Wow! Two weeks later , here we are with another post. In our defense, we covered a lot of miles and found some great new places.
Leaving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, it is nice to find wild flowers that we are not used to seeing.
Before long, there are views of the bridge. We were lucky to have a great, clear day.
Jan and I are always reminding ourselves to stop and take in the many flowers that we see along the way.
Spring blooms seem like yesterday---so let's enjoy summer!!
We know that some of you saw a picture last year of the Mackinac Bridge, but we are always looking for better shots. We thought this one came out very well. Note a lot of traffic on the bridge, or at least more than we expected.
Jan and I had headed down the east coast of the Lower Peninsula last year. That was quite enjoyable, quiet and picturesque along the shores of Lake Huron.
This time we head down the west coast along the shores of Lake Michigan. Very different and enjoyable in different ways.
More upscale homes and towns on this side. Also many farms and farmstands.
This is one is called Friske Orchards. A collection of antique farm machinery is in the back.
The fruit that we see along the highways are cherry trees. Evidently , there are many more varieties than the Bing Cherries that we see in the grocery stores.
Both of these fruit stands are located in the Ellsworth, Kewadin area. The black sweet cherries are super sweet--picked ripe from the trees.
Also here, we picked up the best cherry pie ever!!!
Oh yes, there was also fresh corn.
Going by the orchards we think maybe the trees have gone by, and then we realize that what we are seeing are trees loaded with ripe cherries.
These are a lighter color than the Bing. I think they were also not as sweet.
After our fruit stand stops , we head for Traverse City State Park, right across the street from the beach on Lake Michigan. A very popular park, but a little too busy for our tastes.
Then we find Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Much more our style.
Jan and I find a nice campsite in D.H. Day campground. A national park with the senior pass made it $6 per night and a great site---one of the last few available. By the way, anyone camping here should keep in mind that there is a LOT of poison ivy in and around the sites.
This was a Coast Guard unsinkable vessel that ended the need for the U.S. Lifesaving Service on the Great Lakes.
This is the general store as it was back in the early 20th century.
We thought Cliff might like this picture of a group riding along the beach in a 1956 Oldsmobile convertible. Although, I thought Cliff's convertible was a 1957?
The counter is still set up like it would have been many years ago. In the background is an old organizer that would keep the slips for each customer. The pigeonholes were for different goods.
And--you guessed it--- on the counter was the general store sized coffee grinder.
The docent agreed that it was a good idea to take a picture of the old folks next to all the old stuff.
At least we're still smiling.
Lady Blue was happy to have a few days rest in her nice spot.
Our bike ride from the campground took us to the beach and the the famous dunes.
Yes, these dunes are very much like Cape Cod dunes and the sand is very similar.
The only real difference is that the water is a lot warmer and no surfing.
Note the accolade at the bottom of the sign.
Always on the lookout for old vehicles. This seems to be still running.
We believe it is a 1940 Ford truck.
A local had recommended the Pine Cone for an ice cream cone.
She was so right!! One good flavor was Tipping Cow.
Lady Blue was so good on these roads. One road just south of Mackinac Bridge was called the Tunnel of Trees. Of course we tried it while looking for views of Lake Michigan. A very colorful road which at times was only one lane wide. We did a lot of hugging the sides along the 25 mile stretch.
This side trip was to view Point Betsie lighthouse.
From the west coast of Michigan, we head to Indiana. Along the way are reminders that much of this area is also Amish country. The state of Indiana and into Ohio.
One place on our list is to visit the RV/Motorhome Hall of Fame Museum. This link will take you to their website. http://www.rvmhhalloffame.org/
We have read a lot about this place in the magazines. Some of the articles were wondering if it could survive after the economic crash.
We are here to say that it did!
It is fascinating to see the development of RVs over the years
This is a 1916 Telescoping Apartment, selling for $100. The sides and the end would telescope back into the body for travel.
This side of the unit looks like a bureau.
Jan and I look at these and wonder where they would camp in 1916? They were lucky if they could find roads that would be passable.
Couldn't bypass this one. This is a 1968 Jayco Jayhawk Camper. Remind you of anything?
How about Gail and Richard's tent camper?
This was the 40th trailer produced by Lloyd Bontrager at the start of Jayco production.
There were many interesting units, including a number of Airstreams and an early Winnebago motorhome.
This is a 1969 Stites Truck Camper. One of the first to be mounted directly to the chassis( not a slide in).
It is a precursor of Class C motorhomes, or in other words , Lady Blue.
Looking through the older RVs, we are surprised how long it took to include tanks, bathrooms, and running water. But then, we were impressed by the inclusion of ice boxes, camping stoves, and heater stoves in the older models.
By the way, this is a 1946 one ton Studebaker truck that was quite popular for many things, including hauling this early aluminum trailer.
Elkhart, Indiana is known as the RV capital of the world. It is also known as the Band Instrument capital of the world making Conn instruments among others.
We tried for back roads, staying off the interstate where possible. This was one of our Ohio stops at Harrison Lake State park in Fayette, Ohio. A plus is the view of the cornfields out our back window. Another plus was $12 with our Passport America discount. Unfortunately, this is only at certain state parks in Ohio. Our stay at Geneva State Park did not include a discount, but it was on the shore of Lake Erie.
Still avoiding major highways, our route follows Route 6 into western Pennsylvania. One of our favorite quiet spots is Red Bridge Campground in the Allegheny National Forest. No hookups, no phone signal, no TV, and no weather radio. But still a great campground and also discounted for the America the Beautiful pass.
Then , on to Ives Run Corps of Engineer campground in Tioga, Pennsylvania just outside Wellsboro. These are some osprey in the park.
PA already? Seems like you just left WA! We are just beginning to explore the OP.
ReplyDeleteWhen we went east in 2011 we stayed at several Ohio state parks that took PA. Quite a good deal.