Settling In at Last

We are starting to get nestled in again in the north country. It took a while to lose the wanderlust that goes with being on the road for three months and waking up in a new place every couple of days. We are starting to get back into a routine and are getting into spring clean-up and back to work mode.
We are in the process of getting permits pulled for building a deck on the back of the house and are getting excited about starting that project.
Next weekend will bring some of the kids and grand kids here and we are so looking forward to visitors throughout the summer.
As the weather gets nicer we are getting out for walks and bike rides and today rode the Heritage trail from Glen Arbor to the sand dunes. The second phase of the trail construction, from the dunes to Empire is scheduled for this summer, but so far we don't see any progress at the sand dune end of the trail.
Here are a couple of pictures from today's ride...

The birds on the pier heads at Glen Haven. They still have snow fencing up, but I hope they don't get any!!

I have been sitting in the woods hunting the elusive wild turkeys the past two weeks (to no avail), but today I found out that they are hanging out at the sand dunes!

The sand dunes were starting to get visitors, but I was amazed at how small the hills look. It seems that every year they get lower and lower. Is it from all the climbers pushing sand down hill or is it just my imagination?

 

Rainy Friday for Traveling

It started to rain last night and we are getting a much needed light watering. The temperatures are falling for the next few days after getting into the seventies again yesterday. The trees are beginning to leaf out in earnest now and in about a week everything should be nice and green.
Today we are heading south to visit with the kids for the weekend. We are celebrating birthdays and are anxious to get together with everyone for a couple of days. We have a lot of catching up to do!

Settled in and settling down

My, my, how the days have changed. We don't get up each day with a sense of wonder at where we are this day. We are back at home now and getting settled in to the routine for the summer. We have been cleaning up the yard and getting everything put away from our winter travels. The truck has been swept out and cleaned up, and the van has a new oil change and is ready for service. The camper is vacuumed, washed and parked for now. I am nursing a new crop of grass where we put the patio next to the family room.
Nancy's working this weekend at Good Harbor Winery and I start back at Anderson's IGA tomorrow. We are putting plans together to get permits and estimates for the deck we will build this spring, and there are turkeys to chase during the month of May. Time too, to get the boat unwrapped from the long winter and ready for cruising on the lakes this summer. So much to do and so little time!
The weather is warming up nicely, and we are supposed to be near seventy this week with sunny skies and no rain in the forecast. (Sure, it always happens this way when I plant grass seed!) Oh, well, if it was rainy we would be grumbling. Now we just have to get the leaves to sprout out so things start to get green.
We are planning a trip to southern Michigan next weekend to see the family and can't wait to hear every one's stories of what is going on and the events of the winter. I know a lot has happened since we left and can't wait to get caught up!
Tom and Evey, say Hi to Mickey Mouse for us.
Happy Sunday to everyone and I hope all is well!

Home! Back in the North Country!

We packed up camp this morning at South Bend, Indiana and drove east to Middlebury for a tour of the Jayco RV facility there. They took us for a tour of one of the factories where they do all of the sewing for carpeting, furniture, and cushions for all of the Jayco campers being built. Jayco not only assembles campers, but also builds most of the components that go into them. Next we went to a building where they assemble the premiere fifth wheel campers. It was interesting to see the materials and processes that go into putting together the campers.
We were done with the tour at about 2pm, then ate lunch and started driving north. From Middlebury it was a straight shot up 131 to Michigan then through Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Cadillac and on into Kingsley to pick up our cat from Stan and Jacob's house. We wondered if Dusty would still remember us. Once Nancy picked him up he seemed to be all right.
We drove to the house and saw a few piles of snow that hadn't completely melted yet! I was hoping we were done with that! With warm weather forecast through the week it should all be gone soon.
Now we have to get settled in and get back into a routine so we can get on with the summer.
Glad to be back.

From Tennessee to Indiana

We moved from Arkansas to Tennessee to Kentucky and are now crossing over to Indiana. The weather has improved considerably since we woke up to a cold last morning in Arkansas. We drove across I-40 and crossed the Mighty Mississippi at Memphis. Elvis is still being sought there, and they are really proud of him. Graceland was advertised along the freeway, but alas, we didn't stop. We spent a night in Tennessee at Natchez Trace State Park, but it was still pretty cold. That morning was just above freezing. Then we moved into Kentucky and drove through an area called Land Between the Lakes. This is a national monument set aside by the Kennedy administration in the early sixties. The area is a long strip of land between the Cumberland and Kentucky rivers which have been dammed and created the Kentucky and Barkley lakes. They have herds of buffalo and elk grazing in the meadows here. We camped at Pennyrile Forest State Park Resort near there and they had golf, tennis, a lodge, and a lake, plus an equestrian area and camping. Kentucky does a wonderful job with it's state parks, and we had a good stay.
Today we drove through Kentucky and as a last hurrah are driving a part of the Bourbon Trail. We are not imbibing so much as taking a break from the freeway, but this is a very scenic drive.
We will be camping for two nights in Indiana and then home on Monday.
Hope all are well.

Enjoying Hot Springs

We made it to Hot Springs, Arkansas on Sunday and set up camp. Later in the afternoon we took a hike from the national park campground into the historic hot springs bath house area. It was a mile and a half hike over the dead chief trail and it got us onto the promenade behind historic bath house row. The water here comes out of the ground at 143 degrees Fahrenheit. It has to be cooled in order to use it as bath water. Otherwise it would scald the skin. The bath houses are being restored and are wonderful to look at. There are two that still offer baths to the public, along with massages and other spa treatments. This is a great spot to wander around and take in the ambiance. The temperatures are in the seventies during the day here, and the trees and grass are very green and leafed out. The azaleas are in bloom and it is like May in Michigan.

Here we were camped on the Arkansas River in Ozark, Arkansas on Saturday.

Sunday we were in Hot Springs, Arkansas enjoying a beautiful warm afternoon. This is the promenade behind Bath house Row.

Even the drinking fountains had hot water! Notice the ornate fountain. 

One of the bath houses. They were all very elegant and beautiful.

This one was being refurbished. Notice the stone moldings around the windows.

And another with it's blue awnings.

It was all about the baths.

A model of bath house row in the national park visitor center

The downtown area across the street.

These springs were 140 degrees warm!!

Bath House Row. This is a great place to see.

We're Getting Closer to Our Home

We've been moving each day now trying to get east and out of the cold. We have had respectable weather now for the past couple of days. It gets to the high sixties during the day and high thirties at night. The howling winds have calmed and no more flying dust!
On Thursday we drove through Amarillo, Texas, and wound up in Oklahoma. It was so interesting to see how the landscape changed. In the Texas panhandle the fields were brown and barren and the land was flat. This was huge oil country and there were oil pumps working and storage tanks and a few refineries along the way. When we reached Oklahoma it started getting green and a bit more rolling. Cattle and cotton predominated here and there were huge ranches and farms along the interstate. We camped at a State Park near Foss and had a good nights rest in a comfortable park with few neighbors.
Saturday we moved again and drove through several Indian reservations. There were casinos and trading posts advertised along the highway, and the trees were all leafed out and green. It is beautiful, fertile country and still a lot of cattle. We passed from Oklahoma into Arkansas and spent the night on the Arkansas River near the town of Ozark. We are a couple of days ride from Michigan now so we are going to spend a couple of days in the Hot Springs area and then begin moving north.
All is well with us and we are starting to realize that our incredible journey is starting to come to an end. We are anxious to get back north and see everyone. But first we have some more sightseeing to do in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Hope all are well.