August 2017

There is so much catching up to do so I will summarize the month.

We left Niagara Falls on July 31st headed to Mountain Top Campground in Tarentum, PA.  I should have had a hint about the location, but we really hadn't seen what westerners consider mountains for a long time.  But we heated up the Tranny getting the Lake House up to the top of the mountain.  We took a rest here, just outside Pittsburg but we just didn't have the energy to do any touring.  So 3 days here and the views were beautiful.  Several trips down the mountain were spent trying to find an alternate route for our departure....no luck, bridge out on one route, road closed on another.  Looks like we just go slow and take it easy.

August 3rd we headed for Alum Creek State Park near Westerville Ohio.  This did have a couple of state lines on the route and  stop for lunch at a winery we had learned about back in Arcadia Fl.  Ravens Glen Winery was a really nice stop.

We did some sampling and some buying, (no we didn't NEED another case of wine, but whats need got to do with it.)  I had called ahead and asked about their parking lot and it had plenty of room for us to pull along the side and get Butter out with water and grass so we could enjoy a leisurely time and have a relaxing lunch.

Then on into Alum Park.  This is a really nice park with electric only, so we filled the fresh water tank and pulled on in.  This is a great local park, especially if you have a boat.  The sites are far enough apart for privacy and everything was very green.  We saw an Ikea store near the park and that was the best idea for dinner....Sweadish meatballs, maybe not gourmet dining but a filling dinner.  Jeff and Kathy were glad to see us and we felt the same, so much catching up to do.  We heard all about the house flipping project and it looked like they had a great set up in the yard of their house while the flip of their sons house was going on.  We went out for 2 great dinners and they took us on a tour of Columbus Ohio.  All in a all a really nice visit and we look forward to catching up in NSB in November.





August 7th hitch her up, pump the tanks and head for Elkhart Indiana.  We scheduled a week and
ended up staying 2 weeks.  This time we needed to get the Lake House serviced. We were having a hydraulic leak, somewhere.  We also wanted to get some new furniture for the dinning area and we had settled on Brad and Hall in Elkhart to do the work.  So we took the rig in for dianostics at Duncan RV repair and they ordered the parts, replace one of the leveling jacks and a part for the slide creep we were having.  Then over to Brad and Hall for measurements, and to make sure they could fit what we wanted under the window sills.  The furniture will take 4 weeks to come in and the jack parts are up in the air.  We do enjoy out time in the Elkhart area.

One day we went into South Bend and toured the Studebaker Museum

Butter likes to clean the frozen yogurt container

One day we went to the RV and camper museum and it was the same weekend as a big RV show, we spent some time looking at new rigs, and decided we still like our Lake House the best.


One day to Shipshawana and Yoders deli, what great sausages and the cheeses are pretty good too.
After waiting on the parts for the hydraulics and not knowing when they would come in we told Duncan RV we would be back in 4 weeks and make us an appointment to get this taken care of and off we went.



August 20 Wayne County fair grounds outside Dearborn MI.  We went to the Henry Ford and bought tickets for the full package.  One day at the museum of Industry and Technology.  This museum could take days to fully tour, I see a return trip in our future.  A guided tour was included in our package and that was a good idea for the first time, it gave us an idea of what areas we would return to for more time and we did.  Still so much more to see.

The next day we tried to arrive early for our tour of the Rouge factory where F-150s are made.  No pictures are allowed inside the assembly plant and I wish I could show you the whole thing.  This was a fascinating and amazing tour.  They gave us a good overview and then left us to walk the catwalk above the assembly flour.  It was a ballet!  Seeing the rucks come in from the paint shop and watch as the doors are pulled off and added t a carrell line then every little part and piece gets added, it was just incredible.  I need a day at the factory and a chair to just sit and watch.  But we have a village to explore.  So we catch a shuttle back to Greenfield Village and find a place for lunch.  We find the Eagle Tavern for ding in 19th Century tavern style.  We decided to split a lunch and then we could enjoy Dessert.  That was a wise decision and we were fueled up and ready to explore the Village.

 We skipped the Working Farm and walk around the Liberty Craftworks neighborhood, see the weaving shop, but nothing is being operated right at this time so we move on the the pottery Shop and the Sawmills, we figure we can pass on the Gristmill since we saw Georges back at Mt. Vernon.  There is glass gallery and they even have a guest Artisan working this day.

Next onto Railroad Junction and the Roundhouse with a roundtable, great place for railroad buffs.  Next stop Henry Fords Model T and we took a ride, the ride gave us a great view of the part of the village we just wouldn't have time for today "Porches and Parlors" Everything from Robert Frost's Home the Hermitage Slave quarters.  All the buildings were purchased and dismantled to be rebuilt her at Greenfield Village.

 This really needed another cycle the museum would be an easy 2 days for us.  The Factory tour, well what can I say, I could just watch the dance for hours as the truck roll along and all the people are up and down and in and out and putting them all together.  That was an amazing tour. And this was a great 2 days.  There is a big star on our map to come back here.











August 24th Off the Wolf Lake Resort (hahahah) in Muskegon.  There was one main reason for going to Muskegon The USS Silversides.  But our first day here was spent redoing our blocks, the tailgate fell down and we lost our blocks again!  But day 2 we did go over to see the Silversides a Gato-class submarine that you can tour.

August 27th  Mackinaw City, MI  We did a little driving the first day here and headed up to Lighthouse Point on Lake Superior to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.  I had no idea there were as many vessel at the bottom of Lake Superior as there are.  Including probably the most famous The Edmund Fitzgerald, and yes we saw her bell.  Then we found a nice brew pub for dinner and called it a day.

On the shore of Lake Superior

After a day to just rest and take in more local sites we went down to Michilimackinac and walked around the Fort.

We found that our park offers tickets for a shuttle into town and the tour of Mackinac Island.  So off we went and we took a horse drawn wagon tour of the island then wandered the streets of town and sent a box of fudge off to my Mom.

August 30th L'anse, MI  Off we go again, across the Mackinac Bridge.   (Now a side not here about the pronunciation and the spelling.  The pronunciation is always Mac i naa.  whether the ending is nap or naw it is pronounced the same.  I don't know why, but I go by what the locals tell me)  So over the brigeand onto the "UP" upper peninsula.

I found a little place in L'anse to spend the Labor day weekend.  Now we could spend hours with this pronunciation and from several locals  lanse, or lonse, or la a niece.  What a great park, and what a great view.  IF it weren't for the fact that they only have electric we could have stayed here for weeks.