Here is our schedule for summer 2015:

May 29: Cheri and I fly into San Jose, CA.
May 31: Auto touring in Wine country with Michelle. She will drop us in Healdsburg where we have contracted a three day bike tour with Wine Country Bikes.
June 1-3: Bike touring from Camellia Inn in Healdsburg.
June 4-9: San Jose with Michelle.
June 10: Fly into Detroit, rental car to Hemlock, MI.
June 17 or 18: Drive to Mason, MI.
June 24: Drive to Ludington, MI, staying at Aloha House of Ludington.
June 25: Reserved on the SS Badger to Manitowac, WI. Drive to Minneapolis.
June 26-29: Normandy Inn in downtown Mini-Apple.
June 29-July 2: Camping at Baker Reserve Campground near Maple Plain, MN.
July 3,4: Pine Island Lake near Cushing, MN with Brown family.
July 5,6: Parkside Motel in Hazelhurst, WI to ride the Bearskin Creek Trail.
July 7-9: Visiting Uncle George Backes in Michigamme, MI.
July 10-17: Camping at Petoskey State Park, Petoskey, MI.
July 18-31: Open...
August 1-7: Cornish family reunion at rental house on Mullett Lake, MI.
August 8-13: Hemlock.
August 14: Cheri returns to Maui.
August 26: Mike returns to Maui.

We're always looking for more fun stuff to do, so let us know if you have suggestions for spending time with you.

The Business of Living Continues

We've gotten most of our reservations made so I thought I'd update you on the summer schedule as it now stands.

May 29: Mike arrives in Hemlock by rental car from Detroit Metro Airport.
June 7: Cheri arrives at Midland-Bay City Airport.
June 11: Road trip to Denver by way of Mason, MI, Gifford IL, and Gothenburg, NE.
June 19-23: Camping in Rocky Mountain National Park at Aspenglen Campground.
June 27: Road trip to Minneapolis where we have reservations at Normandy Inn.
July 3: Brown family celebration at Pine Island Lake.
July 6-10: Camping at Stony Point Campground near Walker, MN.
July 10-14: Camping at Lake Bemidji State Park, Bemidji MN.
July 14: Road Trip to Munising, MI where we have reservations at the Terrace Inn.
July 15: Kayak Pictured Rocks (AM) then drive to Hemlock.
July 19: To Gaylord, MI for Girls Night Out and Mike too Harbor Springs.
July 21: Bike trip; Gaylord, Mackinaw City, Bois Blanc Island, Gaylord.
July 27: Drummond Island.
August 3: Hemlock.
August 6: Cheri returns to the doghouse via Midland-Bat City Airport.
August 27: Mike returns to the doghouse via Detroit Metro Airport.

Preparations for my retirement are just about complete with the help of a Financial Advisor at Fidelity.com. We think we have a viable plan to pay off the house in Hawaii, and live there with the ability to travel back to the mainland on a regular basis. It will be interesting to see what that's like since I haven't been unemployed for more than a week ever in my whole life. Talk to you later!!

Back to the Business of Living

Cheri went out of the house without a wig for the first time this week. Her hair is coming in really curly, and of course is still quite short so it's reminiscent of a child's. I suggested that she could sport a full afro, but I don't think she will take that advice. She did manage to take her fall vacation trip to see family and friends in Michigan in November, leaving me home to watch the dogs and earn a living. Then we had a wonderful Christmas with Mark and Katie visiting, but all the decorations and presents are put away now and it's back to the business of living./// Pretty soon the business of living will be all the business I'm doing because if all continues to go well this spring, I'll be retiring from my current role at Monsanto on June first, hoping for a transition to a part-time consulting and mentoring position when I return to Kihei in late August. This winter nursery season will be hard to top anyway, so I'll be getting out while the getting is good. We have a great looking nursery and expect a bumper crop of seed to send back to our research sites on the mainland this spring. Then in June, let the fun begin! /// We're planning to be on the mainland most of June through August, though I will be going earlier and staying longer because Cheri needs to return to the dogs. We have a lady scheduled to house and dog-sit from early June to early August, but I'll go ahead of Cheri to spend some time with my Mom, and then stay later into August for more visiting and probably a bike trip. Because the kids are in the same locations (Denver and Minneapolis) we're going to reprise the trip we took in 2012 with a road trip from Michigan to Denver, then back through Minnesota and back to Hemlock by way of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We are planning a bicycle tour that Cheri and I will do together, with lower mileage and me carrying most of the freight, staying in hotels or B&Bs in northern Michigan for a week, and we rented a house for another week on Drummond Island . We have a tentative itinerary so far but very few reservations as of yet. The items in italics are reserved, and so less likely to change:/// * June 1: Mike arrives in Hemlock./// * June 7: Cheri arrives./// * June 11: Road trip to Denver./// * June 18-22: Camping in Rocky Mountain National Park./// * June 27?: Road trip to Minneapolis./// * July 3: Brown family celebration at Pine Island Lake./// * July 6: Camping at Stony Point Campground near Walker, MN./// * July 10: Camping at Lake Bemidji State Park, Bemidji MN./// * July 14: Road Trip to Munising, MI./// * July 15: Kayak Pictured Rocks (AM) then drive to Hemlock./// * July 19: To Gaylord, MI for Girls Night Out./// * July 21: Bike trip; Gaylord, Mackinaw City, Bois Blanc Island, Gaylord./// * July 27: Drummond Island./// * August 3: Hemlock./// * August 6: Cheri returns to the doghouse./// * Late August: Mike returns to Kihei. (This space for rent)/// Again, for now this is the long-range plan and there will be plenty of juggling as we discover other opportunities or roadblocks in our path. We don't even have airline reservations right now, but I wanted to get folks thinking about the fun we might have together this summer, and update the availability of our guest room in Kihei (hint, hint).

To My Readers (however few you may be)

I apologize for my tardiness in publishing this year's adventure. Because I am now exchanging text messages with my family on a daily basis, I don't feel the emotional urge to communicate with them through this blog, and I find it has become more of a chore. Which is not to say that I will quit any time soon, because I also want to communicate these experiences and feelings to myself and others sometime in the future. It is my intention to return to extended vacations now that Cheri has recovered, and I promise to keep you up to date regarding same. Aloha!

Separate Vacations - 2013

July 24, 2013 Michelle arrived in Kihei the evening before I was to leave, and we all went immediately to Isana’s, our favorite sushi restaurant, and Michelle’s must do anytime she is home on Maui. The next evening we were back at the airport for my departure and everything went according to plan. With a good book in hand and plenty of room on the plane, it was as comfortable as any flight I can recall. In Detroit, I picked up a rental car, just to get to Mason, and then on to Hemlock, to be dropped off at MBS two days from now. My 20 hours, or so, in Mason went well with Mom and Dad (in-law) seeming in good health and spirits, and brother-in-law, Kevin joining us for dinner out. The weather was fine and the drive to Hemlock on Saturday uneventful. Skip was at the house when I arrived and volunteered to run to the airport with me to drop off the car, saving one day’s rental compared to my plan of driving in with the bike as transport home tomorrow. He and Lenda, Kris, Courtney, and Karen then joined Mom and me at the Farmer’s Home for the best burgers in Michigan. Mom had decided to skip church on Sunday, so we drove to Randy and Mindy’s campsite near Standish. On Monday I rode the bike path to St. Charles and back in the morning, and settled into my role as pool-boy that afternoon, though the weather didn’t warrant using it the entire time I was in Michigan. I got most of it cleaned up that day and Mom and I had a good week together with me riding 3-4 hours each day, and on Wednesday Skip and I paddled the kayaks on the Tittabawassee River north from Midland. They have a dry in and out system on rollers with handrails there by the Tridge that I really enjoyed. That evening I drove to Alma to meet Ron and Lois for a training ride on the bike path there, and dined with them after at a local pub, and finalized plans for transport to Montague on Saturday for the LMB Shoreline West Bicycle Tour. We also had one night out at Olive Garden, and my last evening saw us in the Benchwarmer, where Randy joined us for dinner. August 3, 2013 Skip picked me up mid-morning for the drive to Ithaca and he enjoyed Ron’s brother, Bob, so much that I almost had to ask him to leave so that we could. We had four bikes and five people (Ron, Lois, Bob, Ruth, and me) in Ron’s van, but they had kept the doors open and inside lights running all morning, which ran down the battery and we had to jump it to get going. We would stop at Stanton later for a new battery that I helped Ron install with borrowed tools, but we got to Montague in plenty of time, and the van was fine all week. We registered for the ride and I set up my tent while the other four went to find their motel (softies). After dinner and the riders meeting, we gathered back at the campground to meet Ron’s Pittsburgh crew; Dan, Bill, Ken, Sue, and Beverly, and chatted until it was time to turn in. I had set up without the rain-fly which turned out to be a mistake as I was damp and cold from the heavy dew the next morning. August 4, 2013 Breakfast was pretty mediocre by tour standards, and the first twenty miles out of town were rolling back roads before we picked up the Hart Montague Trail near Shelby, I don’t know why they didn’t route us on the trail right out of Montague. We had lunch as a group at Pentwater at Gull’s Inn; we had a good time, but the seared tuna I ordered was overdone. On the other hand, it was good fish and the beer was cold. WE were on open roads after lunch with a bit of a breeze, but there was no hurry on this 50-mile day and I rolled into the school in Ludington about 3:00PM. I set up close to the showers and after cleaning up, I went and found the crew, who had smuggled in some beer and we had a nice pupu hour before dinner. Dinner was only fair, though the rest of the facilities were nicer than last night (or tomorrow). We swapped more stories after, and sent the motel-ers home and found our beds around 9:00PM. August 5, 2013 I slept better than last night and breakfast was pretty good, but I had a stupid fall off the bike in the parking lot that left me with a bruised knee. I felt good setting out, but the course map and profile didn’t show the short, steep climbs early in the route. I thought the crew would be stopping for lunch in Manistee, but didn’t find them and took a break and had a light lunch at the Burger King north of town. I wasn’t feeling real good, but kept on going through Onekama and on up the first long hill of three big climbs on today’s route called the Three Sisters. I walked a little on the steepest section, but felt better on the long flatter section to come. I was hoping that one of our private SAGs would come by, either Ruth or the Pittsburg van that Beverly was driving most days, but no luck. Then it was through Arcadia and up the steep, steep second Sister, also known as Watermelon Hill, which was a great place for a walk. At the top, I had some watermelon and a rest and both SAGs arrived and the rest of the crew after that. Lois introduced me to Shauna Dock from East Lansing, who was also driving a private SAG for husband, Jim, and she agreed to drive me into Frankfort, skipping the Third Sister. The facilities at Frankfort left something to be desired, especially in table space and we ended up with thirteen people around a standard picnic table for dinner. But the food was good and we went to Ron’s motel afterward for some wine and conversation, which was a lot of fun. We toasted Bill Tye, who was Ron’s original connection to the Pittsburgh crew, now deceased but still beloved by all. August 6, 2013 I slept not at all because of the bruise on my leg, but I had agreed last night to advance the Dock’s van as far as Sleeping Bear Dune this morning and starting my ride from there. That made this just a 40 mile day for me, and I liked that idea a lot. I made sure Shauna and Jim were good through the first fifteen miles, and then left the van at the appointed place and jumped on the bike just shy of Glen Haven. The crew would probably lunch at Glen Arbor, but I didn’t want to wait around so went on ahead, solo. It was hilly around Maple City, and I got off course once and rode a couple steep hills getting back on course, and then came Philosopher’s Hill. It’s named that because you have plenty of time to contemplate the meaning of the universe as you are turning your lowest gear for four miles. It took me about forty minutes, but it wasn’t very steep, and led to a nice downhill into Traverse City, where we were to camp at the Civic Center. I called Nikki as soon as I got clean and set up and she sent Gail to pick me up and drag me to Heather’s for dinner, but I took a look at what was being served and decided to have a cherry bratwurst which I really enjoyed as an appetizer. Gail and I sat around and talked as I did my laundry, and the girls came later for a meal of prepared chicken and salads, which were good. Gail dropped me off and I slept pretty well, having stopped to buy Advil to quiet my leg pain. August 7, 2013 I was camped way back by the skateboard park with Ken and Dan and we really hit it off yesterday afternoon and this morning. The tour served a very nice breakfast, but lunch and dinner are on our own today to encourage patronage of the businesses in T.C. Some folks went off to ride up the Old Mission Peninsula, while I just read and then rode downtown and walked around Boardman Park with the fish ladder and then went looking for a nice lunch. I was thinking of a place called Scalawags and headed in that direction on foot but came across the State Street Grill and their special today was planked whitefish. I went in and watched Tiger baseball and had a Labatt’s Blue, and the whitefish was fantastic, the best I ever had, crusted with parmesan and paprika with mashed potatoes. Great lunch! That afternoon I rode to Nikki’s new house at on Indian Trail and chatted with her and Luke as she unpacked knick-knacks and dishes and I got my phone charged. Later, I took Gail out to diner at North Peak, and Nikki joined us after her appointment up in Suttons Bay. We had a very nice time and I got back to the Civic Center about 9:00PM to watch some softball and chat with Ken and Dan. A very satisfactory rest day and I’m looking forward to riding to Charlevoix tomorrow. August 8, 2014 Breakfast was about average this chilly morning and the route out of town was familiar to me from past rides in this area. After doing laundry at Heather’s on Tuesday, I was unable to find my headband, and set off without it, but soon regretted its absence so I stopped in Elk Rapids and found a skull cap at the third place I checked. It’s a beautiful route today with just a few hills, but one really steep one just before Torch Lake, where I stopped and had lunch at a beach park. I bought a sandwich and a quart of chocolate milk at a nearby convenience store for my picnic, and enjoyed the mid-70 degree temperatures and this lovely park and lake. It should be an easy two hours or so to Charlevoix, so I took my time, updated my journal and watched the other park go-ers and lake traffic. I went off route by taking US31 instead of Barnhard Road to the school to avoid the hills I know exist there, but probably didn’t save much because of the tough climb up to the school from town. I got to the school about 4:00PM and got my luggage and went looking for, and found my friends Ken and Dan, and selected a spot to camp near them. As they went in to shower, I called John Diedrich, my buddy in Harbor Springs just to report my whereabouts and make plans to stop and see them on the morrow. John was so excited to hear from me, and asked if he could come pick me up at Charlevoix instead since he is on call tomorrow night, and I agreed, thankful that I had called before setting up my tent, because I would stay in Harbor tonight in a real bed! I went and showered before going out to the front of the school to wait the hour or so it would take John to make the drive. I managed to get the bike mostly in his trunk, and tie the lid down and off we went. We dropped my stuff at his place and had a glass of wine, then exchanged the sedan for his pride and joy Cadillac convertible and we rolled in style to a brew-haus close by for a beer, and then to Bar Harbor pub for a burger and more beer. Bar Harbor is the Farmer’s Home up there with the best burgers for miles around, and we were lucky to get a table and enjoy dinner and catching up with each other. When we got back to the house, Patty and Mary were there with Mary’s daughter Katelyn who thought I was the best toy in the box, and a good time was had by all. August 9, 2014 It was great to sleep in a real bed, and have nothing pressing in the morning. I had a blueberry muffin and juice, and then busied myself with a little bike maintenance. It was a pleasant day for a nice rest, and that’s about all I did. When John got home, we drove my luggage into Harbor to put it on the truck for Mackinaw City and then went to visit Amy and Adam and their two kids at their new home (a mile or so from their old one if I’m not mistaken). Patty and I worked together to prepare whitefish for dinner, which turned out well, but not as good as State Street Grill in T.C. and just chatted and watched TV as John worked the phone most of the evening helping their group’s patients with medical advice. And another night in the comfortable bed! August 10, 2014 Patty was a sweetheart and cooked breakfast for me in the morning and then I hit the bike path along M119 to Harbor Springs, the first time I’ve ridden that piece. It was pretty flat and very pleasant despite the chill, and took me all the way to the school where I caught up to the rest of the tour. The Pittsburgh crew caught me just before Good Hart, and we all stopped there for a few minutes to chat and say our good-byes and fare-thee-wells. I really enjoyed having a group to hang out with, especially Ken and Dan. I left there ahead of the rest but they caught and passed me again before Cross Village, where I picked up some Gatorade from the tour SAG. It was a pretty easy day of riding, pretty flat and only about 50 miles and I got to Mackinaw City about 12:30PM. I called Skip and found that they were behind schedule, so I indulged myself by riding to the Mackinaw Pastie for a nice lunch (with gravy) before going back to the school to find my bag. It was a pretty tight parking area, and I knew Skip had the fifth wheel and a trailer full of kayaks, so I walked my stuff 200 yards up the road to a parking lot with more room for his vehicle, but then had to wait in isolation. They arrived about 2:15PM, and we loaded up and were off to Munising. Skip had been planning to get fuel before leaving Mackinaw, but forgot and we were a little worried about running out and might have to go off-route at Newberry, but found a station at Robert’s Corners. We got to tease him about it all the way there and home again. We got to the campground a mile or two west of Munising about 5:00PM; a beautiful spot with wonderful access to the big lake and some nice sites, and got set up. We decided to go scout our potential parking location for tomorrow, and grab dinner out. There is a very nice, rustic visitor center at the Miners Castle area of the park and very adequate facilities for parking at Miners Beach a mile or two away. We stopped at the visitor center and walked out to the viewing platforms and had a really nice time, even saw an eagle close up. It had been perched in a tree but flew close to the path we were on at just the right time. The cliff here is higher than any of the trees at lake level, and is a beautiful spot. Our recon finished, we drove back to town and went to the Dogpatch restaurant for dinner; we passed on the seafood buffet and found the burgers and sandwiches very satisfactory. Then back to the campground for sleep and an early start tomorrow. August 11, 2014 We had a quick breakfast of cereal and a banana and headed back to Miners Beach. It’s a bit of a walk to the beach, but the boardwalk makes it easy access for the kayaks with Skip’s unpatented wheels attached. We were on the water by 8:00AM and it was beautiful. Not dead calm, but very nice by Lake Superior standards as we poked our kayaks into small caves and between rocks just feet from two hundred foot cliffs. The colors were amazing and the natural architecture just breath-taking. We got out at Mosquito Beach to eat the lunch Lenda had packed for us, though it was too cold for the mosquitoes to be out yet this morning. We got back on the lake and paddled as far as Portage Point before turning back. Skip and Kris made a beeline from point to point, but I wanted to explore every little bay and crevasse a second time, just totally enjoying this wonderful place. We took another break at Mosquito Beach to rest on the return and watched a couple groups of kayaks go by. There were three or four groups of kayaks that had started an hour or more later than we, and then the commercial tour boats came by from time to time creating wakes for us to enjoy, but nothing could dampen my delight with this day’s adventure. I got back to Miners Beach at about 2:30PM, maybe a half-hour after Skip and Kris, and we pulled the boats out and accepted help from beach go-ers to carry them up the stairs to the boardwalk. Back at the campground we mostly rested and read, and then looked at the pictures Skip had taken with his new little waterproof camera. Lenda fed us well that night, with chocolate caramel fondue for dessert with strawberries, pineapple, pretzels, and pound cake to dip. August 12-14, 2014 It’s back to Hemlock the next morning after a great breakfast from Lenda’s skillet. We were thinking of another short paddle but the weather looks unpromising and we were all satisfied with the decision to hit the road. We stopped in Mackinaw City for the ladies to do some shopping and got home just in time for supper. I spent the next day doing laundry and packing our possessions back into the space we use in Mom’s basement, having had to dig through just about everything to find the few things I needed this trip. On Wednesday, Skip and Mom drove me to Detroit to catch my flight back to Maui and my girls; Michelle is still there with Cheri until a few hours after I got home, like ships passing in the daylight, we basically got to wave hello and goodbye. It was a good vacation, though shorter than hoped for, I’ll have some vacation left over for the occasional bike ride this fall.

The Adventure Called "Life" Intervenes.

       My usual approach to this blog is to add posts whenever appreciable headway is made toward my next adventure; a plan is developed, reservations made etc. That would have been the case this year again, but life intervened in the form of a malignant cancer of Cheri's breast. I would have liked to blog immediately, but the emotions of a cancer patient are tricky waters to navigate, and Cheri's desire for privacy was foremost up to this point. She had a lumpectomy and has finished the treacherous chemo-therapy treatments and is now undergoing radiation therapy, which is a walk in the park compared to chemo. She seems to be almost fully recovered as of this writing, and while I must still be more careful than is comfortable, about what I write, I want to bring you up to date.

       We were in the introductory stages of planning a bicycle trip together when we were so rudely interupted; in fact I had already made reservations at a B&B on Boblo Island (aka Bois Blanc) in Lake Huron, and a hotel in Indian River that would have been overnight stops on our proposed ride from Gaylord to Boblo Island and back, that would have happened last week, in fact. It would have been thirty miles each day on the North Central State Bike Path in Michigan with a ferry ride to the island  from Cheboygan, and a rest day on the island, with two nights of luxury at a place called Insel Haus. I was planning to carry our clothes on my new trailer that performed so admirably last year, and it would have been an epic trip, but now we hope to make it happen next year instead.

        We were also in the process of planning another camping trip out to Maine, including meeting my brother, Skip at Umbagog State Park in New Hampshire, that we loved so much in 2009. Those reservations were also made and later cancelled along with the week at the house on Drummond Island that had been reserved and was scuttled. I would have had a lot to report, and you would have read about most of it by now, had not life interupted us so abruptly.

        As it turned out, it has been a good summer to stay home in Kihei since we have dealt with cancer scares for both of our dogs, one that turned out to be a deep infection in Skittles' leg, and the other an operable tumor on Nani's thigh which was removed yesterday. I guess trouble comes in threes after all, and I hope that means we're done for a while. Now all we have to do is pay for it all, and while there has been no vacation as of yet, the bills are close to those that resulted from other summer's happier pursuits. I have been able to participate in Maui's Summer Master Works Chorus, and have enjoyed the rehearsals immensely. More about that later as the performance won't be until December 2013, so there is a ways to go yet.

        Cheri determined that she would not travel until all treatments were finished, and she had time to recover, perhaps sometime in the fall. This schedule would not work with my professional duties, so we are going on separate vacations this year. I leave tomorrow for Michigan (July 24, 2013) to spend a week with my Mom, and later participate in a week-long bike tour called Michigan Shoreline West that takes us from Montague to Mackinaw City. Brother Skip is going to pick me up there and drive us north with our kayaks to near Munising to kayak the fabled Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for a couple day, before it's back home to Kihei on August 14th and back to work. MY daughter, Michelle is flying in tonight to be with her Mom during my absense. I promise that I will file a full report of this trip upon my return to Kihei. See you then!

The Road West - 2012

Spring 2012:
The busy winter season is slowly winding down and I seem to have survived with my job intact; even though I've faced over thirty winter seasons, every year I wonder. With another year worth of salary now assured, I can turn my thoughts to the more enjoyable side of life; our summer vacation. This year's version, similar to 2011, will include about ten weeks away from Kihei with visits by automobile to Denver, Colorado and Minneapolis, Minnesota to visit the kids, and a month back in Michigan to visit other family and friends. That last month will again include time on Drummond Island and a bicycle tour for me after Cheri leaves for home two weeks ahead of my return.

I've decided to give loaded touring another try utilizing a trailer to carry the extra weight that has caused me trouble with rear wheel problems in the past. There is a brand new trailer on the market now, called the Extrawheel trailer that basically attaches a third wheel directly behind the rear wheel with a framework to hold the panniers, taking that weight off the rear wheel, carrying it on the Extrawheel. I haven't purchased it yet, but that's what I'm planning so far. They say it handles more like a regular bicycle than the BOB Yak trailers which are a lot longer.
The route for this year looks like north and east from Hemlock to the sunrise side of the state of Michigan as far north as Alpena where I'll pick up a new rail-trail that goes all the way up to Cheboygan in the northern tip of the mitten. Then, straight south to Gaylord, Grayling, etc. and back to Hemlock. It looks like about nine days of riding and I'll have almost fourteen available if needed so there will be less time pressure and more rest days if I decide to take them. I’m pretty excited, and have started training already, with forty-five miles each of the last two Saturdays.
We still have three months of living to do, including a lot of singing; maybe even a CD recording session with 4-Given in May. We still have yet to find a house/dog sitter to take care of the girls in our absence, so I’ll be working hard on that until we can get someone lined up. Our flight and auto reservations are made, and I’ll order the Extrawheel soon.

I’ll arrive in Michigan on May 27th if the planes all fly on time with an American Airlines Advantage ticket, then Cheri a few days later on a purchased ticket and a much nicer schedule. We’ll head for Denver a week later, two weeks there and three more in Minnesota, including a camping trip on the Superior shore before heading back to Hemlock, then Drummond etc. That’s all the detail we have as of yet, and any or all of it can be changed if something better comes along (all expense paid trip to see the Tour de France for instance).

The Plan, for Now:
This is the schedule so far, reservations for lodging at the W, and camping locations are made, so we're pretty firm for much of this. • May 27- Mike arrives DTW, drives to Hemlock. • May 29- Cheri arrives MBS. • June 1- Drive to Mason. • June 4- Drive toward Denver, CO. • June 6- Michelle's house, Denver, CO. • June 7- Cherry Creek State Park, Denver, CO. • June 14- Chatfield State Park, Denver, CO. • June 21- Drive toward Minneapolis, MN. • June 22- The W hotel, Minneapolis, MN. • June 25- Baker Park Reserve Park, Maple Plain, MN. • June 28- Itasca State Park, MN. • July 2- Temperance River State Park, MN. • July 6- Pine Island Lake, MN, Brown family gathering. • July 9- Drive and ferry to Muskegon State Park, MI. • July 10- Drive to Hemlock, MI. • July 14- Cheri to Gaylord, MI, Mike open. • July 15- Drummond Island, MI. • July 22- Harbor Springs, MI. • July 23- Hemlock, MI. • July 26- Cheri returns to Kihei. • July 27 or 28- Mike bicycle- Alpena-Cheboygan-Gaylord. • August 3- Join Skip and Lenda at Fletcher's Pond, MI. • August 6- Back to Hemlock, MI. • August 10-Mike returns to Kihei via DTW airport, Detroit, MI. Hope to see all of you at one time or another, suggestions for additional activities are welcome.

Getting Ready to Go:
Less than two weeks to go and not much has changed for our trip. We've added a stop at Clyde and Skip German's house in Gifford, Illinois the evening of June 4th; they are old and dear friends, and Clyde's health kept them from visiting us in Kihei this winter. We've also signed up for the Denver Century Ride on Father's Day, June 17th. I'll do the metric century (100 Km = 62 miles) and Cheri will tour the 25 mile family course for her first organized bike event. We'll meet our friend Darrell there and get a report of the 100 mile course from him.

We've tightened up the safety net for dog care for the summer with some local friends house-sitting for a week, and a Monsanto intern named Kori Sakahashi from Kauai for the bulk of the summer. He visited Kihei this past weekend, and he'll make a fine Nani-Nanny.

I had a pretty wretched flight schedule on the mileage award ticket until sometime in April when they changed a flight on me, and I would have had a virtual overnight in LAX. So I called American to see what could be done to improve it and talked my way into a perfect schedule and first class cabin from here to Chicago; don't ask me how, cause I don't know and I'm not making any waves now! They may have upgraded me automatically because of the terrible schedule after the change, but she didn't question the first class status that was listed in her computer and complete news to me, and I certainly didn't either. I'll have to limit myself on the free booze since I have to drive to Hemlock upon arrival.

I got the Extrawheel trailer ordered, and when it arrived, Skip got my bike down and put it together for me. I'll be able to test ride it as soon as I get to Hemlock, but the pictures he took look just like the video I've seen online. I think it will be perfect! Ship is also putting together a group of friends with kayaks for a trip to Point Aux Barques in Lake Huron, which is similar to the Pictured Rocks area near Munising in the U.P. I told him his friends better not make any wise cracks about my paddling a two-man kayak, or I'd chase them down and sit on them.

I guess that's all for now; I'll talk to you next from Michigan, probably after the Lake Huron trip. See you then!

First Days in Michigan:
The flights went well, but I still didn’t sleep much, even though the seats in first class recline to a nearly flat position. All the connections were on time, and my bag reached Detroit on the same plane I did. It took Thrifty Car Rental forever to process me and a few other folks, then more time in their poorly marked lot, but I drove away with a Chevy Traverse and it drives very nicely. No luggage rack but we’ll cross the kayak hauling bridge later in the trip, since this was the only model available. My eyelids got heavy before I finally drove into the yard, but I made it in time for supper with Mom.

Sunday morning I went to church with brother Randy and his family, then got on the bicycle for a short trip to the cemetery to visit my dad and test the Extrawheel and found it to be fine so far. I noticed a couple things on the bike that need attention, but can wait a bit; the middle ring on the crank-set is worn enough that I experienced some chain slip under power, and one pedal feels a bit loose, and looks like its ready for replacement. That evening I took Randy & Mindy along with Mom to Olive Garden for dinner, and we had a nice visit and a good meal.

Monday Skip and family picked me up for the kayak trip on Lake Huron which was pretty nice, but no friends joined us and it was a long paddle for the first trip of the season. Later I went for a twenty mile round trip on the bike (sans trailer) to the Brant cemetery to visit my maternal grandparents, and further shake it down, then later yet worked on cleaning the pool from the past winter’s inactivity. It’s not too bad, but still plenty of work skimming, vacuuming and babysitting the barracuda (auto-vacuum). It looks almost swim-ready by dark.

Tuesday morning Cheri came into Tri-City Airport a bit ahead of schedule and Mom and I took her to breakfast at the Riverside and then to Meijer’s and on another errand, before heading back to the farm, where she grabbed a two-hour nap, and I continued with the migrant labor thing; the pool clean-up. I got in to skim and vacuum more completely and it looked really good by the time I finished, but the weather was far from hot and I couldn’t get Cheri to come in with me. We had a great dinner of hamburger patties, sweet corn and some beautiful tomatoes.

Wednesday saw Cheri and I on the Saginaw Valley Rail-Trail up to St. Charles and back, then on to the bike shop out on Bay Road, where neither of my little problems could be solved yet. I asked him to order the new chain-ring, and I’ll get the pedals on line and have them shipped to Michelle in Denver. It was quite chilly so no pool activity, but I went to the library and got some books that they will allow me to keep until I get back here in July, which is nice of them.

It was really cold on Thursday, and we visited niece Kelly’s shop for a haircut (me) and a face wax treatment (Cheri) then returned to the farm for a lazy day of reading and then writing in this blog. Later we’ll go out to dinner with Skip & Lenda, Randy & Mindy, and Mom to Harvey’s Bar and Grill. Then I’ll get those pedals ordered and get ready to head out to Mason on Friday. See you later.

Mason and the Long Drive West

We had a nice time in Mason with Bill and Anita, with Uncle Kevin guys, and Bill Jr. & Debbie with us Saturday night for my own recipe of pork loin in mustard and vinegar sauce. Everyone seemed to enjoy and Grandpa even ate a mushroom, though I must say that the sauce for that dish is so flavorful that he probably didn’t taste the mushroom itself. Sunday I took a bike ride while Cheri took her Mom shopping, and we ended the visit with a delicious dinner at Mitchells’s Fish Market.

Monday was a good day for driving, and we made good time to Gifford, having forgotten the fact that we would gain an hour. Clyde and Skip made us very welcome again, and we asked to go see their church which was being remodeled last year at this time, and they did a fabulous job on the “Cathedral in the Corn Field” as Immanuel Lutheran in Flatville is known. It is a beautiful church that seats about 400 people by my estimate, and Clyde claims that they fill it pretty regularly for special occasions. The night was continued with dinner at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Champaign/Urbana for some good old country cooking that we really enjoyed. We also got a good old country breakfast the next morning in Clyde’s avowed favorite place to eat (Skip’s kitchen) with bacon and pancakes that were very tasty.

Mapquest had suggested that the southern route through Kansas City would be the shortest, but Garmin disagreed and took us across I-80 again, and the last time we disregarded Garmin on a decision like this, we regretted it. It gave us a chance to stop at a place we’d seen on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (TV) in Omaha. Garmin took us right to the address, but the restaurant there had a different name, Shuck’s Oyster Bar and we decided to give it a try. It was really good and we got to try Oysters Rockefeller that were delicious, if a bit pricey. We drove on well after dinner and ended up in Kearney, NE at a Microtel and had a good night’s sleep.

Wednesday started with a good breakfast courtesy of the hotel, complete with fresh made waffle, and we were on our way. We were ahead of schedule so we decided to stop in Gothenburg to see Celeste and tour that location, and give me a chance to say hi to some other coworkers. They had a Safety Pause going on, so after our tour and some conversation, we headed for Denver. We were still ahead of schedule, so we took a scenic detour in northeast Colorado and got to Michelle’s about 4:00PM and she let us into her apartment to clean up and we both fell asleep on the couch. Dinner was at a local place called Bonefish, and it was delicious, especially the “Bang-bang shrimp”, and after we had some as an appetizer, I ordered more for my entry with a spinach salad; really good. We walked a dog, Robbie, for Miki’s friend, and then got a good night’s sleep in her very comfortable bed.

First Days in Cherry Creek State Park, Aurora, CO

Thursday Michelle cooked leftovers and eggs and we headed for Cherry Creek and our first 2012 camping site. We set up, including Cheri’s new, larger tent, and found that a mouse had gotten into both of our bag chairs; no damage but they absolutely reeked of mouse odor, so they had to be scrubbed and deodorized.  Mice had carried corn kernels into the bags and one poor smelly creature forgot to leave in the spring. It took a full bottle of Fabreeze to make the chairs sitable. We rode our bikes around the campground for orientation and then headed to the store for groceries. We had a light, late, lunch and an afternoon of relaxation, then some salmon and salad for dinner. The wind in the evening was brutal and we went to bed wondering if our tents would be standing in the morning.

They were, but one plastic fitting had broken causing some leaning which required readjustment, then I discovered that part of the propane stove had been left in Michigan, and I had to heat water for Cheri’s coffee and dishwater (same flavor to my taste) in the electric skillet after the sausage and raspberry pancakes were done. We decided to go for a long bike ride to prepare for next Sunday’s century ride, but Cheri’s bike had a flat front tire to fix first; she had picked up a thorn. Our ride turned out to be three and a half hours, but she made it, so I’m confident she can do her planned 25 miles in the organized event. The trails are great but not well marked, many of the trail maps are too weathered to read. In the afternoon we went off in search of bike stuff and a stove replacement and were successful on all counts, if a bit poorer financially as a result. Miki came out to the campground for a steak and sweet corn, and we enjoyed talking with her until late in the evening.

Saturday brought some nicer weather our way, so Cheri and I decided to get the kayak wet, and maybe each other. We drove to a picnic area where it was a short portage down a cement path to the water’s edge, and successfully put in and got in; getting out is the hardest part for me. We paddled about an hour to the marina on the far side of the lake, and after looking around pulled out on a nearby beach for a snack and some water; this being a reservoir, even I wouldn’t drink out of the lake. That evening we drove to Westminster to take Miki’s friend Darrell to dinner. Darrell is a bicyclist and will be joining us for the century ride next Sunday, though he plans to do the full 100 miles, while I’m taking the metric approach and doing only 100 kilometers (62 miles). Cheri is being brave enough to try the 25 mile family ride, but there are 1,000 cyclists signed up, so it’s going to be bikes wall-to-wall. We went to “California Pizza Kitchen” and had a very nice meal and great conversation. Afterward, we loaded Miki’s stuff up to take her back to the campground with us and avoid the very steep fee to drive another vehicle into the park.

Sunday was nice again, though plenty warm and we took a group bicycle ride after I had fixed up the bicycle that Miki had been given by a friend who was moving (just air up the tires and adjust it to fit her physique). We rode a couple hours though not particularly hard or fast, but enjoyed the ride and the company before a leisurely lunch and lazy afternoon. Miki slept in our tent Saturday night because we returned quite late, but we set up her tent today. I grilled BBQ chicken for dinner, after a trip to the market, with sweet corn and salad; it was delicious.

Monday was a crazy day with Michelle having a couple of appointments and Cheri looking for a Weight-Watchers meeting so she could weigh in. She is a lifetime member which requires that she weigh in once a month within two pounds of her original goal. She has to pay again if she goes over the two pound limit, and resume weekly attendance, which she prefers not to do, and has never had too yet. I decided on a long bicycle ride, so after Cheri and Miki left for Westminster, I finished the dishes and hit the Cherry Creek Bike path. Miki and Cheri found time in their busy day to get Darrell to take them out for sushi, while I ate at a 7-11, but got a salad instead of my favored chilidog. I got back after two visits to REI and eight hours on the bike. We couldn’t agree on a mileage for my day, estimates ranged from 60 (Miki - on her smart phone) and 200 (me - based on how I felt afterwards). Cheri and I prepared hobo dinners, a favorite camping meal where hamburger, potatoes, carrots, and onions are gathered into foil packages and tossed in the campfire; though with the ban on wood fires, I had to cook them on the gas grill. We had some salad too, and a promise of a chocolate desert yet to come.

Last Days in Cherry Creek State Park

The weather Tuesday morning was good and we sort of just played the day away. We had some left-over potatoes from dinner, and some left-over sausages from Saturday which all went into a scramble for breakfast. We read and talked and then as it got warmer, went down to the beach for some sun and water. After an hour, Cheri and I left Miki to her sunbathing in favor of a bike ride and Cheri decided to challenge the hill just outside the campground, and I couldn’t let her do it without me, so we both conquered it. Later that afternoon Miki had physical therapy for her ankle (a result of a car accident three months ago); I had a date with Don Dolin (an old friend) to attend a Rockies game, while Cheri and Jackie Dolin went to dinner. We all met back at Michelle’s in Westminster and said our good-bys before carpooling (Miki, Cheri, and I) back to Cherry Creek and a welcome bed and blankets. There is no fee for entering the park after hours.

Wednesday was another day for the bicycles, just we three, after some raspberry pancakes.  We rode a couple miles to a bike shop just outside the park and bought Michelle a helmet for safety, and then she and Cheri went into shopping mode and accessorized with gloves, a seat-bag to carry some essentials, and a water bottle. It ended up being $125.00 but it was for our little girl, and she claims her friends will push her to use the bike now that she is set up properly with safe gear. I hope so. We took a long ride after the shopping and she did very well as we rode all the way around the lake, then up the hill to a residential area and one of her favorite places for lunch called Tokeo Joe’s. Cheri had what they call a “Kihei Salad” and all of us had a great lunch before riding back to camp. That evening I tried to grill some Dover sole which was only moderately successful, but the sweet corn, salad, and wine made it an acceptable meal. We said good-by to Michelle for the next few days as she returns to work, and we get ready to move our camp to Chatfield State Park, a bit further south and west of Denver.

Thursday was devoted to changing camps and I made eggs and potatoes for breakfast before we started in with packing up. We got everything loaded and over to Chatfield about 10:30 and had to wait for our site to be evacuated, so we drove around the park a while. It’s a nice park but there are few trees in the campground, which sits high on a bluff above the lake. Later in the afternoon we went up to Estes Park to visit some friends and really enjoyed touring the area with Gary and Fran Shelley, snow-bird members at Kihei Lutheran, before and after a nice dinner at Mary’s Lake Resort. It was a late night by the time we got back to camp and we dove beneath the sheets ASAP. There was a mild thunderstorm and a little rain that night, but we stayed dry even without the rain-fly in place on the tent (which we had ordered delivered to Michelle’s and picked up on the way to Estes Park).

Friday dawned windy and cool, so windy that after raspberry pancakes we had to get away, so we went into Denver to reconnoiter the start area of Sunday’s century ride at Stapleton Central Park. The address I had in the Garmin (copied from the web-site) was in the middle of a residential housing development, but we found the park a mile down the street. We decided that we’d better budget more time there prior to our estimated departure because parking is going to be a nightmare. Then we drove to Confluence Park for a visit to the REI store and a bike ride down Cherry Creek Trail that I rode on Monday and felt Cheri would love; she did. We stopped in the Cherry Creek Mall where Jackie Dolin works and invited her to lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen that we enjoyed so much in the Flatiron Mall with Darrell last Saturday. She called us when we got there and canceled her attendence, but we had a nice lunch and stopped back at her shop to say good-by, then braved a bit of a thunder-storm that threatened but didn’t materialize on the ride back. We got back to Chatfield and the weather was beautiful as I grilled gourmet burgers that were the best meal to date. By-by for now.

Chatfield State Park

The wind last night was awful and we were awake half the night listening to the tents flapping and snapping, and feared they wouldn’t last until morning, but somehow they did and we awoke to a beautiful Colorado morning. After naked raspberry pancakes (no meat) for breakfast we put the kayak in the water at the west end of the lake for a paddle. There is very little boat traffic at that end and we had a nice time chasing geese. At first we thought there were two species of birds in the small flock we were near, but the white ones were just Canadian geese upside-down as they looked for food under the water. Later we saw a family of ducks, Mama and at least twelve ducklings who might have been a little old for that title, but I don’t know what to call adolescent ducks. After some turkey sandwiches for lunch, Cheri set about doing laundry while I stood guard at the campsite as there was a storm on the horizon. When it hit, I thought again that we’d lose the dining tent, but it managed to stand through my estimate of 50 MPH gusts with only a drop or two of rain. When Cheri returned from the laundry room, she had no idea what I’d been through having only noticed a few bicyclists taking shelter in the building with her. That night, I outdid myself with a camp spaghetti that was absolutely delicious for our private carbo-loading party. (The next day we would see a sign that said “Carbo-loading is so 2011”.) We got our site ready for an all-day absence as we would be leaving about 5:30AM for the century ride and hit the sack hoping for good weather. Wish us luck!

We were up an away on time, having purchased some muffins so we could breakfast during the drive. Parking turned out to be no problem as I received an email the previous night with specific instructions that worked perfectly. We were there on time and got checked in okay, except some volunteer had screwed up Cheri’s registration, and the bib she got didn’t have her name printed on it as most others, including mine, did. Darrell was delayed by a ride partner and we ended up beginning our ride a few minutes before he got to the start line, but they passed us soon enough. We had a pretty nice, safe ride right through downtown Denver although they had said something at the start about an aid station about seven miles out that we never found, by the time we got to the 12.5 mile aid station, and Cheri’s turn-around, we were a bit confused, and I think Cheri was a bit thirsty as she had forgotten the water bottle we bought specially for this event, and wasn’t carrying water (and for some reason, didn’t want any of mine). But at the aid station that was all cleared up, and she got a water bottle she could carry on the way back. I guess it was about 9:15AM that we got that all cleared up and Cheri confident of her route and properly prepared, and I went on from there for the other fifty miles in store for me on the metric century, as Cheri rested up before heading back toward the start/finish for her 25 miles.

We had started out with clear and warm that soon turned into clear and hot and after I left the next aid station at Golden and headed toward Boulder it got hillier and windier, and the five miles after the thirty mile aid station were absolutely devastating for me, and Darrell backed me up on the difficulty of that section later. At about thirty-five miles (probably at least ¾ mile of which I had to walk) we turned downwind and downhill, but the damage to my condition and confidence was done and I was just hoping I could make it to the finish line. During that same time, Cheri was finding that the course markings were not as clear as she would have liked on the return, though I think the tug of a Starbuck’s sign may have helped pull her away from her proper bearings. She ended up walking her bike back toward where she had last seen a sign (on a one-way street) and found her way with the help of another couple. She finished at about 11:30AM and tried to find shade until I struggled home almost four hours later. Darrel later reported having as bad an afternoon as I did, finishing his 100 miles in the 98° heat a little more than an hour after my paltry 65 miles. Cheri and I didn’t wait for him at the finish because the call of Michelle’s pool was so strong, and that ended up feeling soooooooooo goooooooood! Afterward Michelle took us out to a restaurant called Hacienda to celebrate Father’s Day; what a wonderful daughter. We were so tired that evening, we decided not to drive all the way back to Chatfield and accepted her hospitality and bed for the night.

Monday morning we headed back to Chatfield by way of King Sooper to shop for dinner, expecting Michelle and Darrell to join us later in the day. After getting back and putting our site in order and stowing the groceries, we decided that a car-trip to nearby Roxborough State Park would be in order (and air-conditioned), just to investigate. It turned out to be a nice park had we had time and energy for a little hiking, and returned to Chatfield intent on getting in the water again to cool our body temperatures, this being another 97° day in the Denver area. We got word that Michelle’s business meeting had been canceled, so we met her back at camp and then drove to the beach for the cool-down, before showering and preparing for Darrell’s arrival. The salmon and sweet corn were well received and we had a great time chatting and eating with a little wine and a few beers tossed into the mix, it was a lovely evening. We would have liked to have had a campfire that evening, but the state of Colorado is now under a ban on open fires due to extremely dry conditions, and two very serious wildfires currently on-going elsewhere in the state.

Tuesday morning at 4:20AM our sleep was disturbed by a very public domestic dispute, something about a ”fricking” lighter (maybe for her crystal meth?) shouted for all in the campground to hear. Around 8:00AM we rose for a big breakfast of bacon and blueberry pancakes with juice and coffee, before setting off on a short bike ride as Darrell had stayed over, and had brought his mountain bike along with tent and sleeping bag. We stopped a few places and had a very nice time before getting Darrell off for a return to his office around noon. We three went to the market, and visited “My Favorite Muffin” café for lunch, and returned with gourmet burgers and shrimp cocktail in hand for later. It was another very warm day, so we stayed pretty close to the shade, though I braved the sun for an hour-long bike ride exploring a bike path toward Plum creek which also drains into this reservoir. The burgers were declared excellent, prefacing a gorgeous sunset. Cheri spent two hours looking for her lost eyeglasses (successfully!) while I blah, blah, blogged in your honor. Cheri and Michelle also took a short ride around the campgrounds as the evening cooled to a very pleasant mid-seventies as night fell. Our time in Denver is nearing an end, as all good things must do, and tomorrow we will visit old friends Burt and Elouise Van Engan for lunch before celebrating our family ties again with dinner out. I’m hoping for sushi!

The Road Back East

I got my wish and it was delicious as we returned to Sushi Yume that Michelle, Darrell and Cheri had visited a week ago for lunch. The sushi was great, and the crab cake appetizer was the best I ever had. We awoke at Michelle’s apartment to a breakfast of scrambled eggs, with ham, spinach, and onions that was very good and got on the road by 8:30AM. We stopped there in Westminster for gas and then at a hardware to replace a pin that had been lost from the bike rack with a similar sized bolt, and hit the open road. We stopped in Nebraska at a rest area and decided to give Sonic Drive-in a try in honor of niece, Lani, having worked at a Sonic in Texas. It was okay and we continued on to Council Bluffs where there is a DD&D restaurant called Dixie Quicks and we had a great dinner there. The bow-tie pasta with asparagus and prosciutto was great and the owner, Rene, said it’s just as good with spam. We drove until about 10:00PM to make Des Moines and have a short day tomorrow and stayed at another Microtel.

Friday we had the complimentary breakfast at the hotel, just edible, and hit the road for the four hours or so we had to the twin cities. After a fuel stop and a light lunch at Jimmy John’s we arrived at the W hotel in Minneapolis at 2:30PM just as a bunch of other cars pulled up, so Mark was busy but a bellboy and friend named Marcus took over and showed us to our beautiful room and Mark came up around 4:00PM. We walked back to their apartment and had a drink waiting for Katie, and later went out for a late Father’s Day to Wakame sushi, and it was fabulous. A sushi chef friend of Mark’s named Yo made us some poke that was great and everything else they brought was too, and then Yo sent us a fruit desert on the house. We went back to the apartment for drinks and conversation before they walked us back to the W, how sweet!

Saturday we were invited over to breakfast so at about 10:00AM we were having banana pancakes and bacon with them before taking a cab to Loring Park to check out the Gay Pride festivities going on there; it was just crazy with all kinds of people and booths for just about any kind of thing you’re interested in. There was a volleyball tournament going on and lots of other entertainment so Cheri and I stayed there when Mark and Katie had to leave for her Mom’s wedding which was immediate family only. We stayed until about noon and then found the Aussie Kebob food cart on our walk home, and the gyro they made for us was really tasty. After returning to the W we went out for some people watching and another snack so we stopped in at Zelo on the Nicolette Mall for a glass of wine and a flatbread pizza that was a lot bigger than we expected and watched the city go by. Mark returned and we took a cab to the Ten-Twenty-Nine Club and Smack Shack for the best mac and cheese ever and a couple great sandwiches and some beer. Katie joined us later and we caught a ride home with her and promised to meet them for a bike ride on Sunday. Late that evening one of Mark’s friends at the W, Clayton, sent up a brownie desert compliments of the hotel that was fabulous, so instead of breakfast, we had dessert in bed!

We were up around 8:30 and walked to Hell’s Kitchen for breakfast and I had some great corned beef hash and around 11:00 Mark and Katie came by and we got our bikes and rode up to the river. We caught the bike path there and had a very nice ride north along the river, and the west and south down around Cedar Lake and stopped for a picnic Mark had packed for us with wine, cheese, crackers, salami, and chocolates that Cheri had brought. We rode back to the W to clean up and rest prior to meeting them at the apartment for a swim and dinner on the deck. Mark made delicious teriyaki braised boneless beef ribs with rice and vegetables and Katie added some great bruchetta with some wine. Later Mark said he needed a walk and he marched us all over Minneapolis before we got back to his apartment, and then had to walk back to the W.

Minnesota Camping

Since we extended our stay at the W we only have three days of camping at Maple Plain, and Baker Park Reserve is just beautiful, as we remembered it to be. We arrived Monday and got set up after checking out and taking Mark to lunch at Krawarzcuk’s deli and café with some delicious sausages, and then bought bratwurst, sauerkraut, and buns for dinner tonight and some other things. We had time for a bike ride around the lake (6.2 miles) and some reading before firing up the electric skillet and cooking the delicious stuff we’d brought.

Tuesday started with a breakfast of pancakes and sausages from Krawarzcuk’s that were good but not as special as I thought the brats were. Mark called and had changed his schedule to allow him to spend the afternoon with us, and we played some disc golf while Cheri caught up with her reading. Back to his apartment for some pizza with Katie and her Uncle Jim and Aunt Sherri before going to a Howard Jones concert with them, meeting Leanne and Jerry there. Jones was one of the pioneers in using a music synthesizer, so his stuff was avant guard in his day, and apparently was a favorite of Leanne’s which explained Mark and Katie’s presence, and we were there to be with them. Afterward we went to a Mexican bar for a snack before heading back to the campground about 12:30AM.

Good weather allowed us to sleep in before a fruit and cereal breakfast. Cheri wanted to spend some time at Mall of America and get her hair done, so I took my bike along to help pass the time, because she didn’t want to go alone. I struck off trying to find a bike path of some sort and didn’t have much luck in that regard, but did find the Fort Snelling National Cemetery which I enjoyed, and a wildlife refuge with visitor center which I also enjoyed. I was back at the mall and had some lunch before running into…guess who? That’s right, Cheri! We celebrated by going into a shop for pedicures, which was fun, and then I turned her loose again on an unsuspecting mall while finding myself a good place to read for a while. We were planning to go to Mark’s roller-hockey game at 6:00PM but it was pushed back to 7:00PM so we had an extra hour to shop (and read)! After watching the game, which Mark’s team lost, we met Katie at a nice steakhouse called Mancini’s for a good dinner. We thought we were doing good to get back to Maple Plain and in bed by 10:30PM.

Thursday was a travel day, trading the roomy beautiful site at Baker for a beautiful shady site, albeit somewhat smaller at Itasca State Park four hours northwest, known as the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Itasca is a compound name using parts of two Latin words; “veritas caput” meaning "true head". It was a lovely drive ending in a lovely park. We picked up enough groceries on the way for dinner of salad with avocado and ham and we’ll go into Bemidji Friday for the rest of our needs, which are extensive since Mark and Katei will join us Friday night through Sunday afternoon. We ride our bikes along a very hilly path back to the visitor’s center to help us plan our visit and enjoy a quiet evening together.

Friday morning was cereal and raspberries before putting the kayak in the water for a couple hours of paddling and watching loons that Cheri and I both just love. There is a ten MPH speed limit on all boats, so there is no skiing or wave runners on this large, three armed lake, just a few pontoons and a fishing boat here or there. We head into Bemidji to the hospital for me to get a check of my PT/INR (clotting factor) before lunch at the Ground Round, go ahead and give this a pass if you get to Bemidji, and then did some other errands and grocery shopping. The kids arrived at about 8:30PM and I had the fire going for a try at grilled pizza tonight. I set up a topping bar and grilled the skins just a bit before everyone loads his/her own. I do the grilling for everyone but Cheri, I manage to dump hers in the fire, but we replace it and everyone declares the experiment a success!

Saturday starts with bacon and blueberry pancakes, and then we hike a mile to a fire tower that allows folks to climb the stairs for a look at the area from 100 feet above the hilltop it was built on. We all made the climb and really enjoy the view from up there. We got back to camp to pack a picnic lunch that I strap on my bike, and we all ride the two miles or so to the headwaters where folks walk across the Mississippi River which is about twenty feet wide and two feet deep here. We find a picnic area for lunch of cheese, crackers, salami, and salmon spread before heading back to the crossing area where we watch a young couple “march down the aisle” to the beat of a bagpipe, and the men were all in kilts. We get back to camp for some quiet time and a nap for most and then pack another picnic, this one of wine and pupus and we rent a pontoon boat for a ride on the lake. We saw a pair of loons in which one individual was swimming in a wide circle, maybe fifty feet, around the other and calling to it; some sort of mating display I imagine, but fun to see. A great time is had by all, even though I moved incautiously forward and nearly swamped the boat, causing three of the four wineglasses to go overboard. I saved the wine though! Back at camp Mark and I conspired to grill Brazilian steaks (crusted with rock salt) that make a wonderful dinner to end a great day.

Sunday morning I scrambled some eggs with left-over potatoes and asparagus and fried up some sausage patties to fuel the group. We decided to ride our bikes to the beach for a swim after Mark and Katie moved their tent into the sun to dry. We had a very brief shower overnight and they wanted the tent to be packed dry. We just chilled out all morning at the beach and then went back to camp for them to gather their stuff, all dry, and they left about 2:00PM for the Mini-apple.  Cheri and I took the truck along the Wilderness Drive and saw the biggest white-tail doe I’ve ever seen; I thought it might be an elk, but we didn't get a good enough look at it to know for sure. We drove out of the park to get some gas and a few groceries before getting back to camp for hamburgers that were very good and I sat down to catch up on work and my blogging. I’ll have to stop somewhere tomorrow to upload it, but I wrote for about three hours, trying to remember all the great stuff we’re doing on this trip.

Temperance River

We were awakened at 3:00AM in the morning by a little intruder making noise in our dining tent, and we decided from the amount of stuff consumed, it must have been a raccoon or two, because two full bananas (only the skins were left) along with a sandwich bag full of snack bars, one wrapper for which was found nearby. We’ve had numerous chipmunk intrusions, and some squirrels, one crazy one that attacked Uncle Bill’s trailer, but this is the first raccoon. We had a leisurely morning taking down and packing the truck before showering and we left beautiful Itasca about 11:00AM. It turned out to be a longer drive than we had thought, with a road construction delay during a detour on the way to a Starbucks. We had a late lunch at Fitzgers Inn that Mark had suggested for the wild rice vegetarian burger. We both had one; Cheri was impressed, and I wasn’t. Then we stopped by a DD&D place called the Northern Waters Smokehaus and bought some smoked salmon for dinner which turned out to be excellent on a salad. We got set up at Temperance River just in time to relax with some wine and eat our salad.

We needed to do laundry today and decided to see Grand Marais in the bargain. We bought some fudge, a t-shirt for Cheri, a “third-eye” mirror for me, and a small frying pan at a camping store that also gave us suggestions for an afternoon paddle in the kayak. We had packed a picnic and ate that down by the beautiful bay in Grand Marais and headed west to find the lake. We got turned around and had to get further directions at the town information kiosk, but soon were on our way up Pincushion Mountain and found the access point for Northern Light Lake. We put the kayak in the water and found ourselves on a long, river-like arm of the lake and thought: “Right around this next bend, we’ll see the lake, or maybe the one after that.” It was about fifteen minutes before we saw it, and it looked big and rough with a pretty good windblown chop, and there was still a point for us to round before we could see the whole lake, so we decided to paddle at least that much further. About half way to the point Cheri saw an animal on the far shore, so we headed that way to get a better look and decided it was the size of a moose, so we got really excited and paddled all the way across the lake, at least half-a-mile and fifteen minutes in a quartering sea for a better look, and when we got about 200 yards away it moved up into the brush, and as it did, we could see the white tail of the biggest deer either of us has ever seen. We explored that shoreline hoping for a repeat appearance but then started the long paddle back to our car. We loaded the kayak back on top of the Chevy and drove about an hour home to Temperance River. We had in mind to take our wine and steaks, and the grill etc. down the short walk to the lakeshore, then decided to drive instead and set up camp away from camp at a picnic table there with a beautiful view of Lake Superior. We had a lovely time and some delicious salt-grilled steak along with campfire potatoes and mushrooms, and hung out there until it was time to get ready for bed.

Wednesday dawned bright and beautiful and we loaded the bikes for a sight-seeing trip to Gooseberry Falls, again packing a picnic lunch to take along. We toured Tettegouche State Park
on the way, then finally arrived at the most popular park on the north shore and found parking at the picnic area and biked back to the visitor’s center. After a look at the falls, and people doing stupid things in the rushing water, we saw a movie about the north shore parks and picked up a gift for Cheri from the gift shop; a much needed Lake Superior coffee cup and a CD of loon music. We struck out to the north on the Gitchi-Gami bike trail but soon the hills took away Cheri’s will to ride, and the darkening skies replaced it with fear of a thunderstorm, so we turned back and made for the truck as quickly as our muscles could take us. We got back just in time to stay dry, but worried about the weather back at Temperance River where we had left some windows open to air the tent. Then the storm hit, and it was so severe that we started thinking about what we would do about our wet belongings when we got back there, including stopping at a Laundromat to find their hours of operation. But half-way back, we turned off the windshield wipers and saw that the roads were still dry, and hurried home to close up, and again managed to stay dry as the storm reached us ten minutes after our return! Whew! We sat in the dining tent reading for a few hours listening to it rain and then decided to go out for diner tonight rather than tomorrow as we had planned. We got quite a bit of rain, enough so that water was running into the dining tent under the sides, and the temperature was easily twenty degrees cooler than it had been. The sleeping tent was high and dry, as was the restaurant at the Lutsen Resort, where we feasted on whitefish and walleye after a short wait in the bar where we had wine and artichoke dip as a warm-up. Folks were lighting campfires on the beach as we left the restaurant and headed home and to bed.

Thursday was “clean-out-the-fridge” day for a scrambled breakfast and then break out the hiking sticks to tour the Temperance River Gorge on foot. It is a truly gorgeous place and we hiked about a mile-and-a-half up the gorge toward Carlson Peak,  but turned back and returned the way we’d come to enjoy the river some more. After more “clean-out-the-fridge” for lunch, Cheri hiked to the showers and I took a little bike ride south to Schroder to see Father Baraga’s Cross, and north to Tofte just to see the bike path. I returned just as Cheri was driving out to her appointment at the nearby spa, and I relaxed before hitting the showers myself. Cheri reported a nice facial at Superior Waves Spa in Tofte, and said it was more luxuriant and relaxing than the high-end spas she occasionally visits back home on Maui. On the way home she stopped at the ranger station for ice and wood we needed tonight. We again loaded stuff in the Chevy and set up camp-away-from-camp at a table and fire-pit near the shore and thoroughly enjoyed wood-grilled pizza for dinner. Even without electricity, we’ve really enjoyed Temperance River State Park and the whole north shore area, and we have promised each other future visits here.

City Life, Again

Originally we would have been on our way to Pine Island Lake for the Brown family 4th of July celebration, but our putative host, Grandma Velda, has some medical issues that prevent her from hosting our visit, and we have made alternate plans in the Mini-apple. We got a reservation through Mark at the Comfort Inn in the same building he and Katie live in, so we’re heading there today (Friday, July 6^th). It was a typical breaking-camp day, though we were up early and so got an earlier start for the five hour drive ahead. We got to the hotel and dealt with the parking situation since we require a special space not in the underground lot with has a seven foot height limit. We freshened up and called Mark about 4:00PM and he asked us to come up to the apartment for a special pupu he had prepared, fresh ahi sashimi that was fantastic. We’ve decided to do a food crawl tonight; guacamole and a drink at Mama Rosa’s, then crab cake and shrimp cocktail at Oceanaire, and then the best burger in Minneapolis at Vincent’s. Everything was delicious and Steve Brown was able to join us for the first two stops, and it was good to see him.

We really like our room at the Comfort Inn which comes with free breakfast but we’re invited out to Hell’s Kitchen for breakfast and to see Church of Cash perform, but not until 10:30, so I went down to the free breakfast at the Inn to take the edge off. It was great to see Jayder and the CoC, and breakfast was really good. Ben Buckhan is coming up from Des Moines to hang out today and when he arrives, we drive out to Hudson, WI to spend some time at the beach on the St. Croix River. I joked that we had driven all the way to Wisconsin just for the pleasure of walking back to Minnesota because the beach is off a causeway two-thirds of the way to the MN shore. We get back to the city just in time to go to Junior’s dojo for the MMA event on TV and a Brazilian BBQ. We drink too much (except Cheri, the DD) and the food was great and the fights were fun, right down to the main event in which Anderson Silva beat Chael Sonnen to retain his title and thrill the crowd we’re with. Mark and Ben take center stage after the fight with a scrimmage of their own, but eventually they run out of gas and we get home and to bed about midnight.

Ben came down to crash the free breakfast early to catch his tee-time today at 10:00AM, and Mark and Katie join us later for the same, and it’s declared the best free breakfast ever. After the omelets and waffles are gone, we prepare to leave and get the kids to help us carry everything down to the car and say our tearful good-byes, and we’re off to Milwaukee. The drive is somewhat depressing because of the drought being suffered by all of Wisconsin, and I call my buddy Josh Parcel to commiserate with him when we stop for lunch. We check into the Red Roof Inn near the airport and visit a restaurant called the Branded Steer and had a good steak for dinner.

We’ve got some extra time before our sailing today on the ferry and visit downtown Milwaukee in the historic third ward where we find a Starbuck’s before some walking around and we get a suggestion from a local couple and visit Benelux for breakfast. I have Pannenkoegen, a cross between a pancake and a crepe and enjoy it while Cheri enjoys an egg-white omelet with spinach and mushrooms that looked really good too. We get to the ferry to find they’ve made a mess of our reservation, and we have a few hours of worry, but they make space for us stand-by and we make the crossing as planned. Never again will we trust an unconfirmed reservation with just a scribbled confirmation number on a scrap of paper. We arrive and get to the campground just in time for a dinner of nachos and then get Skip to take us for a ride in the pontoon boat and see the eagle that rules one end of Muskegon Lake. Later we have a campfire and some wine and retire to our dining tent to sleep, having chosen to go with a single tent these two days.

I‘m invited to go for a paddle along with Skip but sleep late instead. Skip gets back just as breakfast is being served and we read a while until Kris and her girls go to the beach and Skip and I decide to hike the three miles or more round trip to the eagles’ nest. It’s a beautiful day and we enjoy the woods and the dunes and find the nest and a rather smelly mess under it where they have dropped fish bones, turtle shells and lots of eagle poop. The fledglings have apparently left the nest though since there was no activity in it that we could see, though we thought we heard the fledglings as we approached the area. We got back to a nice dinner of grilled teriyaki chicken with grilled pineapple, green beans, mac & cheese, and asparagus spears baked in phylo that were delicious. Unfortunately, Vickie must leave us this evening as she has applied for a new teaching job in a new city; inner city Detroit. We have another campfire complete with s’mores until Cheri breaks up the party to go watch the ferry leave for Milwaukee after which we get back and head straight to bed.

Today is a work day as we head back to Hemlock and prepare to store much of our camping gear and take some stuff with us to Drummond Island for the swan-song of this vacation, at least as far as Cheri is concerned. We hung around camp after bacon and waffles that Karen cooked for us and packed up our stuff and headed out about 1:00PM. We had an uneventful drive and started the business of cleaning up and storing our stuff, and cooled off twice in the pool. I also did some work on the stuff I’ll need on my bike tour, contacted the local bike shop about some work I need done, and had an unwelcome call from Thrifty Rental Car that will require a trip to the airport to clear up tomorrow.

Hemlock to Drummond and Back Again

We lost an entire day to the idiots at Thrifty Car Rental on Thursday; they threatened me with charges of car theft if I failed to deliver their car back to DTW as soon as possible. Cheri rode down with me and we turned the car in and walked over to National to get a car for the rest of our time here, and as it happens, we got another Chevy Traverse, though with fewer bells and whistles than the one we had.

We spent most of Friday getting ready to go north, and lounging n the pool which is perfect right now; refreshing but very pleasant to be in for an hour or two. We went out to dinner at The Farmer’s Home Tavern here in Hemlock, known far and wide for the best hamburger in mid-state Michigan, it’s always a pleasure to come back home again!

Saturday finds us back on the highway heading for Gaylord and a 24 hour date for Cheri with her high school posse (Gail Robinson, Patty Diedrich, and Ruth Wood) while I grab a bike ride and bunk in at Diedrichs even though John is already visiting up at Drummond, and Patty will then ride up with us to join him there. I had a good ride on the Little Traverse Wheelway with some rain in the middle, and then a downpour just before I finished. I stayed in for dinner after finding fresh bratwurst from Toski Sands that I know John must have selected just for me.

Sunday we have a pleasant drive with Patty, stopping at Bell’s Fishery in Mackinaw City for whitefish that will be our dinner. I won’t catalog the entire week in the beautiful log cabin that we stay in there, but we alternate kayaking and biking while making a log of the freighters that we can identify from our perch on the St. Mary’s River. We eat good food and drink some wine, read some books and talk story with Cheri’s family. We paddled in Pike Cove, Glen Cove, and Sturgeon Bay; biked and hiked and played with Mom and Dad C’s new mutt Roxie. It was a good week with good weather until Saturday when the wind kicked up, but we spent most of that day getting ready to leave on Sunday. It was a good week.

Then it’s a day with Pat and John in Harbor Springs that includes the best meal of the trip (escargot, Caesar’s salad; whitefish for Cheri and walleye for me). Then back to Hemlock; drop the bike off in Saginaw for some updates and jump in the pool when the 95 degree weather made unloading the car and cleaning up uncomfortable. Cheri will be on a plane Thursday while I’ll be heading north for a fishing trip and my bike trip. I won’t be blogging during that period, but I’ll tell you about it after it’s over. Aloha until then.

And North We Go Again

I pick up the bike with the new crank and sprockets on Wednesday, and the drought here in central Michigan broke with two inches of rain that night so we listened to thunder and rain as Cheri finishes packing. It was still looking like rain Thursday when I toss the bike in back of the Traverse so I can return the car and the lady to MBS in one trip. We say our good-bys outside the gate and I go off to retrieve the bike and do the paperwork at the rental office. As I’m leaving the airport it is just sprinkling, but it’s raining hard in a few minutes, so I get good and wet on my ride. Getting wet isn’t a big deal, but poor visibility for both myself and the automobile operators around me can be and I change my route to some lesser used roads when I can, and arrive home safely less than two hours after Cheri’s flight. I finished my packing and read and did some business communicating, and rested most of the day.

On Friday, I rode the loaded bike to Hemlock to get a fishing license, selecting the single-day option for $7.50, almost certainly a waste of money given my history with fishing. About 3:30 Skip and Lenda arrive to pickup the boats and we’re on our way north. We stop for a Subway and arrive around 7:00 leaving plenty of time to set up the trailer and put the pontoon boat in the water before bedtime. I accept the invitation to sleep on the couch rather than setting up my tent, and I sleep very comfortably until Skip wakes me at 6:00 for some fishing.

I feel about fishing as I’ve heard Ron White talk about hunting: “It’s cold outside and you have to get up early and it’s not worth it.”  But I dutifully roll out at 6:00AM with Skip and fold myself into the kayak and paddle out on the lake. It’s beautiful with the mist on the far shore, loons calling out to us, some deer in a cleaning nearby, and the water smooth as glass (but still not worth it). I’m pitching and retrieving a spinner bait which mimics an injured fish which a pike or bass might want to eat and an hour goes by without much action. Only a nibble here or there until I happen to throw it in exactly the right spot and a monster pike (from my perspective) grabs it and runs. I was so surprised that I probably didn’t take up the line fast enough and he wrapped it around a log down in the water, but it held and he wore himself out and was taking a breather near the surface when Skip was able to get him in the net. Twenty-four inches is the minimum to legally keep and Skip declared him to be twenty-five and onto the stringer he went! Skip later got a large-mouth bass to keep and our morning was a success! We paddled in for breakfast and picture taking and Skip filleted both our fish for a starring role at dinner tonight. We all went out on the pontoon later with little luck, then Skip and I went out after our great fish dinner in the kayaks again. I boated two more pike, but neither that was big enough to keep, one just slightly under, the other what they call a hammer-handle about 18 inches long. Skip got another bass for the freezer and we call it a day just before dark.

Sunday morning Skip goes out as usual but since my license ran out, I have a perfect excuse to stay in bed, and do. About 9:00AM he’s back in without anything to show for his morning, and I am packed up, breakfasted on Lenda’s bacon and eggs, ready to get on the bike. This promises to be my hilliest day on the road, but it’s not too bad into Atlanta and my first rest stop. Between there and Vienna it is ten really difficult miles, all uphill and down, some really steep and some over a mile long, but there’s a nice store with good fresh pizza and I take a long lunch break. The lady in the store says the hills are behind me, and it turns out to be mostly true and I have an easier ride the eighteen miles left into Gaylord. I didn’t want to overdo this first day, so decided to stay near Gaylord and I ride out to the county park on the west side of Otsego Lake (6 miles) after stopping for groceries to carry. Later I ride back to town to dine and watch the Olympics on TV at Big Buck’s, so I end up with over fifty tough miles for the day.

I didn’t sleep too well; this being the first night on the Big Agnes mattress in a couple years and roll out around 7:30AM. Packed and breakfasted, I hit Gaylord about 9:00AM and ride past Patty’s old house and hail her father, Bill Hanson, then pass Cheri’s old house and get on the North Central State Trail. It’s a pleasant ride particularly with the five miles or so downhill right from the start and after passing through Vanderbilt, I’m in Wolverine before 11:30 but decide to stop for lunch. There’s a nice bar with a TV tuned to the Olympics and have a very nice BLT; perfect! The thirty miles up to Aloha State Park go pretty well though I’m beginning to tire and I’m set up and cleaned up and read until about 7:00PM when John calls. He and Patty can’t come out for dinner as we had discussed, so I ride up to the little store here and pick up a sandwich and go back to my reading. About 8:30PM the storm clouds are gathering and I am invited to my neighbor’s awning to watch the lightning across the lake and rapidly approaching from the west. I had battened down the hatches and crawled into my tent as the first drops fall. It is a big storm raging on the other side of the thin fabric with thunder, lightning, rain, and winds over 50 MPH. I was surprised that I didn’t blow away but in the morning I was still there, and must have slept because I distinctly remember waking up. Awnings were down all over the campground and my neighbor ended up with his awning pole through the windshield of his van.

I break my fast on granola bars with peanut butter and Gatorade and head toward Onaway on the North Eastern State Trail now; same crushed limestone surface on an old railway bed. Road crossings are few and far between in general, and of course, the trail is quite flat. I get to Onaway and find the laundromat and some lunch before heading out again. I was thinking about  staying at Onaway State Park, but its five miles off the route, and I think I might do better. In Millersburg there’s another local park, but again five miles off route and there’s no place for a decent dinner, so I press on to Hawks where I know there is the Night Hawk Inn. I have dinner, but there are no campgrounds around so I hit the trail again and look for a good place to renegade camp. I find a good spot and while I’m still not particularly at ease, I make do for the night, and get up and out early.

It’s about 7:00AM after the mile or so to Metz and I have breakfast on a picnic table behind the church. I hadn’t seen much wildlife up to yesterday but riding into the evening last night, and again early this morning changed that in a hurry. I saw an eight-deer herd last night and five more individuals this morning, which sorta justifies the deer blinds you see just about everywhere around the trail in this part of Michigan. Today is cool and overcast and I’m hoping for something warm in the thriving metropolis of Posen where most of the buildings are available for rent, but settle for chocolate milk, and that more to qualify as a customer for rest room use than my desire for a cold drink. Just before Bolton I run into a bicycle tourist from Bay City who is very interested in my trailer, and no wonder as he’s pulling a big old Burley two-wheeler. He said he got rid of his Yak because of poor handling, and I reported the excellent manners of my Extrawheel. I took to the road for the smooth surface from Bolton to Alpena and arrived about noon, found the fairgrounds, set up, cleaned up, and headed to the Maritime Museum. There was a boat tour leaving soon that sounded fun and was okay; lots of good information, but not much to look at. Back to camp to nap and read and then to the Olde Owl for dinner and Olympic TV, and tried the pesto pizza with anchovies and artichoke hearts. Good and salty to require more beer. I am back to camp just before dark and into bed.

I awoke on my day off to light rain, so I make the campsite safe and head to Micky D’s for breakfast and a warm, dry place to read until the Besser Museum opens at 10:00AM.  It’s a nice, eclectic museum/art gallery and I enjoy it until about 1:00PM and head back to the Maritime to catch some of the offerings in the theater there. About 4:00PM I rode back to camp, then explored the bike path a bit and found a nice bench for some reading as the weather had cleared and about 5:30PM I head back to the Olde Owl for a repeat of last night sans beer. I stretch out a BLT and fries with Pepsi and one glass of wine and get back to camp well before dark and turn in.

I was up early again on Friday and was done with a leisurely breakfast at BK by 8:00AM and hit US23 south for Harrisville. The road was smooth and flat for speed and comfort, and wide for safety, until Ossineke when I run into a few hills, but I’m in Harrisville at 10:45AM. It was cool again and I was disappointed that Subway didn’t have any soup, so had a kid’s sandwich and read a while to warm up. She said they only had soup in the winter, and I didn’t bother pointing out that it was a mere 72 degrees outside. It was flat and fast into Tawas City and I was there by 3:00PM and decided to get off the road to avoid the Friday afternoon traffic, and found the Tawas River RV Park and made that home for the night. It’s on M-55 west which is called Hemlock Road so it feels like home. It’s just over a mile into town where I hit a place called Wing It and they make a good burger to go with my Labatt’s and some TV. Back out at Hemlock Road I text Cheri, call Mom, then leave a voicemail for Randy, who called back and gave me directions to their campground (State road from Omer to Sagatoo road to Foco road).

I took my time packing with under fifty miles today and left around 8:30AM. My first stop is at a beach park at White Stone Point and I notice that one of my slippers is not where it should be stowed so I call information for the number and call the campground to ask them to ship it (it arrived as I’m writing this a week later). I got a coke in Au Gres and look at the river a while, then onward to Omer; stop at the fruit market at the corner for cherries and follow Randy’s directions with confirmation from a clerk in Pine River and arrive about 1:00PM. We go down to the pool, then play putt-putt and retire to the camp for dinner which are calzones without sauce, just ham, cheese, and onions in the dough and they’re pretty good. The kids went off to watch karaoke, while R&M walked the dogs and I journal-ed and repacked for tomorrow. I’ll let Randy carry my trailer and one pannier, keeping one for essentials.

I awoke about 7:00AM and had been warned that they sleep late, so I got ready and hit the road without saying good-by. The forecast is for cool and windy which I guess would suggest a northwest wind; it’s west instead but no trouble as I head south to Kawkawlin before I turn into the wind and onto a rough Beaver Road. Things slow down considerably then and I’m tired when I get to Freeland for some lunch. From there its old hat; Freeland-Gleaner-Frost-Raucholz-Ederer-home. I have five days here in Hemlock to play pool-boy and spend quality time with Mom, then it’s an early morning drive to Detroit thanks to big brother and on my way back to Maui. Thanks for coming along for the ride; see you next time. Aloha and Mahalo.