2011-31 St Louis Missouri

2011-31

St Louis Missouri

Campground:  Belleville MH and RV Estates.  $150 wkly rate.  Full hookups, 50amp.  An older established park on the SW side of town, Fenton.  A few well maintained MH’s separated from the mainly Rv park.  Neat, clean and nice concrete pads.  Quiet tree lined area and close to shops and restaurants.

Before I left the Mark Twain Lake area, I stopped into a General Store to do laundry.  The place is a regular country store selling all the usual convenience store stuff, coffee and quick lunch items.  The store has tons of fishing lures including live bait and camping equipment, even clothing and way in the back of the store are 4 washers and dryers.  Oddest place I’ve been to too do my laundry.  Kind of funny walking through the store carrying my laundry basket to get to the washers and dryers.

St Louis

I’m not usually this close to a big city, but of course I had to come visit my Niece Kim and family.  So while here, I’m taking advantage of  some big city attractions.  I’ve already done the wonderful zoo and Budweiser Brewing Beer tour on past visits so today I headed downtown to their large Art Museum.  It’s housed in one of the original buildings built for the World Fair held here back in 1904.

I was able to attend the “Monet’s Water Lilies” exhibit $10.  Otherwise the art museum is free to the public.  The special exhibit include the three large three piece painting of Water Lilies.  A grand scene that hasn’t been put together since it was first created.  The exhibit included Ipods for a personalized tour of each of the paintings.  Something I really appreciate.  It was perhaps one of the smallest special exhibits  I’ve ever attended with only about half a dozen Monet paintings in all.

The rest of the museum contains a mixed collection of art, my favorites being the European Art collection, Cubist and Contemporary art.  A few rooms had recently been redone.  The walls were painted in deep rich jewel tones and the paintings were all hung at perfect eye level making for a grand intimate display.  Amazing how the art work popped out against those darker rich colored walls.  One of the security attendants said they had just re-hung the paintings in those rooms and it was like having friends come back into your life.  She had missed seeing them for most of a year.

I’m visiting my niece Kim and her two daughters Megan and Camy and hubby Aaron.  They live in an elegant Dutch Colonial style home in an older established neighborhood.  The house has been expanded upon and is a perfect mix of traditional and modern open style concept living.  A warm home with tons of light and two active kids who I might add like their Uncle Dougie a lot.  

Plans have been aborted since first Megan was ill and now Camy has gotten the same bug.  Hope I didn’t catch anything.

Electronic Gadget Update.

For all you Rv’ers who travel a lot, having your favorite music in the vehicle is a must.  Since many of us have converted our Cd’s into MP3 music, we need a way to play it through our vehicles stereo system/radio.  Now of course the newest vehicles already come equipped with connections for your Ipod and MP3 players, but those of us who have vehicles say pre 2007, we don’t have the built in connections.  I recently discovered that there are wiring kits that can be added to ones car radio to permit the plugging in of MP3 players as well as smart phones which of course have everything from Internet radio apps to Pandora radio stations.

I had used an FM transmitter, a small device that sends out a radio frequency and connects to the MP3 player.  Unfortunately it doesn’t always work well when near larger  metropolitan areas that have a lot of completing radio stations to interfere with ones signal.
I went to a Best Buy and had them install the wiring kit for me.  Not cheap, but so well worth it.  The handy person can go online and find the right kit for their car radio and install it themselves for around $65.  Of course the other option is to just install a new radio with the headphone and USB connections already built in but that also requires a special wiring harness and kit to make the new radio fit the vehicle.

I am beyond ecstatic to be able to plug in either my MP2 player or my smart phone (an Android) to be able to play music and it can even transmit the GPS ladies voice over my radio for instructions on how to get to that next destination. She now gets to tell me I’ve taken the wrong turn in stereo. Imagine.

Cahokia Mounds

Wow,  after stopping by Kim’s house and picking up the girls, we all headed out to the Cahokia Mounds.  There on the Illinois side of Mississippi river and within viewing distance of St Louis.  Now all those who have followed my travels know that I’ve visited a number of Indian mounds as far south as Florida on up through Ohio and now I’m getting the chance to visit the largest Indian Mound site in North America.  The Cahokia Mounds are the largest prehistoric Indian site north of Mexico.  It’s big.  Really big.  The 2200 acre site is protected through the Indiana State Parks and is a World Heritage site.

This is the 1st level of steps to the top, the 2nd set is just as long

All of the mounds that were in St Louis have all been bulldozed away during it’s rapid growth as a city.  But these 80 plus mounds on the east side of the Mississippi have been preserved.  With an estimated population of 20,000 it was the largest prehistoric Indian settlement north of Mexico.  Monks Mound is the largest covering 14 acres with multiple levels and rising to a height of 100 feet.  It’s definitely the largest Indian Mound I’ve seen in North America.  Archeology has gone through quite a transformation over the past 50 years, as one of the mound sites was excavated in the 1960 and completely destroyed.  That wouldn’t happen today and some of the new techniques for looking deep within sites like this without disturbing them will no doubt provide new discoveries in the future.  A 40 foot high peaked building would have sat on the top of Monks Mound.

During a planned expansion of hwy 55/70, archeologists completing a survey of the area discovered 5 circular sun calendars.  Tall wooden posts evenly spaced with one in the center for determining the changing seasons.  They call it Woodhenge and it may never have been discovered it it hadn’t been for the planned road interchange construction.  Which was later revised and moved.

Imagine the sophisticated structure they must have had set up to manage, feed and sustain a population of 20,000 Indians.  And with only wood and stone tools to create not only these structures, but to farm with and develop such a large community.  All to gradually decline in numbers and dissipate after about 250 to 300 years.

On my last couple of days in the St Louis area, I finally caught the dreaded “bug” from Camy or Megan and have been really under the weather.  I’m just starting to feel better and will begin my trek south tomorrow.

And more pictures on Picasa.

2011-30 Hannibal Missouri: A Bonus Report

IOWA
MISSOURI

Hannibal MO
Florida MO

Mark Twain Lake

Campground:   Mark Twain Lake, Army Corp campground.  $9 (half price senior rate)  Electric 50 amp.  Paved driveway.  Both reserve able (full hookups) and drive up sites.  All easy to back into, most are deep sites with plenty of space for those big rig campers.

I headed south out of the Iowa City area on hwy 218, (US 27), which became SR 923, in Missouri it becomes SR B, US 136,  and finally US 61, whew, thank goodness for GPS to keep me on essentially the same road except for all those name changes.  The winds picked up half way through my 173 mile trek.  Gusting to 25-35 mph , but the camper remained steady and comfortable to tow.

I’m staying at another Army Corp campground, taking advantage of my senior discount card.  They’ve already closed a few of the camping loops making for crowded camp loops at the ones that remain open.  I take the first open campsite I find and luck out with one that is surrounded by a forest of fall colors.  Mainly bronzy yellow/browns and light pumpkin oranges and yellow/oranges.  What a dramatic setting.

Oddly the Army Corp campgrounds permit people to place chairs, small tents, table or what ever to reserve sites for their friends who haven’t yet arrived.  It’s the only campgrounds that I’ve ever seen where one can hold a campsite without paying for the site or having the campers already there.  Not sure I like that.

Hannibal

The campground is about 20 miles from the Mississippi River and the famous town of Hannibal.  The town made famous by Mark Twain and the stories he wrote about Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.  The home Mark Twain grew up in is hear (1839) and all a part of a multi-building museum complex.  It’s almost like stepping back in time, wandering the streets, listening to banjo players in the downtown area.  Seeing the buildings that became a part of the stories Mark Twain wrote about with such skill.  Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) got his start working as an apprentice at a newspaper.  As I read the blurbs about his life, I found I had similarities in common with his upbringing.  He never saw anyone in his family kiss, he started work at age twelve and need I even compare our writing skills? ….  One of the Mark Twain museums in town contains many of Norman Rockwell’s painting that he did for an illustrated Tom Sawyer book.


What better way to get the feeling of this river town than to take a river boat cruise down the Mississippi.  It’s an hours tour, 30 minutes down river and 30 minutes back.  Not much of a tour except the great feeling of being on the river, the fresh air and the perfect sunny fall weather.  Seeing barges slowly moving up river.  And talk about realism, as we were boarding the paddleboat, someone in line pointed out a fat happy river rat on shore scampering among the rock walls,  Munching on tall grass and weeds.  

I later stopped into the Missouri State visitors center.  Which was located in the most unusual place in a house on the side of a hill and not even on a major highway.  The attendant was very helpful, even limping off on crutches to get me a few more brochures.  He said he’d broken his leg breaking in a horse and it wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last time either.  He loves to break horses.  Sounds like the horses like breaking him.  But he was in a great mood and provided me with a brochure on the “Great River Road Travel and Map Planner”  It’s a map that covers the roads that follow the great Mississippi River and I’ll be taking a portion of that route on my trip back to Florida.  This could easily take up a full summers journey.  Hmmm something to think about.

On my last day in the area, I drove around the southern end of Mark Twain Lake to the town of Florida.  Yes, Florida Missouri.  It’s where Mark Twain was born and the State park, just outside of the small town contains the Mark Twain Memorial Shrine.  The original two room house was moved a short distance from the town to the Museum where it is protected from the elements.  Since so much of Twain’s life as a boy is centered on Hannibal, I wasn’t expecting all that much.  But after arriving at the Shrine, I must admit that I really did feel the essence of the man who is truly one of Americas favorite authors.  He was born two months early in that two room house and was ornery from the start.  And even a drive through what remains of the town of Florida, barely a cross roads with a few houses and open plots of land, I once again got the feeling of being somewhere special.  Perhaps it was just the clear sunny autumn day.  A freshness in the air not always felt during the hotter summer days. Or maybe is was the silence only broken by the rustling of the dry fall leaves.   So with wonderful quotes from the great author swimming in my head “my books are water: Those of great geniuses are wine. Everybody drinks water”… I headed on back to the Army Corp campground to enjoy a late afternoon of reading a book outdoors surrounded once again by those wonderful pumpkin colored autumn leaves.  

More photos on my Picasa site.  

2011-29 Iowa City Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

Coralville Lake, Iowa

Campground:  Coralville Lake Army Corp of Eng. $9 Electric. (half off the regular price with my Senior Card).  This is the first time I’ve had a chance to use the senior card, Yippee!  Great views of Coral Lake.  Some sites have full hookups and reserve able sites.  Beautiful, easy to back in sites.  Full hookups usually have concrete pads as well.

Well as you know from my last report, I’m visiting with friends Kathy and Randy in Iowa.  This is one of those rare times where I have two built-in tour guides and Randy has already done a great job of taking over the driving for our tours.

We didn’t even have to leave the Army Corp campground site for my first tour.  The Coralville dam, or Dam Complex as it’s called.  They have a small museum in the visitors center including a movie that discusses the building of the dam to prevent flooding.  Though twice in the 1990’s there was enormous flooding, one that had tons of water flowing over the spillway for over a month.  It wore down the river bed exposing the shale beds of a 35 million year old lake bed.

Birth Place of Herbert Hoover

So after exploring the small museum, we were able to walk along the river bed (now dry of course) and find ancient sea life fossils.  What fun to see and touch fossilized creatures that had been buried for over 35 million years, exposed and viewable to us after all those years.  Small creepy crawly creatures, sea shells, tracks from creatures crawling along the bed of a once ancient sea.

Another day we drove over to West Branch Iowa to visit the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and birth place.  Now as a full time Rv’er, I have an agenda to visit as many Presidential Libraries as possible.  Others including me like to visit lighthouses or national parks.  But it’s more than just adding one more library to my bucket list of things to see and do.  You see, when I visit a site like the Hoover Presidential Library, I’m introduced to a man who made something of himself in life.  I learn how he got to where he did in life.  I get to follow his path and see what inspired him, built his character.  And of course, I think this makes me a better person, learning what makes a person a leader and someone I can look up too.

Herbert grew up in a Quaker community where his parents where both educated and leaders of their community.  His Father died when Herbert was 6 and his mother, died when he was only  10.  His brothers and sisters were scattered among relatives and he was sent west to Oregon to live with an Uncle.

He went to Stanford and became an Engineer in Geology, traveling the world for mining companies.  And all along the way was a humanitarian who found ways to help the hungry and homeless.  Often by encouraging others to volunteer their time, effort and food.

I could ramble on about his highs and lows as President, but will let you explore and discover those stories on your own,  including his final years at the Waldorf Astoria Towers.

The next day we drive around this farming communities that surround Iowa City.  On the way to Kalona, Kathy and Randy take me on an adventure into small town shopping.  Out in the farming country are many small Bulk food centers run by the Amish as well as dairy farms where cheddar cheese can be seen being made right on the farm.  We’re able to buy spices of every type in bulk packages, hand made pasta, dairy products and fresh baked goods all at very reasonable prices, some almost too good to believe.  We go into a general store on an Amish farm where one can find all those basic household supplies.

bulk shopping at it's best

We even see a newly built Amish co-op that’s like their version of a Sam’s Club.  In the small town of Kalona we go to a sandwich shop (the Kalona Bakery) where they make fresh sub sandwiches and a whole counter of fresh bakery that calls to us… of course we have to get something sweet along with our sub.  A small store packed with customers eager to experience the small town atmosphere.

Then it’s onto Riverside Iowa, The town came to fame when it decided to call itself “The future birthplace of Capt. James T Kirk“ as of course Star Trek takes place in our future you know.  Later, William Shatner came here to film a movie (of sorts).  It was a spoof on the town and ended up on Spike TV.  The town has the original mock up of the spaceship, a museum of  Star Trek items and of course the filming of the movie/spoof.  Talk about a quirky, fun, unique experience to see a small town caught up in and forever wrapped in the dazzle of being a part of Hollywood.  There 15 minutes of fame now enmeshed in who they are.  And the site is even highlighted on my National Geographic’s map.

One of my last stops in Iowa was to the 7 Villages of Amana.  It was an experiment in communal living that began way back in 1714 as an offshoot of the Lutheran movement in Germany.  They believed in the gift of prophecy and divine inspiration.  They were referred to as The Inspirationalists and eventually took the name of the Ebenezer Society.  After continuing harassment by the governments in Europe, they moved to America where they eventually settled in Iowa.  Creating 7 villages where the farmers and workers lived, radiating out to their farms and factories to work.  They were most productive for over 80 years, but as time went on and younger member grew up, they balked at being told which job they would be assigned too.  After a huge fire destroyed two of the manufacturing factories, the communal life came to an end.  Today only a small weaving mill continues to make blankets and other products though the communities continue to thrive.

Randy and Kathy

I find the communities an inspiration of what can be done with talented people working together to make not only good products but a community where people work together for a common cause.  And what a way to be able to learn new skills than at the hands of inventors and craftsmen.  Though they learned the hard way that a person needs the freedom to decide what kind of work they would like to learn and not be told by an elder, this is your path….

A final note on my visit with Randy and Kathy.  Along with great conversations, I had a chance to meet their daughter Christine and her husband John.  They have adopted a few kids and are foster parents to some who are mentally challenged.  What a loving, fun, energetic family.  Good people doing good deeds every minute of the day.  Whew, I could never keep up.

Oh, and a final final note, I beat the pants off of Kathy and Randy winning two games of Mexican Train.

More photos on Picasa

2011-28 U.P. Mich to Wisconsin to Iowa

Wisconsin

Wausau

Iowa

Campground:  Wausau, Marathon County Park.  $18,  30 amp elect.  No water or sewer at the sites.  Large gorgeous Pine trees, next to this multi use county park.   First half dozen sites suitable for large rigs.

Campground:  Sky High Campground:  $17.50 Passport America price, full hookup.  Rates vary drastically throughout the year.  High end campground with heated swimming pool, gulf course, mini gulf and lots more.

Campground:  Coralville Lake Army Corp of Eng. $9 Electric. (half off the regular price with my Senior Card).  This is the first time I’ve had a chance to use the senior card, Yippee!  Great views of Coral Lake.  Some sites have full hookups and reserve able sites.

I had a great visit with my Sister Ann and then it was time to move on.

I left the Copper County through the small mining towns Painesdale, Toivola and  Donken heading towards the Wisconsin boarder.  The Fall foliage of brilliant reds, tangerines and oranges, yellows and burgundies  became more vivid with each passing mile.  A pair of deer watched as I drove by, as if to say, “we’re sad to see you go”.  The colors and the final goodbye greetings of the deer left me speechless and in awe of natures display.  How is it possible to have such beauty on display.  Needless to say, it will stay with me for some time to come.

Some of the reds were so brilliant that it almost hurt my eyes to look at them.  All seen through a morning of clouds, clear skies, later fog right to the ground and finally rain before I reached my next destination in Wausau Wisconsin.  The Goodyear folks had determined that one of my tires was indeed damaged due to belt separation and will replace it free of charge.  Wausau being the closest town that had one in stock.

Rain, rain, rain, rain, and more rain.  I’m caught in that huge low pressure swirl that’s sitting directly over  Wisconsin and Michigan.  It’s been raining now for 7 days straight.  I may have to put pontoons on the camper soon.  

So what does one do on a rainy day.  I did a bit of updating on my Blog site.  Adding a new link to Army Corp of Engineer Campgrounds.  I know all you campers will find this a great asset to finding great campsites on the water.  And I know I’ll use it a lot.

As a full time Rv’er, I use three or four resources regularly to find the best priced campgrounds in an area.  Rv Park Reviews, Passport America, Free Camping and Casino Camping.  I have links to all of these web sites on this Blog on the right side bar.  If I’m interested in camping at a Forest or State Park, I’ll check those sites as well.  To find Marathon County Park, I used the RV Park Review site.  It’s especially good for providing reviews of the campsites as well as price for camping.

What’s Wausau like you ask.  Well it’s a city of around 38,000.  The downtown area is filled with new construction and an entire city block of older buildings was torn down and replaced with a large open park for festivals and musical events.  A compact Mall anchored by Penny’s, Sears and Yonkers  faces the newer city center of shops and businesses and compliments but doesn’t take away from the shops the downtown area.  Overall the area seems to be a thriving small city.

Unemployment is low in this area, the summer temps average around 84 and winter around 20 degrees.  There’s even a good ski hill within a few miles of the downtown area.  Two colleges and a number of satellite college/university campuses are in the area.

I’m not planning on exploring that much of Wisc, and will save it for another time down the road.  From what I can tell so far, people in Wisc. Really like to camp during the summer months and there are just a ton of campgrounds of every type throughout the state.  The northern portion of the state is called the North country with lots of forests, lakes and great spots for camping.  The middle portions having more farms mixed in with forest and the southern area gets into the prairie lands with huge farms over wonderful rolling landscapes.

I’m passing through and staying only one night in Baraboo which is close to the Wisconsin Dells, a truly family oriented vacation get-a-way.  With all the tacky mystery shows, water parks et-all.  I took a backcountry tour through the farming country, road a free ferry across the Wisconsin Lake, had lunch at a lake side eatery and traveled along the lake side before heading back to the Sky High campground.

I’m heading into Iowa to visit with my Desert Trails friends, Randy and Kathy.  They summer in Iowa to be near family and grandkids of course.  I headed out early Thursday morning, as I had noted that there were going to be high winds, 35-45 mph, by noon.  It helps to be aware of the weather before heading out.  I was able to get to Coralville IO before the heavy winds started and glad I did, as the winds picked up quickly and would have made for dangerous traveling conditions.

What a joy to meet up with friends I’ve met along the way.  Kathy and Randy have two campers, one large 5th wheel camper that they live in most of the time, and a small travel trailer for doing short excursions around the area.  If you talk to any full timer, you’ll find that most of us would love to own a second camper for those more adventurous trips that aren’t necessarily practical with a larger camper.

I’m sure I’ll have lots to report on during my travels in Iowa, before heading to St Louis to visit with my niece and her family.   So stay tuned for more adventures….

2011-27 Houghton Michigan, Family hometown visit

2011-27

Houghton Mich.
Jacobsville
Gay
Bete Grise

How much is that doggie in the window, (arf, arf)
  The one with the waggley tail (arf, arf)
How much is that doggie in the window,
  I do hope that doggie is for sale

The song was coming over the sound system at a nice restaurant (Joey’s)  in downtown Houghton where I was having lunch.  I believe it was being sung by the Patty Page.  A song I remember from my childhood growing up here in the U.P.  We might have even had it on a 45 record, which I’m sure we played and sang too often…. Driving our Mom a bit nutty. Talk about instant memories of growing up here in the U.P.

Even though I had lived in the this area for 20 years, there is always something to explore, so after checking out a few maps I decided to concentrate on the east side of the Keweenaw Peninsula.  And though Jacobsville, my first stop along the way is only about 17 miles from Hancock, it took over an hour to drive around Rice Lake and Torch Lake to get to Jacobsville.

It was one of those drives through a very remote area of the U.P,. Jacobsville having no stores or gas stations just the end of the road and a light house at the entrance to the Portage Canal, a few homes making up the community and a small Swedish Lutheran Church now acts as a community center.

National Park Ranger, Ron

The small town of Gay has a tavern (with of course the expected tacky T-shirts with gay references), Fire Department and the remains of a once large stamp mill.  The old school is being renovated into a museum as the area has some wealthy patrons who have homes along the lake shore.   A small campground with cabins is being built along Lake Superior.  The campground appears to have been in place for some time now.  What a remote area to spend a few days along the shores of Lake Superior.  Ron and I enjoyed taking pictures at the old Mohawk Stamp Mill.  Seeing the tall smoke stack, concrete walls with many unusual shaped doorways and a concrete slew going to the lake along with the black stamp sand along the shoreline.

Lake Superior Shoreline

Bete Grise has the most beautiful protected harbor with a lively community around the bay, a lighthouse tucked away behind a thicket of pine trees.  Along the Lake Superior shore line, seeing steep red sandstone cliffs, rocky shorelines and a white capped lake, with many areas to for blueberry picking in the fall months.  A number of trees are starting to turn color with a few splashy reds, yellow and oranges scattered amongst the thick green forests.

This whole area is often overlooked by the casual tourist who would normally drive up US 41 to Copper Harbor, Brockway Mt Drive, Eagle Harbor and Eagle River.  A superb drive worth taking, but I sure enjoyed getting off the beaten path and seeing a side of the Keweenaw Peninsula I’d never experienced.

Of course I’ve been visiting with my Sister Ann and Jim, having them over for dinner one evening a playing a few games of Mexican Train (dominos).  And I hate to say it but Jim was the winner of all of the games.  Talk about luck!  I’ll get him next time….

I was telling one of my stories from a visit to a restaurant on the eastern end of the U.P.  The waitress was talking to some customers, of course her voice carrying across the room so everyone could hear.  She was telling them how all the roads in the U.P. are posted at no more than 55 mph except one small stretch that was designated at 65mph.  Now she was saying, “I know this sounds dumb, but I just had to drive over to that stretch of highway and drive up and down it, going 65, just to experience going that fast.”  Everyone got a chuckle out of her slightly eccentric behavior, but it was also a statement about how frustrating it can be for the locals traveling at only 55 mph across vast stretches of lonely highway up here.  Especially if they have to follow us tourists who are following the speed limit and enjoying the drive.

Ann and Jim

and a visit with the Palosaari cousins

and of course more pictures on PICASA.

2011-26 Yooper Country, U.P., Northern Michgan, Da U.P.

2011-26

Campground:  Cadillac Woods Campground.  Passport America half price, $14.50.  30 amp elect/water.  Hilly campsites, lots of trees, close to main road traffic noise.  Could be a bit touchy to get into some sites with larger rigs.

Campground:  Kewadin Casino.  Free:  $0.00  30 amp parking lot sites.  Kind of tight, so try and get the outside or last site in the row.  In Christmas Mich., outside of Munising N Mich.

Campground:  Ojibwa Casino (Marquette).  Free $0.00  50 amp.  Nice wooded large back in sites w/large picnic table.  Tall pine trees.  Casino gives you $5.00 a day real money for playing the slots or whatever and a coupon for one free drink.

Campground:  Hancock City Park. $22.00 50 amp. & water and cable TV.  Not all sites have water.  Short walk through the woods to the city beach which is really a pretty country park like setting.

Before I could get back on the road, I needed to have my alignment on the camper checked out and balance the tires.  As it turned out, the alignment was fine, but one tire had developed a bald spot due to being completely out of balance.  Will need to see if the tire manufacturer will replace it.  Likely it began the day I purchased the camper, as I had been noticing that the camper had excessive vibration.  With light bulbs, bolts and screws coming loose every time I headed on down the road.

With that all taken care, of thank you very much and why didn’t I get the tires balanced when I first purchased the camper, I was ready to head out.  

As always I was eager to get back on the road as you know I love traveling.  Crossing the Mackinaw Bridge, all 5 miles of it, was smooth sailing on a very clear day.  Needless to say, I could look down at the water below through the two inch square open metal grid road bed, or drive on the right hand side which is paved and look over what seems like a very low guard rail, out at the water way way below as the bridge arches high into the sky before coming back down on the other side.

The U.P. (Upper Peninsula) has a primitive wild atmosphere in some places, especially when driving through inland sand dunes, past boggy wetland areas with stunted spruce trees that would look right at home in the frigid north tundra area of Canada and Alaska.  Did you know the highest point in Michigan is the U.P.?  It’s Mount Arvon at 1979 feet between Marquette and L’Anse.

Towns are few and far between.  I was so mesmerized by the scenery that I almost forgot to fill up with diesel.

My first stop in the U.P. is at the Kewadin Casino in Christmas Mich.  Free camping and close to Munising.  After setting up, went inside to get a light dinner and was given a coupon for a free hotdog and drink.  Life is good on the cheap.  Some of the trees are just staring to turn color and I can’t wait to see them in their full fall regalia.

I checked out the possibility of seeing a moose up in these parts.  Both the National Park Ranger who had only seen two in all her years up here and a shop owner also had seen two, but over in the Newberry area.  They say there are about 600 in all of the U.P. A moose did walk into Munising last year and police had to stop all traffic while the moose wandered around town, then headed back into the woods never to be seen again.  After checking some online resources I drove west of Marquette where they’ve transplanted moose from Canada.  The moose herd has grown, but I wasn’t able to see any along the narrow poorly maintained paved road as it followed a meandering stream through dense woods, marshy land and dirt roads leading to private camps.

in search of a moose, at least the scenery was great

My next stop is at Ojibwa Casino, I not only get my very nice campsite for free, but they give me a $5 bill each day and a coupon for a free drink.  Imagine, $5 a day that they give me and I get to stay in their campsite for free.  And last night I won $11.00.  Of course this spoils me especially when I go to pay for the next campsite on down the road.

The Copperama (no longer in existence) is where I had my first job at 12 yrs old.

A two hour drive and I arrive in Houghton, my home town.  If you’ve been following my Blog your already know a bit about the area known as the Copper Country and home to Finlandia University and Michigan Technological University.  I went to both along with a slew of other colleges when I moved to Florida.

I’ll be visiting with my sister mainly while up here.  If I can find something interesting to write about I’ll add another report, but otherwise I’ll take a two week break before continuing my reports.

The lift bridge to the Keweenaw Peninsula