Shall We Gather At The River

Monday, July 18, 2011

Departed:  Coldwater, Michigan  8:45 a.m.

Arrived:  Cheboygan, Michigan  4:00 p.m.

280 miles
Waterways Campground

Hey friends,

Here we are in Cheboygan, Michigan in a small little campground located on the Cheboygan River that I  assume leads out to Lake Huron. I think, if I’m not mistaken, this is the home of our own  St. Pat Fenlon! I know it must have been fun growing up here on the lake. The ride up 69, 127, and I-75 was fairly uneventful .  Reminded me a lot of north Georgia. There were not as many fir trees as I thought there would be, I’m  guessing our altitude is not very high at this point, where those grow in more abundance.

Saw a sign informing us that  we crossed the 45^th parallel which I think means we were halfway between the equator and the north pole! That really makes one realize that our earth is pretty dadburn big!!!

Also while riding up Interstate 69 we saw a man in a field plowing with a horse. Couldn't get my camera ready in time.  Apparently there are several Amish communities in Michigan as well as the ones we know about in Pennsylvania and Ohio.  I have read a series of books about the Amish community,( of course don’t ask me the title or the author, I just know where to find them in the library.) I am fascinated by their lifestyle. 

Upon arriving at our campground  Mary and I, along with the pups, explored down next to the dock. Halle and Buddy immediately scared off a small family of ducks. The water was very clear, you could easily see the sandy bottom amongst all the lilly pads.  Halle and Buddy, however, are not very brave around water, barely getting their toes wet. 

The campground is very well landscaped, a common theme up this way. There were crabapples trees with loaded branches of almost ripe apples, lots of hosta, and that same purple flower that I have seen everywhere and do not know the name of. I did finally get a picture of it at rest stop today. It seems to always grow wild near Queen Anne’s lace.

We actually ate at a restaurant tonight that was located right across the road from our campground, Pier 33. It was excellent, right on the river. Walleye with mashers and asparagus, pork tenderloin with cheese polenta and broccolini, and steak with Canadian fries.  I’ll let you guess who had the steak! And yes, Mary had to put on her jacket, although it was very pleasant temperature. J I told her I would have to put that in the blog, we give her grief about taking a jacket everywhere she goes! They are having a heat wave up here. Most homes are not air conditioned so they are miserable. Of course 90 is not feeling that bad to us as long as you are in the shade.

So tomorrow we can get into some serious sightseeing.  Can’t wait. Gene is so glad that we don’t have any more long days of travel. We’ve been pushing his limit! You know, Bill, he can go forever as long as he has his smokes and his dog!

Happy Camping!

Carla