Last Day at Bewabic State Park

 

Today was our last day at Bewabic State Park. We loaded up everything, broke camp by 10 AM, and were on the road by 10:30 this morning. We arrived back in Oconto around 12:30 this afternoon.

Sunset Lake

 

Today's boating adventures included cormorants, loons, and swans on Sunset Lake! How beautiful they were. Sunset lake was as beautiful. Before moving to Amasa, Ginny lived here on Sunset lake for some 25 years. We were really hoping for a little more color in the trees, but still pretty. For lunch, we anchored and ate pizza pasties and a beverage.

Peavy Pond

 

Our boating adventure today was the backwaters of Peavy Pond, just east of Crystal Falls. It was another beautiful day on the water. Tomorrow, we will take our vintage runabout and cruise Sunset Lake just outside Iron River after first going to the Iron River County Farmers Market.

Bewabic State Park

 

Today, Ginny and I are heading to Bewabic State Park outside Crystal Falls, MI. I will pull the trailer, and Ginny will follow, pulling the boat. We will be there until Thursday, Sept 15th. Come see us.

Camping Reservations Made — Bewabic State Park

 

Camping reservations for Bewabic State Park has been made for September 11th-15th. Bewabic State Park consists of 315 acres situated on Fortune Lake, which is part of the Fortune Lakes Chain in Crystal Falls, MI. The park is home to both modern and rustic campsites, a day-use area, a tennis court, hiking trails, a boat launch and more. The park is rich with Civilian Conservation Corps history, evidenced by several CCC structures still in use.

Bewabic is one of just a few state parks that allow the operation of an ORV between the campground and nearby ORV trails. The park connects to Twin Lakes, Baraga state parks, and Bond Falls Scenic Site via several motorized routes.

J.W. Wells State Park — Cedar River, MI

 

We left home around 11:00 this morning on our way to J.W. Wells State Park. We got here right around noon. We have a nice site with a gorgeous view of the Bay of Green Bay. We brought our small boat up with us if we wanted to play around on the water. We'll be here for three nights, leaving out on Friday morning.

Camping Reservations Made — J.W. Wells State Park

 

 

We have made camping reservations at Michigan's J.W. Wells State Park for August 23rd-26st.

Wells State Park is located on the shores of the Bay of Green Bay in Cedar River, Michigan, about 30 miles south of Escanaba. Its 678 acres include a three-mile shoreline with a beautiful sandy beach for swimming, a large picnic area, a modern campground, and rustic cabins. The park, established in 1925, was donated to the State of Michigan by the children of John Walter Wells, a pioneer lumberman in the area. In addition to owning several lumber companies and sawmills, he served as mayor of Menominee for three terms beginning in 1893. Many of the park's buildings, landscaping, and water and sewage systems were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and 1940s. The park is open year-round, even when the campground is closed, providing opportunities for winter recreation such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and ice fishing.

Last Leg of our Muskegon Trip

 

Today was the last leg of our 3-day trip to Muskegon and back to pick up our trailer that had been in the shop for repairs following a tire blowout last March. We were hooked up and on the road by 7:30 this morning, stopping first at the St. Ignace Truck Stop for breakfast. Then it was a 215-mile drive home to Oconto. The weather forecast for today was rain. We did hit some rain, but it wasn't bad. We made it home around 11:30 AM. Ginny said she enjoyed her first long trip with me and looking forward to many more. That's good because our next long trip will take 6 to 7 months to complete.

Saint Ignace, MI

 

Ginny and I left Lake Sch-Nepp-A-Ho Campground around 9:00 this morning and took the slow road, US Hwy 31, to Saint Ignace, where we checked into the Tiki RV Park around 2:30 this afternoon. It was a beautiful ride through quaint lakeside towns along Michigan's west coast of Lake Michigan. We have a full hookup site, so I'll be able to flush out the holding tanks and dump and refill fill the freshwater tank. Tomorrow we'll continue on our route back home.

Muskegon, MI

 

Yesterday was Ginny's and my first long trip together as we headed to Muskegon, MI, to pick up our trailer. The trailer had been in the shop for repairs for the last twelve weeks—mostly waiting for parts—after the door side of the trailer was damaged after a tire blowout in Colorado last March. The total bill came up to $4686, which included four new Goodyear G114 tires.

 

We left Oconto on our 490-mile trip around 5:30 AM (CDT), arriving at All Seasons RV SuperCenter around 3:30 PM (EDT). After picking up the trailer, we checked into Lake Sch-Nepp-A-Ho Campground in Muskegon. Today we will head back home, first staying at the Tiki RV Park in St Ignace, MI.

Camping Reservations Made

 

Camping reservations for Klint Safford Memorial RV Park has been made for July 14th-21st. Klint Safford Memorial RV Park is located in Iron River, MI.

Trailer Repairs

 

I took my trailer to All Seasons RV Supercenter in Muskegon, MI, yesterday to repair the damage caused by the tire blowout at the end of March. I left at 7:15 yesterday morning and returned home at 5:15 this evening. Not too bad for a 1000-mile trip. It may take a month to do all the repairs. I can't wait to see that bill.

Camping Reservations Made

 

Camping reservations for Bewabic State Park has been made for Jun 13th-17th. Bewabic State Park is situated on Fortune Lake in Crystal Falls, MI.

Sault Sainte Marie

We were on the road again this morning leaving Marquette around 9AM heading to Sault Sainte Marie, MI/Ont. The city of Sault Ste. Marie is a multinational city whereas part of it is in Michigan, USA and the other in Ontario, Canada separated by the Saint Mary River between them. The city dates back as far as 1668 when the area was first settled by French Jesuits. The name translates to "Saint Mary's Rapids" or "jump Saint Mary's".

Upon enter the city, we first found a parking lot and had a picnic lunch. Suzi and I first then went to the Soo Locks and watched a ship move from the lower Saint Mary River to the upper river then on into Lake Superior. Barb wasn't feeling well so she stayed behind with the truck. Afterwards, we crossed the International Bridge to the Canada side where we checked into the Bel-Air Motel.

Marquette, MI

We got on the road at 8:00 this morning heading first the Da Yoopers Tourist Trap & Museum in Ishpeming, MI. This is a must stop for anyone coming to Yooperland. Then on to Marquette where we found a picnic table along the shore of Lake Superior for a picnic lunch. We opted to stay at the Americas Best Value Inn in Marquette. Tomorrow we'll continue our road trip to Sault Sainte Marie in Ontario, Canada.

Barbie has been RELEASED!

Barb was released from the Oklahoma City Veterans Hospital today after being in there for 6 weeks and 2 days. She is doing fine. For the next couple of weeks she'll have a few follow-ups and then it will be time to hit the road again.

A situation has come up with our boat so we'll be leaving here on June 13th heading up to Menominee, MI. John Winter, the builder on our boat, has sold his property and has to vacate in 2 months. I'll help him finish the work that we contracted him to do then move the boat back over to the Hi Seas Marina in Oconto, WI. We plan on being up in the area until the middle of August.

Summer Plans

I mail in our reservation form and deposit today returning to River Park in Menominee, MI again this summer. We'll be leaving here around the middle of April heading first to Oklahoma City for two or three weeks and then up to Menominee being there around the middle of May. Next fall we will head back down to Oklahoma City the beginning of September for a month or two then back down here to Palacios again for the winter.

Rockford, IL

We finely left Wisconsin this morning. We had planned for a 9 AM departure but we ran into a couple problems that set us back by an hour and a half. We had stopped for propane in Oconto and was going to hook up the pickup then. But after I got everything hooked up, there were no lights on the pickup. Then we realized that I didn't have the light bar, it was in storage up in Menominee, MI. So we unhooked the pickup and parked the motorhome there where we bought propane and headed 25 miles north to get the light bar. After I got back and hooked everything up again, everything worked like it was supposed to. After 247 miles we made it to the Blackhawk Valley Campground in Rockford, IL at 4 PM. We are staying here under Passport America. Tomorrow we head to the Honey Bend Resort in Litchfield, IL for a night.

Oconto, WI

We left River Park Campground in Menominee, MI this morning and moved to Holtwood Campground in Oconto, WI to be near the boat to get it ready for the winter and to work on the refit of the cabin. We will be here until the first of October or may be longer. We do not have Internet at the campground so I have to come out to the Hi Seas Marina to connect.

Relocating to Oconto, WI

A week ago we took the Shangri-La to Oconto, WI where we will start rebuilding the cabin area. On September 1st, we will relocate the motorhome from here at River Park in Menominee, MI to Holtwood Campground in Oconto. The campground there doesn't close for the winter until the end of October. I have set up a blog where I will post pictures and up-dates of progress on our restoration project. After we complete the restoration project on the Shangri-La, we plan on moving onboard as our summer home.
http://shangrilarestorationproject.blogspot.com/