Joann
made omelets for breakfast and then we went for a bike ride – this
time with Joann as a passenger. We made a big loop – west, then
north to Manistee, further north to a casino, east, south, east,
south, east, south & east!!! Good thing Harold was leading!
Manistee
is on Lake Michigan so we walked to a beach. People were sunbathing
and we were comfortable in long pants. We went to another casino and got “free” slot play
again but finally we all lost our allowances. We had
some food vouchers so we went for a late lunch only to find the
restaurant closed for a couple of hours to switch from lunch to
dinner. So we went to a snacky place and had sandwiches. Our food
vouchers paid for more than the sandwiches so we each HAD to have a
big cookie!
We
rode nonstop back. I caught up the blog while the others sat outside
at a picnic table. Since lunch was so late, Joann put together
snacks (cheese & crackers, etc) for dinner. We finally moved
inside and ended up watching American Ninja Warrior.
July 16th –
Thurs
We
got going bright & early (7:20) as Joann got a phone call late
yesterday saying their 5th wheel was ready to be picked up
and they wanted to leave by 8. To go west from Big Rapids, you have
to go south around the bottom of Lake Michigan (Chicago!) or north
through the Upper Peninsula. We chose the UP again and went as far
as Gladstone. We were early enough to do laundry and then went to
Escanaba to a WalMart for some needed items.
Rain
was forecast so we didn't bother taking the bike out. I didn't take
the time to completely dry jeans so we had clothes “hanging”
everywhere including the bike seat. Dinner & done!
July 17th –
Fri
We
are used to clothes drying quickly in Mesa – not so much in
Michigan! I will dry everything completely next time.
We
continued west to Woodruff/Minoqua in Wisconsin. The first
campground we tried in Woodruff was full so they made a phone call to
Indian Shores in Minoqua and they had sites available. We flinched
at the price but didn't want to spend hours finding something else.
It is a big park set in trees & little hills so a guy showed us a
few sites so we could choose.
We
had a late lunch and then took the bike to go exploring. We finally
stopped for a beer on the deck of a brewery overlooking a lovely
little lake. I saw a sign for a free water skiing show at 7:00. We
ended up being there early but there was some entertainment including
a guy “riding” on a pressurized spout of water (hard to explain,
see pics on FB) and a powerful boat standing nearly completely
upright in the water.
The
show was wonderful. A large group of “amateurs” were VERY good
with the usual flags, girls on guys shoulders, girls only pyramids
and barefoot skiers. Six guys did something different. The first 2
were pulled off the dock with ropes to the boat, then 2 more with
ropes tied to the first 2 guys and then 2 more tied to the second 2.
They first 4 guys had to be pulled slowly until the last 2 were in
the water so they were dragging through the water. They made a big
loop around and then all 6 went over the jump in pairs. Some
professional skiers then showed their stuff which was amazing. Wake
boards, skies and even a “skateboard” that was not attached to
the guy's feet. There were a couple of guys that went into the crowd
making balloon animals but they turned out to be skiers who put on a
“clown” act.
We
had sandwiches for dinner and called it a day.
July 18th –
Sat
Back
to computer games for a short while this morning with our coffee &
doughnuts. We rode the bike all around the park just to check it out
and then stopped at a sales place near the entrance to check out some
different park models with lofts. Riding through town we spotted
sales at a big storage unit so we had to check them out. Turned out
to be 2 huge buildings with an unbelievable amount of stuff (junk?!).
We then rode to St Germaine which we came through yesterday and
found another sale & car show. We finally got a “TaG” sign.
A bit further and we found a place to have lunch.
I
talked Terry into riding a loop through what was described as scenic
lakes. Unfortunately there are so many trees along the road that you
rarely see the lakes and we weren't about to ride down side roads
that might be someone's driveway. We ended up back at the brewery
for another beer on the deck.
I
made dinner and was reading a book when Terry went to show the buddy
burner to our neighbors who had a fire going. We both ended up there
with a drink and finished the day with a nice visit with young
people.
July 19th –
Sun
We
stopped for fuel (diesel & doughnuts!) and headed west and then
north to Mellen. Again I talked Terry into some sightseeing and this
time it was worth it. We went into Copper Falls State Park and took
a 1.7 mile walk along a river with waterfalls. The trail was awesome
with bridges, massive log “guard rails” and rock steps. The
trail was an irregular loop so you didn't have to go back the same
way.
Our
DEF warning light came on so our next item of business was to find a
WalMart which we did in Ashland which is on Lake Superior. We
discussed driving around a point that goes into the lake but decided
that we would probably mainly see more treed roads so we turned
southwest. We ended up in Chetek at the Chetek River Campground. I
mention the name because it is a lovely park with the bonus of being
Passport. We have a huge grass spot on the river and enjoyed having
a drink in the shade of a little tree and watching ducks on the
river. Then dinner & relax!
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