It's All Happening at the Soo

We moved on to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and stayed at the Elks Lodge on the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie. It is a great place to watch the boats and ships traveling between Lake Superior and Lake Huron prepare to enter and exit the Soo Locks. We visited a couple of local museums with exhibits about shipping on the Great Lakes. We discovered a new brewery, Soo Brewing Company, that has only been open since March. This brewery was different from others we have stopped at because they have tables and pews for patrons but they do not serve food. They have menus from several local restaurants so we chose Chinese take out to go with "our" (yes even Nanc had a beer) brews. It is also a place where the locals come to relax and have a cold brew which was quite obvious by the growlers they were returning for refills. They even have a great variety of games to pass the time. If you are in the Soo stop by and support the local brewer.

To get to the UP we had to cross the the Mackinac Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in North America. At 200 feet above the water it is the highest bridge we have crossed. It has to be this high to allow ships to pass from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron. I think the view from the middle is great, but I did not get to see much as both eyes were on the road.
A must see are the Soo Locks that allow ships to navigate through the 21 foot drop in water level between the lakes. The first lock that was built on the Canadian side in 1812 was destroyed during the War of 1814. The first American lock was built in 1855. The four locks (above left) that are used today range in length from 800 to 1350 feet. The two longest, built in 1914 and 1919 by the "War" Department, are the oldest and need to be rebuilt because they are too narrow for the newer larger ships.

The 730 foot long, 76 foot wide Mapleglen entering the 800 foot long, 80 foot wide MacArthur Lock. There are no tugs and no bumpers to prevent this giant ship from hitting the wall of the lock. The amount of freight carried by the 11,000 ships that pass through the locks each year exceeds that carried through the Suez and Panama Canals combined.

Another look at how tight it is for these big ships. The biggest ship today, the Paul R. Tregurtha, is 1013' 6" long and 105" wide. The Poe lock that was constructed in 1968 is the only one large enough to handle the 1000-footers.

The Mapleglen sails out of the lock 21 feet lower than it was a half hour earlier to continue its journey to Montreal. Ships carrying ore, coal, grain and general freight to places around the world pass through these locks.

It is not just big ships that use the locks. Here is the tall ship, Pride of Baltimore, that we have seen docked in that city's Inner Harbor. There is a lock cruise that we opted not to take as we have been through other locks a few times.

Some of the ships we saw out the front window of the rig while parked at the Elks. There were local sailboats, ocean going freighters, Canadian Coast Guard ships, work barges and 1000-footers. Boat spotting is a fun activity. There are books you can buy to identify all the ships.

The Museum Ship, Valley Camp. It is 550 feet and could carry 11,500 tons compared to today's 1000-footers that can carry over 78,000 tons. The Valley Camp's cargo often went to the steel mills of Western Pennsylvania.

Looking down the length of the ship. The displays in the cargo holds offer a history of Great Lakes shipping. The floor was very uneven from years of having coal and ore dumped on to it. Bottom is a crew cabin and the officer's mess. You can also get into the engine room of this old coal burner and see what it was like to work aboard a freighter.

Of course, sadly the most famous Great Lakes freighter is the Edmund Fitzgerald that sank in November, 1975 with all 29 crew members lost and memorialized in the song by Gordan Lightfoot. Part of the Valley Camp display is a movie about the Fitz and these two life boats that were some of the few items recovered. This museum is very well done and worth a visit.

Aves des Amis a Paris

After getting the work done at Spartan we are back on the road. Our friends from Betty's, Tony and MaryBeth Linn, are spending the summer in Paris so we decided to stop to see them and take in the sights of the City of Lights. Imagine our surprise when we discovered they were in Paris, Michigan. Oh well, we had a great visit and really enjoyed the area. They took us to a couple of great local restaurants we never would have found on our own and showed us around beautiful Central Michigan. When you see Tony ask him what you are supposed to do when there is a red octagon sign at an intersection. The officer was very nice and since Tony has a South Dakota driver's license, even though he lived here most of his life, he got off with a smile.

MaryBeth, Tony, Jim and Nanc enjoying the great weather on the deck at Moe-Z-In where the fish basket was wonderful. Once again, meeting up with friends on the road is the best thing about our fulltiming RV lifestyle.
I told Nanc when we went on the road that I would show her the world. Here we are at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. We took advantage of the rails to trails bike path that ran past the campground and had a Tour de France experience to enhance the feeling of being in Paris.

Another stop we would have missed had we not been with Tony and MaryBeth is the Shrine of the Pines in Baldwin. The shrine is a museum of rustic furniture built by Raymond Overholzer in the 1930's and 40's for the hunting and fishing lodge he operated. Everything is built of wood he salvaged after the forest had been clear cut to rebuild Chicago after the fire. He used no nails or screws putting it all together with dowels and glue. Above is a gun rack that holds twelve guns and rotates on hand made wooden ball bearings. Our guide, Virginia, was fantastic. She grew up here and knew Raymond and his wife so she offered a personal insight into his life and his work.

Above top is the main chandelier, a picture window with a one piece root frame and a day bed.

Bottom is Tony on the only chair we were allowed to try. It was very comfortable even with its twisted legs. Next is another chandelier and a small window frame.

Here is Nanc at the liquor cabinet that hid the booze around the corner in a stump. There was a slot to stack shot glasses. The background is the three hundred pound front door that swang open on pine pegs.

Here Virgina is showing a buffet that was made from a rotten log. Raymond (pictured) carved out drawers and and the top from a pine root that he carved slots into for the shelves. The pine roots look like drift wood but they have never been in the water. They were left behind when the forest was cut and when farmers moved into the area they dug them up and stood them up around their fields to make fences.

Here is a poker table. A unique feature of all the furniture is that it does not have a varnish or painted finish. Raymond rubbed maple ash into the wood to bring out the grain and produce the shining finish.

The fireplace was constructed of native stone. The chair was carved from one log and the bench was another old root. You are supposed to be able to see every letter of the alphabet in the root embedded in the chimney.

The dining room table was made from a 700 pound root. The center was rotten so Raymond carved a puzzle of seventy pieces to make the inlaid top. Like most of his pieces, Raymond caved hidden little nooks into the legs and under the table. The Shrine of the Pines is a very interesting stop that should not be missed if you are traveling near Baldwin.

Back Home in Indiana

It is not us but our motorhome, Opus, that is back home in Indiana. We are at its birthplace, Newmar in Nappanee, to have a few things fixed on our seven year old rig. We had new covers put on the slides, heavy duty springs on the jacks and new running lights installed. They also adjusted the slides and repaired the hot water heater and entry step. I guess driving on bumpy roads really takes its toll on our home. We had our two dining room chairs (our most used furniture) reupholstered. All the work was completed by Wednesday but we decided to stay here through the July 4th weekend since we are only travelling a short distance to Spartan to have the work started in May completed. Holiday weekends are often an issue for travelling fulltimers as the parks fill up and the cost of staying here is what we paid for the work we had done. We did a bit of exploring around Nappanee and rode our bikes for the first time in quite a while. We also took a tour of the Newmar plant. It is always fascinating seeing how they put the rigs together. Business is way down from the first time we visited in 2006. Back then they were making 12 to 15 rigs a day and now they are only building three. They are down to 400 employees from a high of over a 1000. The whole RV industry is in big trouble with many manufacturers going out of business. We are happy that Newmar is still around as this is really the best place to get repairs done.

Here is a before and after of the chairs and one of the two pillows we had done at Mast Upholstering. Nanc had called them a couple of weeks ago and they were very accommodating in getting the work done in only three days as we had originally planned to leave last Thursday. We had already purchased fabric but they have quite a selection to choose from if you have more time to wait to have the work completed. I sure hope I am not the first person to spill something on the new chairs. Mast did a great job so if you are in the area and need any work done give them a call.
One afternoon we drove to Elkhart to the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum & Library. They have a great collection of old and modern RVs. The display above shows how RVs have changed over the years. The Hall of Fame is photos of people in the industry most of whom we did not know. We did recognize the owner of Newmar and Joe & Kay Peterson the founders of Escapees. According to the local paper, the museum like the rest of the RV industry is not doing very well because corporate contributions are way down.

The road leads you down a memory lane of old restored RVs.

How about this early rig with a bathtub and a pot that is literally a pot. We like our more modern facilities much better.

Many of the oldest rigs and even some smaller new ones have outdoor kitchens, an idea that goes back to the old chuck wagons.

This Shasta really brought back memories for Nanc and me. My Uncle Chuck and Aunt Sis had one like this and we spent many weekends camping with them. We usually slept in our tent but one rainy weekend we slept inside with Chuck, Sis, Randy, Greg and their dog Skippy. Looking at it now it is hard to believe we got seven bodies in there for the night, but it was great fun.

Nanc loved the Tennessee Traveler and thinks we should look into what we can get on a trade. The RV Museum is a real walk down memory lane but if finances don't improve it may not be open much longer.

We enjoyed riding the bikes and driving along the country roads with all the beautifully kept Amish and English farms. One way to tell a Amish farm is they usually still have small bales of hay and not the big rolled ones. The work here requires a lot of laborers. We try to collect some small memento that will remind us of a place we have visited and we were lucky enough to find a very unique one here in Nappanee. We found a horseshoe which we hope will provide us with continued good luck in our travels. It will also be a reminder of the slower pace of Nappanee and the pace we continue to strive to keep as fulltimers.

I guess it is OK to use an outboard motor as long as the boat is pulled to the water by a horse. We did discover we can bike faster then the buggies travel, as we passed several on our rides. The greatest obstacle while bike riding the roads here are the IPDs, Improvised Poop Devises.

Look very carefully in the tall corn and you will find a farmer, his son and a team of draft horses. The countryside around Nappanee is well worth a visit. As the welcome sign says "Embrace the Pace."

Last Week in PA

Our last week in PA was filled with family, friends, food and fishing. We enjoyed eating out and ate at over 25 different restaurants during this stay. Several times we went to our usual favorites like the Union Grill, Sam's and Burgh's. Other times we went to places that we love to go to with friends and even went to the Kopper Kettle a place we have never eaten in thirty years of living in WashPA. Some, like Eleven and the Back Porch, are places to go on special occasions and since we are here so rarely that makes it a special occasion. We have really enjoyed our time here seeing so many good friends who we miss so much while on the road.

Here we are with Rick and Denise at Eleven in Pittsburgh. We had a great meal and a wonderful evening catching up on what has been going on in our lives. You can tell this is a fancy place, I wore a shirt with buttons.

Here we are at Pete and Rosemary's where we had a Greek meal that was as good as any we had eating out. They have a beautiful back yard complete with a grape arbor where Pete gets the grapes for his famous jelly. They even got out the columns to give their place more of a Greek feel. We are looking forward to hearing about their fall trip to Greece.

Another evening we went bowling at the Meadows Casino with Mike and Sherri. Check out the "English" the bowlers are using to try and bring the ball to the pins. That is a deceptively impressive score. It was the team score about six frames into the game. We may not be very good but everyone, even Mike, had a fun time. After bowling we ate at the Terrace Restaurant and Mike, Nanc and I lost some money in the slots. Sherri was the only winner.

On the last Wednesday of our visit the teachers did a road trip to the Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh. This is a neat brewpub in an old church. The brews and food were heavenly. Top left are Kim, Sandy, Nanc and Patrice. Bottom left are Ron, Becky, Pat, Ann Marie and Bill. Sorry John I did not get a pic of you. That evening we got one last fix of local jazz. Dan on the guitar and Josh on the sax were joined this week by another former student Ruben on the trumpet. Ruben is also an author and his book, A Young Man's Wisdom, about growing up and becoming a father is a great read. It is available on Amazon.

Our last day in WashPA was a big one. Richard and Valerie, rving friends who we have met on the road several times, stopped by while traveling from Michigan to their new condo in Charlottesville, VA. We had brunch and had a couple of hours to get caught up. It was so nice to see them again and we are so glad they were able to squeeze in a visit.

That evening we went to dinner at the Back Porch with all our old euchre club friends. Tim, Diane, Sherri, Mike, Tom, Georgie, Nanc, Jim, Jack and Marylou. We all had wonderful meals and as you can see from the next pic some of us got a little out of hand.

A picture is worth a thousand words. This is typical of our PA friends and shows why we miss them all so much. They are such a fun group.

We left Washington on Wednesday and went to Pymatuning to visit with Mike and Sherri at their cottage for the weekend. We had a great time all weekend and laughed so much we hurt. In addition to the GREAT fishing, Nanc and Sherri did some retail therapy and played many games of upwards and frustration. Then we all played euchre where the guys once again triumphed over the gals.

And the final fish story. Over the last 25 plus years I have been fishing at Pymatuning many, many, many times. On ALL those trips the biggest walleye I ever caught was 22 inches which makes this trip so special. As you can see from the previous post I caught three very nice fish on Wednesday. On Thursday the skies were threatening and we were only out for an hour before a storm ended our day. BUT in that hour I landed (with Mike manning the net) another big 27 inch walleye. This really makes up for the many days I sat in the front of the boat without a single fish while Mike caught fish after fish in the back. As you can see he did not go fishless this time either as he hooked several catfish, a couple of perch and a small walleye. The last two days of this trip brought me back to reality as they were typical days of catching small walleye, catfish and perch.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO MIKE AND SHERRI FOR THIS GREAT WEEKEND OF FISHING!!!!!!!

Gone Fishin

If the the worst day of fishing is better than the best day of work then the best day of fishing must happen only in retirement. We left WashPA for a few days of fishing with the Sharps at Pymatuning before heading west.

We were not even going to go out on the boat the first day so we were not on the water until almost 5PM. On the first pass a real big one got off the hook, but then on the second I landed this 27 inch walleye with Captain Mike doing a fine job with the net. This is the largest fish I have ever caught.
On the next drift I landed this 19 incher which is a nice size fish for Pymatuning.

Then on the next float I upped my biggest fish with this 28 inch beauty.

What a great few hours of fishing. A special thanks to Capt'n Mike for finding these beauties and manning the net. We will be eating fish tonight.

Friends, Food, Music, Let's Go Bucs

We continue to enjoy our time back in PA and have finally completed all the doctor visits and are almost done with the spring cleaning of the rig. We have had a whirlwind social schedule getting together with friends. We have an appointment to have a couple of things (new slide covers) done at Newmar at the end of the month so we will be heading back to Indiana when we depart PA. We have made reservations, something we don't often do, in the Black Hills of South Dakota for a week in the middle of August so we will have about seven weeks to add Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Dakotas to our map on the way west. After the Black Hills we will be in Gillette, Wyoming for 12 days to attend the Escapade. Following that we have reservations for a week in Cody and a week in Yellowstone (hope we get out before the snow). Our friends Mike and Sherri are going to meet us there so we can tour together. After Yellowstone we have a week to drive 1000 miles to Albuquerque, which is hyper speed for us, for twelve days with the Boomers at the balloon fest. By then it will be time to start looking for a place in Arizona for the winter including a stop in Q for a Class of 07 reunion.

Another Wednesday lunch with the teachers. It was the last day with kids for those still working so a few additional teachers joined the group. Joy is retiring and the shirt says it all. Pictured are Jim, Becky, Peg, Ken, Lena, Sandy, Joy, Bill, Kim, Linda, John & Nanc. We really do love being here and seeing so many friends, but we also really love the flexibility of the life we live.
We went to the All Saints Greek Orthodox Church Festival and had a great time visiting with Pete and Rosemary, eating the great food, listening to the music and watching the kids do traditional dances. They start with the youngsters and then the high schoolers show their stuff. It is great seeing how they are working to preserve their culture.

Father George conducted a tour explaining the significance of the beautiful paintings in the church. We also got a history lesson on how the Greek Orthodox Church differs from the Roman Catholic Church. If you are traveling in Western PA during the festival we recommend you stop in Canonsburg to enjoy a good time with great food. The festival lasts a week and they start preparing for it in January. Among all the wonderfully prepared Greek food we were told they make over 30,000 stuffed grape leaves. Everything that is prepared is excellent and the crowds prove it.

Another dinner out with friends. Top; Nanc, Mike, Judy, Ed, Donna and Jim all loved the food and conversation at Al & Rubens. Bottom the band plays some great jazz and blues. Josh, on the sax, and Dan, on the guitar, are former students and we always make it a point to see them when we are in the area.

We took in a Pirate game at PNC Park with our friends John and Patrice. Top left is the newest statue of Bill Mazeroski celebrating his walk off homer to win the World Series against the Yankees at 3:36 on the afternoon of October 13, 1960. That is a moment that is burned into the brain of every Pirate fan. People still gather along the wall of old Forbes Field that was left standing to replay the broadcast each year. Middle is Hall of Famer Honus Wagner and right the Pirate Parrot. The wall and scoreboard in right field is 21 feet high to honor number 21 the great Roberto Clemente. There are other statues of Clemente and Willie Stargell that I did not get pictures of. We got to see Maz, Willie and Roberto play many times over the years at both Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium.

The view of the city from behind home plate. It was a perfect day to take in a game.

The setting sun reflects on the skyline looking from our seats in left field. This is truly one of the most beautiful ball park settings in the country. Of course, we are just a little prejudiced.

Here the Bucs have the bases loaded. They did score a run here and won the game 3 - 1 over the Mets. Here in Pittsburgh they are celebrating because the team's record is over .500 at this point of the season. Remember, we have suffered through 18 loosing seasons, a professional sports record. I don't understand how the idiots who run baseball expect people to support the game when the winners are always those who can afford to buy the championship. "They" say we are a small market team as a explanation but it is the same small market where the Penguins have won THREE of Lord Stanley's Cups and the Steelers have won SIX Super Bowls since 1974. Go figure.

It's a Burgh Thing

We are still in PA doing the things we need to do. We have been poked and probed and are happy to report all is well. The importance of our health has really hit home recently with the reports of the passing and illness of several friends. Our thoughts go out to all who are dealing with health and family issues. We have been having a great time with old friends and family and are happy to see all our favorite restaurants are still doing well. Our bill for groceries is way down for the month but the dining out is through the roof. We have more than one favorite dish at each place so several visits have been required. We have been doing some much needed motorhome cleaning including emptying, cleaning and reorganizing the basement. It is amazing how much stuff we have accumulated in four years on the road. Nanc has cleaned closets and I still have to wax the exterior

We got together with the Euchre group for an evening of food, fun and cards. Nanc tied for first and had to spilt her winnings which really cut down on the profits for the night. Of course my coming in last also contributed to this financial setback. Left to right are Tim, Nanc, Tom, Diane, Georgie, Mike and Sherri. The euchre tournaments are one of the things we miss on the road.
We had a fun day at the Pittsburgh Jazz Festival. Three streets were closed and they had groups all weekend. Dahntahn was alive with music n 'at. Pittsburgh has a proud heritage of jazz, but the local NPR station has just changed hands and the hours of daily jazz on the radio are in danger which has resulted in a lot of uproar and many letters to the editor.

Some of the Burgh's art. Top is a transformer man made of bridges, a mural celebrating the cultural district and our very own magnolia tree that blooms year round. Bottom is a sculpture of a musician, a juried piece by a former student, Toby Fraley, and a neat fountain in Katz Plaza. Pittsburgh is a beautiful city and no longer the smoky steel town most people think it is. It is doing well in these tough economic times with an unemployment rate well below the national average.

There were many artists selling their wares and all kinds of food at the Three Rivers Arts Festival. Yinz could get perogies or a jumbo sandwich along with a can of pop or an ahrn to wash it dahn. The festival was really crowded because there were so many jagoffs in tahn from Philly to see their team loose 2 out of three to the Buccos.

At the Point (see pic in the last entry) the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers come together to form the Ohio making this spot a strategic location for both the French and British in the middle 1700's. The French first controlled the confluence but burned Fort Duquesne and fled when the British approached. The British then built Fort Pitt and the blockhouse is all that remains from that fort. This was part of the same war that led to the expulsion of the French Cajuns from Canada to Louisiana that we learned so much about when we stayed in Abbeville.

Today the Point is a beautiful state park that gives a much different view of the city skyline. The outline of concrete shows the location of the walls of the first fort. Pittsburgh is a beautiful stop if yinz are traveling in the area but unfortunately there are really no good RV parks within twenty five miles of dahntahn.