More ships!!!!!!!!!

Some "old-timers" here in the park have been very interesting. They come up here for three months and park on the waterfront sites and ship watch all summer. A couple of them know all kinds of information about the ships, the type, how much they weigh, where they go, where they come from, etc. One even knows the captain of one of the ships and he received a "captain's salute" when he was standing out by the water. That consists of 1 long and 2 short "toots" on the horn from the ship. Pretty cool.

He told us about the "rock cut" which is an area about 15 miles south of here where the ships go through a man-made channel. You are close enough to the ships to talk to the crew and you can see more of the decks than you can from our current vantage point. The instructions to get there went something like this. . . go down this road and take the right of the Y just past the flashing light. . . go to the stop sign by the post office and turn left. Go down a ways to another stop sign where a restaurant is visible. . . then turn right and go till you see a stone house out by the road. There will be a second house and a "pig path" just past it where you have to turn. Hahaha.

Another lady and I were listening to these instructions, and we both ran back to the rigs to get paper and a pen and when we returned he drew me a map. Thank you. It has been raining off and on all morning and early afternoon and I didn't think Terry was too interested in going.

But later he suggested that we run down there, so off we went. Wow. It is impressive. It looks like it was dug and then lined with huge rocks cut right there. They line the two sides of the channel. You could indeed almost reach out and touch ships as they pass by. Unfortunately, we waited over an hour and didn't see one. Now remember, we had ships passing by all morning and at one point they were qued up to go through the locks, but when we wanted to see some in the channel, there were none. Disappointed, we left and returned. On the way back, we were treated to seeing Sandhill Cranes in someone's yard. It looked like two adults, probably parents, and a younger bird. They are really huge and beautiful.

Just as we got back to camp, the skies let loose and we had a torrential downpour. You could not see Canada across the channel. We had a lot of water in the campground which obviously doesn't drain well, so we had to wait a bit before getting out of the car and running into the motorhome.

Afterwards, by suppertime, the skies had cleared and we had beautiful blue sky. It didn't last long and it has clouded up again, but no rain so far. We are leaving here tomorrow and headed to Alpena, then Oscodo to see some friends we haven't seen for years.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Ships, ships, and more ships!

The rain came early this morning, but that didn't stop the ships from hauling their cargo on the Great Lakes!We have seen all these ships pass and it is just noon!

More to come. . .

Till next time. . .

Dale

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

We left the park at Brimley, Michigan, this morning and drove a few miles, like under 30, to Sault Saint Marie. We had reservations to stay at the Aune Osborn Municipal park and campground. This is a neat place because you can camp right on the St. Mary's River, which is actually part of the canal system on which the big ships sail into and out of the Soo Locks. Sitting here we can see ships out our window.

We set up and sat outside a bit and saw some ships pass. It hasn't been a really busy afternoon, but we saw four large ships go by. They actually turn right at the end of the campground and follow the St. Mary's River around the corner. It is quite fascinating.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Whitefish Point and the Shipwreck Museum

Just north of where we are camped in Brimley, Michigan, is the Iriquois Light. We toured this last year when we were here and drove past it this morning.

Today we drove north up to Whitefish Point on Lake Superior. Whitefish Point is known as the “Graveyard of the Great Lakes.” There have been more shipwrecks in this area of Lake Superior than in any other. The reasons for this include the narrowing of the lake on the east end as ships enter the “funnel” and ships going to and from the lake must pass. Also, weather is unpredictable in this area with fog, snow, and other visibility problems. Lastly, the lake has 200 miles of water in which storms can develop and the shoals off Whitefish Point leave little room for error. In the 1800's there were over 3,000 commercial vessels on the lake and most shipwrecks were caused by collisions. Now there are fewer than 200 vessels.

The museum here is quite small and features a few of the most famous wrecks including, of course, the Edmund Fitzgerald. The “Fitz” as it was known is the largest ship to have wrecked and it was lost in November of 1975. There was a terrible storm and the Anderson which was running a few miles behind the Fitz reported two large 30 foot waves which nearly took the Anderson down, but it survived. They knew the waves were heading toward the Fitz and speculation is that those waves are what put the Fitz over and down into her watery grave.

Twenty years later in 1995, a combined effort of the Canadians and the Americans engaged to raise the bell of the Fitz. Using mini-submarines and a “Newtsuit” (a special suit designed for deep water dives) they were able to retrieve the bell from the deck of the mighty ship. In its place, a bell with all the names of those lost was set back onto the deck of the ship in the place where the original bell had set.

Also on the grounds of the Whitefish Point Station, which is a Coast Guard Station, is the lighthouse which has signaled sailors for years along with a fog station which blows horns to warn sailors of the dangerous shoals. There is also a boathouse similar to others we have seen which had rescue boats poised on rails ready to be pushed out or pulled by horses or mules to the water's edge to rescue those whose ships were lost.

We enjoyed the trip up to the museum and exploring the area where so much history abounds. While the museum was small, it was worth the time and we enjoyed the trip up and back. On our way up, we saw this little guy walking across the road. We don't know what his story was, but he looked extremely thin and emaciated. Terry thought he must be sick, which is possible. He certainly hadn't eaten in awhile.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Playing Tourist

Yesterday after arriving in Traverse City, Michigan, we drove up the east arm of the Grand Traverse Bay and parked in the RV park at the Leelanau Casino. The RV park is really just a parking lot, but we do have 50 Amp and it is only $7 a night. Hard to beat that. However, it was hard to win at the casino, so we didn't linger there.

After setting up, we drove down to the town of Suttons Bay and walked along the main street through some of the shops. Most of the shops have the same tourist stuff in them and we are very limited to what we can add, so we just mostly look.

When we left there, we drove across the point to the western side to the town of Leland and did a lot of looking at scenery. We did find an old fishing village which was an actual village where the fisherman would return with the day's catch. They built smokehouses and ice houses and prepared the fish for the market. One of the smokehouses remains and the buildings have been rebuilt or restored and now house shops with various trinkets and souvenirs. There were two old boats which were built to fish with gill nets and have recently been brought in to add a little history to the village.

We continued our trek to the northern point and to the lighthouse there at the tip of the peninsula. It is no longer in service, but has been maintained as a museum. It was closed while we were there, but we were able to walk around and get a picture or two.

From there we made our way back down the point on the east side and back to our camp. It was a busy day and we covered a lot of ground, but we saw a lot of beautiful lake views. The water here is beautiful shades of blue and extremely clear. I would love to take a swim.

This morning we drove back across the point again only this time when we got to the western side, we drove south. We arrived at a little fishing community of Glen Haven which is being restored. There is another of the ships which used gill nets here. This boat is out of the water and is an outdoor exhibit. The village consists of several buildings and will eventually give a picture of what life was life during that time. Just a short distance away is a Coast Guard Station which was in service years ago. It has a boathouse similar to one we saw last year which has doors opening to the lake and rails running out the front on which rescue boats would be pushed into the lake allowing the rescuers to get their equipment launched quickly and race to the area where sailors needed assistance.

From there we continued on down south to Sleeping Bear Dunes. This area of dunes is different from the Silver Lake area. These dunes are mostly covered in vegetation and driving or other recreation on them is not allowed. There are a few access areas, but the activity is greatly controlled. Legend has it that a momma bear was swimming in the lake followed by her two cubs but they perished in the waters. She lay down facing the lake where her cubs drowned. The Great Spirit caused two islands to rise from the water where the cubs drowned (North and South Manitou Islands) and a solitary dune formed to represent the sleeping mother bear, thus the Sleeping Bear Dunes. The area is quite lovely and still in an unspoiled state. There is a drive you can state through the area with several pull offs where you can see the dunes and the islands. There is also the "cliff dune" which you can take down to the water, but be advised, that is not recommended. The cliff dune is 450 feet tall and probably rises from the water at a 60 degree angle. We saw people going down to the water. The problem is that you must then come up. It has to be very difficult for anyone even in top physical condition. We saw one man who was literally crawling back up. He has a red shirt on in this picture.
He stopped about half way up and never did go any further while we were there. There are warnings that you will be required to pay for emergency rescue if you choose to go down. I'm sure the only rescue you will get is by water and that would be expensive. Look closely and you can see people standing up on the left side of the picture.

We finished our tour of the dunes and then headed back to Traverse City. We decided to take the road out on the peninsula that divides Grand Traverse Bay into the east and west bays. The peninsula runs 18 miles out into the bay and offers vistas off the top of the ridge in both directions. It is quite beautiful and there are a lot of wineries out there. We stopped at a few, but didn't care for anything we sampled, so we didn't buy any wine. We did make it out to the tip of the point to the Old Mission Light which is another lighthouse signaling sailors to the rocky shore beneath it. We were here years ago with the kids and it was much the same as I remembered it.

Upon our return to the city, there was a sidewalk sale going on so we found a place to park and walked down the city streets in search of bargains. We had a good time, but it had been a long day and we finally made our way back to our car and headed home. We will be leaving here tomorrow and heading on up toward the U.P. We have decided we will try and go to the shipwreck museum at Whitefish Point. We were in the area last year, but had our little Scottie Neal with us. He was having a lot of problems and we couldn't leave him long enough to go to this site. So we are back to try again.

Check back again as I will be posting pictures. It was a long day today and I am tired!

Till next time. . .

Dale

In search of warmer climes. . .

We really had some thunderstorms last evening and overnight (Tuesday). We were in South Haven, Michigan. We are “on vacation” for a week or so and started north to find cooler temps. It was hot yesterday and stifling if we stopped and got out of the coach. We made a stop at New Buffalo at the casino and should have just kept rolling. We didn't lose much, but it was fast and we probably won't go back. If I cannot at least be entertained for an hour or so, I am done with them. And I'm not going to add insult to injury and pay the big bucks for their buffet, so we walked back to the motorhome and fixed some lunch. Then we took off.

We drove to South Haven, Michigan to new campground and we were very comfortable in our back in site. The owners were very accommodating and we enjoyed our stay. It started thundering and lightning around 8 or 8:30 last night and then the wind started. It was hitting us broadside which was pretty rocky for awhile. Thank goodness that eventually subsided and then we had lots of rain. The camp drained very well and this morning we were able to move around the coach without any problems.

We really weren't sure where we were going to go, but Terry wanted to do some sightseeing around Ludington, so we headed up that way. It is hard to find campgrounds in Michigan for a reasonable price and we checked several. The state parks have high fees and then charge a “per vehicle” fee which is $8 a piece, I think. So that automatically tacks on another $16 for us which puts them out of our range, especially when they are charging a lot for less than full hookup sites.

We ended up driving a short distance for us and stopped in Hart, Michigan, at the John Gurney City Park. The couple workcamping here are the greatest and the nicest camp hosts we have met in a long time. We got settled in and then went out to explore.

We drove up to Pentwater which is supposedly a very small, rich community, but it didn't look like either. On the way there, we drove around Bass Lake and through the area of the Consumer Energy Project. It is officially known as Ludington Pumped Storage. A large man-made lake was made high atop a man-made hill. They pump water up to it, then when it comes down, it generates electricity. It is hard to understand, but if you go here http://www.consumersenergy.com/content.aspx?id=1830 you can read all about it.

We saw Lake Michigan today and walked out on the beach. The water was actually quite warm and the air was also. There was wind, so it was very pleasant on the water. The rain from the previous night has cooled everything off which is a welcome respite from the heat.

We drove back to Silver Lake. We had camped here years ago with the kids. Brandon and Jocelyn, do you remember? We could walk a couple hundred feet out into the water because the sands from the dunes blow into the inland side of the lake, gradually filling it up. They say in 100 years it will be full and that some houses on the one end have already been covered. Don't know if he was lying or not. We also took the Mac Dunes ride again. Kids do you remember that? I can't remember what year it was, but we all went on the ride. It was great fun and was a neat experience. We also drove out to a lighthouse near Silver Lake, but on Lake Michigan.

We are getting ready to leave Thursday morning and head up toward Traverse City. We hope to get a hookup at one of the casinos along the way so we can go out and explore.

Till next time. . .


Dale

Where are we????????

Turn left, turn left, turn left, and then . . . turn left! WHERE AM I? If you answer “The Brickyard,” you are correct!

Nita, my sister, and her husband, Jim, have great seats for the Nascar race in Indy and invited us to go with them. We had never been to a Nascar race before, but we always watch them on TV. We thought this would be a great time to go with them.

Saturday afternoon we drove down to their house south of Warsaw and planned to spend the evening playing cards with them and Mom and Dad. But Mom was not feeling well, so the four of us went out to dinner at Mad Anthony's in Warsaw. It's a great place to eat with really good food and when we got back to their house, we went to bed. It was just 9 p.m., but we were getting up at 2:45 a.m. in order to leave at 3:30 a.m. We slept in the downstairs theatre/game room and it was very comfortable, but I don't really think I slept much. We left on time at 3:30 and we arrived in Indy by 5:30 only to find few restaurants open for breakfast. The IHOP which had an “Open 24 hours” sign had a note on the door saying they wouldn't be open till 6 a.m. We finally opted for Steak and Shake, knowing they were open. When we went in, they said they didn't start serving breakfast until 6 a.m. We decided to stay since we had plenty of time and got a good breakfast.

We drove straight from there to the track and arrived around 7:30 a.m. We parked in the infield near the short chute between turns 3 and 4. We parked the truck, then set up the canopy for shade and plopped down in our lawn chairs. A friend of theirs came over to visit and they talked while we tried to catch a few minutes of sleep. About 10:30, Jim got the grill out and fired it up. We grilled burgers and had an early lunch before packing everything back up in the truck and hiking to our seats.

The seats are in the Penthouse section, which is very high up and in the first turn. Situated up high, we had a nice breeze all day and were totally in the shade. This was good because the heat index was 105 and it was even hotter down at the track. We had a good position to see the entire straightaway, turn 1, and the short chute into turn 2. I don't think we could have had better seats.

Reba McIntire sang several patriotic songs and Rascal Flats sang the Star Spangled Banner. It was very moving watching an American flag in the shape of the U.S. unfurl and being held by service veterans.

The race started and we were there for the duration. There were no wrecks, which is a bit unusual, but there were a couple spin outs and a few drivers tapped the wall, but it was a safe race. Paul Menard won, with Jeff Gordon a close second. It was exciting to be there and see the race in person, but I think we probably see more of the race when we watch it on television.

We waited in our seats awhile before heading back to the car. It was easier walking and they opened part of the track allowing us to walk through and thereby cut off a good bit of walking around the track for us. It was a shorter walk back to the truck and once we got there, we got out the lawn chairs again and sat and relaxed while all the other cars and trucks were sitting impatiently stalled in long lines. Once the way was clear, we hopped in the truck and left. On the way home we stopped at Joe's Crab Shack for supper. We got back to their house around 9:30 p.m. Nita and I went over to Mom's and visited briefly before Terry and I started back to Goshen. It was a long exhausting day, but we had fun and were glad we had the chance to do something we had always wanted to do. A big thank you to my sister and her husband for taking us and spending the day with us. It was a very special time.

One disappointment for me was the amount of trash left behind by the crowd. They think nothing of throwing their cans/bottles/food wrappers/containers, etc., on the ground, in the stands, etc. I took my trash out with me and didn't expect anyone else to handle it. We truly have become a throw-away society and the bad part is that we will throw it anywhere.

I'm sorry, but I don't know how to turn the video around!

Till next time. . .

Dale