Sunday, July 17th - A Little Warm Today

High temperature today was 86. We sat outside a lot and with the breeze off the water is wasn't uncomfortable. We haven't needed the AC for nearly week, nor the furnace. Between the breeze and the sun I've managed a sunburn on my head and legs, not bad, just a little uncomfortable.

This morning we went to the E-Free church in Sault Ste Marie, not sure what the name stands for. They have 9:00 & 10:30 services in SSM and a single service at a campus in Gaylord, MI (about 100 miles south of here). Both Kathy and I felt the Spirit moving during the service. Even though it was contemporary Christian music I enjoyed most of it. The Pastor had a good message. The only negative was that not one of the approximately 100 in attendance introduced themselves. The only person who shook my hand was the guy who I asked about the offering plate after the service. (They don't even mention an offering during the service. There is an unlabeled box on the wall by the door.)

Freighter traffic was busy this morning, but then nothing all day until right now I'm watching one approach the locks. I did get to see an interesting sight this morning as two freighters passed one another out in front of us.

As we have talked to our neighbors, at the campground, and others out walking, the number of them who come here for extended periods of time every year is amazing. The guy on one side of us has been coming nearly every summer for nearly 20 years. Some folks spend their entire summer here. Many are from lower Michigan but one guy is from Arizona. He lives in AZ about 7 months a year and travels during the hot months. He comes here every year for several weeks, or longer.

One reason this surprises me is that the sites don't have sewer hookups, just water and 30/50 amp. Some people have the little tanks on wheels to cart waste water up to the dump station as needed, others just drive up to the dump station once a week and dump their tanks. The men's rest room & shower area has been clean each time I've went in it to shower. Its adequate, but nothing special.

This is Sunday night and some of the tent camping spots are empty but almost every RV site is full.

It's 11:30 and the outside temp is down into the 60's. Inside the coach, with the windows and vents are still open, it is down to 72. I will close most of them when I go to bed.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Saturday, July 16th - Another Beautiful Day

 I'm sitting looking out over the river watching the lights on the Canadian side become more prominent as darkness comes. Its 9:45, the "official" sunset was 9:26. There was quite a bit of traffic on the river today. Lots of small fishing boats zooming up and down the river. We also watched 5 or 6 freighters pass by. According to the app I have it will be hours before another freighter gets to the locks, but several may make it before daylight.

Kathy went grocery shopping in the morning but most of the day we have spent sitting by the river, enjoying the weather and watching all the traffic on it.

Tomorrow I have to dig out our binoculars so that I can watch the Ojibway offload onto one of the freighters. I watched her as she left Soo Maritime Supply, next to the campground, and head out into the river.

With a pallet full of stuff ready for delivery. I'm thought one looked like an Amazon box.

Here she is, tucked up along side the freighter, moving the pallet to the freighter.

The above sequence was repeated at least three times today, as other freighters came eastbound through the locks. 

Not much else to report. We visited some with the guy on the west side of us and with a couple from Minnesota who were walking along the river. It was their first time here.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Friday, July 15tb - Sault Ste Marie

 Got up this morning and it was 47 degrees outside, 61 degrees in the coach. Great temperatures.

We arrived at the Soo Locks Campground at 1 PM. Since leaving MO we have put 1,558  miles on the coach. I think every site, including those up next to the street, is full tonight.

The view out the front window from our site. The land on the far side of the St. Marys river is Canada.

There are only 4 or 5 class A coaches at the campground. It is an older campground and the water and electricity (no sewer) are set up  for back in units (trailers or 5th wheels). Kathy thought I was going to have her in the water as I kept telling her "pull further ahead". Pulling this close to the water was the only way I had enough cable to make the connection to 50 amp shore power. I probably need to buy a 15-20' 50 amp extension cord for future similar situations.

Just as we pulled in Kathy took a photo of a tug and a barge with a crane on it, leaving the facility next door to the campground.

When we were here last fall I wrote about the Ojibwa, a tender, that comes out of the same next door facility. It is headed downstream, back to the dock, in the photo below. 

It was followed by the freighter in the photo below. I think it had just taken a pallet of goods out to the freighter. The guy at the site next to ours used to know the captain of one of the freighters. Some years ago he got to ride with the Ojibwa  crew as they delivered a pallet of goods to one of the freighters. He said that when a freighter leaves the Duluth area they send a supply list to the company next door. He has been in their warehouse. He said it had everything from nuts and bolts to bananas in it. It takes about 24 hours for the freighter to get here and clear the locks. The Ojibwa pulls up along side the freighter and hoists a pallet up on the deckl soon after it leaves the locks.

Below is an enlarged photo of the back of the freighter. The tug and barge with a crane is along side the freighter as it moves down the river. I couldn't see what it was doing. Before it was out of sight the tug/barge peeled away and came back to the dock next door.

There is a place across the rive that must work on float plants. They have a ramp that allows planes to taxi out of, or in to, the water. Several years ago we saw lots of planes taking off and landing but never saw one the last time we were here. I  did get to see one take off this afternoon.

Thursday, July 14th - Another Day in Paradise

 It was another beautiful day here at Paradise Point. Last nights low was 48 and today's high was a sunny 74. We LOVE it. Jeans and a flannel shirt in the AM and shorts and a tee in the PM.

So far the only negative is the change in neighbors. Three of the RV's on the west side of us left this morning and three new ones pulled in this afternoon  Now we have yapping dogs next door. They don't yap all the time, just enough to really annoy me.

We had planned on taking the ferry to Drummond Island today. It was such a nice day that we decided to stay at the campground. Actually we did venture out for hamburgers and mushrooms at the De Tour Village Inn. When we were there last fall they served me the best hamburger I have ever had. Today's was big, and tasted OK, but was far from the one I ate there last year.

I did get one chore done today. I cleaned the tracks for all the coach windows and siliconed them. A couple of them are still sticky and noisy but hopefully they will get freed up with more use. I also wrote a Letter to the Editor about the 40 year high inflation levels we are experiencing; inflation levels caused by massive government deficit spending, so they could  hand out free stuff and entice people not to work, which led to shortages. 

Since Feb 2020 government policies have led to the labor force (people who have or want a job) shrinking by nearly 600,000 people and to nearly 800,000 fewer people being employed, even though the population has grown by 4 million. OK, I'm off the soap box, its safe to continue reading.

The campground owners were out cutting more reeds this afternoon. They may have only cut one or two boatloads today. They don't have an actual office. There is a maintenance building on one side of the property but I've seldom seen anyone spending time at it. I hope to track one of them down before we leave tomorrow, to inquire about weekly or monthly rates. I know Kathy and I would be content to spend a week here, and maybe even a month, next summer, if the rates were reasonable. They have full hookups and pretty good WiFi for a campground, and an awesome view, but not much else. If they have bathrooms, a shower house or a laundromat I've not found them.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to head off to the Soo Locks Campground in Sault Ste Marie.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Wednesday, July 13 - Made it to Paradise

 A gentle rain fell during part of last night (Tuesday night) and an intermittent light rain fell as I dumped our tanks and disconnected the utilities. The overnight low was in the mid 50's, great sleeping weather.

Michigan is such a beautiful state. It would be a great place to live if the state politics weren't run by the masses in Detroit, those who are lined up with their hands out. Enough on that, I'll stop before I even climb up on the soapbox.

US127 is a limited access highway. It is probably the best section of highway we have driven on since leaving MO. Once it joins with I75 is the pavement surface deteriorates somewhat, but its still better than the majority of Interstates since leaving MO. Very light traffic. Lots of RV's, going both ways. I was a little surprised to see our GPS register an elevation of 1,400' when we were about 50 miles from the bridge. I think the elevation was about 650' at the bridge.

Another nice MI rest area.

Where we stopped for lunch.

The 5 mile long, 65 year old Mackinaw Bridge is a site to behold. At center span the roadway is 200 feet above the water. The towers extend 550 feet above the water.

Yes, that is grating you see providing the driving surface for the 11' wide center lanes, the concrete outer lanes are 12' wide.

The map below shows the Mackinaw Bridge at the bottom, left of center, and De Tour Village on the right side while Sault Ste Marie is at top center.

Paradise Point is at the top of the enlarged map below.

When you sit out on the dock you can see freighters out on the St Marys River in front of you and then 15-20 minutes later, or earlier depending on which way they are travelling, you can see them off to the right, across the peninsula.

Parked at Paradise Point, Below is the view out the front window of our coach. We are on a little bay off the St. Marys River. 

There are reeds in the bay and the campground owners were out cutting the reeds when we arrived. They use what looks like a modified hedge trimmer to cut them off several feet below the water line and then they load them on the boat, haul them to shore and dump them.

This channel is on the backside, across from the bay, of the campground. It is where they dock boats.

The owner of the boat below must be a serious fisherman. 6 poles rigged and ready.

It is easy for us to see why coaches typically have so few miles on them. We could easily spend a week, or maybe even a month, right here; and maybe we will next summer. We spent a couple of nights here in our travel trailer last year.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Monday - Tuesday; July 11th & 12th

 Monday

More visiting with family.

Kathy getting her feet wet.

Colton, my great-nephew. Travel Trailer in background is Jeremy and Shellies (my niece). They live in Battle Creek but come to enjoy family at the pond many weekends during the summer.

Colton (far left), Kathy, Beverly (my Mom) & David (my kid brother)

View looking back up towards Mom's. Yes, that is an outhouse right, and it gets used.

Lots of the grading work to develop the pond was done with this old dozer. My Uncle Richard did some grading with it the same day he died. It is a "lawn ornament" that will be there as long as Mom is alive, and maybe even after.

I bought new coach batteries and made an appointment to have them installed Tuesday AM on our way north from Coldwater.

Kathy and Cindy (one of her sisters)  went shopping over at the "Amish" store in Sturgis, MI.

Tuesday

We were on the road early. We arrived at the battery place at 8:15 and were out on the road headed north by 9:15.

Interstates in Michigan were better than those in KY & IN. We stopped for a break at a nice rest area.

Not sure what is happening in the photo below. The first two trucks are big wreckers. The first wrecker is towing both the second wrecker and the red tractor on the left.

Back of the facility at the rest area.

Front of the facility.

We pulled in to Houghton Lake Travel Park at 1:15. Kathy has done several loads of laundry. I took the mattress cover over to the campground laundromat to wash and dry it, it is to big for our RV washer and dryer. $1.00 for the washer and $0.25 for 15 minutes in the commercial size dryers.

All sites here are pull thrus, easily long enough for our coach and car. The only problem is that if you don't unhook, and pull through the site to the next roadway, you need a LOT of sewer hose. A little tree trimming would also be a good idea.

They have a pooland kids were in it having a ball. They also have a nice playground, horseshoe pits, a volley ball net and shuffle board courts.

Today's high temperature was 74 and tonight's low is forecast to be 52. We are loving the cooler temperatures.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Friday - Sunday, July 8 -10 - How Time Flies

 Friday - The drive up to Mom's was uneventful. We topped off our fuel tank ($390) for $5.75/gal, so that we would have plenty of fuel to run the generator and AC if it was hot.

There is only one electrical circuit that runs from the barn down to the pond. It powers a refrigerator and some lights, and whatever else campers might want. After we set up I plugged in to the other side of the duplex outlet that powers the refrigerator. The coach automatic transfer switch sounded like it was going crazy so I figured we would have to use the generator for 120volt use, and to keep the batteries charge, until I had time to figure out the problem. The coach batteries were pretty well charged after the trip up here. The alternator keeps them topped off, but I did run the generator to make coffee and for a few other 120 volt odds and ends.

After some get reacquainted visiting with my David & Kathy (my brother and his wife who live less than a quarter mile down the road) and Colton (My brother's youngest, 11, grandson. My  brother just gained custody of him.) and my Mom. We all piled in the car and headed to the Moose Lodge in Fremont, IN for Friday fish night, something we normally do if we are here on a Friday night. We also had to make a near mandatory stop for ice cream in Freemont.

By the time we returned to the campground  Jeremy & Shellie (David's daughter and her husband) and their 2 youngest kids had arrived. They have a travel trailer they at Mom's pond most of the time. During the summer they spend a lot of weekends at the pond. They live in Battle Creek, MI, about an hours drive from Mom's. More catching up.

Around 1 PM we all decided it was time for bed. I spent about another hour playing with the electrical system on the coach before going to bed. After only 2 hours my CPAP had depleted the coach batteries, way sooner than it should have. I managed to get another couple of hours sleep without it.

Saturday - In the morning I borrowed a  battery charger from my brother, to charge the four 6 volt house batteries. I had asked the mechanic to replace them but he said he load tested them and even though they were original (14 years old) they tested OK. I had not seriously considered checking the battery water level previously because I assumed he had done so and I only had to add water to the batteries i our other coach one every several months. I checked them and all I saw was bare plates. I had a full gallon of distilled water and put the full gallon in them, without covering the plates. Kathy had gone to the grocery and brought me another 2 gallons and after using all of a second gallon the plates were adequately covered and I hooked up the charger.

In the meantime I had taken our coffee pot out to the pavilion to make coffee. It did not work properly when plugged in to the same outlet the coach didn't like. I tried another outlet and it was fine.

Then it was down to Ed & Cindy's (Kathy's sister and her husband) for Elliot's (there youngest son who is back from Kuwait but leaving for Germany Monday, he is a civilian contractor who does maintenance on jets that fly the military brass around) birthday party. Colton went with us but Mom wasn't up to the trip. Elliot, Alison (Elliot's wife), Ed & Cindy out in front of the barn.

Then it was back to Mom's, which included a stop at the Freemont ice cream place.

Lots of family was at the pond for the evening. Lots of good visiting and food; brats, venison hamburgers and other food. Around midnight everyone had left, except Jeremy and Shellie who spent the night in their trailer. I tried hooking our coach to a "good" outlet and it worked fine all night.

Sunday - We all, 10 of us, Jeremy and Shellie's kids spent the night with cousins, had breakfast together. Around noon Jeremy and Shellie packed up and headed back to Battle Creek. The rest of us sat around and visited more. I'm up at Mom's on her WiFi writing this now. Mom was up at her house for awhile but is back down at the pond. Kathy was going to lay down for awhile. David and Kathy went home. David is spraying for weeds and his Kathy is starting supper. One of suppers delicacies will be blue gills that were caught thru the ice last winter. There no fish or seafood that tastes better. I've been doing some online shopping for coach batteries. Even is these seem to be okay they will fail before we are done travelling. I might as well get them replaced whenever its convenient and not have to wonder about how long they will last. It's 4 PM if I hurry back to the coach I think I might be able to squeeze in a nap before supper.

PS. Can hardly wait to hear Robert Strong's first message as Freshwater's new Lead Pastor.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

PPS. Hope there are to many typo's in this. I'm tired to proof read it.