Epic Summer Road Trip 2019 (Day 46 & 47): The Black Hills

You never know when home sickness will catch you, but it eventually does when you’re away long enough.  As we approach the last stretch of our journey, the kids are starting to get anxious about getting home even after trying to get them to focus on the cool adventures we take on a daily basis.  Some of the days of driving are long, though, and they get tired of sitting in the truck. 

I would like to say that the Black Hills are cool and there are some really neat things to see, but my experience wasn’t the best.  We left the Badlands relatively early so we could get to your campsite in Custer State Park and do some exploring around the area after we set up camp.  The drive was pleasant enough since we were taking back roads and didn’t even touch I-90 the entire way.  I also failed to mention that this week is biker week in Sturgis, ND so the bikers were definitely out in force.  I don’t have a problem with bikers, but they were everywhere.  Clogging up gas stations, riding in your blind spots, and just generally making as much noise pollution as humanly possible.  The average age of a biker is about 50 years old, 90% white males, and most have some sort of facial hair that almost runs longer than the line of tattoos that are displayed on their arms.  Once again, I’m not judging just observing what I’m seeing.

We arrived at our campsite in Stockade Lake South Campground which was probably one of the best sites there.  It was above all of the other campsites and butted up against the forest of the Black Hills which gave Drew the opportunity to explore.  After setting up camp, we headed out to drive through the state park ($20 entrance fee good for 5 days, though we were only going to be there 1) and make our way to the Wind Caves at the southern end.  Unfortunately, the Wind Cave and the subsequent Jewel Cave were both closed as both elevators were broken.  As Drew pointed out, “Why can’t we just take the stairs?”  Oh well.  We did manage to see quite a few buffalo and prairie dogs as we headed back to the campground along with the first school house (shack) built in the area. 

We explored the small town of Custer that evening for some ice scream and souvenir shopping before deciding to not purchase anything from the many proprietors that sold obnoxious t-shirts with ridiculous imaged of Donald Trump in biker garb or just plan racist things printing on the front.  I wonder what clientele they're trying to cater toward?

The next day was supposed to be one of the most exciting days of our trip since the plan was to visit Crazy Horse Monument, Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood, Sturgis and finally end up at Devil’s Tower to camp.  It was exciting, but not altogether in a good way.  We headed out early to try and beat the crowds and found Crazy Horse Monument fairly empty so there was no trouble parking and watching the 20 minute presentation about this crazy Polish guy who was commissioned to build a monument by the local native Americans after he had finished up work on Mt. Rushmore.  He pretty much spent the first 20 years or so working on it by himself until some of his 10 children were old enough to help out.  Crazy Horse is still a work in progress, but I advise anyone to visit it in about 30 years after it gets closer to be completed. 

I hurried the kids along through the gift shop since I wanted to beat the crowds at Mt. Rushmore.  Unfortunately, the crowds were there along with a Park Ranger who thought that I cut him off as I was trying to enter the park.  I’m pretty sure there was a bit of profiling going on as I saw him following me up to the entrance almost tailgating me the entire time.  After receiving a ticket along with a nice field sobriety test in front of the kids and all of the entering tourists, we headed into the park.  If nothing else, it certainly took the wind out of my sails.  The kids were still freaked out so we got our obligatory picture and got the hell out of there.  There is no way any one of us will ever hold Mt. Rushmore in a good light.  Never again!

Once we left, we drove down to Deadwood and I was lucky enough to find decent parking outside of town so we could walk in and see the sights.  I was still bummed after the Mt. Rushmore incident so we stumbled through the streets avoiding biker tourists and trying to keep a low-grade headache in check due to all of the Harley mufflers.  We explored a couple of shops and I treated the kids to their first pizza in about a month before we escaped the mayhem.  I kept quoting the Grinch in my head, “All the noise, noise, noise, noise!”  I asked the kids if we could just skip Sturgis and head straight to Devil’s Tower to which I received no objections.  Piece of advice:  Don’t go to the Black Hills during biker week unless you’re a biker.  Olivia made the observation as we were waiting to make a left hand turn, “The bikers look like ants scurrying around going every which-way.”  Yep.

Devil’s Tower was a pleasant surprise after we got settled into our KOA and were somewhat distanced from the mechanical noise blowers (i.e. Harley Davidson bikes).  I set up camp and tried to relax a bit while the kids jumped in the pool.  I started making dinner and the kids came back so I asked Drew if we could kick the soccer ball around while dinner was cooking.  After awhile a KOA employee came over and he joined us in some juggling.  I asked where he was from due to his accent and he said that he was from Ghana.  I made the guess that he hadn’t kicked a ball around in a long time considering he was working in the middle of nowhere in NE Wyoming.  Not a lot of soccer players out here.  You could tell by the look on his face that he was truly enjoying himself and after awhile he reluctantly had to leave and go back to work.    I think we both made our day quite a bit better. 

After dinner, the kids and I walked up to the park and hiked up to the bottom of the Tower which is truly magnificent.  Olivia complained about hiking uphill through the tall grass, but I continued to encourage her and I think she got a real sense of accomplishment when we were able to touch the side of the tower together.  We had fun watching deer around the base and even got a show as we observed a climber ¾ of the way up get frustrated and yell at her partner who was already at the top.  They couldn’t see each other, but we could all hear what they were saying!  I told Drew, “At this point she only has two options.  Suck it up and keep climbing or head back down.”

We headed back down the hill and Olivia and I took showers while Drew headed over the “theater” to watch the daily showing of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  I eventually wandered over to the showing and found Drew and he decided to cuddle up with me since it was starting to get chilly.  That is not a bad way to end somewhat of a shitty day. 

Epic Summer Road Trip 2019 (Day 44 & 45): North Point State Rec Area & The Badlands, South Dakota

We said goodbye to the Hommels right before they took off for church and hit the road in the direction of a gas station heading west-bound in central Iowa.  What I’m basically saying is that we were heading to the middle of nowhere.  Fortunately we found one which actually had gas, fresh doughnuts, ice, and coffee!  Git-r-dun.  The number of moths that we smacked into was crazy along with the headwind which dropped our gas mileage by a few miles/gallon, though I don’t think the moths had anything to do with that.  It was a long, straight, boring five and ½ hour drive to southeast South Dakota with the temperature rising steadily to hover around 94 degrees by the time we got to our destination of North Point Rec Area off of Lake Andes, SD.  Lake Andes is actually a reservoir and it was particularly high so there were a few campsites next to the lake that were actually underwater along with some lake front trees.  I told the kids that I would set up the camper so they could head down to the beach and jump in the water.  Oddly enough, they thought that was a good idea!

I set up camp and made the mistake of checking the news on my phone which had very limited cell service.  I read about the mass shootings happening around the country and started to get depressed, as I always do, when I read about these instances of mass destruction on innocent Americans (or innocent people, for that matter).  Being tired from the drive and not wanting to move, I forced myself to get up and join the kids in the water.  I’m not trying to stick my head in the sand, but at that moment the most important thing for me to do was to spend time playing with my kids.  I’m glad that I did!  The water was beautiful with two different temperatures (warm the first couple feet and cool underneath) along with a sandy bottom. 

Drew and I headed back to the campsite after a while so that I could start dinner and Olivia, of course, played in the water for another fifteen minutes or so.  Marinated chicken kabobs with vegetables for dinner and the kids had fun attempting to cook the perfect marshmallow.  For those of you who don’t know what the perfect marshmallow looks like, you need to cook it rotisserie-style over hot coals making sure that the outside is browned evenly and ever-so-slightly crispy so it almost crunches.  You can’t do that until the inside is completely “ooohey-gooey” as Olivia puts it.  When you bite into it, the outside should crunch just a little as you break through into the soft, pillowy, warm inside.  It’s an art which should not be taken for granted.

The next morning I woke up to the clothes on the clothesline banging against the camper due to the wind picking up quite a bit.  The sky looked a bit ominous and the lake had transformed from a beautiful sheet of glass the night before to large whitecaps crashing into the beach.  We ate breakfast and headed out for a relatively easy 3 hour drive to our next destination of The Badlands, SD.  Another hour gained as we passed into the Mountain time zone so we arrived at our KOA just after lunchtime.  Olivia and I ate lunch in the camper while Drew took off to play minigolf after paying $2.50 at the office for a ball and putter.  That kid cracks me up.

The southeast entrance to the National Park was only about 6 miles away so we took the truck over to the park and got in free-of-charge since Drew is technically still in 4^th grade.  All kids in 4^th grade get into National Parks for free along with three passengers!  Yes, this is a national program!  We checked out the visitor’s center and then headed out for a 1.5 mile hike called the Notch trail.  Drew said that the formations reminded him of the landscape in the movie, Cowboys vs. Aliens.  I thought it reminded me of the movie, GalaxyQuest.  The hike was hot, but it provided a good workout along with some spectacular views! 

We headed back to the campground and the kids played in the swimming pool while I attempted to battle the poor wi-fi trying to upload pictures to my post about Iowa.  I’m pretty sure we won’t have much cell service or internet access for the next couple of days!  Hamburgers over the fire and then a late night walk outside to enjoy a beautiful summer starlight night which included a first-time viewing of shooting stars for the kids.  We don’t get much chance to see stars like this in dreary, city-lit Seattle. 

Olivia cutting up sweet Iowa corn

Epic Summer Road Trip 2019 (Day 42 & 43): Iowa – Wind Turbines, Crops, Dust, and Moths

We left the Sheboygan area soon after getting in touch with Laura and David Hommel who we were planning on meeting next.  Laura reached out to me and provided me with directions and places to stop along the way as we made our way out to their farm in Grundy, Iowa.  The land starts to shift from flat, back to hilly, back to flat in a matter of a few hundred miles.  After driving a few hours, Drew and my coffee-laden

ed bladder needed to stop so we found a National Natural Landmark called, “Cave of the Mounds!!!!”   I think you need to say that with a loud microphone and with an echo.  At least envision me saying it like that.  This place is pretty much a tourist trap that allows you to explore a cave with the ability to mine for pretty rocks.  Fortunately, we didn’t have time to go on the tour through the caves so we simply peed, made lunch under an oak tree and traveled on. 

We passed over the Mississippi River for the second time on our trip in Dubuque, IA and Laura was nice enough to recommend driving to the top of the hill in Dubuque so we could get a good picture of the town and the Mississippi River.  There is actually a cable car that will take you up and down the hill primarily, I think, for tourists.  Not a bad view, though.

We traveled out to the middle of Iowa and I couldn’t help but feel like I was in a new housing development where all the houses were the same and I had no sense of direction.  The only difference was that I was in a land of corn and soybean fields in one mile grids, but still had no sense of direction.  If there is no way to orient yourself, there is that complete sense of being lost.  I understand that these worlds are completely different, but the sense of disorientation was eerily similar between the two worlds.  I pulled into Dave & Laura’s driveway after being completely coating the truck and camper with dust around 5pm.  It hadn’t rained in a few days so all of the dirt roads are very dry and kick up a ton of dust.  If you’re caught behind another vehicle, you have to give at least an 1/8 of a mile distance or you won’t be able to see anything.  Iowa dry spell = Iowa dust. 

Dave and I met when we were at the Aurora Pre-School along with Ben Otis and quite a few others back in 1980 or there abouts.  He and his family left the area around 1987 for the greener pastures of Iowa to pick up farming and raise poultry.  I lost touch with him after he came back to the area for a brief visit back in 1989 or so.  Dave was always the bigger kid and was dominant in soccer and other sports.  It was hard to slow him down.  Despite his large stature, he was always had a big heart and was a good friend.  Nothing really has changed and I once again understand why we simply gravitate toward people we relate to and enjoy their company. 

Laura and David are crop and swine farmers which means they grow crops (primarily corn and soy beans) to supplement their primary income of raising swine.  I have never been on a swine farm so it was a once-in-a-life time experience.  Their buildings are divided out between (1) swine to be slaughtered, (2) swine to be raised, and (3) piglets.  The Hommels walked me through how they transition the pigs from one section to the next along with how they utilize the pig crap and transition it into fertilizer to grow the crops that the pigs will eventually eat.  It is quite an efficient process and parts of it are fully automated.  They are a family-run business so they are trying to remain relatively small at the same time maximizing profit and efficiency while being run solely by the family.  It is fascinating to see a small family-run business continue to survive while many family owned farms continue to be bought out by corporate farms.  Not saying that it is wrong, but there is so much pressure to feed a population that demands cheap food prices at the same time wants unsoiled (i.e. no GMO, no pesticide) foods.  What is a farmer to do?

Laura and David have two sons, Andrew (14) and Daniel (11), along with a teenage daughter named Ella (16).  Andrew and Daniel had a great time hanging out with the kids which included bike rides, soccer, and 4-wheeler rides, while Ella generally kept to herself since she is 16 years old and generally would prefer doing anything other than hanging out with family.  I’m pretty sure she is a human sponge simply absorbing everything that goes on around her, but doesn’t say a thing. 

We had a wonderful time touring the property which included Drew making multiple trips to the piglet’s section to lay down and snuggle with them.  Kind of gross, but also kind of endearing.  We set up a bonfire and watching the stars while listening to the War-of-the-Worlds looking wind turbines that sounding exactly like the Tom Cruise version of War of the Worlds movie whenever they changed direction.  Pretty freaky and not something that Dave & Laura generally appreciate.  Life in Iowa is generally a lot slower than most people experience.  I would definitely say that you have a lot more time to observe and think while in Iowa than in most parts of the country. 

Even though we’ve been traveling around the country the last 40 days or so, I am still aware of what is happening in the country right now with the mass shootings and severe racist intent in that violence.  Being in a country setting where I am completely isolated from the violence and political strife, I can see where some of these complex national issues become much more theoretical than realistic.  Dave and Laura are definitely in tune with what is happening outside of Iowa, but I could certainly see why someone can become isolated from events that might not directly impact them and form opinions based on a narrow interpretation of their world view.  I am certainly not stereotyping, but being here I could see how it is completely feasible just being so isolated.  Iowa is a beautiful place where you can see nothing but fields in all directions.    

We set out the next day for quick stride down the to the neighbor’s house owned by 90+ year old Chuck and his wife who own a very elaborate train set in their garage.  The kids and I had fun moving the trains around and fixing all of the cool little components on the track that Chuck had set up over the years.   Dave’s mom, Jane, was already there so we had a good conversation while the kids played with the dogs.  After lunch we took a trip out to the local state park which gave Dave and I had a chance to catch up while the kids rode around the lake/pond on their bikes.  We set out for dinner at the local eatery which included a nice prime rib and baked potato.  When in Iowa, you should probably eat the beef.   

After dinner, the kids enjoyed 4-wheeler rides and playing a little 3-on-3 soccer between Hommels and Mathiesons.  I can safely say that the Mathiesons dominated (sorry Dave)!  Iowa is certainly a place that should be experienced by everyone simply for the fact that it forces you to slow down. 

Large number of moths that didn't make the journey

Epic Summer Road Trip 2019 (Day 41): Wisconsin

We left our campsite on Indian Lake State Park in a slightly sour mood as I was having trouble getting Drew to follow instructions for breaking down camp.  Not really his fault, but I was eager to get going and sometimes I don’t like unnecessary delays.  The kids elected not to eat breakfast and promised not to complain about being hungry as soon as we got on the road.  Don’t worry, I had plenty of fruits they could eat, but I’m pretty sure they would ignore.  
Everyone perked up when Olivia did some research about what to see in Wisconsin and found out that “cheese isn’t just food, it’s a lifestyle” so we decided to stop at a cheese shop along the way.  Sequins is more of a distributor than an actual cheese shop since they don’t make any of the cheeses that come through their store, but those cheese are awesome!  I asked the store clerk what the difference between yellow sharp cheddar and white sharp cheddar and she, "color".  Not in an obnoxious way, but letting me know that some people are more comfortable with yellow cheese and the natural color is white.  The kids and I filled up on samples which included summer sausage and multiple selections of mustards and jams.  Yummy.  I ended up getting a sharp cheddar while Drew bought himself a loaf of smoked Gouda.  Olivia opted for the beer cheese spread which she better keep away from me, because that stuff is good!

A childhood friend of mine, Sally Carson (Head), who lives in Sheboygan, recommended we stop at the Hamilton Museum of Wood Type.  Yeah, I had no idea what that meant either as we pulled in.  It’s a fairly non-descript building, but it turned out to be an old factory for Hamilton-made products such as cabinets, doctor’s tables, dentist chairs, and numerous appliances.  The actual museum has a ton of printing machines and is primarily centered around making wooden letters and type that is/was used for printing large posters, etc.  The kids were given a paper to try and find a bunch of different items throughout the museum so they enjoyed looking around while I explored.  They partook in the scavenger hunt only after the museum curator promised them a prize if they found everything.  Nothing like a little incentive!  A real neat museum if you’re ever in Two Rivers, WI. 

A snake Drew found

We arrived just south of Sheboygan in the mid-afternoon at our campground called Kohler-Andrea State Park which is right off of Lake Michigan.  I was unimpressed with having to pay $11 for a day pass on top of the out-of-state camping fees I had already paid as part of my reservation.  What the hell, Wisconsin?!  That goes for you too, Michigan!  Olivia had a minor meltdown when she found out that our campsite didn’t have electricity and the flush toilets were a long way from our site.  What a prim donna!  I put their bikes together so they could get around the campground easier (and get to the flush toilets quickly) and then we headed to the beach of Lake Michigan for some sun and swimming.  It turns out that you don’t really swim in Lake Michigan, at least where we were.  The lake is absolutely beautiful with crystal clear waters and soft, creamy sand, but the temperature is enough to think of a New Year’s Day polar bear swim.  OK, not really that bad, but it was cold!  Drew and I managed to get our heads under for a quick second, but Olivia spent a good ½ hour swimming around.  I think swimming in New Hampshire killed any sense of feeling she may have had.  I can now say that I’ve been in every one of the Great Lakes in my life!  The kids have yet to enter Lake Ontario, though. 

We headed back to the campsite and puttered around before Sally got in touch with us so we decided to meet up with her in downtown Sheboygan.  Sheboygan is a town you definitely would not expect to encounter in the mid-west.  It is truly an up-and-coming area with vibrant art, busy shops, and a real sense of community.  The primary industry of the area revolves around plumbing of all things including Bemis and a few others.  

food truck

Kohler is a huge name throughout town considering there are multiple buildings named after the company along with the state park where we were staying at.  Each Thursday during the summer, the town shuts down a few streets and they put on a music festival complete with numerous food trucks to feed it’s hungry citizens.  Sally says that EVERYONE comes out typically because you only get a small window to enjoy summer before the temperature drops back down to the -20’s on average during the winter.  It was awesome!  Sally showed us around town along with her husband, Mike, and daughter Hailey who happened to be the same age as Drew.  Sally and Mike met at MacKenzie-Childs which is a ceramic art store just outside of Aurora, NY and moved out to Sheboygan almost 20 years ago when Mike got a job at Kohler.  They are both industrious and down-to-earth people who are generous with their time and community.  Shepoygan is such a cool town!  If you’re ever in that area during the summer, make sure to head downtown on a Thursday evening for some good music and people watching.  Such a strong sense of community!

decorated public women's restroom

Drew practicing art

After wandering around down town, we headed out to the shores of Michigan for some mini golf and ice cream before saying good by to Sally, Mike and Hailey.  We were pooped after having to cross into CST and losing an hour.  Sheboygan… it’s just fun to say!

Epic Summer Road Trip (Days 38 - 40): Exploring the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (i.e. becoming a Yooper)

We left our beautiful campsite in the Waterloo Rec Area (Sugarloaf North Campground) and were on the road by about 9:30.  I'm realizing that the longer the kids stay up at night, the harder it is to get them up in the morning.  They have no respect for break of dawn.  We spent most of the day driving up to Alpena, Michigan which is on the northwestern bank of Lake Huron.  No one jumped into Huron (despite pleas from Drew), but we did manage to stick our hands in the water and found it surprisingly warm.  The drive was not very eventful, but I did notice that there were still many family-owned farms which had beautiful farm houses as part of the homestead property that were in pretty good shape.  It looked like Southern Cayuga County about 30-40 years ago or how I used to imagine that area as a kid.

Dad's homemade Canadian Bacon

Our campground was an RV park that butted up against a lake and was nothing special except for the fact that it had an indoor swimming pool and an arcade room for the kids to enjoy and waste their money on.  We dropped off the camper at our site and headed back into Alpena to check out Lake Huron, get some groceries, and check out the cool Maritime museum which happened to be free!  The museum was basically a tribute to all of the ships that had crashed, burned, stranded, etc. throughout the Great Lakes.  Pretty good exhibit, though!

On Tuesday, we started our journey to the U.P.  I'm pretty sure there is a lot of trash talking between those that are below the Mackinac Bridge and those that reside above it due to all the nicknames and jokes we heard about each region.  Not quite the hatred between Upstate New Yorkers and those from NYC, but still a simmering rivalry.  I didn't do a ton of research on the matter, though.   Too much to see!  Our first trek was crossing the incredibly long Mackinac Bridge which is used to separate Lake Huron from Lake Michigan.  I'm not sure how a bridge can separate water like that, but I guess it's some sort of modern miracle.

We stopped at a National Forest HQ to make sure we had a hard copy of a Michigan map just in case cell service was spotty as well as find out some cool places to do the next day since the plan was to spend two days at Indian Lake Campground just west of the town of Manistique, MI.  The rangers recommended heading up to Munising, MI which is off of Lake Superior and about 45 miles north of where we were staying.  It seemed like a pretty easy drive even though we were trying to avoid doing any long distances to give our weary traveling heads a rest.  I asked the two rangers if there were any good pasty restaurants in Munising and they couldn't think of any, but they each had their own opinion on whether a beef or chicken pasty was better.  A pasty is basically a potpie formed in the shape of a squished softball which were once used to feed miners as they worked in the mines.  They are incredible hardy and filling.  As Olivia would put it, "a gut bomb."  It's also not pronounced like the stickers that exotic dancers put over their nipples, but with a short "a" which rhymes with lastly.  Don't shoot the messenger, but now you know.

We made our way to the campground and I set up camp in our second site location after seeing that our first site location had neighbors which included 4 dogs and 3 guys sitting around a fire drinking beer about 10 yards from our camp site.  I felt like I needed a bit more privacy even if it meant camping further away from the lake and into mosquito territory.  We, at least, came armed with bug spray even if we didn't have any neighbor spray.  Once camp was set up, we set out for Kitch-iti-kipi spring.  I can now say it the first time without screwing up the pronunciation, but don't ask me to say it three times in a row.  Kitch-iti-kipi is a freshwater spring located in the middle of nowhere.  What makes this spring so cool (literally and figuratively) is that the water pools up in this gigantic pond and it is perfectly clear so you can see down to the bottom even at 45+ feet  There are these huge trout that swim around and you can see the bottom of the pond billow as the spring continuously emits water.  There is a covered "barge" with an open bottom that can be hand-pulled out to the middle through the use of a cable and pulley system.  Truly a sight to behold.  My photos cannot do it justice.

I treated the kids to some chili-dogs for dinner and some decent corn on the cob, before heading off to bed.  This was the first night that we didn't really need any air conditioning and I realized that I was cold in the middle of the night after leaving the windows of the camper open.  Hot summer nights elude the U.P.

The next morning, the kids were extra lethargic so I let them sleep in until about 9:30.  We needed to do laundry so I had to plan out how to have an exciting day at the same time get to a laundromat for some much-needed change of underwear primarily for Drew.  I told the kids to pack 7 days of laundry, but he consistently always complains about not having any underwear about 2 days before Olivia and I.  I'm not sure what happened to those two days of underwear and, frankly, am afraid to ask.  The plan was to head up to Munising for the day and see Pictured Rocks off of the National Lakeshore of Lake Superior.  We didn't get moving until about 10:30 and Olivia was asking about a diner in Manistique which was given pretty good reviews, so we skipped breakfast at our site and decided to have brunch at the diner.

Olivia and I split something called the "garbage omelet" while Drew ordered biscuits and gravy.   I'm so glad that Olivia and I split our garbage omelet because it was more than we could handle together.  Drew's biscuits and gravy was supposed to be two biscuits, but the order ended up being 4 with a plateful of gravy.  If you ever get a chance to dine in Manistique, stop off at Cedar Street Cafe and get an order of the garbage omelet with a biscuit that comes with raspberry jam.  Make sure you have two people to eat it, though!  We walked through town and ended up at the post office to buy some post card stamps and I ended up talking to the post master about good pasties up in Munising and she gave a recommendation of Muldoons which makes fresh pasties daily.  She also recommended stopping at a fish shop called Matson's aka "Cap'n Ron's Smoked Fish"and get their whitefish dip.  Hell yes, I'm in!

The drive up to Munising was nice even if it took 45 minutes since it was about 45 miles away.  We stopped at the National Lakeshore HQ just east of town and decided to visit a place called Miner's Castle which gave us a beautiful view of the Pictured Rocks which are basically these multi-colored cliffs off of Lake Superior.  After getting a couple of good photos, we decided to head down to Miners Beach and check out the water temperature to see if it was "swim worthy".  Boy, what a great decision!  Even though the water temperature was slightly-below-warm, the water quality was unbelievable.  I fashioned the kids with swimming goggles and we paddled through the water looking at beautiful rocks on the bottom of the sandy lake floor while drifting in the large, loping waves.  Just like in Lake Erie, I didn't think Olivia would come in unless I said something.  She was in heaven especially after I let her borrow my goggles.

The plan after swimming was to head into town and do some laundry which also gave us some time to scope out the downtown shops.  After finishing up the laundry, we were pretty famished so we made our way to Muldoon's to enjoy our first pasty.  Considering our hunger and the time of day, they hit the spot, though I probably could have taken a nap after I finished mine.  We met the owner and said "hi" and told her I probably wouldn't be able to move after this meal.  We then chatted with one of the young employees to learn that the pasties were fresh that day.  She also told us the best place to go swimming in the area which included a sand bar out on Lake Superior that you had to swim to and 'you better be a strong swimmer to get out there because there is a current that can take you out!'.

We then eventfully found our way to Matsons aka "Cap'n Ron's Smoked Fish" which was a bit of a creepy hole-in-the-wall place, but totally worth the visit.  As I was opening the door the the office/retail space, I was followed by the 5th generation proprietor, Tim.  Tim had a fierce gut on his half naked body which was covered in a fiercer tan.  Tim and I talked about the lake trout and whitefish he caught regularly and how he prefers lake trout since they eat the vegetarian herring rather than whitefish which are bottom feeders.  Lake trout are higher in Omegas so are much healthier and, in his opinion, better tasting.  After purchasing a container of the smoked whitefish dip after seriously considering a fillet of lake trout, I was greeted by Tim's father (or grandfather) who showed me the process for smoking the fish by having me stick my head in his "smoke shack" located just outside of the retail space.  We chatted about how I came from 'salmon country' and he gave me pretty much the same schpeel as Tim regarding how lake trout are high in Omegas and they're better than whitefish.  Tim's smoking method is to brine the fish for about one day (depending on size), put it in the smoke-shack for 10 hours (depending on size), and finally cook it over low heat for about an hour (depending on size).  Sorry everyone, but I purposely built this up to end this paragraph with the eye-rolling, soft groaning response to, "I guess size matters."  Yeah, it hurts me even to write it.  Sorry, not sorry.

We headed back to the campsite where I had the kids fold laundry and give me a chance to write thoughts down on laptop.  It's 8:30 at night and am still undecided if I should present dinner options.  Good night!

Epic Summer Road Trip 2019 (Day 37): Chelsea, Michigan

Olivia, Drew and I were able to leave Erie by 9:30am after saying goodbye to Wendy, Dan, and Carol.  That’s right, I have written Wendy off of the blog.  Fortunately, she was only sent back to Seattle via Pittsburgh and not eaten by a zombie like in my horror blog I just made up.  It was tough not seeing Wendy for so long and it was even tougher on the kids to see her for only a week and then having to say goodbye again.  Tough for me also.  Drew was pretty sad for a couple of hours that morning on the ride to Michigan.  The plan was to drive straight through to see one of my good friends from Starbucks, Wendy Rivers.  As we were driving, I asked Olivia to see if there was anything interesting to see on the way out.  She did some research and mentioned a couple of museums before saying, “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame”.  Someone in the car scratched the record with the needle pretty hard, because I immediately said, “That’s where we’re going!”. 

We spent a few hours seeing all of the different exhibits and listening to music from the Hall of Famers before we made it up to the second floor and got a chance to play with some interactive instruments that you’re allowed to play including electric guitars, drums, basses, etc.  A lot of fun despite the huge amount of money to park a trailer outside of the Cleveland Browns parking lot.  I would have thought that by now the Browns would be paying people to park in their lot simply for some additional exposure! 

We eventually made it to Sugarloaf Campground in the Waterloo State Rec Area just outside of Chelsea, MI.  It was quite the adventure with limited signs and strange dirt roads before we eventually made it to the campground.  Our campsite was right next to the lake and the day use area so the kids had full access after the area closed for the evening.  We met up with my old colleague, Wendy Rivers, her husband Marv, and their twin girls who are a year older than Olivia.  They treated us to some delicious shish-ka bobs for dinner along with a nice stroll through their property complete with a plant that contained these cool hairless kiwis which Marv is desperately trying to ripen to the point of being consumable.  We eventually had to say goodbye as I didn’t want to try and navigate back to the campground in the dark. 

Marv's homemade lime pickles (middle)