It was in the 30's this morning and quite windy. We all dressed warmly and headed to the bus stop around 10. It's quite handy to ride the bus downtown, you don't have to worry about parking and the bus stops right in front of the campground. So Gena, Bob, Kerry and I rode to see the Alamo and River Walk. We managed to get off the bus a block too early, but it was no big deal. Again the Alamo was smaller than expected, but still quite sobering. We went through the old mission part first, then the museum/gift shop, [View Full Entry]

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Tuesday, 20 January, 2009 We had planned to leave yesterday morning, but a prescription boondoggle held us up until late yesterday afternoon and then the OMG or the WTH light came on on the dash, so Kerry had to research on the internet how to find the code, then reset. This morning when we got up, it was 20 degrees out and snowing, with a dusting of snow covering the ground. We were more than happy to head south toward what we hoped was warmer weather. We kept seeing flurries until we were south of Florence, AL, but nothing sticking. Traffic [View Full Entry]

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The forty miles of I-65 we drove from the Ohio River, through Louisville, KY, south was bone-jarring rough. We were happy to turn off onto the Western KY Parkway. At Eddyville, KY, we drove south on Hwy 641, seeing both the Barkley Dam on the Cumberland River and the Kentucky Dam on the Tennessee River. We had to backtrack near Benton, KY, due to an accident. We arrived home around 3:30, where it was 94 outside and 86 inside. It's been a great trip, we've been to beautiful places, to 6 states we'd never seen and met lots of nice [View Full Entry]

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We drove over 475 miles today, from the middle of Michigan through Indiana to just south of Louisville, KY. We stopped for gas twice and stopped several times to stretch our legs (and unstretch our bladders.) It's been a long day for us, since we usually don't go more than 200 miles, and I took no pictures. So I thought I'd just share some wildflower photos that I didn't previously post, but I think they're pretty. We miss our family and are anxious to get home. It's making us think twice about our plans for a 9-month boat trip. [View Full Entry]

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We left the campground and its mosquitoes and headed north on M123 to Tahquamenon (rhymes with phenomenon) Falls State Park. We went first to the upper falls and were amazed at how different they are. The water is brown from the tannin that leaches out of the cedar, spruce and hemlocks. Below the falls the water is foamy caused by the combination of soft water, the force of the water going over the falls, and proteins in the water from the marshes that drain into the river. It gave me an unexpected hankering for root beer. The falls drop 50 [View Full Entry]

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We left Michigamme Shores after a fairly leisurely morning. It rained last night and we were hoping the camper would dry. It did, but the carpet didn't and my stove was full of water after being left outside. From Champion through Ishpeming and then Marquette, along the south shore of Lake Superior we drove, to Munising where we found the Visitor Center for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Pictured Rocks is a park that is best viewed from a boat, but there are overlooks, waterfalls and beaches. We started with Munising Falls, Sand Point, and Miner's Castle on the west side. [View Full Entry]

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We'd set the alarm for 6:30, but we were both up at 6 am. We broke camp and headed for town by 8:30. We stopped first at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Visitor Center then headed for the town parking lots. The lots were closed so we had to hunt and hunt for a place to park the van and camper. Poor planning, Bayfield. It's a good thing we got out early. The day was perfect for a cruise, sunny and calm. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the islands, and especially the lighthouses. As we cruised back to the dock, the [View Full Entry]

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We managed to leave the campground early and it still took us 4 hours to get the 80 miles to Duluth. First stop was Caribou Falls, with a 1/2 mile hike up to the falls. The falls were beautiful, but there were some brutal steps to the bottom. We pulled into the Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, but after finding out that they wanted $8/person to see the lighthouse, we pulled back out and into a free overlook down the road where I got some pretty good pictures. At Two Harbors, MN, we saw the Agate Bay Lighthouse, the historic [View Full Entry]

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We drove north on MN 61, the "North Shore Scenic Drive." And scenic it is with views of the north woods, Lake Superior, waterfalls and rivers emptying into Lake Superior. We drove all the way to the border stopping now and then to take pictures. At Grand Portage Natl Monument we walked through a recreated stockade, used by fur traders and an Ojibwe village. It was all very interesting. On the way back, we stopped at Grand Marais and wandered through an art fair, then got ice cream and headed back to the campground. Another beautiful day. [View Full Entry]

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This morning we took the Hwy 71 Loop around Bemidji to Northome where we expected to pick up MN Hwy 1. Somehow at Northome we got onto Hwy 46 instead and ended up taking about an hour and a half detour before finding our way back to Hwy 1. After that, it was fairly uneventful (woods, lakes, wildflowers, repeat) except for the road itself. For a state highway if was more like a country road, with 10 mph 90 degree turns . This road was along the edge of the wilderness, few towns, few houses, no hills to go around. [View Full Entry]

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