We have moved about a hundred miles south of the UP to Kalkaska by Traverse City. After being to the Indiana Dunes more times than I can count, I was not sure what to expect at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, but it is waaaay more than I thought. Near the northernmost point, there was a cherry canning company that brought life to the area. Three Indian tribes shared the area and so there is a lot of Indian influence and history up here.

Our next stop on the journey is St Ignace, Michigan on the north side of the Mackinac Bridge. The trip here was interesting as I grew up along the south end of Lake Michigan. Driving along the beautiful, unspoiled, clear water, north end of the lake is surreal.

We took a day to go up and see the locks up in Sault Set. Marie. Having just missed one boat travel through, we walked the grounds and saw the museum here. This is all government property. Then we crossed the street to have some fresh whitefish for lunch, and returned to watch and empty ore boat pass through the locks on the way to Duluth to get another load. He is in the far lock and a tour boat is coming through the near lock. The freighter is so large, it took up the entire far lock.

Another day, we took a ferry to Mackinac Island. The trip to the island, they detour and take you under the bridge. It is an awesome perspective from below! Four tour boats arrive every 30 minutes so the number of people here goes up very fast in the mornings. We went up a street away from the lakefront to see several historic sites as well as the governor’s summer mansion. After walking several miles, we had some hand packed ice cream, and bought some of that famous fudge before returning home.

It may not be in any dictionary, but trust me, it is a word! It refers to the inhabitants of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, or the U.P. After leaving Superior, the northwestern most town in Wisconsin, we left for Iron Mountain, Michigan on the MI WI border. As Duluth was known for the shipping of iron ore, this whole region in the west UP is known for mining that ore. We toured an actual mine, explored beautifil lakes, and learned of the friendships of Ford, Edison, and Kingsford (think charcoal).

Also while up here, we took a boat tour of the Apostle Islands. There is no good explanation for the name as there are more than 12 islands here. We saw places where ships sank in storms, several of the lighthouses used for navigation, and saw sea caves created over thousands of years by the waves beating the rock cliffs. They turn into spectacular ice caves in the winter as everything freezes.

So we left Illinois for Wisconsin last week and spent a few nights in Chippewa Falls. We went to a state park on Lake Wissota and cooled off with a tour and a taste at the Leinenkugel Brewery. Tour was hot but the beer was ice cold.

It was hard leaving all that great beer behind, but we since traveled up to Superior, WI. That is as far NW as you can go in Wisconsin. We spent a day in Minnesota north of Duluth seeing several lighthouses up along the coast to Two Harbors. As a bonus, I got to see a steam locomotive. It was once used to haul iron ore.

So, on August 1st, we got up early, finished prepping for travel, hooked up the truck, and pulled the RV 258 miles up to Rock Cut State Park in Illinois, 11 miles south of Wisconsin. We had very little shifting of cargo and one broken clothes rod. The site there was tightly surrounded on three sides by trees and bushes. Then today, Monday, we did it again, 250 miles to Chippewa Falls, WI. ZERO problems – we’re getting the hang of this. This weekend we will be in the far NW corner of WI near Duluth. Livin’ the dream.

Well, it has been four weeks since we sold the house. Since then, the new RV has been home. It has been an experience learning to live in smaller quarters. It is also interesting to live without 95% of the things that you accumulated over a lifetime and very seldom miss something. Living just south of South Bend, Indiana this last month was good. On the nice days, we have gone to the RV Hall of Fame, the Studebaker museum, the Shipshewana Flea Market, a u-pick blueberry farm, a u-pick raspberry farm (both times Claudia made cobbler), and many trips to Potato Creek State Park down the road to go swimming at the beach or ride bikes. On the rainy days, more like monsoons, we worked on finding places to store things. The cats and the dog have adjusted well to living in the RV, but the cats hate traveling in the truck. So now it is time to leave the safe place that we have been for so long. On August 1, we leave on a trip around Lake Michigan thru Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and back into Indiana where we will stay for two weeks before going east and then south to somewhere warm. This will be the first time pulling the RV fully loaded – cross your fingers, too!

RV Purchase Day - March 2019
Salesman: So, have you ever pulled something this big?
Me: Yup, 4 years pulling a 40 foot semi trailer. No problem!

Pull RV out of storage day, at new campground - April 2019
Wife: This is the entrance
Me: Okay
Wife: That is our site
Me: Okay
Wife: Watch out for those rocks
Me: I see them - No problem!
THUD ! ! !
Me: I didn't see that one!

Yes, it happened on our maiden voyage. Had a case of IKnowItAll-itis. Got over it quickly! But the factory was very nice when I called to ask where I could get a new panel and actually sent a new one free, although this is the picture I sent them and I bet it got a lot of laughs at the factory. But hey, no problem!