Back Home in Jasper

Monday night finds us staying at Sherling Lake Campground in Greenville, AL, a halfway point at which we have camped before when going to visit my brother in South Mississippi.  Sherling Lake is connected with a county recreation project in this area and has nice, fairly level campsites.  It is more of a wooded campground and does have WIFI; therefore, I was able to send out my last blog from the RV.

For lunch today we stopped in a parking lot and ate sandwiches, which is always convenient in the camper.  Our last supper in the RV would be eaten tonight as we travel to our son's home tomorrow in Columbus, GA, to visit briefly with them.  Hence, Alvin grilled us some steaks, and I added some stewed squash, garden salad and buttered beer bread my brother had made for us.  All was good.

I had talked Alvin into making a slight detour to Columbus, GA, to see our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter before we headed home to Jasper.  As we traveled today, we came back into EST, whereas we had been on CST most of the time on this RV trip.  We were somewhat more familiar with this area although we had not been on this particular route before. 

We set up camp in Lake Pines Campground and RV Park, in Columbus in which we have stayed before when our granddaughter was born in 2009.  We reached our children's home a little later than I'd wanted at 5:15 p.m., but were able to visist with our granddaughter and her mother, Vickie, until our son, Joe, arrived.  We gave them some little gifts with a yellow plastic miner's hat for our granddaughter, Katie.  We then went out to dinner at Cheddar's, a nice restaurant at which we have eaten before.  Upon our return to the children's house, I watched Katie get her bath and go to bed.  We visited a little while longer then left at 8:30 p.m. with chocolate chip cookies, which Vickie had made.  Shortly after we reached the camper, visited with Griffin and Alvin walked him, we were ready for a good night's sleep.

On Wednesday morning after Joe had gone to work, Vickie came and brought Katie to the camper for breakfast and further visit with us.  Always it is good to see how Katie was growing and developing after two months of not seeing her.  Not many playthings for a one-year-old in our camper, but I was able to find some Nerf ping pong paddles and ball, and Katie seemed to like them.  She also got to pet Griffin, and both she and Griffin did well in their interaction with each other.  She seemed to like the camper.

Alas, we had to leave the campground about 10:30 a.m., but we surely had enjoyed our visit with Vickie and Katie.  Probably, we'll see them again late September for our grandson, Henry's birthday.  Travel today was over the interstate highways through Atlanta at midday with traffic not being too bad.  Upon our return, we began unloading the camper, going through mail and seeing our daughter, Leigh, and Henry.  Henry looks as though he has grown and is talking more with the English language rather than just baby talk. 

Our RV trip through about a dozen states with the main focus on Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and those others along the Mississippi River has been wonderful, but it is always good to get home.  Good to go and good to get back, especially to see family and friends.  Another trip may come up, but for right now Alvin and I are content to just enjoy our home and larger surroundings than in the RV.  Hope you have enjoyed reading about our 2011 summer ramblings for we really did have a good time.

Our Troupe Has Reached the Gulf of Mexico!

Lake Village, AR, is the location of our campsite on Monday.  As we left Memphis, Emily took us down the east side of the Mississippi River through the Delta of the State of Mississippi with cotton and corn fields all along the way.  Although we did not see the Mississippi as much as we would have liked, we knew the River was on our west side, especially with the many roads to the casinos, as these have to be located on water. 

As we approached our campground, we crossed over a long bridge over the River and flood plain.  Across from this particular campground is a large lake, Chicot, one of many along the Mississippi.  The campground, itself parallels the highway we were traveling being a very rectangular campground.  We have parked under one of many pecan trees in the area, and with this day not being on a weekend, not many people are here and the campsite is spacious. 

With the temperature turning hot as we travel farther south, I'm glad for the AC and water and shade.  Most of the nation is having unusual weather for this time of year with Texas seemingly suffering the most.  Hence, we are staying close to camper tonight with our making some telephone calls to family.

On Tuesday we camped in Vidalia, LA, at the River View RV Park & Resort, at which we stayed a couple years ago when we took a camping trip to one of our young friend's wedding in Texas.  It is really a nice campground with our windshield facing the mighty Mississippi and Natchez, MS, across the waterway. 

On this day we traveled through our eighth state of ten, Arkansas, along the Mississippi River.  Although the land is rich along this route, the towns did not strike me that way.  As it was very hot when we reached this spot in the afternoon, we hung around the camper until it became cooler then took a walk on the concrete walkway next to the River for a couple miles with Griffin.  We get to see tugboats pushing barges of cargo up and down the River at this spot.  Needless to say, they make better time going down than up. 

While the temperature was stifling today, we hung around the camper, and I went to the Clubhouse to use the WIFI as I could not get it at campsite.  For lunch today Alvin and I drove over the bridge to Natchez, MS, our ninth state along the Mississippi.  We ate at the Pig Out Inn, a barbecue joint, one might suspect and be right.  The barbecue was good, but did not compare favorably with the places in Jasper.  For more exercise later in the evening, we walked along the Mississippi on the River Walk.  Looked at some pictures in the Clubhouse and saw evidence of the flooding in late May.  Campground had to close down for six weeks because of all the water.

We are making better time coming south than when we drove north.  When Alvin turns the camper in the direction of home, we usually don't stop as much and pick up our pace.  We're still having a good time, though.  Thursday found us in New Orleans, LA, our last state on this waterway.  Jude Travel Park of New Orleans is a gated city campground with 46 sites but just half full.  Our camper is set up next to the pool, hot tub, and gazebo and backed up to a fence by a building that provides good shade in the late afternoon. 

The travel today went behind levees on the River, then on top, over bridges, locks, and spillways or flood gates.  Lots of traffic in New Orleans and seemingly a lot of new buildings.  The Superdome looks good but different than when we were here 27 years ago. 

On Friday we continued our stay in New Orleans by actually driving south to the town of Venice, LA, at which one of the three to five channels of the Mississippi empties into the Gulf of Mexico.  Again with the levees we only caught glimpses of the River, but did make it to what looks like a fishing camp down at the end point.  This point had a huge marina with many boats and many trailers or modular homes on stilts.  I believe the residents stay in these for a short while either to fish for sport or to have a leave from working with the oil rigs or the support group for the rigs.  Many oil refineries were in the area along the way down. 

As I said the three or five channels of the River empty into the Gulf, and I think the one at Venice might be the main channel as it is the one on the River Road map.  However, another one can be seen at Grand Isle, LA, but we did not have time to go to this one.  Upon our way home we stopped at historic Fort Jackson and looked around for a short while.  The fort did provide us with a good view of the River, which the fort was set up to protect.  The fort was begun in 1822; other fortifications at this site were as early as 1792,  Gen. Andrew Jackson suggested this fort be built to the Secretary of War J. C. Calhoun, noting the need for stronger fortifications to ward off additional attacks from the Spanish. 

Along the way back to New Orleans, we stopped at a bar/grill and had a delicious shrimp meal;  Alvin, fried shrimp platter and me, a really loaded baked potato with shrimp, crab meat, butter, sour cream, bacon, cheese sauces and cheddar cheese toppings.

On Saturday we left New Orleans and drove to the Davis Bayou Campground in Ocean Springs, MS, and right behind my brother and sister-in-law's house, which is quite convenient.  Traveling US Highway 90 East, Alvin and I were able to view the beautiful scene of the Gulf of Mexico and seashore for several miles. Heavy rain fell in New Orleans as we were breaking camp and leaving.  As I walked Griffin to get rid of our trash and for him to take care of business, he and I got soaked, so much so that I had to redress and Griffin had to have a good rubdown with a towel.

After a period of rest for Alvin and me, we drove over to my brother's house as we were not sure how dark it would be when we returned.  Upon arrival we saw our oldest nephew cutting their grass and were happy to get to visit with him and eat a steak supper with him and his parents. 

When Sunday arrived we leisurely ate breakfast and took care of camping activity.  We spent the day with my brother, his wife, and two other sons and families and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  My two nephews grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and with the trimmings one would know we had a good meal.  Do not get to see my brother often and with some health issues with which he and his wife are dealing, they cannot get up to Jasper to see us anymore so it's always good to visit.

As I said the National Park Campground is just behind my brother's neighborhood.  A closed roadway in their neighborhood is the way we used to come into the campground, but now we have to drive about 5 miles around to enter.  We could have walked to their house, but our excuse today was the hot weather.  We had to leave around 6 and get back to Griffin, who always guards our motorhome by sleeping and climbing up on the dashboard to watch what goes on outside.

Back in the South

I want to share some pictures that would not go through on last blog.  These are images from The House on the Rock.  The first image is one of the many metal urns made in the shape of a sugar bowl that dot the grounds.  The second image is me standing in the Infinity Room that juts out from the House over the landscape many feet below.

We used the GPS to guide us in our travels Wednesday.  Alvin has given the voice of the GPS the name Emily.   By looking at the maps the River Road had good roads on both the Iowa, Missouri and Illinois boundaries, but when Emily took us over the Mississippi River, I felt we might be going astray.  Emily chose the faster four-lane route to the roads I would have picked.

The many cornfields that we saw along the way were large interrupted occasionally by farmsteads with big silos.  However, I preferred the River Road so Alvin said I could navigate tomorrow.  Two days we have traveled, and we'll travel again tomorrow with one-night stopovers in the campground.  I do not like traveling every day this much because I get stiff from the riding.  Alvin, on the otherhand, is ready to return to Jasper.

Tonight we have stopped at a Injun Joe's Campground in Hannibal, MO, and at the roadway entrance  leading to the campground is a statue of Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain over 30 feet high.  Of course, one can see the nod to this author and his books, Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Life on the Mississippi. 

Fortunately, we have WIFI at this campground, which is really laid back in its upkeep.  With the WIFI connection, we were able to view our 22-month-old grandson playing in a wading pool and having a lot of fun.  We look forward to getting back and seeing family and friends. 

For Thursday we managed to make it to Hinton RV Park in Sikeston, MO, in southern Missouri.  We arrived at 4:30 p.m.  This campground is just off I-55, which we took out of St. Louis.  The campsites are close, but during the week not as many campers are around as on the weekends so we are not crowded.  Alvin had to drive through a couple hours of rain showers this afternoon, and he did quite well. 

On this day had my mother lived, she would have been 101.  Now, she would have enjoyed our camping trip, especially the part around the Mississippi River.  She did not travel as much as us in vehicles, but she traveled all over the world in her reading; she was a voracious reader.  My sister takes after her in this trait although I do enjoy reading and have read two books while traveling:  Travels with Charlie by Steinbeck and The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by Taraborelli, given to me by my son, his wife and daughter for a requested Christmas present.  I liked both books.

Friday found us at Graceland RV Park and Campground in Memphis, TN.  As one might suspect, the campground and the adjacent Heartbreak Hotel are right across from Elvis Presley's home, Graceland, which he bought for his mama.  On one of our previous trips traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail, we stopped and camped here and enjoyed the campground and took in all the Presley sites.  Hence, we are not planning to tour these again, but rather look at other places in Memphis.

Getting here we rode down the West River Road into Arkansas and crossed a bridge into Memphis, which is right on the waterway.  During the drive we saw some of the Mississippi, but mostly riverside cities, instead.  The River has such a large flood plain that several cities are set in a good bit from the route of the River. 

In Missouri we wondered how the city New Madrid got its name. We speculated and always our trip provides us with answers to these history and geography questions.  New Madrid was held by the Spanish before the USA acquired it; and hence, its name of Spanish origin. 

The main Memphis site we have seen is Mudd Island.  Our son visited here when he came to the National 4-H Congress while in high school and had enjoyed the outing to Mudd Island.  We spent the day on this island traveling there by monorail, rather than going by boat or walkway bridge.  Within the River Park is a five-block model of the Lower Mississippi River beginning with the confluence of the Ohio River and ending with the Gulf of Mexico pool with pedal boats.  However, really too hot to pedal today.  Water possibly would have been cool.  For the Upper Mississippi River the park had stone walls showing the confluence of the different rivers that flow into the MR.

Upon entering we took a walk with a lady tour guide, who told us facts and stories about the River as we walked.  Two other couples were with us, and we all made it to the end even in the terrific heat.  After we checked out more of the Gulf section, we returned to the middle of the park for a lunch and cool break at a deli that served only hotdogs and pizza and refreshing water. 

After lunch we toured the River Museum with 18 galleries and quite a bit of information about how the River affected the history, music and culture along the River.  After the museum visit I wanted to return to the stone waterfalls that showed the different rivers joining the Mississippi.  When I had accomplished that, I had to tell Alvin to go the rest alone while I sat close to the deli in a breezy tunnel as my ankle joints could not take more walking to see and read about the different aspects of the River.  Alvin took about an hour and a half then we caught the monorail at 5 p.m. back to our vehicle. 

Upon our return to the camper to check on Griffin and take a short rest, we then rode a short distance to Picadilly's Restaurant and ate some supper--meat and vegetables.

Today we could not locate a church that we could match our schedules to theirs; therefore, Alvin and I read and studied our Bible lessons together in the camper.  With our discussion with one another, we enjoy our study this way.  Afterwards, it was time for me to do our weekly laundry, which usually takes a couple of hours.  While I do laundry, Alvin helps with the cleaning and scrubbing of the camper.  This week in the laundry I met a couple from Upstate New York around the Lake Champlain area.  They had been camping a month and been to Portland, OR, down the California coast and traveled to Memphis.  They would be leaving Monday as we, headed back home after they reached Virginia to turn north.  We could never handle a trip such as that, that fast.  These people drive 8-10 hours a day most days.  I guess they are seeing the countryside, but I'm not sure they're absorbing it. 

For lunch today Alvin grilled hamburgers and hotdogs.  Not really sure how he stood the heat and humidity outside.  Tonight we ate at Picadilly's again with their good vegetables, service and price.  Before our dinner we rode to the river side of Memphis to the Lorraine Motel, at which Martin Luther King was assassinated.  A big white wreath hangs on the railing at which he was shot.  It was a quiet, peaceful place today with signs stating renovations going on.  The Civil Rights Museum is attached to the Motel, but we did not go in as it was closed at the time we were there.

Before I close this blog, I would like to tell you about Griffin and his camping.  Each day when we get ready to travel, Griffin and I take the garbage out and he does his business.  He is a good camper, riding between us on top of his travel taxi that is covered with a blanket when he travels.  Griffin sleeps while the vehicle is moving, but quickly becomes alert when the RV slowly stops.  If we get gas or eat along the way, Griffin gets to get outside to walk and do whatever he wishes while leashed.  He enjoys the breaks.  Now, when we get to a campground and stop, he goes wild until he can get out after I've pulled up the step floor guard and placed his leash on his collar.  While Alvin pays for our stay and gets the campground information, Griffin and I explore the entrance to the campground.  Then it's back into the camper and the short drive to set up.

Griffin tolerates me for his bidding, but he really is close to Alvin.  While in the camper, Griffin can always be found right where Alvin is.  Right now he is sitting on the leather couch next to Alvin, who is reading.  Griffin's food and water are kept in the bathroom and when we return from an outing that is the first place he heads.  While Alvin and I are out siteseeing, Griffin guards the camper by sitting or resting on the dashboard.  Camper neighbors says he doesn't bark but just sits and observes.  At night he sleeps on the floor by Alvin and doesn't get up until Alvin is up and calls for him while I continue to sleep or rest a little longer. Griffin is truly a good camper.

Traveling the River Road South with a Slight Detour

The Minneapolis area provided us with a KOA campground in Maple Grove, MN.  Getting here was a short trip down the road.  Now, Alvin is not fond of cities but the Mississippi River runs through the big city so we are planning at least to skirt the city.  Alvin found a Cabela's in the area (or maybe he knew it was here), and we spent a few hours in the store this afternoon after lunch in Maple Grove.  Alvin was successful in finding a good deal on some short-sleeve, two-pocket, buttoned shirts.

From this campground, we drove into Bloomington, a suburb of Minneapolis, for me to shop several hours at the Mall of America, supposedly one of, if not the biggest enclosed mall in America. Mostly, I window-shopped, but did purchase two pair of shoes.  While I shopped Alvin mostly read.  Because I could not shop more than 4 or 5 hours, I certainly did not see the whole mall.  Chose not to see the 1.2 million gallon aquarium with 5,000 sea creatures, nor the movie theatres and more.  However, I did see Bloomingdales and: the Lego store with the big sculptures: a large Chinese dragon, a mega Transformer, huge Bengal tiger and many lego characters in different vignettes; such as, explorers, made from legos.  Hard to believe they can get the sculptures to look so smooth with those rectangular blocks.  We walked through at separate times the Nickelodeon Universe Amusement Park with two roller coasters as part of the attractions. 

On Thursday we set up camp in Petttibone Resort in LaCrosse, MN.  Had eaten sandwich lunch on the Mississippi River at a picnic area.  Lots of Canadian geese and seagulls in area.  Pettibone campground has 623 campsites, the biggest campground we have encountered.  Our campsite is right on the River, grassy with cottonwood trees and a place to set up our chairs.  House boats just up from our site are tethered to slips on the river.  We're on the West Channel of the River and a slough is on the other side of campground.  We have to be conservative with our water usage here because of RV's storage capacity and the fact no sewage is provided this close to the River.

Up here so close to the start of the Mississippi River, we find the flow smooth and the appearance, clear on the River.  Our second day here Alvin went into town to get a haircut, but he did not.  I stayed at camper and took Griffin for a walk on our side of the campground.  Water is standing at the Rustic Beach with the dozen campsites unusable.  This is the first evidence we have seen of the flooding that some people had to contend with when the River flooded a while back. 

When Alvin returned we went into town and ate at a Perkins Restaurant, which is a chain up here with good food except for green beans), prices and service.  After we returned from lunch Alvin rested, and I walked to the campground store to use WIFI at a pub table by the pool table.  The past two campgrounds have also had within their stores a bar.  Also, with this store, a banquet hall is connected.  I nearly crashed a wedding trying to pick up WIFI, but luckily I didn't crash it.   Able to read emails and some FB, but couldn't work on Blog because of computer battery drainage.

On Saturday we traveled a slight detour from the River Road east to the Wisconsin River.  The Wisconsin Riverside Resort is located on the Wisconsin, but our campground is not.  Today the campground is large with many tents set up as well as camping rigs.  As it is the weekend we believe many Wisconsin families are here with their children.  This particular campground also provides tubing and canoeing. 

With the temperature rising, we could use both our ACs but one has gone out.  When we leave this campground we'll try to have it repaired.  I believe we will need the extra capacity of cooling.  We have looked for a church to attend tomorrow, but the only one we found was a Lutheran one that begins at 9 a.m. and with our camping schedule, I don't believe we can make it.

Early Sunday morning while Alvin was cooking breakfast, I decided to wash clothes, towels, etc. while the temperature was cooler.cFor such a large campground there are only two washers and two dryers.  I have three loads because of different ways the loads need to be washed.  I set two loads washing and headed back to camper to eat pancake breakfast Alvin prepared.  Then I went back to laundry room to complete washing and also to use WIFI, but could not get connected.  Therefore I watched the swimmers in the nearby swimming pool.  Too many people in the pool. 

Upon completion of laundry Alvin and I went into town to get lunch at Shed's Restaurant.  My fettuccine was delicious with salad and a cup of bean soup.  When we returned to the RV, we realized that our one AC was keeping the camper cooler than outside temperatures.  However, later in the early evening I went swimming in the pool, much less crowded and my first time swimming this summer.  It's hard to have time to swim when we are traveling from campground to campground and touring.

On Monday we got up and left for the attraction, The House on the Rock, which two or three people from Jasper had indicated we should see.  This place is a marvel, and we stayed five hours including our lunch on location.  An artist from Wisconsin, Alex Jordan, Jr., had dreamed of building a house on this pinnacle since his childhood when he was 5.  He wanted to make the house natural to the area by building around trees and creating waterfalls.  Instead of actually living at the house, he used it as a retreat.

Initially, he carried his building materials of wood and rocks the height up to the top and constructed his ideas into reality.  He never stopped building his whole life as he continued to expand the retreat for his many collections of carousels, dolls, guns, Asian art, antiques, toys, nautical memorabilia and miniature circuses.  Also, he became fascinated with Tiffany lamps and placed them in the retreat lighted when seven years after he began he acquired electricity.  In his bathrooms he used different themes and is said to have started the themed bathrooms of today.  When we returned to the camper and Griffin, we were tired and our feet hurt, but the House on the Rock was entertaining with its many collections, metal sculptures lining the driveway and walkways and the different rooms he built; such as, the Infinity Room that spans many feet over the lower countryside that inside looks as if it could go on forever.

 Today we have driven approximately 135 miles to reach Davenport, IA, back on the Mississippi and one of four cities people here call Quad Cities.  In the beginning of this day trip, we stopped at an RV repair business and fortunately they found our trouble with our AC and were able to get us on the road quickly.  Beautiful farm land is in this area.  I did not see many cows as I thought I might in Wisconsin, but maybe it was too hot for them, too.  We have driven into the Hot Zone of the nation, now.  Tonight is just a stopover, and we decided to just enjoy the AC and rest this afternoon, for tomorrow is another travel day to Hannibal, MO.

Sorry that I could not enter pictures, but the blog site or provider service is not allowing this activity at this time.

Caught on the Hook of the Mississippi River

Another week has passed, and Alvin, Griffin and I are traveling south with the River Road as our guide.  As we finally reahed the headwaters of the Mississippi River this week, we learned that because of topography the Mississippi River at the beginning forms a fish hook with its water flowing north, then east and now south.  We were glad to see the beginning although the start was not what we had expected, but more about that later.

Our week began in Superior, WI, as you can guess on Lake Superior.  To reach our campground, we needed to travel over 200 miles, a stretch for us most days.  Got an early start and along the way ate lunch at a Michigan Rest Stop.  Stopping along the way and having sandwiches in the RV is a nice accommodation as we travel.

Now, the temperature has somewhat caught up with the rest of the nation and is in the high 90s today.  Got to campground about 3:30 and later went out to eat at a local restaurant, Breakwater Family Restaurant.  With good WIFI, I was able to connect and see new images of our grandchildren, which always pleases me.

From this campground Alvin and I drove to Wisconsin Point, the largest natural opening in the world's longest freshwater sandbar on the largest body of fresh water, Lake Superior.  How is that for superlatives!  The sandbar has been 3,000 years in the making and along the way one can see a Chippewa Indian burial ground.  The huge opening which has been made somewhat larger by man allows cargo ships to reach the world's largest inland port, 2,432 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.  At one time this was the busiest port, but a fisherman, whom we questioned, stated in the past few years not much ship traffic has come through.

For lunch today we ate at a Red Lobster in Diluth, MN, the twin port to Superior, WI.  An unusal look for the Red Lobster building as it was in an old warehouse type building, but did provide good food and great cheese biscuits.

How fresh can the seafood be, eh? 

Although we had planned another sightseeing stop of a waterways museum, when we went to the vehicle, rain had begun to be heavy and Griffin was at the camper with a slight upset stomach so we headed back to the campground.  Later in the afternoon the thunderstorm really broke loose with the TV weather forecasters issuing a tornado warning which frightened me somewhat since we are living in a metal structure as we travel.  Alvin convinced me that the warning would have been premature in Georgia, and I guess he was right because the storm ceased with no tornado, for which I was happy.

On Wednesday we reached Bemidji, MN, after another long drive.  The Royal Oak Campground is nice and open with friendly people.  Having again eaten sandwiches along the way, we drove into town and ate our dinner at a Perkins Restaurant, which we have enjoyed in the past. 

While in Bemidji we traveled about 100 miles north to visit International Falls, usually one of the coldest spots in the nation in the winter along with Cutback, MT.  Having had lunch in International Falls, on the border with Canada, we have now had lunch in both places.  We found a place with homecooking and had a high carb lunch which a lot of places on our travels like.  We did let the owner talk us into splitting a piece of raisin sour cream pie, which was delicious.

Following lunch we headed east 10 miles to the Voyaguers National Park, which is primarily a hiker and boater park, and we were neither on this day.  Mainly made up of beautiful waterways, the park was set aside to honor the voyaguers, or early French and other European fur traders who helped open up this area of our country. 

As we rode home we were happy to see people working on the roads, as the Minnesota Governor had shut down the government for three weeks.  We were happy because tomorrow we hope to go to Itasca State Park to see the beginning of the Mississippi River. 

Lucky we were, Itasca State Park has reopened and we were able to enter by car.  Otherwise, we'd have had to walk much distance to see the Mississippi River headwaters.  At first we drove into the North Entrance, the one closest to our campground.  We stopped at the Visitors Center and outside were many written displays with pictures about the finding of the start of the Mississippi and the surrounding area. 

After eating a bite at the cafe available, we walked 600 feet to the headwaters.  We had thought we might be able to straddle the river in its smallest stage as we had the Missouri and the Columbia, but not so.  The Mississippi flows out of Lake Itasca over some granite rocks and makes a pool in which today families and children were playing.  However, just a few feet downstream the river takes shape about 10 feet across, and we walked across a foot log over the Mississippi.  We did not wade but stuck our hands in it along the way.

Bemidji is the place at which the Mississippi River makes its curve on the fish hook; therefore, we head somewhat east and now south on the River Road.

Saturday found us in Aitkins, MN, at the Hickory Lake Campground.  The campground is on a very large Hickory Lake.  After the heavy rain last night the grounds show evidence of the downpour with huge pools of water all about the campsites.  Alvin, however, was up to the task of getting the RV into a site that did not have water right at the door.  Many families with children are staying here for the fishing and the children's playground and pool.  One young girl, Sarah, quickly made friends with Griffin and came by to talk whenever we took Griffin for a walk.  Before we left the next day Sarah even came up and hugged me.  She and her family live closer to St. Cloud, our next stop.  I cooked supper this night:  baked ham, cooked earlier in the afternoon; fresh frozen corn, stewed okra, more cabbage and fresh corn muffins.  Tonight we just rested as this campground is just a stopover.

On Sunday Alvin decided we needed to have a travel day; therefore, after breakfast we packed up and continued southeast.  We are now in St. Cloud, MN, at a really nice Good Sam Club Park,  St. Cloud Campground and RV Park.  The roadways within the park are named mostly for camping rigs--Monaco, on which we have set up camp; Southwind; Airstream; Rambler; Winnebago; Rally; Hitchhiker; and Nolan.

Right after lunch I did the weekly laundry.  While performing this activity, I had conversations with the couple who maintains the campground over the weekend in order to stay here fee free.  They were pleasant and do not live that far away.  Later Alvin grilled us steaks, and I added baked potatoes, toasted split buns and cole slaw.  As we were out of lettuce and a few other supplies, we drove into town, not very far away and restocked at a Cash Wise in the locatioon close to the vacant spot left by Walmart's moving.

Yesterday on Monday, we drove the short distance into town to see the Munsinger-Clemens Gardens, which were very beautiful.  Before lunch we toured the Clemens Gardens made up of six to seven formal flower gardens, one of which is devoted to roses.  The flowers and grounds were so pretty, I could not stop taking pictures.  One worker, with whom Alvin talked, stated that they plant yearly 110,000 annuals and 70,000 perennials in this garden.

After lunch at the Country Buffet, we drove back a short distance to the lower Munsinger Gardens, which have a more natural look, but still very pretty with trees, shrubs, flowers, fountains and rock-lined paths reaching down to the Mississippi River that must be 100 yards in width now on our journey.  The water is still clear as it flows pass with ducks and geese enjoying their swims.  All the garden grounds were lovely, and Alvin and I made a comment that we hoped the local residents take great advantage of this site.



Skirting the Great Lakes

Out travels have taken us to Mackinaw City, MI, at which we camped three nights.  Our campsite in Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground is within view of Lake Huron.  At the Mackinaw Bridge, we'll cross when we leave and also can be seen from campground beach, the Michigan and Huron lakes connect.

While at this campground we took chairs a short distance to a grassy area above beach to watch beautiful sunsets  Seeing a sunset is always pretty, but these great bodies of water make sunsets even more gorgeous with so much unbroken horizon.

One adventure Alvin and I took was to travel by ferry to Mackinac Island (All spellings pronounced Mac-ki-naw.)  Ferry is the only way to get to the island, and once there no motorized vehicles can be driven on the island since late 1800s.  Most people travel by foot (our means), but then one sees horses, horse-drawn carriages. carts, wagons and bicycles which can come by ferry, also.

Our first stop was the Visitor's Center as a lot of the island is a state park with prime area Fort Mackinac, built in the late 1700s.  Originally the fort was the second national park but was transferred to Michigan and made into a state park.  Our self-guided tour took us up the hillside to reach the fort at which we were educated and entertained by Union soldiers reenactors.  These soldiers demonstrated drills, cannon fire, even a court-martial.  We ate at the Fort's Tea Room which would have been a part of the Captain's Quarters.  On the balcony on which we ate, we viewed the harbor with all its many boats on Lake Huron or the Straits of Mackinac.

After lunch we went down the hill next to Marquette Park, a grassy hillside with statue to namesake and a bark chapel for worship long ago.  Toured some historic homes and blacksmith shop.  Current houses look well-cared with pretty flowers at each.

I talked Alvin in to going to view The Grand Hotel over 150 years old and one of the largest resort hotels in America.  We did not go into the hotel as Alvin wanted to use our money differently.  However, I did take quite a few pictures. 

Our next day we took it easy as both of us had put in a lot of walking time the day before.  We went out to eat lunch at Anna's Restaurant and again had whitefish.  Took in a movie, Larry Crowne, with Tom Hanks, main actor.  Afterwards, Alvin drove me to the Mackinaw Lighthouse to take pictures.  Many lighthouses on the shoreline of the Great Lakes..

On to the next campground, Indian Lake Travel Resort.  This is not quite the resort as Traverse Bay, not by a stretch, but nice.  The temperature dropped in the mornings into 50s; therefore, we chose warmer clothing to put on as opposed to our shorts and capri-wearing.  Crossing the 5-mile Mackinaw Bridge went well although most of it was two-lane traffic as compared to regular four lanes as the DOT was working on the bridge.  Therefore, Alvin had to maneuver the RV with towed Honda CRV around barrels and pylons.  He did well.

We are traveling west on US 2 the Upper Peninsula (UP) mostly by Lake Michigan's shoreline.  While we travel this highway, we've seen many different kinds of trees, with a lot of firs; shrubs and wildflowers, Queen Anne's Lace, daisies, American lilies and crown vetch.

Our campground is in Manistique, and we ate at the camp manager's recommended restaurant, Three Seasons, just north of town.  The special tonight was all-you-can-eat barbecue ribs for $9.95.  Both of us ate just one large serving along with sweet potato fries, and the salad from the salad bar.  Mainly we had just rested today--one of our stopovers.

Our next night found us in Iron Mountain, MI, at Summer Breeze Campground.  As we travel the UP, we believe it to be about 300 miles in length.  The residents are called "Yoopers."  In Iron Mountain the soil has a black, red, rusty-colored look probably because of the iron in soil.  Mining iron ore helped the economy in area.

We rested this afternoon then went out to eat some pasty, a traditional food the miners used to eat for lunch.  This particular restaurant was not opened so we came back into town, and I ate walleye fish, something I'd never had and it was good.  At campsite we have no TV cable and with antenna receive 5 channels, two clear and no netowrk channels.  I guess we'll just read and probably be the better for it.  The WIFI is free but usually inaccessible.

Saturday was my wash day this week as Sunday we hope to visit with Alvin's first cousin's husband's sister and brother-in-law.  While at tthe laundry I met an English couple from London, who fly over to US yearly, rent an RV and see part of our country each visit.  They had nearly seen as much of it as we.

For lunch we did get to a spot that sold the pasty, pronounced "pass-ty".  As it was 15 oz of pastry-enclosed meat, potatoes, onions, rutabagas, Alvin and I split one, and it was fairly tasty, and not greasy as I had envisioned.

After this lunch stop, Alvin and I traveled a little farther down road to an iron mine, which we toured.  We donned rain coasts or slickers and hard hats and rode the mine train down into the damp cave.  A lady tour guide talked about and demonstrated machines and equipment used in early mining days.  This mine closed in 1945 after its war effort, and the mine could no longer profitably produce 50% iron ore.

Touring the places at which Alvin's cousin had grown up, we drove about 10 miles to Niagra, WI.  Here we ate at Jim's Restaurant, the only one in town.  The staff provided a 20 oz. grilled Porterhouse steak with potato and salad for $14.95.  The steak was delicious, but I had to bring at least half mine back to camper.  I'm sure Alvin will have it for breakfast one morning.

On Sunday we went to a 10:45 a.m. worship service at Iron Mountain's First United Methodist Church.  The lady pastor brought a good message.  Although not a lot in the congregation, the church members were friendly with us.  No air conditioning kept us quite warm and fanning, but service was good.  The temperature on electronic signs were resistering 93 and 100 degrees.  Warm, muggy day with rain shower and thunder tonight.

I cooked lunch in camper today of meat loaf, peas, leftover collards, fried okra and added sauteed zuchinni and onions with French Bread.  This afternoon I read while Alvin slept then we went out to eat with cousin Lloyd's sister and brother-in-law.  They were very congenial and gracious people.  We learned more of the lifestyle of the Yoopers.  After dinner they drove us to Pine Mountain Resort, at which a very high ski jump is set up and used for ski competition in winter months.  A great view.

Back into Michigan

On July 4 we took in several points of interest.  First, we toured the RV/MH Museum in Elkhart.  Camping rigs from the late 1800s to modern day were on display and in quite a number we could step inside.  It's fascinating how innovators came up with the idea for the rigs and for us to see the history.  This place Alvin really wanted to see.  Seeing an audio directed exhibit of how motorhomes are built in assembly line fashion in scale model helped both of us understand this process better and would prove a fortuitous experience because of the vacation week for the manufacturers, we could not see the real thing.

However, after the museum stop, we decided we were close enough to South Bend, IN, to see some of Notre Dame University.  We drove 15 miles and while on campus immediately stopped at a student center and had pizza for lunch.  A nice ND alum, or maybe even professor, told us of some definite sites we should see on campus; therefore, afterwards we walked with our trusty layout of the campus and did indeed view these sites.  The gold-domed administration building was beautifully seated to be viewed when walking up a broad sidewalk.  Next to this building was the basilica with the grotto behind.  The basicilica was beautiful with its frescoes on the ceiling, a golden altar and many beautiful stained glass windows.  The sanctuary was very quiet filled with reverence.  In the grotto some students were meditating and visitors were also.

After this stop we rode back home to check on Griffin and eat hamburgers and hotdogs.  However, when finished we drove about 15 miles in another direction to Nappanee for a fireworks display in the heart of Amish and Mennonite country in Indiana.  We sat and talked with a young Amish family as we prepared to watch the fireworks.  They had indicated this spot would be good for the show, as they had been coming for over 15 years.  The father, David, worked in a door support factory for the RV business.  The fireworks were beautiful.

On the next day Alvin set up a time to visit the RV manufacturer for a tour; however, when we got there we learned that the "righthand did not know what the lefthand" was doing as we could not go into the factory.  As we could not see this site, I asked Alvin to go by the Visitor's Center for the Heritage Trail and pick up an audio-guided tour of this very scenic drive.  This is Amish country and we enjoyed the pretty countryside and the people with whom we came in contact.  Along the way we saw quilt gardens and murals on various buildings.  Both were very attractive.  For a snack today as we had not had lunch, we stopped at Essenhaus to eat pie a la mode and coffee.  Another stop was the Menno-Hof, which told the history of the Amish, Mennonites and Hurttites, three religious groups with background with the Anabaptists of which Baptists claim heritage.  The Hurttites live communally by themselves; the Amish stay within their communities and have strict guidelines to follow; and the Mennonites, similar to the Amish, but dress as the English, as they call people like us.  Nice, devoted people.

Our troupe moved on to South Haven, MI, on Wednesday.  This morning Alvin awakened and arose at 6:25, but I did not get up until 8:30 a.m.  After a good breakfast we began our GPS-guided trip back into Michigan.  The campground is spacious, clean and well-manicured.  For lunch I cooked panfried ham, collards/mustard from fairground garden, okra and tomatoes, corn on-the-cob, cornbread, vegetable tray and sweet tea.  Always good  to have a home-cooked meal after traveling for a while. 

We rested in the afternoon after I was able to watch the only soap opera I watch spasmodically--Days of Our Lives.  As we are close to CST, I watched the last half of the show on one station and the first half on another.  This is the only time I've watched this while on the road. 

In the evening we drove a little ways into town to Sherman (ice cream parlor), which came highly recommended, and we understood why after eating our selections.  Delicious ice cream made fresh daily from their dairy.  After going to Walmart to pick up some supplies, Alvin and I drove West to see the beaches of Lake Michigan here.  South Haven has a pier and harbor for all kinds of large boats, which we enjoyed seeing come into the harbor for the night.  As sunset was not far away, we stayed and I took more pictures for this was our first glimpse of Lake Michigan and we thoroughly appreciated the time.

As we moved on up into Northern Michigan, we began seeing cherry orchards and fields of asparagus.  The ripening cherries with their different shades of red were very pretty, and Alvin was amazed at the size of the asparagus fields.  We learned that the Oceana County in which we'd spent the night had over 10,000 acres of asparagus.

The Resort campground in which we have set up camp provides well-kept grounds and campsites with amenities; such as, swimming pool, spas, cable TV and WIFI.  Campground is pretty with not a lot of wild nature to it.  Silver Lake, which is the name of the city and also the name of a large inland lake close to Lake Michigan, is the first place we've spotted dune buggy riding on the large dunes along Lake Michigan.  We did not try our hand at dune buggy riding, but did drive down and walked on the beach and saw the only remaining brick lighthouse in Michigan, Little Sable Lighthouse.  The sand on the beaches is very pretty just not quite as white as on the Gulf.

Now we head up on US 31 along the eastern side of Lake Michigan to Traverse City and the Traverse Bay RV Resort.  Lake Michigan is the only American Great Lake as it is completely bordered by the US.  The other four have shared shorelines with Canada.  Shortly after we reached and set up the campsite which takes about 15 minutes, Alvin and I drove up the Leelanau Peninsula on which we saw many cherry orchards and grape vineyards.  At the tip of this peninsula another lighthouse, Old Mission, was seen.  This lighthouse is set atop the keeper's house, which seemed unusual for me.

Leelanau Peninsula divides the Grand Traverse Bay into the West and East Bay, both very beautiful.  Traverse City was in the last two days of a nine-day Cherry Festival.  They claimed to be the Cherry Capital of the World and celebrate each year with a festival.  In this region they are the top producers of tart cherries in the world and there certainly are many orchards here. 

The Traverse Bay RV Resort is by far the nicest campground we have camped considering the good looks of the grounds with ponds and fountains in every section.  When I did laundry here the building was air conditioned, which is not true in a number of campgrounds, and a very nice formal community room was attached with nice individual bathrooms with showers.  And this was one of two setups such as this.  One reason we are staying here is most of the campgrounds are full for the Cherry Festival, and of course, it had the highest rating a campground can get in Trailer Life, our campground finder.  This campground also has a fitness center, tennis court and pool and close to a world class golf course.  People own the campsites and can live here from May to October when they close for the winter.

While in this area, Alvin and I drove around the M22 loop, which goes up into the finger region of the Michigan map.  The drive gave us beautful views of West Bay and we traveled all the way to Northport and beyond to see the Grand Traverse Lighthouse.  The lighthouse sits atop the keepers house as the Old Mission; it is just a taller building.  Now the light shines from a steel structure since automation has made the lightkeepers' job extinct.  Instead of viewing the inside of the lighthouse, we decided to go down by the rocky seashore and hear the foghorn for five blasts up close and personal.

We continued into the Sleeping Bear Dune National Lakeshore and traveled on the Stocking Scenic Drive.  One stop on this drive was at Michigan Bluff Dune, at which many signs said for people to stay off the dune to keep it from eroding more, that it was a 450 ft. high dune, and it was unsafe to go down and strenuous to come back up.  Many people disregarded all these warnings, but not us.  From this point we saw the Sleeping Bear Dune with its two cubs as islands in the lake.  We even saw a large wedding party having their professional pictures taken at this spot high above Lake Michigan.

Having enjoyed our touring so much, we had missed lunch and headed back to the Glen Lakes area and ate at Glen Lake Manor a mid-1850s house with a formal dining room and enjoyed our first taste of whitefish, which was delicious.  On our way back to see about Griffin, we did see a United Methodist Church we might visit tomorrow with worship services beginning at 10 a.m.