Category: Uncategorized

US Hwy 2 eastbound crosses a corner of Wisconsin as it goes across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. My data doesn’t. The challenge of having each state have it’s own spreadsheet is those corners get left out. Sometimes. Occasionally, I include items from one state in another state’s data if it seems appropriate to do so. But, as I gathered the Michigan data I forgot to go back and include that corner of Wisconsin. Oh, well, it’s not like we are seeing everything everywhere anyway.

What we did see while crossing that corner of Wisconsin was Florence: a thriving small town. Not just surviving but thriving. I wonder why? Though the town was gussied up for it’s upcoming celebration I don’t think that’s the whole story. There were no boarded up storefronts. People were out on the streets and they looked happy. Houses looked well tended. (OK there was one that could use some paint but I only saw one like that in the entire town.) I wonder what their secret to success is?

I saw a shop named “Grease Lightening.” It was a quick lube place.

We had planned to stop at the Iron Mountain Iron Mine in Vulcan, MI. The place advertises guided underground train tours. But, as we got close to it we started seeing big red signs with white lettering saying things like, “Don’t miss it,” “Coming right up,” “An experience you won’t want to miss,” “Rock shop,” “Unique gifts,” and other things that made it feel more and more like a tourist trap. Add that to my upset stomach and the fact that Dave has been down a mine before and we decided to give this place a miss. I wonder if it ever occurs to anyone that their advertising could have negative results?

Outside the town of Norway, MI, I saw a street sign saying, “Swede Slmt Rd.” I wonder how the Swedes felt about the town of Norway? Welcome or not? They apparently choose to establish their own settlement outside of town.

We crossed into the Eastern time zone. How time flies. That whole hour went by as if it never existed at all.

I saw a place advertising “Outdoor Wood Furnaces.” I could hear my Dad saying, “Close the door. What are you trying to do–heat all the outdoors?” Really, where would you use an outdoor furnace?  And why?

We stopped for the night at Indian Lakes State Park just west of Manistique, MI. We parked on the upper level away from the lake since the lower level looked like it might be party heaven. All we heard all night was rain on the roof. I’m not sure today is going to be a good sightseeing day but we will head out shortly anyway.

TTYL,

Linda

We started our day today by backtracking. This is something we are seldom willing to do but the Northern Lakes Visitor Center appeared it would be worth seeing. So back we went just west of Ashland, Wisconsin, and we are not sorry to have done so.

The museum has several areas in which you can participate in learning experiences.  Among the things I learned there is that Lake Superior could hold all the other Great Lakes combined and that its bottom is a lower elevation than that of  Death Valley which is the lowest land in North America.

I also played with some computers intended to help you learn about sites in the area. I didn’t find any on their computers that I had not already found on my own, though.

And I watched some children “fish painting.” They painted rubber fish then used those fish to transfer their paint onto bandannas. Check this out.

I think Dave has been spending too much time reading my blog. He’s starting to sound like me. Today we saw a County Kitchen advertising a “Smothered Chicken Dinner” and he asked me, “Does that mean they killed it with a pillow?”

I saw a place named “Ex-Ray Transmission”. Do you suppose it used to be Ray’s? Maybe now it belongs to his former wife? Maybe Ray changed his name so now he’s ex-Ray?

In Crystal Falls, Michigan, there is a movie theater that on August 22th will show Buster Keaton’s movie “The General” with live pipe organ music. Wouldn’t it be fun to go? But we plan to be too far from here to enjoy that experience.

We’re still in town tonight, though. We are at the Runkle Lake Recreation Complex where we have water and electricity for $18. It’s another $5 if we hook up to the sewer as well. But we dumped yesterday so we don’t need to do so now. We don’t need the water either but we might fill anyway before we leave in the morning. It’s always good to be prepared for wherever you wind up staying each night.

But I am never prepared for our Internet connection to act as a tease. “Here I am'” it says, “ready to do your bidding.” “OK,” I reply, “Post this blog, please.” “Sure thing,” it replies. “Working, working, working. Oops.” So I try again with the same response. The next morning I try again with the same response. So, a full day later, here it finally is.

TTYL,

Linda

We stayed two nights instead of the one we planned at Dave’s sister’s house. It is nice to have family we enjoy visiting.

While there I made a curtain for our bathroom window. One of the hated mini-blinds is gone now. I have the valances for the big windows mostly done and I have cut out the material for the one for the kitchen window. Bit by bit I am replacing window coverings I do not like. I am, however, doing them at retirement speed so don’t expect to hear they are all done any time soon.

Today we crossed to the other Twin Port: Superior, Wisconsin. There we visited the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center. Richard Bong was a local man who flew P-38s in WWII and became famous for his skills. He was credited with 40 kills before they sent him home the second time. He was also a good PR man which is why they sent him home the first time but he just couldn’t stay home while the war was going on so he volunteered to go back.

The museum teaches about both World Wars in a way that makes you really feel what it was like. There are a lot of first person stories told by the people who lived them.

There’s also an exhibit about the Merchant Marines. They lost a higher percentage of their men than any other branch of service yet they were not recognized as veterans until 1988.

All in all, this is a very powerful museum you should visit if you ever get even close to it.

Today’s street sign said, “Moccasin Mike Road.” Did he wear only moccasins? Did he make them? Was he killed by a moccasin snake? Who or what was Moccasin Mike?

A realty had a sign that said, “People who say you can’t buy happiness never had a place on a lake.” I’ve never has a place on a lake but now, when we get to park our RV along one, I do feel happy about that. Of course, a river or ocean do that for me, too. There’s just something about being beside water I really like. I don’t like being on it, though. Unless it’s a cruise ship. I like cruising on big boats on oceans and rivers but I don’t like small boats of any type. I don’t know where my fear of water comes from but it is strong.

Just west of Ashland, Wisconsin, is the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center. We stopped there to see if we could get information about a local park and discovered the place is a whole museum mostly about Lake Superior. It was too close to closing time to explore the museum so we plan to go back in the morning.

There are lots of primitive campgrounds in northern Wisconsin but after three nights of driveway camping we needed to dump and fill. My database indicated a city park in Ashland where we could do that plus have an electrical connection overnight for $20. So I asked about it at the Visitor Center and got directions to Kreher Park in Ashland. We are camped alongside Lake Superior right next to this ore dock.

I like trains and I have friends who model this type of railroad operations but I’m glad we won’t be listening to trains unloading their ore into ships tonight.

TTYL,

Linda

We’ve driven this stretch of I-35 many, many, many times over the years so it is no longer exciting for us to do so. In fact, I slept part of the way. There was road construction that caused the trip to take substantially longer than we are used to it doing but that’s OK we had the time available. Plus it meant that we got to stop at Tobies in Hinckley for lunch. Their hamburgers are so good we eat them plain–not even catsup or mustard on them.

I have only two signs to tell you about today.

One adverstised a gun shop and said, “machine gun rental.” What?! Knowing how my mind works now you can probably read my thoughts. I can see some guy coming in and saying, “Excuse me. I have some people I need to mow down so I need to rent one of your machine guns.” “Sure thing, we just need to see some ID.” “I don’t want to give you my ID because then you’ll know who killed the guys I plan to shoot.” “That’s OK; it doesn’t have to be a real ID. We just need something to put in our records.” “Oh, OK.  Here, you can have this one I took off the last guy I killed.” What an odd world we live in. Or, at least, I do.

On the other sign I started reading in the middle for some reason and missed a space so what I saw said, “E85 camping.” Ethanol camping? Methane camping? Camping next to  a silo that’s becoming compost? Or a field of cows? Phew! Sure am glad we are headed to Dave’s sister’s house for a night of driveway camping in Duluth, Minnesota.

TTYL,

Linda

The PGA is at Hazeltine this week and we are nearby. There is overflow parking in Shakopee just off MN Hwy 101. School buses shuttle people from there to the golf course. 101 is a 4-lane divided road that is not particularly busy during the day. West bound they have one lane marked off with traffic cones so the shuttle buses get their own lane when they turn onto 101. East bound there is a traffic cop. The cop sits in his car in the area between the lanes of 101 facing the oncoming buses. When he sees a bus, he pulls out across both eastbound lanes so traffic has to stop until the buses go by. Then he backs up into his holding space again. When was the last time you saw a traffic cop that gets to sit down on the job? In an air-conditioned vehicle? Not bad, eh?

Today is our last day in the Twin Cities. Tomorrow we head north. The plan is to take US Hwy 2 east through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula then down the west side of Michigan to Indiana Dunes. Then we will head east. Depending on how fast–or slow–we move we may go to Maine to see our daughter and to attend a rally there of people who own RVs like ours. Then we’ll probably go to Ohio to another Gypsy Gathering. If that all works we hope to head south via the Blue Ridge Parkway followed by the Natchez Trace.

Stay tuned.  I’m blogging again.

TTYL,

Linda