Terry took me to the Mall of America. I had never been there and I had always wanted to see it. We walked the ENTIRE mall. It really doesn't look much different than any other, except for the amusement park in the middle, but it is much, much larger. When Terry had been there years before when he was working, the mall was out in the middle of nowhere. Not so now. We also spent some time at IKEA which was right across the street. We also visited Camping World and Cabela's while we were there. We had a very nice time.
Once we left Minneapolis, we headed across Minnesota and into Wisconsin. What a nightmare. Wisconsin doesn't have many campgrounds that will accommodate 40 foot motorhomes. Oh, they SAY they will, but they just can't. We have several scratches to rub out on the sidewalls. The problem is that once you start down a one-way road that is very narrow, there is no way out except to keep going. We finally did find a nice campground, but had to drive several miles out of our way to get there. It was north of Green Bay, near Crandon, Wisconsin.
Leaving there we headed to the UP. We camped in the Island Resort and Casino campground in Harris near Escanaba, Michigan. Another nice campground for $15 a night. Once we left there, we headed across US2 to St. Ignace, Michigan. Last night we camped on the northern shore of Lake Michigan within sight of the Mackinaw Bridge. This morning we traversed the bridge.
I am not thrilled about crossing bridges. I love to view them, but would just as well take a land route. That was really not feasible. At least when we left this morning, the wind was extremely calm and there were no waves at all on the straights. It was an enjoyable crossing and I was glad to be on the other side.We came down US23 along the eastern side of Michigan along Lake Huron. We stopped at one roadside park right on the water and visited with another couple who were "camped" there.
The fellow was an enjoyable guy who snorkles the waters and looks for rock formations that are remnants of the ice age. He talked at length about how the great lakes were formed and how the "pudding" rocks were created. Then we talked about the bridge and he was amazing with his facts about how far the bridge can sway and how far it can bend in. He said it would take roughly a 600 mph wind to blow it down. . . in other words, it ain't gonna' happen.We drove on looking for another campground and passed several up before stopping at AuGres, Michigan. This is city park and we have full hookups. It is $26 a night, but only 30 amp.
We found out last year that Michigan has increased their camping fees and the state parks are really quite high. One we stopped at was $26 for w/e, plus $8 entrance fee. And at that, the trees were a problem on the road. The private camps have for the most part increased their fees since they don't have to compete with the state parks. Makes it an expensive state for the occasional traveler.
We are headed down toward Dundee tomorrow to Cabela's and we do have a Passport Park reserved for tomorrow. Another wide open site so our Datastorm will work. Have had problems getting open sites!
Till next time. . .
Dale
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