'25/#6 We're Home!

 Home can mean different things to different people at different times in their lives. Our saying is "Home is where we park it" and that is true. Home is also where the heart is and our kids and grandkids are in Florida so we also consider that home. Our drivers licenses are domiciled in Florida so that is another cause to call Florida home. We also have friends and places that we have spent extended periods of time with and it can feel like coming home when we get back to visit. Now we are in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the third season.

There were no banners or marching bands but it was a welcome that made us feel like we were home. The people that we spent time with over the past couple of years couldn't have been happier to see us, and we were just as happy to see them. The campground had that familar feeling of being home and the new people we have met seem like they will become part of our Michigan family.

The trailer is getting set up for the long stay so it also will feel more like home. Things that have been stowed for travel will come out and pictures will go back on the wall. The kitchen will be set up for more regular cooking and we will get back into the daily routine of life. The rig also needs to be cleaned. The front has quite a collection of bugs that need to be removed and the few things we put outside to make it known that "we are here" need to come out of the compartments.

Then we start work. The schedule has been posted and we will learn more about what has changed and what is expected of us this year. Then we will, along with all the other workcampers, get into the rhythm that will be the heart beat of the campground this season.

The bugs are calling me, or is that Mary saying to wrap it up? Either way the cleaning process won't get done by itself so I will sign off from our home in St Ignace because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'25/#5 Giving The Wheels A Rest

 It doesn't seem like it but we have been on the road for alomost a month. Some days it feels like we just left and other times it feels like we have been driving for ever. We are approaching our summer destination and will let the truck, RV, and us get a rest from the road.

The past few days were spent in Munising Michigan, the home of Pictured Rocks National Landmark. This is the third year we have been in the Upper Penninsula and are finally getting to see this attraction in the western part of the U.P. The past years something has always come up to stop us, so this time we decided to come to the area before starting our workcamping jobs.

We drove through the Pictured Rocks area and saw waterfalls, lighthouses, and huge sand dunes. The cliffs and rugged coast give you an idea of how difficuly it was living and working here when mining and lumbering were the primary industries.  I can only imagine what the winters were like and have no desire to experience them, even now!

The next two days we saw Pictured Rocks as it should be seen,  from the water. The Pictured Rocks scenic tour let us see the colors and rock formations that give the area it's name. The sculpting of the shoreline shows the power of the wind and water on Lake Superior. Some formations are thousands of years old while others have had major changes in the last century. The weather was beautiful so we didn't experience any of Lake Superior's land shaping forces.

Day two we took the Shipwreck Tour on a glass bottom boat. The most famous shipwreck, the Edmond Fitzgerald, like many other shipwrecks are in deep water with the deepest part of Lake Superior over 1300 feet. Others have succumbed to the rocky shores and shallow areas around the lake, even in what many sailors considered save havens from the winter storms. These are the shipwrecks we saw in Munising Harbor in depths less than 100 feet. 

As expected one wreck was more of a debris field. Some of it was broken up by strormy weather while other parts were destroyed by the Coast Guard to eliminate shipping hazards. On the other hand the Bermuda was relatively intact. It sank with a full load of premium iron ore in 1870. Because of the quality of the iron ore and the shallow depth most of the cargo was salvaged. The salvage operation caused a lot of the damage that we saw as we hovered over the wreck. This whole area is called the Alger Underwater Preserve and is dedicated to preserving these wreck for sightseers and divers to explore. 

Well it is time to get ready for the last leg of our journey so I will sign off from our home in Munising because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary