You never know who you'll meet

So finally three weeks after we crossed over the Michigan border from Indiana we finally made our way out the other side... though I’m not sure Michigan wanted us to go. Not even an hour before we crossed the Wisconsin border one of our outside rear tires shredded. Luckily we had a spare that was in decent shape and, more importantly, full of air, so before long we were back on the road and heading for the border whether Michigan liked it or not. We didn’t leave, though, before picking up a U.P. specialty, the one and only pasty (it’s PAH-STEE, not PAY-STREE, not PAY-STEE). A pasty is basically a dough pocket, similar to a small stromboli in appearance, but instead of a pizza dough it was wrapped in a pie crust, and filled with meat, potatoes, onions and carrot or rutabaga. We heard that rutabaga was better so rutabaga it was. I’m not sure when the pasty was invented (the place we got them from has been making the same recipe since 1946) but in the U.P. it was originally made for the miners to take into the shafts. Because they didn’t have any way to wash their hands they could hold the pasty by the thick end and eat down to their knuckles and then toss out the end they held with their sooty hands without getting their food dirty. Although I definitely did enjoy it and recommend it to anyone who happens upon pasty country, the hoopla behind its specificity to the U.P. and the stories behind its creation may exceed the product itself. But, as I said, it’s not to be missed if you’re traveling through.

So out of pasty country and into cheese country…Wisconsin. The only state that I know of that uses letters to represent local roads (take the double D to the intersection at double S, make a right and two miles down the road make a left onto Q). We picked up some local cheese, as well as beer (I heard that Wisconsin’s a good party state), and headed off to Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest to hang out beside Emily Lake.



Unfortunately we weren’t alone with the millions of mosquitos that insisted on joining us for the party. It’s something you expect in this area but as someone once told me “they will make a sane man mad.” As long as we were moving they were tolerable and being that we travel in a self-contained land yacht, well, idle times were spent very comfortably indoors.
The lake wasn’t very large but it was beautiful. Blue gills were the local catch and the water lilies littered the surface.




There were even two taunting common loons that would swim by the site as if to say “look at me” and just when you would grab the camera and focus in on the oil slick black birds they would dive under the water only to reappear 100 feet away, well out of the capacity of our entry level camera.

After a few days we proceeded to meander our way south toward the town of Eau Claire (pronounced O’Claire, of French descent. Eau meaning water, Claire meaning clear—translated as Clearwater) which was the ideal three hour drive that we’ve been trying to maintain. You have to go easy on the Ultrastar...she’s 21 years old, you know.
Going on the advice of a local woman we traveled southeast of Eau Claire and found Elmer’s



It was originally a soybean field that Elmer harvested but would also allow people to post camp on the property during the summertime. After years of prodding, in 1966 Elmer took the advice of his loyal camping followers, tilled under the soybeans and started Elmer’s Camping and Overnite Trailer Park. Campers caught on and soon thereafter suggested that Elmer should plant grass, so he planted grass. Then they suggested that he plant trees, so he planted trees. Then people rolled out their Astroturf which killed the grass and pulled their tall campers under the trees only to complain that the branches were too low and should be cut back. I guess you truly can’t please them all. We read that there was a downtown farmers market the next day and it just so happened to be my birthday so we thought that we might as well stay a couple of days and get comfortable.
The next morning we set out for the Eau Claire Wednesday morning market to stock up on supplies. It was a real nice market, fairly new, on the bank of the Chippewa River. Apparently it used to be a run-down warehouse district but was recently converted into Pheonix Park. The market supported probably 35 vendors, most of which had the same veggie selection (which makes sense) but it was busy the entire time and everyone seemed pretty excited with its presence in the community. An older man, his daughter-in-law and his grandson even sang “happy birthday” to me on our way out of the market. Slightly embarrassing but cool to reinforce the idea that it doesn’t matter if you don’t know anyone, no one’s ever really a stranger.

Yep, still in Michigan

Coming into this trip I knew I wanted to check out Michigan, especially the lower mitten, more than I ever did before, which was pretty much not at all. Leaving Manistee National Forest on the downright cold Wednesday morning I was feeling pretty good about my time spent in Michigan already. After stopping at a roadside stand (to pick up cherries, of course…after all, the National Cherry Festival was starting in three days) and taking a break at a scenic pullout to eat breakfast…

…we continued north on route 22 to Sleeping Bear Dune National Lakeshore, a spot that someone just recently suggested that I check out. We’re so glad we did!! It’s run by the National Park Service (which knowing that we’d be hitting a bunch of national parks we picked up year pass in Shenandoah…and for only $80. What a deal!) and is the largest freshwater dune system in the world. I mean, I guess it’s not for everyone. If you’re not into having large areas of beach to yourself or crystal clear freshwater that looks as vast as an ocean and as colorful of a tropical paradise to swim in, then you might just skip it if you’re driving by. But us, well, we planned on staying one night and ended up staying for five.

It seems as if Michigan is in no shortage of incredible natural areas and continually exposes layers that usually don’t come to mind when thinking about Michigan. I mean, come on, most people, when asked what they think of when they think of Michigan, say Detroit. I might have said the same thing. Not anymore! No...now it would have to be the miles upon miles of incredible and, I hesitate to say it, pristine lakeshore beaches that line the unsuspecting coasts…and smoked fish.

After a week and a half in the southern section of MI we ventured over the Mackinaw Bridge, being engulfed in fog as we ascended across but opening up into clear air and blue skies driving into the Upper Peninsula. That’s when they started, the roadside markets advertising smoked white fish, salmon, perch, fish and chips to go, fresh fish. And what a treat it is to have it so readily available.

It’s been neat to travel through different regions that all have their trademark foods, being able to taste the geographical and cultural differences as when go along. When in lake regions, eat fresh fish. When in agricultural areas, eat fresh vegetables. When amidst fruit orchards, eat fresh fruit. And to have a rotating crop of options has been completely refreshing.

We’ve also been seeing ecological changes throughout the region, land with less of the oak, hickory and beech forests typical of the Mid-Atlantic region and more being gradually overtaken by white birch, balsam fir and jack pines. Like most other forests east of the Mississippi River, clear-cut logging during the 19^th century played a major role in what we see and don’t see in the U.P. forests today. Most of the logging that occurred in the U.P happened after white pine had been exhausted from the New England states and more lumber was needed to build newly established Midwestern prairie towns. Thanks to the efforts of Teddy Roosevelt initiating land and forest preservation and conservation, and also some guidance from German foresters who already had experience in the recovery of forest ecosystems after clear-cut logging, CCC workers were plotted throughout the U.P in a reforestation effort to try to combat the effects of logging. Now, as with most areas, selective logging is the standard management practice.

Fires have also contributed to the ecosystems here, which were common after the logging was completed, burning all the leftover slash. This is also why we have been seeing a lot of jack pine, which thrives in sandy, dry soil and requires fire to complete its cycle, and white birch, an opportunistic tree that fills in areas after a disturbance.

Not to go on about the lakeshores of MI or anything but just when I though I may be “laked-out” we reached Lake Superior at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We tried our luck at Beaver Lake CG but there were only eight sites and it was Saturday (when will we ever learn to just stay put for the weekends) and there were at least eight people quicker than us. So the Ultrastar pulled a 15-point turn on the skinny sand road we were on and kept looking for an open site. Ten miles down the stone road (soon transitioning into pavement…a controversy to locals and vacationers alike that want the area to stay rustic) we reached Twelve-mile CG and though we didn’t get a lakeside site the first night, I’m not sure that there was a bad site to be had.

Fortunately the campers across the sandy lane from us were only staying the weekend so Sunday morning we had our lakeside site…and we, again, became beach bums.

Like I said, all the sites here are pretty great including those not on the lake but how cool is it to wake up and drink your cup of coffee sitting on the beach of the largest freshwater lake in the world…right outside the steps of your Ultrastar motorhome.

The water is incredibly clear. We’re talking walk out up to your neck and look down to see your feet clear as day clear. It’s easy for your mind to play tricks on you when you’re looking at a body of water as big as Lake Superior. You forget that you’re not on a tropical island but are instead at one of the northern most points in Michigan where winters start early, end late and can be brutally cold, especially in areas bordering Lake Superior. None the less we were lucky enough to experience this area in the midst of absolutely gorgeous weather and extended our stay from two nights to five, not quite being able to leave this idyllic coastline. But we decided that if we wanted to get towards some mountain ranges before winter set it we better hit the road and continue our way west. Though not before the campground hostess taught me how to knit during a three-hour lesson on our second to last day at camp. This was another one of those things that I had hoped to learn on the trip, bringing along with me a couple sets of needles, a few balls of yarn and a “Kids Knitting” book (trust me, the book is more advanced than it sounds). I had to go over again the next morning to get a quick review (it was a lot to take in for one lesson and a couple things stuck but they seemed to have pushed all the other things I learned out) but now feel like I may have finally caught on. Here’s my first creation so far. All you knitters out there, go easy on me…

It’s definitely not perfect, well, not even close. I started out with, I believe, 25 stitches and am ending with all but 40 and unfortunately unlike most other things, more apparently is not better. But it is handmade and that’s worth something, right??

One step at a time

One thing that I want to take advantage of on this trip is time…the time to stay at places for a week in a row and check out places that I never had the patience to check out before. And I wanted to start in Ohio. It’s a state that I have driven through many times but have only ever bothered to stay a passing night in transit because I was too excited to get to the place after Ohio, wherever that may have been. We started out visiting Athens, a hip college town (Ohio U.) of about 24,000 people. The brick layered streets of downtown are line with small bookstores, boutiques, bars and restaurants and fresh food markets with local being the common goal of the community. Definitely worth checking out. Unfortunately circumstances weren’t quite right to spend more than a couple hours there so that it may be a spot we need to check out more in depth at some point in the future.

That night we camped in Wayne National Forest, north of Athens. We stayed for a couple of nights but ended up having to get a site along a road because all the other open spots were too uneven to get the rig level (you win some, you lose some). So we thought we’d move on through OH and, although there weren’t many other national forests or state parks to the NW of Wayne, we thought it was inevitable to find somewhere to camp within a couple of hours. Unfortunately we forgot to consider that it was Friday night…and although it was hot, it was a premium weekend for camping. Nine hours later (seven hours of actual driving) we spotted the first campground we had seen in hours and the first that had any open sites since Wayne. And…it was our first experience with an RV campground since we started. Oh, the styles and the landscaping and the decks. And screen porches and the lawn ornaments. All I can say is it was just awesome!!

We were probably the only people there that did not have a golf cart and our meager two house plants and tomato plant seemed pretty lame compared to the local flare. We both decided that if we are going to be serious about this full-timer thing we have to get some more style so that next time we won’t be such an embarrassment to the RVing community. I figured that we could start with some Astroturf and an assortment of flags and see what we accumulate from there. Maybe a couple of statues or flamingos would tie it together.

We didn’t end up making it to bingo on Saturday night. It was pretty hot and sticky out and the hall didn’t have air conditioning so we just played a few rounds of Yahtzee while enjoying the pleasures of a plugged-in lifestyle.

So we’ve spent that last week slowly stitching our way up through the eastern lakeshore of Michigan staying at state parks, national forests and national parks along the way. We even managed to throw in a trip to Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo to indulge in a refreshing, cold, straight from the vat to my lips Two Hearted Ale. We tried a few others too but that IPA is so damn hard to beat. Only downside: no growler fills. So we had to take in all the freshness we could while we were there…but being an hour or so from camp that meant we just had settle for a couple of six packs for around the fire that night.

We thought that we would have an easier time getting a site than we did on Friday night but, as usual, we underestimated the three-day weekend campers. The first two state parks we pulled into resembled parking lots, each crammed site just wide enough for an RV with the awning pulled out before your neighbors site began. Only few were lucky enough to land a site with a tree nearby for protection from the sun. We finally settled for the third state park, and although it was pretty full, decided that after a long day of travel it was best to pull it in for the day. We were back on the road the next morning and only traveled for a couple of hours north before we made it to Driftwood CG in Manistee National Forest. After three nights of staying in congested camping cities we were ready to have a campground to ourselves (well, there was one other person there). The weather that day turned from sunny, humid and hazy (in Lancaster County we call that ‘close’) to sunny, clear and crisp. Perfect for hiking and firewood collecting and just about anything else that involves the outdoors.

We felt like we earned that weather after the previous hot and muggy long traveling days we just experienced.

We woke up early Wednesday seeing our breathe in the cold morning air (45°) while making coffee, which we each had two cups rather than our usual one cup. What else would you expect from the last day of June?

So we’re almost two weeks into this new lifestyle of leisure and relaxation and I’m going to say that I think I’ll be okay with this transition. We still do some of the everyday things that we have always done: wake up, let the dogs out, make fresh cup of hot coffee…

It’s just nice to not be rushed in doing any of those things, thinking that there is something else I have to be doing.

The hikes have been awesome!!! It’s a real neat feeling to walk outside your house and just walk into the woods…walk in any direction you like, for as long as you like, usually until you feel the taste of a cold beer coming on and then you realize that there are two door prizes on the door of the fridge from last night. YES!!!

We both spend a lot of our days planning our next meal, looking for new things to try and new ways of cooking on the smoldering coals of a hot fire that has been building up fuel for the past two days

Highlights so far: being able to stay in Shenandoah National Park when we were one of five other campers in the city of a campground that we stayed in (real nice CG but there were at least 160 sites and on Saturday night a majority of them were taken), Seneca Rocks in WVa (I had no idea that this even existed in WVa), baking fresh muffins with berries we picked on a hike, scenic highway 150 through W Va

________________________________________________________________

I’d have to say that the biggest and best difference between this trip and the other cross country trips we’ve taken together is the extra space in the vehicle, not feeling cramped and the simplicity of setting up camp. Not that setting up a 5x7 tent is really all that complicated or time-consuming but compared to just pulling the porch awning off the side of the rig, well, it is more complicated. There are always those other things, though, that we now have think about that we never had to think about before, the most basic one being whether or not the vehicle fits in a spot at all. Or is the parking area just too slanted to even try to make it slightly level at all. We still have our good ol’ reliable tent that has served us so well that we can set up in that situation if need be. And no matter where or how we sleep, it’s still not too bad of a lifestyle to be fortunate enough to experience.

Of course, there are lots of things we have yet to learn about the UltraStar. As with buying anything that has a lot of mechanical and electrical intracasies, there is always a learning curve if how to maintain it or just flat out trying to figure out how to work it. There’s whole panels of buttons, knobs, and lights that, I’m sure, all do something but we just haven’t figured them all out yet. Who knows, maybe some of them just don’t work.

It takes time and getting used to all the cracks, pings, rattles and pops that you hear and not overthinking the severity of the sounds.

It’s just like the paranoia I felt the first winter we owned our house when I thought our 15 year old furnace would either not work or just explode every time I turned on the heat. It only took a month or so to get used to the initial clunk of the furnace when it turned on and the heavy, deep exhale it seemed to exude when the hot air began to circulate through the house. The point of all this is that there’s always something that can go wrong, whether it’s the furnace not starting or the house batteries not keeping a charge and the generator not turning over. But most garages, especially in a small town in the middle of West Virginia, are closed on Sunday’s so there’s nothing you can do but wait…and enjoy the scenery of camping in a beautiful eastern deciduous forest beside a smooth flowing stream. Maybe take a hike to the top of the mountain of which this stream is a valley of. And stop. And breathe. And watch. And listen.

And sit on the bank of the creek beside your campsite and watch small trout scurry around feeding on the multitudes of flies swarming just above the waters brim while larger trout idle lazily with mouth’s open waiting for food floating downstream to unsuspectingly veer into its mouth. And embrace the warm morning breeze that creates layers of prismatic ripples on the waters surface. This is Tea Creek CG within Monongahela National Forest in WV at the junction of Tea Creek and the Williams River. Absolutely beautiful country here. The creek sits at about 3200 feet with the ridges of the mountains on either side raising another 1000 feet. And the wildlife. Fish and birds and red squirrels that seem to, very purposefully, taunt the dogs, especially Nola. Oh and don’t forget about the black bears. We didn’t get a chance to snap a picture but we did see a black bear (decent size, about 200 pounds) cross through the campground last night. Right about dusk. The CG host didn’t think it was the same one that has been seen there for the past two weeks rooting through campers coolers (why are the coolers out in the first place, I don’t know). Maybe work caught in the bear community that there are some good eats over in Tea Creek. I can’t say I blame them very much. Opening a cooler to get raw hamburger and pork loins sounds a lot easier that hunting berries and such in a vast forest. The shame of this is that these bears are tagged as “nuisance bears” and will have to be shot for this reason. Although it was real cool to see a bear of that size so close I would have to say that I do enjoy the prospect of seeing them from a distance rather than within my site. That, personally, is my motivation in not leaving any food (even dirty dishes) out in the open, but hey, some people like the excitement!