Day 7

Time to hit the road again. We were off to Michigan again by traveling  south down the peninsular and then north to a state park called TW Wells. First though a stop in Green Bay  to satisfy a long time wish to see Lambeau Field. I have always considered the Packers to be unique and admired their fans. The team is owned not by a for-profit owner but by the town and the residents. It is an impressive stadium and you could almost feel the excitement that must exist on game day.
Cross that one off the list.
Before continuing on we stopped to pick up some important provisions  such as , well, beer. Oh yes, and a few others. Once again Dirk and I were treated to the fine art of shopping as practiced by Faye and Colleen. No required item must be left untouched to check expiration dates. No potential item must be left unexamined  
for a potential bargain. We have much to learn us men.
Once again the state park was great. Right on the shores of Lake Michigan, it is really well manicured and family friendly. Another great meal and a walk after dinner.

Day 6

We woke up to a glorious day - indeed this was the day the Lord had made. Cloudless, calm and 75 degrees. This was a day for a long walk along one of the many  bike paths. We are giving Dirks bionic knee a good test and so far he can walk with the best of them. This is truly a nice state park and it will be difficult to top this and Ludington. The park is very family oriented and their were countless family groups out for a bike ride together. It did help once we went from a chinese fire drill to an orderly "move to the right" to let the riders through. Thank goodness for helmets!
In the evening we took a short walk to the lake side to see the sun set. It was a contest between the sun going down first and the mosquito's draining our blood but it was worth it. An end to a great day.

Day 5

It was an early morning for us as we had to get to the Ferry by 8:00 am The Ferry was the SS Badger which took us across Lake Michigan from Ludington to Manitowoc Wisconsin. The SS Badger is of some size as we saw motorcycles, cars, RV's and even a semi or two disappear into the bowels of the boat. It was built in 1952 with the original mission of hauling freight cars across Lake Michigan. As other transportation developed, the high cost of running the Badger resulted in it being mothballed. A business man from Ludington who was  a long supporter of the operation bought  the Badger and two sister ships. The Badger was converted to a passenger friendly vessel while the other  two were rather ignominiously used to supply spare parts. Service was started up again in 1992. The Ferry operation brings $35 million a year to the Ludington economy. Being coal fired probably puts it on the target list of the  environmental nut cases but for now it very successfully provides jobs and tax revenue for Mr Obama.

After a really pleasant voyage we headed for Peninsular State Park, another gem with camp sites buried in the forest. This park is very popular and we were unable to get any service hookups for the RV. So now we are in conservation mode, saving water and battery power. No 20 minute showers unless you want to use the park facility's. "Faye, turn off those lights"!

Day 4

Today is a rest day, no traveling. The highlight of the day was our hike to the Big Sable lighthouse. Their are two ways there, one through the woods, the other along a dirt access road. I took the woods which was a little further but really nice. The tough part was the last mile or so that had me ankle deep in beach sand.
I met up with Dirk and Colleen and Faye at the lighthouse. The place is staffed by volunteers who spend the summer manning the shop and doing maintenance. Built in 1865, it was decommissioned in the 60's and today serves no purpose other than as great destination for a walk.
After lunch it was time to catch up on that book we always wanted to read but could never find the time.  Then a little more exploring of a state park that is quite exceptional .
We finished  the day with another great meal and a good SA wine.

Henry

Day 3

Today we travelled to Ludington, about 100 miles north of Holland  This is the home town of the Bryant brothers, identical twins who are and have been for many years the world tennis doubles champions. Our home for the next two days is Ludington State Park. arguably the nicest state park in Michigan Not having visited the other 87 state parks I cannot pass judgment but it is without doubt a great facility.  The park happens to be celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. A  significant feature of the park is the many hiking trails. Tomorrow we plan to hike to a very picturesque light house called  Big Sable Point. Its a 4 mile round trip mostly through woods The last half mile or so is on beach sand, a little more challenging.

Henry

Day 2

After yesterday's heat and humidity, we woke up to a cooler morning, just a wonderful day. We were off to Holland Michigan, home to significant numbers of Dutch ancestry. That means the inevitable Tulip festival  which we missed this year but saw the last time we were up here.  There are many old lighthouses up the east coast of Lake Michigan and each probably has its story. The lighthouse at Holland went from the traditional hand lit lamp to modernization that finally made it redundant . The US Corps of Engineers wanted to demolish it (this is what the army is good at) but the people of Holland stepped in, raised the money to keep and maintain it. There is an active group of "lighthouse keepers" that spend their summers staying and working in many of these old lighthouses.

Henry

Day 1

Finally after all the loading and unloading, we were  headed north. My BMW mode requires that I spend most of my time in the left lane trying to get "those slow pokes" to move over.My RV mode keeps me purring at 55 mph in the right  lane with the goal of not having to pass anyone.
We arrived at Harrison State Park at about 5:00pm. From all the downed trees you can see that they were really hammered by the recent bad weather.  Hope those trees stay vertical!!   

After the mandatory ales, Dirk assembled the Weber and we enjoyed the first of many anticipated cookouts. Oh how good is this.

Henry