interested in giving him a smell, while Mitzy tried to eat him! Luckily Jan saved him.



After computer work, and a Swedish Skype, we pulled out of Lake Metigoshe State Park for a 300-mile trek around 10:00 a.m. We took 43 east to 3 south down to Rugby, where we picked up 2 for the rest of day’s travel through Devil’s Lake and Grand Forks. At Grand Forks we stayed on 2, passing into Minnesota going all the way to Bemidji, where we camped for the night at the Royal Oaks RV Park.

Saturday: On to the Porkies



We were on the road at 8:00 a.m., back heading east on Highway 2 driving the 100 miles of Midwest prairie through Duluth and on into Wisconsin. After stopping for lunch (I had the special) in the little burg of Poplar, we stayed on 2, passing through Ashland and Hurley. We again crossed state lines and came into Ironwood. We stopped at the Michigan Visitor Center only to find it closed on weekends (great marketers those Michigan recreation folks). Not to worry, I had done my research online early that morning and had a good idea where I wanted to take us. So at Wakefield we turned east on 28 for just a couple of miles, and then turned north on County Road 5-9 for 16 miles through a canopy of just-starting-to-change-color trees. We turned into the Porcupine Mountains State Forest and found a huge campsite, not more than 50 yards to a bluff overlooking Lake Superior. Jan cooked over the campfire, and we ended the day watching the sunset over the big Lake.

Pups Across America

Headlights

September 11 to 24: Michigan TBD
September 23-October 7: Markin Glen County Park, Kalamazoo, MI
October 8-15: ???
October 16-31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1 to ???
??? to ???
???: Back on Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Wyoming, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Pups Across America! - Mitzy and Pug-nacious
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

(Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday
The Pups and I took a big walk down to the marina, by the swim beach, and back to the coach under overcast skies. A little later Austie and I went out--him riding his Bat trike down to the playground. Here is a picture of him on his trike.



Photo Contest
I took an action shot of Austie I really like. Which version do you like best--the original color, black-and-white, infrared, haiku, sketch, or oil?













On our way back we startled a bull snake that politely scurried into the grass upon our arrival.

Late morning Jan and I plus the Little Man drove halfway to Parker to meet his parents for brunch. From there they took Austie home and Jan and I took the back roads back to camp.

Monday Morning: BERT Repairs
A little after 8:00 a.m. we pulled out of Boyd Lake State Park and drove five miles to an RV service facility where we are getting some warranty work done. From there we drove to Austie’s home in Parker.

Midday Monday until Midday Friday: Hanging at Austie’s
I set up work on the dining room table and the next few days fell into a routine. I walked the Kids plus HannaPug early morning, midday, and evening. I worked on projects most of the day, and Jan and I would go out for lunch. Jan kept busy doing laundry, preparing meals, and running errands. In the evenings we caught up with Aaron and Kelly and spent some time with Austie. Our stay went very well. Jan also did some art during the week. Check out her cool postcards.





Friday PM: Back Camping
Friday at 1:00 I got the call that our coach work was complete, and by 1:30 we were on the road, heading back to Loveland. We caught the beginnings of the holiday weekend rush-hour traffic, but by 4:30 we had picked up the coach and set up our campsite at the Loveland RV Resort (we got the last space available). We fueled up our car and bought provisions in preparation for heading north.

Saturday: North to Wyoming



At 8:00 we were on I-25 north. After 60 miles we stopped in Cheyenne for fuel and continued north. A few miles north of Cheyenne we turned ENE on 85 through LaGrange, Hawk Springs, and up to Torrington, through Lusk, and LaGrange. At Newcastle we picked up Highway 16 west, going through Upton and Moorcraft, where we headed east on 14. At Devils Tower Junction we took 24 north a few miles to the Devils Tower National Monument.

It was quite a pretty drive, however, the miles went even faster as we listened to The Great Gatzby most of the trip.



The campground at Devils Tower is beautiful with big sites, lots of trees, and plenty of room between campers. It is dry camping (no electricity or water) but not a problem in BERT. Plus the minimal $12 per day camping fee makes it all the more pleasant. It is one of the most enjoyable places we have camped, with a great view of the tower from our campsite.



That evening there was a dramatic performance, “Dakota Daughters” at the amphitheater, about a three minute walk from our campsite. Three talented women played Sitting Bull’s daughter, a rancher’s wife, and a young lady engaged to a Buffalo soldier, so one learned three quite different perspectives. The time frame was from after the Battle of Greasy Grass (Little Big Horn) to the Wounded Knee Massacre. Very, very well done. (Dakota Daughters, threevoices@rushmore.com, 605-393-2680.)







Across from the amphitheater is Prairie Dog Town. You could hear their background chirps during the performance. Also, I saw this young girl sitting in this meadow, intent on her surroundings.

Pups Across America

Headlights

September 4: Devils Tower National Monument
September 5-22: ???
September 23-October 7: Markin Glen County Park, Kalamazoo, MI
October 8-15: ???
October 16-31: Visit Kentucky friends
November 1 to ???
??? to ???
???; Back on Pine Island

Have questions or comments--send them in.

See you next week.

Tags: Colorado State Parks, Devils Tower Wyoming