Sept. 17, 18 & 19 On the Road Again!!

Every two months or so since we began The Great Loop, Wally and I have taken a road trip. This month we drove from Grafton, MO where the Illinois River meets the Upper Mississippi River to Sioux Falls, SD. Slightly down river in St. Louis, the Missouri River joins the fray. Had we crossed the State of Missouri from St. Louis to Kansas City (instead of Hannibal to St. Joseph)and then completed the trip (as we did) following the Iowa-Nebraska border up to South Dakota, we would have been within a few miles of the Missouri River for the entire 500 mile ten-hour trip. Who knew!  Why make a trip to Sioux Falls, SD? Well, we have been South Dakota residents for the past ten years. Our nomadic RV lifestyle offered us the privilege of choosing the state we would claim as our “Domicile”. Our cruising lifestyle continues to offer us the same choice. Every five years we have to return to Sioux Falls, show proof that we have stayed one night and that we have an address for receiving mail, pass the eye test for our driver’s license and get a fresh photo taken for the picture ID.  Our mail-forwarding service changed owners and addresses, so we paid an early morning visit to Dakota Post and picked up the mail that was waiting for us. We also got the scoop on when to expect the arrival of our absentee ballots for voting in the upcoming Presidential Election. Our SD vehicles’ registrations both come due in February, so we’re all set there. Our health insurance... chosen from those companies that South Dakota offers... seems to be serving us well. Oh Joy for The Life of the Open Road (or Open Waterway, as it has come to be these past three years). One observation we can make after criss/crossing the Great Plains... the corn farmers of America are harvesting a bumper crop this year!!!

Had to have new haircut for Driver License pictures!

Our home in South Dakota

Created by Darcy Campbell

Aug. 26-27, 2016 Muskegon, MI Reunions with good friends, long-time and quite new

When we were making our way along the Erie Canal, we chanced to meet the folks on a boat with a gaelic name...Feath. Pronounced (fee-a), it means Tranquil. Lenny and Nancy had just bought a Jefferson 37 Motor Yacht on the East Coast and with friends on board they were making their way back to the Muskegon, Michigan area. They fit in with all of the Loopers just fine and we enjoyed visiting along the lock walls at the day’s end. As we approached their homeport here on the Michigan shore, we emailed them to see if we could re-connect. They invited us to their home in Grand Haven for a delicious cook-out and chat time on the night we arrived. We got a much-needed “fur-fix” with their dog Charlie, also known as Chuck. What a sweet couple!

Meanwhile, another couple we came to know about 10 years ago at the Saguaro Co-op RV Park in Benson, Arizona, live about one hour away from Muskhegon in the summer. Bob and Cheri had been following our progress through Facebook and agreed to drive over for a lunchtime visit on our second day. They got to see “Summertime” up close and personal and then we opted for a neighborhood pub meal. We had a lot of catching up to do since we haven’t seen each other in four years. These kind of reunions make this life of ours even more special.

Created by Darcy O Campbell

Aug. 22-24, 2016 Frankfort, MI... a resort community and another Harbor of Refuge on Lake Michigan

It’s not easy to make progress down Lake Michigan. We have been in U.S. waters for 14 days and we are only 224.5 miles along out of the 530 miles to Chicago. There is a rule of thumb that we Loopers are all trying to follow... be out of Lake Michigan by Labor Day Weekend, September 5. That is only another 12 days away! The temperament of the lake becomes more blustery/wintery by then. Temperatures drop, the winds become more disagreeable as September approaches. Today six Looper boats are hunkered down here in Frankfort Harbor while a Mid-west storm passes through the region. Tomorrow looks promising for passage early in the day, so we will all be ready for a daybreak departure. One boat plans to make the 50-mile crossing to Sturgeon Bay, WI and then into Green Bay, Wisconsin through the ship canal on Lake Michigan’s western shore. The rest of us hope to push along 50 miles south on the eastern shore. In the meantime, we are enjoying each other’s company. Yesterday we gathered at 5pm in the park adjacent to the marina slips and shared munchies and stories. Wally and I have enjoyed strolling through the various neighborhoods. The Victorian homes here have such remarkable details of craftsmanship and fabulous gardens. We don’t miss “the joys of homeownership”, but we do take particular delight in all the efforts other people go through to make their property eye-catching. Frankfort’s sugar-fine sand beach with its pounding waves attracts young families, retired folks, sun bathers, kite surfers and surf boarders alike, so its not surprising to find that many of the fancy homes are available for weekly rentals. Michigan’s shoreline surely is a magnet for vacationers! 

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park

At last! A black squirrel captured in a photo

It's 5:00 somewhere!

 Created  by Darcy O Campbell

Aug. 18-21, 2016 Leland, MI / Historic Fish Town/Sleeping Bear Dunes Nat’l Lakeshore

You can tell that Leland’s tie to the fishing industry has been well-established over the years. The restored fish tug and the shanties that line the Historic Fish Town Dock provide an authentic backdrop for several long-time eateries. We had already sampled and enjoyed perch, pickeral and whitefish along the way. At the suggestion of Michigan friends, we each chose the smelt plate off the Bluebird Restaurant’s Tavern Menu. The ample portion of tiny smelts were crunchy and delicious! Lake Michigan continues to offer livelihood opportunities for Lelanders. Numerous fishing charter boats leave at daybreak to ply the waters with hopeful vacationers. Two ferries carrying the adventurous... backpackers, hikers, overnight campers... leave from Leland two or three times a day. Their destination is the North and South Manitou Islands, part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park.  M22 is the highway that runs the Lake Michigan's eastern shoreline. Residents and visitors to the area often put an M22 sticker on their car. When they are away from Michigan, the question is, "Are you a local or did you fall in love with it as you passed through?" These lakeside towns are so sweet, it's no wonder so many visitors return year after year. Leland is also a “Harbor of Refuge”. Lake Michigan tends to kick up without much warning, so boaters can find a safe haven every 30 to 50 miles from Petoskey, MI to Chicago, IL.  We “stayed put” at the Leland Municipal Marina inside the Leland seawall for four days while two red flags (small-craft warnings... seas 5 ft. or greater; gale-force winds...32-38mph) were prominently dispayed next to Old Glory at the marina. This is the first time that we have felt the urgency to keep moving, but the prudent mariner understands the need to wait for the rough sea-like conditions to calm down. 

Gale Force Wind flags flying 

restored historic Fish Tug

Surfers gather eager for a thrill

Created by Darcy O Campbell