The drive from City of Hancock Recreational Area in Hancock MI to Rivers Edge Campground in Stevens Point WI would be, according to MapQuest, about 225 miles and would take just over four hours. I got a relatively early start in case I happened upon something unusual that I had missed in my research. It was a good thing I didn’t dally over a couple more cups of coffee. After retracting the slide-out, I saw that I had a very low tire. The attendant on duty directed me to the maintenance shed and a small air compressor. Three cycles of filling the small compressor tank and emptying the contents into the tire got me on the road and to a tire store in Hancock where the mechanic pulled a screw from the tire. There goes an ... read more

The drive from Cheboygan State Park in Cheboygan MI to the Tourist Park Campground in Marquette MI on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 was under densely overcast but nonproductive skies and was totally uneventful. After I had completed set-up and was tweaking my agenda for the next few days, I spotted a skunk wandering through the zip code. I went out to snap a picture and struck up a conversation with the neighbors (who had returned immediately after I had gone into the Pilgrim). They were from Minnesota and were taking, essentially, the same itinerary through Michigan as I had but in reverse. We had selected many of the same stops, so we shared some tips on what was in store for each other. Very nice! A few days later in the late afternoon/early evening, four kits ... read more

Wednesday, May 27, 2015 was forecast to be an overcast, rainy day and the meteorological experts were mostly correct. The predicted rain, gratefully, varied from nothing to intermittent mists or light sprinkles. During teardown, I had an opportunity to chat with my Michigan neighbors who have sold their house and have moved into an apartment so they can be absent for carefree extended periods of time. That’s EXACTLY what Uncle Larry plans to do in ten years or so (hopefully) when The Great Adventurehas run its nomadic, enlightening, carefree course. Teardown and the trip from Lakeside Resort Campground in Ionia MI to the Northwest Michigan Fairgrounds Campground in Traverse City MI were uneventful except for the need to engage the windshield wipers from time to time. My arrival at the campground found no response to my ... read more

Wednesday, May 13, 2015 found me making a relatively short trip from the Add-More Campground in Clarksville IN to the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis IN. The trip to Indianapolis metro was totally uneventful. Some might call the trip boring, but I prefer calling it a great relocation day! The fairgrounds property itself, however, was a beehive of activity. Mecum Auction Company was conducting an automobile auction the likes of which this country bumpkin has never before seen! Over the course of my one-week stay, I saw virtually every category of automobile ever made. Had my plate not been so full on the days the weather was cooperative, I might have paid the admission fee just to have observed. My first stop on Thursday, May 14, 2015 was the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis. Benjamin ... read more

I was Googling a steamboat excursion on the Mississippi River, perhaps Memphis to Saint Louis and back, when I happened upon a steamboat race. Now, this is the kind of unique event that finds its way right onto Uncle Larry’s “A List!” Further examination revealed the Belle of Louisville annually races the Belle of Cincinnati on the Ohio River. It’s not an excursion but an evening trip of a few hours. That works for me! Further research revealed there is a horse race the Saturday following the steamboat race – the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby Festival (KDF) began, believe it or not, on January 15, 2015 with the Norton Sports Health Training Program. The program was a 14-week conditioning program to ready contestants for the KDF Marathon and miniMarathon. Whew! What a relief to learn ... read more