Amish country, Indiana

After Labor Day we were ready to head home but stopped in Chicago to check with the dealer where Leon got the 5th wheel about a problem he was having. They sent us to the manufacturer - just a few hours away. And there we were back in northern Indiana where we were just a month ago! But alas! This time we were in Amish country. We dropped off the trailer and went straight to Shipshewana and the huge flea market. This motor powered ice cream maker was interesting.


In the auction barn there must have been six auctions happening at the same time.

This was the bicycle parking area.

Parking was at a premium.

Hey, why don't you come to my place later.

The crowds just kept coming but we decided to explore the countryside and shop. We can go to flea markets anywhere.

I wonder how long this guy had to stand and wait.

On the backroads we passed so many pristine large white houses and barns.

We had no idea the Amish were building rv's. This area near Elkhart, Indiana builds one of every two recreational vehicles on the road.

We returned to Millersburg before we wanted. They were most kind and had us fixed (for free) and on the road in only five hours. We headed south towards home and the dead end.

Green Bay, Wisconsin

Green Bay provided us plenty to do. One day we spent at the nature center looking at all sorts of birds and wild life. I thought these river otters were cute.

The bobcats seemed not to mind that we were there either.

We just love these good farmers markets we keep finding.

Problem here was too many good things to snack on while shopping.

We again used our reciprocal membership to visit the Green Bay Botanical Garden. We prefer Garvan Gardens but this was a busy day with 3 weddings in the short time we were there.

The kaleidascope was pretty awesome - spin the pot of flowers and watch the beautiful colors merge.

The free 30 amp electrical spaces is probably what brought us to Green Bay. Oneida Casino provided us a good place to stay out of the hustle and bustle of Labor Day traffic. Well it didn't turn out to be totally free but pretty cheap!!

Of course we had to drive by the Green Bay Packers home field. More important was the sports bar across the street where we watched the Razorbacks win their first game!! Sooooie!

Door County, Wisconsin

The morning sun shimmered on Lake Michigan and Green Bay as we headed to Door County for a day of adventure. The area was referred to in the early days as "death's door" for the dangerous passage around the peninsula.

First stop was the Coast Guard Station in Sturgeon Bay where we walked along the board walk.

Next we drove along Green Bay and through Carlsville, Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, and Ephraim. What quaint little villages they are: full of shops and restaurants and even fuller of tourists on Sunday during Labor Day weekend! More peaceful was this park on Sister Bay where we spent some time.

We drove back down the quieter side of the island, which is on Lake Michigan, to Jacksonport where we visited Simon Creek Winery. It was nice to sit and listen to the music.

All along the way we passed log houses, many that had been converted to shops, but not this one.

Square Rigger Gallery provided us the perfect spot on the shore of Lake Michigan for our first fish boil, an old Scandinavian custom.

They would boil the whitefish, potatoes, and onions after returning to shore. In the 1970s the Lions Club held a fish boil on Washington Island and it was such a success it caught on as a great money maker. Tourists love them!

When it is done then it is sprayed with kerosene and the entire pot is ablaze for a moment.

That signals it is time to eat!

They also had appetizers, gave you all you wanted, showed you how to get the fish off the bones, and had cherry pie alamode for dessert. HELP!

Returning to Green Bay we passed more barns. The peninsula began as a place of fishing and lumbering. It seems that tourism has taken over but there is a mixture of farms, villages, lighthouses, parks, wineries, markets, and restaurants. A fun place to spend the day .. better yet would be a week!

UP north

The Ojibwa Indians made the Grand Island area their permanent home. They called the seven mile long Grand Island Gitchee Minis or "Great Island." In winter they moved across the harbor to Minis-ing on the mainland, the "Place of the Great Island." From the dining table we look across to Great Island.

We spent four fun-filled days camped at the Bay Furnace campground in Hiawatha National Forest in Christmas, Michigan. The campground got it's name from the blast furnace that is nearby where pig iron was made between 1870 and 1877.

We have really experienced the UP. We have tasted pasties, made with either beef, pork, or vegetables in a pastry crust. The copper miners would take them for their lunches.

We have seen all sorts of trees, especially the beautiful white birches, and even burned a few in our fires.

On the 5th day the high is forecast to be 61 and the low is forecast to be 48. The winds will shift to the northwest and gust up to 50 mph. Waves will build Friday evening up to 20 feet, which will cause beach erosion and some minor flooding. It is beginning to feel a little too much like Christmas. Time to move a little further south...at least to Wisconsin.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Christmas, Mi

Yesterday it was waterfalls so today we chose range lights. These are pairs of lights that were used to guide the ships into the harbor. They would line up the first light with the light on the second one to navigate the channel. This is the Grand Island Harbor front range light near the shore, also known as the Christmas Light with the rear light in the background. The 62 foot tall rear light was built in 1915 and was visible for 16 miles. It was abandoned and sold by the coast guard to the forest service.

Now there just happened to be a geocache at both lights so I had to stop to sign the log on a log!

"Powers of the Air," was a young Ojibwa hero named Ogichidaa who followed his fallen father as the leader of the Grand Island band of his people. His tales of ancient legends, told to and recorded by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, became the basis for the "Song of Hiawatha." The petroglyph was carved in 1820 by a French trapper and guide.

It was a beautiful morning even though it was beginning to get cloudy.

Quite often there are streams of water that flow into the lake, some larger than others.

Across the highway is Scott Falls. Yes, that is Leon behind it.

We passed this fixer upper in Au Train, small village west of Christmas.

We were on the way to Brownstone Inn, which had already been fixed up! A retired Detroit policeman built the inn in the 1940s. It had been left in disrepair when the current owners purchased it. The outside was made with rocks the policeman hauled from the lake. Inside the wainscotting is mahogany with chairs made locally. Quite a charming place.

There were several cabins on either side which had not been restored.

We drove back into Munising to visit another rear range light. The Grand Island Harbor (Munising) Light is a 33 foot conical steel tower built in 1908.

Beside it was a cute old house typical of many in town.

The Munising front range light is on the shore about 2 blocks in front of the rear one. It is now an active lighthouse.

Then the rain caught up with us and it was time to explore the casino and I did win $45.

Munising, Michigan

Today we visited the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore by land. This was the first national lakeshore authorized in 1966. It is six miles across at its widest point and hugs Lake Superior's shoreline for over 40 miles. After a heavy rain in the night we thought it would be the perfect day to visit some of the eleven waterfalls in Alger County. This little woodpecker was oblivious to our hike down the trail.

Then we passed blue berries that I had to sample. Not ripe!  Hmmm..not sure what these are!

The 1.2 mile hike was well worth it to view Miners Falls with its 50 foot cascade.

A couple miles down the road was a shorter walk to visit Munising Falls. It also has a 50 foot drop.

Munising Coast Guard Station on Sand Point is currently the national park headquarters but will soon be renovated as it was when it was used from 1933 until it closed in 1960.

At one time they had four boats but only participated in the rescue two large vessels.

This area is quite noted for the shipwrecks that lie in the harbor. There is even a glass bottom boat tour that you can take to view them.

Wagner Falls is in the town of Munising and has a 20' cascade. The Ojibwa Indian words "Kitchi Minissing" means "place of the island," which lies in the bay offshore.

Also nearby we visited Alger Falls which is on the side of the highway.

The area had a vast lumbering industry and evidently there is still a lot of logging.

This fellow decided to go closer for a better picture of Alger Falls.

And the perfect ending to a great day.