Sunday, August 14th, Day 45 - Church, then Boat & Plane Watching

 Weather was awesome again today. Mid 50's overnight then a mostly sunny mid 70's for a high.

We went back to the e-free church this morning. https://www.miefree.org/ (I didn't spend any time looking at this website)

https://www.gotquestions.org/Evangelical-Free-Church.html (I did read this one)

There were probably 60 people at the 2nd service. Apparently the last time we were there one of the Elders gave the message; he did a good job. This time we watched video of a message given by a Pastor from another e-free church. From what I think I  heard him say they have four e-free churches in MI and one Pastor. I think watching a video of the message is the norm.

Last time we were there I mentioned that they don't take up an offering. I had to ask and was told that there was an giving box on the wall. Today the Elder mentioned that today's offering was dedicated to Elder Care, helping Seniors in financial need.

The Pastor's message was from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. He first mentioned that many people don't care much for Ecclesiastes because it can be depressing. He made the general comment that the book was written someone who had fabulous wealth, numerous wives, and supposedly wisdom. Even with all that material prosperity the writer found life on earth unsatisfying.

When speaking on the passage he noted that it is used a lot at weddings, but he said that was something of a misapplication. The title of his message was WE is greater than ME. The gist was that we must have authentic Christians relationships with others. The "return" on the labor of two together is greater than that of two individually. We need each other when one of us falls, and at times all of us fall, or have trials. Two are better than one, but three are even better than two. Being part of a Christian fellowship is a necessary part of a growing Christian's life.

After church we went back to the coach for lunch. We spent several hours sitting out by the river reading and watching the boat/ship traffic. The Bush Plane Museum across the river was active today. We got to see a float plane take off and then maybe 30 minutes later land, at least 4 times. I took several photos of take offs and landings but the planes were far enough away that I needed a telephoto lens to be able to get a photo where you could actually the plane.

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

Saturday, August 13th - Loving Soo Locks Campground

 Last nights low was 53 and today's high was a mostly sunny 75, perfect weather.

I spent more hours campground searching this morning. I now have us booked at campgrounds through August 31st. On September 1st we will drive to Coldwater and park at Mom's pond for 4-5 days.

We are still discussing our winter travels. We plan on heading south immediately after Thanksgiving weekend. Our first extended stay will be in Iuka, MS where I want to get some minor work done on the coach. After that we will continue south and west, somewhere.

We did get out for awhile. Had a good lunch at on oriental buffet and then went grocery shopping at Meijers. I had a good afternoon nap, not sure if Kathy took one. 

When we were here a few weeks ago we got to see a pair of freighters pass each other, one eastbound and the other westbound, in front of the campground. That is kind of unusual. Kathy say a pair pass each other while I was napping and later we saw another pair pass one another. It doesn't sound that exciting but occasionally when a freighter goes by a person from back in the campground will run by with  a camera.

We had a nice visit with a couple from Michigan. It is their first time at Soo Locks. He is a diesel mechanic for UPS and also does diesel repair work at his home, as a side business. I'd guess they are early 50's. He said he had 3 years yet to go before he could retire from UPS. Said he makes $42/hr and the benefits are good. He knows somebody whose daughter is an Engineer at the locks. He thinks she might be able to give him a tour while he is here. Said he could take a couple of other people. He asked if I wanted to be one of them and I said, "ABSOLUTELY!".

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

Friday, August 12 - Ishpeming to Sault Ste Marie

 Before taking a shower last (Thursday) night I turned on one of our heat pumps. I set the thermostat at 65 to warm things up and then turned it down to 60 for the night. The overnight low was 37 degrees. Yesterday's (Friday) high was in the mid 70's.

You get to see all types of rigs during walks around the campground. This pickup camper looked a little unstable on its stilts. Not sure I'd be comfortable sleeping in it on a windy night, or even climbing up to get the boat off the roof.

I was sitting in our coach when this unit rolled by on its way to find its site. It has to be close to 50' long.

We left the campground slightly after 11 and started the 180 mile drive to Sault Ste Marie. This was the first day that we experienced significant traffic problems. During the westbound trip from Sault Ste Marie to Ishpeming we drove through a couple of construction areas near Munising but didn't experience significant delays. The eastbound trip was quite different.

In Christmas, MI they are replacing M28, the main street, the entire length of the the town. It also appears that they are doing major utility work in combination with the pavement replacement. Traffic delays there were minimal, during both our  westbound and eastbound travels, with traffic flow being reduced to one lane each way.

When we hit Munising construction on the east side of town had everything bottled up. We noticed traffic backed up  when we pulled up and stopped at this traffic light. We sat at the light for 50 minutes, I timed it. 

After the 50 minutes at the traffic light we moved about a mile before being forced to stop again, for another 30 minutes. Then it was several miles of this one lane roadway surface before hitting new asphalt pavement.

In hind site there isn't much that they contractor could have done, other than switch back and forth between eastbound and westbound traffic at smaller time intervals. The backup of westbound traffic did not appear to be nearly as long as the eastbound backup. If you are travelling into or out of Munising from the east M28 is your only option. I couldn't see any way to bypass the construction work.

After we cleared all the construction we stopped at a roadside pull off and had lunch. Even with  the construction delays we were set up at Soo Locks Campground by 4:30. We weren't able to get a site directly on the river, but we have a decent view of it. 

We haven't seen the people in the truck camper on our west side but the camper is the one I took photos I took July 21st. We did meet Gene & Rose, our neighbors on the east. They are a retired couple from near Charlotte, NC. We met them as they were returning from a bicycle ride to the Locks Visitors Center, about 1.5 miles from the campground. They lived in the Indianapolis area for awhile but spent a lot of their pre-retirement years living in Virginia and working in the DC area.

The campground appears to be nearly full. It I think we were quite fortunate (thank you Jesus) to get a site for a week.

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

Thursday, August 11, Day 42 - Trip to L'Anse

 I mentioned our short folding ladder previously. It is nice that it folds into a very compact shape but its just not tall enough. If it were taller it wouldn't be strong enough for me.

More searching for campgrounds this morning. Tomorrow we move back to Soo Locks Campground for a week. Next Friday we move to Tiki RV Park in St. Ignace, still in the UP. On the 22nd we move to Timber Ridge RV Resort in Traverse City. 

I'm hoping to find a decent campground near Holland, MI next. We stayed at the Oak Grove Resort & Campground when we were there a couple of years ago, when Kelsey and the great grandkids were with us. It was nice but, even with our 27' travel trailer I had to drive the wrong way around the drive, and drive onto the neighbor across the streets site, to be able to back into the space. Weekends are booked but I could reserve a site during the week. I'm not sure I'm willing to pay $80/night for a site at their campground, they aren't that nice!

On to L'Anse.

On the way to L'Anse we saw a saw a sign for the Michigamee Shores campground so we stopped to check it out. They have some nice, 50 amp w/water (no sewer, but a dump station) sites. Some of the sites look out over the lake. The closest decent size grocery store is the one next to the campground we are staying at, 17 miles away. I checked and their rates are $55/night. No weekly rate.

Then it was on to L'Anse. We had lunch at Skipper's. Kathy had a turkey and bacon fry bread taco and I had an Italian sub with homemade fries. Both were good.

Gas/fuel prices are vary a lot up here. At one station in L'Anse regular was selling for $3.79 and diesel for $4.40. At another station, a BP station, regular was $3.89 and diesel was $4.99. In Ishpeming regular is selling for $4.29-4.39 while diesel ranges from $5.44-5.69. L'Anse is far more remote than Ishpeming so I don't understand why fuel is cheaper there.

 

Today's high was a breezy 66, but that didn't stop the kids from playing in the water.

There was lots of playground equipment for kids to enjoy.

The little girl in the photo below was just coming out of the water. She had been swimming.

We sat on a park bench for some time, just enjoying the beautiful day.

While sitting enjoying the day a lady  came up  with a long hair dog. She would throw balls out into the water and the dog would leap in and retrieve them. Almost every time she retrieved a ball she would run up near us and shake the water from here coat. We only got a few drops of water on us, and the lady apologized and tried to keep the dog from running up near us. It was funny.

Before leaving L'Anse we checked out the L'Anse Township Park campground. It is small but there are a couple of sites with 50 amp service that our coach would fit on, $26/night. No water or sewer connections but there was a dump station. We would need a LOT of levelling blocks. I'd guess that the front wheels would have to be at least 6" above the ground to get close to level.

Back in Ishpeming things were hopping as it filled up with people here for the weekends Ore to Shore bicycle race. http://www.oretoshore.com/ The field is limited to the first 2,500 who register.

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

Wednesday, August 10 - Lazy Day

 Weather was great again today. We just enjoyed it.

I did get the windows washed on the outside and Kathy got some washed on the inside. I learned that the collapsible ladder that came with the coach won't be with us the next time we leave MO. It is great for saving space but just isn't tall enough. I need to find something taller, and something a little more sturdy. Hopefully the folding step/extension ladder that I  have in MO, similar to the one I had in our Dutch Star, will work.

I didn't get the wheels cleaned. I walked to the nearby Ace hardware and bought a can of NEVR DULL. I started on one of them and learned that it is going to take a LOT of elbow grease to get them cleaned up.

We both took a nap in the afternoon.

We are seeing people begin to arrive who must be coming for the weekend bicycle race. We noticed a big box trailer with  the back open. It was full of bicycles.

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

Tuesday, August 9th - Busy Day

 Last nights overnight low was 43. We actually ran one of our heat pumps for a short time this morning, to get the inside temperature up to 65. We love it! Today's high was a sunny 81 degrees, with low humidity.

In the morning I spent more time campground searching, without a lot of success. Since I was never able to find a campground with a vacancy within 75 miles of Duluth we decided to reroute our trip. We decided to head south to the UP Lake Michigan shoreline. I wanted to spend some time at Fayette, a restored community on the Lake Michigan shore. Once again I couldn't find a campground with a vacancy within 50 miles.

Plan B, or C, or maybe even G. I called the Soo Locks Campground, the one we love and where we already stayed a week during this trip; to check to see if by any chance they had a vacancy. We will be moving there for a week when we leave here on Friday. Halleluiah & PTL! 

When we leave there the current plan is to head down to lower MI and follow the Lake Michigan shoreline down the west side of the state. Once we reach the Holland area we will head east and spend some more time camped at Mom's pond.

All that searching made me hungry. Actually, when we were there earlier this week, Kathy had seen that Sherrie's Tuesday special was turkey and dressing . She was hungry for it so we went there for lunch. I had breakfast, eggs and potato sausage, it was interesting. 

Once we were back at the coach Kathy went grocery shopping and I washed the coach. I wore out before I did the wheels and windows. It will probably take me over an hour to do them tomorrow. I also recharged our water softener. The campground water is hard. That's one of the reasons cleaning the windows will be a real chore.

In the evening, 6:30, we went into Ishpeming and participated in a history walk downtown. There are some interesting buildings. This is City Hall.

The old theater sits vacant and is in sad shape.

Originally there was a clock on top of the cylindrical appendage on the building corner.

Ishpeming traffic.

By then it was time to check out the busiest place in Ishpeming, The Ish Creamery. Kathy is heading over. The line of those waiting extends outside.

The Eggbeater is still there, much to the chagrin of many who live in Ishpeming. I didn't take a new picture of it.

https://bertdsblog.blogspot.com/2021/09/day-10-friday-september-24-ishpeming.html 

This was over a half hour later, when were leaving. The line still extends outside.

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

Monday, August 8th - Wet & Cool

 Lots of gentle rain fell early Monday morning. The overnight low was in the 50's and the days high was a breezy mid 60's.

We hung around the coach in the morning and then went to Walgreen's in Marquette to get a couple of prescriptions filled. While we waited for them we walked next door and had lunch at a Border Grill. Kathy said here fish taco was good. My steak burrito supreme was interesting. It was amazing how they could pack that much stuff in a tortilla and end up with no taste. Lots of volume but not much flavor.

We wandered around the rural Ishpeming area on our way back to the coach. There are LOTS of outdoor parks and activity areas in the UP. We are continually surprised at how many of them we encounter. 

We sat outside for awhile in the afternoon. If you could get out of the wind it was nice. The neighbor came over and we had a good visit. He full times in a small travel trailer, and has been doing so for a long time. He typically spends his winters in the Tombstone, AZ area and his summers in northern MN, WI and MI's UP. He has lived in Boston and also likes the northeast, especially Maine.

We are seriously considering changing or travel plans. Instead of going west from here I am trying to find a campground/s where we can get reservations for the next couple of weeks and then we will head back down through MI and spend some more time at my Mom's/brothers, near Coldwater.

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