June 18, 2019

From our first stop in St. Joe to our last stop in Munising we saw pastys (pronounced pass-tees) advertised in the windows of cafes, bars, and restaurants. They seemed to be every where. For our almost 3 weeks in Michigan we wondered what they were and yesterday we decided to find out. It was ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and seasonings, the density of meat loaf wrapped in a flakey dough. We split one and were barely hungry at supper time. A great lunch for someone who labors all day.

June 16, 2019

We have done so much since being in UP. All of it has been new and different which suits Bill and me well. Being Buckeyes, we never took much interest in Michigan and we were missing out. In Sault Saint Marie we took a boat tour which included going through the Soo Locks. I understood the basic concept, but the physics of it gave it so much more perspective. It’s still difficult to wrap my mind around gravity drawing water down which lifts 1000 foot freighters up and makes up the difference in the water levels between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. Apparently before the locks were developed in the 1800’s, there were rapids between the two Great Lakes. We went on to Canada next. We were only there for 4 hours, and then back to the US of A. It was quite an adventure I will likely write about later. Then on to Pictured Rocks in Munising, Michigan. OMG here’s where the intersection of God and travel really showed itself. Unfortunately my phone didn’t cooperate, but Bill is going to send me pics I took on his phone. Pictured Rocks is a 32 mile stretch (I believe) of cliffs reflecting the many geologic layers from 50 million years ago. Some of them looked like water colors, blending green (copper), red (iron), white (magnesium) and blue (for I don’t know what). The wind and water had carved out caves, tunnels, and arches, and as amazing as anything were all of the trees growing out of rock! And today Bill and I took a hike around Miners Castle seeing some of the same phenomena from the ground. Marge

June 12, 2019. Rain was in the forecast for most of the upcoming week, and we were so glad that one of the breaks in the rain was Monday night when there was a lecture on the opposition of Jupiter at the Headlands Intl Dark Sky Park. Skies were totally clear to see various constellations and Jupiter and the moon through the telescopes.They remained clear through the next day when we took the Soo Lock excursion on the St. Mary river. It was very cool to go through the lock 2X on the tour. The physics of it were fascinating and the locks have been in existence since the early 1800’s. We saw multiple 1000 foot freighters and one going through the lock. Amazing to see simple physical forces raise a 1000 foot boat. Then the rain began again. Laundry done – check. Grocery shopping done-check. Time to pull out the books.

The most difficult part of our camping and travel so far has been the midges. Each is about 3X the size of a mosquito, and they are a nuisance a couple at a time. Unfortunately they often come in very large swarms! It helped to read about them at Fort Michilimackinac and get a scientific description and explanation that they dont bite, carry diseases, or cause any real harm. That reduced my anxiety. They are particularly prevalent close to the water and our campsite is by the water. For a few days I was able to ignore them. At one point I tried to think of them as friends as a way of coping with the major annoyance. I’ve never had so many friends. 😂 The posted picture can’t begin to show the vastness of their presence. One white car showed more gray than white because it was covered with them.It has rained for a couple of days, which has provided for some relief from the insects, but their are still plenty of them. There is still laundry to be done and groceries to purchase which are mundane as usual. Today I decided to clarify that as fantastic as this experience has been, it’s not fantastic all the time. Enough of the negative.

We have been enjoying a host of new and different activities. From an afternoon at Fort Michimackinaw, to a day at Tahquamenon Falls, and then a day at Mackinac Island, we have been quite active.

It was intriguing to learn about the various nations that fought over this land up here, and striking to realize how diplomacy ended up serving everyone’s purpose. The meaning of history to me has increased a great deal over the last fewyears. Hmmmmm.

Tahquamenon Falls was different from other falls I have seen because the color of the falls was more amber and gold than white and blue. As well the views required more physicality than I’m used to. Fortunately I appreciate the challenge of it. And speaking of required physicality, today Bill and I took our bicycles on a ferry out to Mackinac Island. We rode 8+ miles around the island and enjoyed being in this quaint community where literally there aren’t any motored vehicles. Horse drawn carriages and trailers transport people and luggage to and from ther lodging and it seemed as though every 10th business was a bike rental establishment. I’ve never seen so many bicycles! I am loving all these new and different experiences, and loving sharing them with Bill. I feel so fortunate that he shared my vision for this trip.

June 4, 2019.

We had a pleasant uneventful drive from Coloma. Its especially satisfying when were in the mh, towing a car, and it is uneventful.

We arrived at the largest campground we have been to, and it is very spread out. It was delightful to have a camp site just feet from the water with an unobstructed view. We set up the mh and the experience of camping, traveling, husband, and God was thrilling. It was particularly so because it was Bill’s and my 36th anniversary. We celebrated by going to a rustic restaurant, Chippiwa Room. For the first time we ate elk (medallions) in a delicious reduction. We had a bottle of a previously untasted wine that paired well with the elk and noted we were glad we stayed together through the tough times. The next day we explored Mackinac by car, planned what we wanted to do over the next 10 days and had a campfire by the lake. The sunset seemed especially heart gripping. Another day of feeling so blessed and wondering why God would choose to bless me in such a way.

June 3, 2019

Lots of people, though not I, know Marion shares a good neighbor with St. Joe, Michigan. Having landed in St. Joe Bill and I checked Trip Advisor as usual and learned that the Whirlpool Compass is the #1 tourist attraction in St. Joe. We typically go to Trip Advisor’s top rated attractions and so we headed to the Whirlpool Compass. It’s adjacent to Silver Beach which had plenty of people on a 60 degree day. In fact, there were plenty of people all over the historic, commercial area of St. Joe. Who knew St. Joe is a Midwest resort? Not me. We never paid much attention to that state up north. We left without seeing all we wanted to and decided to return the next day.

June 1, 2019

Today started out like a symphony. It was exciting to know that we had finally begun our journey, yet we had not arrived at the exciting part.

We made our way to Coloma Michigan, and celebrated with our favorite shredded chicken salad and a bottle of Pouilly-Fuisse which we’d saved for this day since Christmas.

We’ll be here for 3 days since we’ve opted for a slow pace and look forward to checking out a nearby lake (one of the Greats?) and the Southwest Michigan wine trail.

Feeling so blessed to be able to be embarking on this path. God has been so good to us!

Marge

I am recently retired and looking forward to the next chapter of my life. The plan is that next spring my husband, Bill, and I will become full time rvers. By now I realize that lots could happen to change our course and I’m confident that whatever the future holds we’ll be good. In the mean time we are planning to live my dream! Don’t get me wrong, Bill is fully on board with this, he just isn’t a dreamer. He really likes camping, traveling, and being with me but is more of a bloom where you’re planted type of guy. When I think of camping, traveling, and being with Bill for a protracted period of time my heart feels like it will beat out of my chest and I thank our God Almighty who has blessed me and enabled me to live this life.

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OMG was my refrain for our first week in New Mexico. And even this morning when Bill took me to the airport I was overcome with awe over the beauty of Albuquerque at night. We were at a high altitude looking down at the city lights, with the Sandia Mountains in the background, streaks of clouds in front of the mountains with the sunrise to the south. I’ll post the one picture i was able to get while we were driving. Perhaps you will enjoy it and it will certainly jog my memory of this beautiful morning.

But in my opinion nothing in New Mexico compares to the various mountain ranges each having it’s own unique colors, formations, and vegetation. Locals referred to some of them as the red mountains. They were solid brick red with no variation in color and enormous, one after another. There were huge rocks on many of the mountains and these rocks set on smaller rocks in ways that appeared to be totally impossible.