Day 15, September 28, 2009 - 30 miles

After the day in Toronto as tourists, we did the same in Montreal, although we scaled back a bit. We drove to the waterfront to park, and then walked around the area known as Vieux-Montreal, or Old Montreal to us foreigners. We wandered up and down the narrow, brick paved streets and saw lots of 100 to 300 year old buildings including the Notre Dame Bascilica and Chateau-Ramezay, the latter having been a museum since 1895. Many of the old buildings now housed shops and restaurants on the ground level and apartments above. We toured the museum and experienced a historical journey from the days of the Iroquois longhouses to the present. Much was presented on the evolution of the bicycle, probably because the city emphasiszes using bikes for transportation (there are rent-a-bike stands around town).

We had a very pleasant and delicious lunch at an open air restaurant on Place Jacques-Cartier. Even in nice restaurants, frittes, or french fries as we call them, are served with many entrees. I had them with some sausages with mustard sauce and salad. Super.

Light rain was intermittent throughout the day, and wanting to avoid the forecasted heavier rain and afternoon traffic, we left downtown about 2:30. We saw a Costco yesterday, so we decided to go see how they compare to ours. Gretchen took us to one about a mile from our freeway. The store was very similar to ours. There were some differences in meat selection, breads, and dairy. The big surprise was the small wine selection and lack of french wines. We bought a roasted chicken, baguettes, and a bottle of wine for dinner.

We look forward to being back on US soil tomorrow and having cell service.

Day 14, September 27, 2009 - 370 miles

This marks the end of our second week. Boy, does time fly when you are having fun.

Today was not our best day, however. We got an early start, heading out after a night of fairly heavy rain. Fortunately, it let up while we were preparing t get underway so I did not get wet while hooking up the trailer, putting the power cord and hose away, etc. We experienced rain off and on for most of the trip to Montreal, but it was mostly light. The trip was mostly uneventful although here in Montreal area, we experienced some of the roughest roads I have ever driven on. We went through a section of undulating surface that caused much of the stuff on shelves to wind up on the floor. Fortunately, nothing broke. We also had a near miss when traffic came to a quick stop and I didn't.

The only close-in RV Park I could find is a KOA in St. Philippe just off highway 15 south of the city. We got here about 3:00 and used the afternoon to do laundry and rest. We had leftovers from Frankenmuth for dinner. We decided to watch some TV, but only found one English speaking station with good reception. We watched a movie instead, having to pump up the audio to hear the movie over the rain on the roof. The 5-day forecast calls for more rain in this area and New England. We can deal with rain, but it does mute the autumn colors which are coming on strong along the St. Lawrence River valley.

Trying to follow the Quebec signs was a challenge as they are all in French, not bi-lingual as in Ontario. I thank Gretchen for getting us here even though here French is atrocious. For tomorrow, we will ask her to help us get to where we choose to go and back tomorrow.

Day 13, Saturday, September 26, 2009

Today, we spent the day as tourists. We took the Go-Train from the station about 3 miles from the camp. We went downtown to Union Station where we bought tickets to ride a double decker shuttle tour bus called a hop on, hop off. It has a two hour route around the city with 21 stops. A guide provides details about the city, and we can get off at any stop and catch the next bus that follows each half hour. We decided to take four stops:

1. St. Lawrence Market Complex - kinda like the Pike Street Market in Seattle only with more food choices and no flying fish. It was very busy with the locals doing their Saturday shopping.
2. Toronto Eaton Center - this is a large downtown mall with a huge atrium and a diverse food court. We had lunch there sharing a plate of Indian food. It was very tasty. The place has the largest Sears store I have ever seen.
3. Casa Loma - a castle type mansion built around 1914 for Sir Henry Mill Pellatt, a turn of the century tycoon. It has been under the management of the Kiwanis Club since 1937 where they run it as a tourist attraction.
4. China Town and Kennsington Market - a former housing area that are now a collection of eclectic shops. The China Town has more food stores than I have ever seen and approximately 500 restaurants (we ate at one getting authentic Manderin food. Being close to the University of Toronto, there were a lot of young people there.

We then boarded the bus for the return to Union Station. Traffic was very bad due to a series of activities in Toronto this day, some being the largest book and magazine show in North America, a college fair for area high school seniors, a bridal fair, a Blue Jays baseball game (they beat the Mariners), a preseason Maple Leafs hockey game, plus preparation for the Toronto Marathon that will be run Sunday morning, thereby closing some downtown streets.

Day 12, Friday, September 25, 2009, 308 miles

Today, we drove the highways from Frankenmuth to Toronto. We decided to take the fastest route in order to beat the Friday afternoon traffic which we heard is horrendous. It seems the area's infrastructure has not kept up with growth over the last few decades. Canada's liberal immigration policy has allowed people from all over, especially Asia, to settle here. Of the 5.5 million in the Toronto area, less than half are native born.

We set up camp at Rouge Hill Campground which is on a city park. It is an unusual campground because the sites are not well defined. We park on grass. It is a great location, close to everything.

Tomorrow, we will tour Toronto.

Day 11, Thursday, September 24, 2009

Today has been a laid-back day of visiting the tourist town of Frankenmuth. This is Michigan's version of Bavaria, much like Washington' Leavenworth, only much larger. We visited a number of the shops including quilt, clock, leather, kites, country, and a brewery. We also went to Bronner's, the world's largest Christmas store. It about the size of a small mall and has more types of ornaments than you can possibly imagine. It also has every type of indoor and outdoor decorations made. Dixie, Prudence, and Betty would really like this store.





What impressed us the most about the town is the flora and fauna. The main street is lined on both sides with a myriad of flowers and trees as you can see on the photo. It is very beautiful.

I also took the time to visit Memtron, a sister company of AIS, while Laurel was exploring the town. I made friends with several guys over the years on the phone and visits to Coeur d' Alene, so it was fun to visit their place for the first time.

Day 10, Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - 281 miles

Today, we took the scenic route US23 from Mackinaw down the east coast of Michigan to around Bay City. We then took a series of local roads (at Gretchen's directions) to get to an RV Park in Frankenmuth. The place did not have water hookup, so we went to plan B, Pine Ridge RV Campground, about 5 miles south in Birch Run. All spots are full hookups. No Wifi, however, so we are using Verizon.

My niece Stephanie Pan and her husband Eddie drove up from Canton, MI (west of Detroit) to join us for dinner at the world famouse Zehnders restaurant. They are expecting their first child in March. Steph teaches and Eddie is a Sales Engineer for a Japanese company that makes automotive antennas.

Day 9, Tuesday, September 22, 2009-275 miles

The first day of Autumn has us on our way to the second destination of our tour, Frankenmuth, MI. We made it over halfway there, stopping for the night at a park a few miles south of Mackinaw City. We made one stop along the way at a museum that was once a lumber mill for Ford Motor. We looked around a little, but didn't tour the museum.

We arrived in Mackinaw City about 3:00 and spent the next couple hours exploring the downtown area. There are more fudge stores here than any other place I have been.

We treated ourselves to a regional favorite for dinner, the pastie. It is a tasty meat pie served with gravy. Not bad, but I may not have another.

Day 8, Monday, September 21, 2009

Today was a day of chores and more local sightseeing. We did our laundry, did a little shopping, had the oil changed in the truck, and paid a visit to the hospital where Monica works. The boys were in school and Rob at work, so it was Monica and Regan with us. After lunch, we went toured the Quincy Copper Mine, a facility that began mining about 1840. About 1920, it installed the largest steam powered lift in the world but only stayed in production for another 11 years, a victim of the depression and poor copper prices following the recovery. The National Park service has declared the operation as a historical site, so it is now a museum. The tour included a trip inside one level of the mine where it was wet and 44 degrees. Michigan Tech used this mine tunnel for training for years before they dropped the program due to the decline of mining in the area.
The day started out cool and rainy, our first precipitation of the trip. By noon, however, it cleared off and is sunny with temps in the high 60s. Good thing as a barbeque is planned for this evening.
In the morning, we leave for Mackinaw.

Day 7, Sunday, September 20, 2009

Today was a day of leisure with Rob and Monica, twins Colby and Quinn, and infant sister Regan. After a late breakfast, we piled into the family mini-van and headed up the peninsula. We meandered through Houghton, saw Michigan Tech where Rob was educated, saw Rob’s place of work, and several other landmarks. We proceeded up US41 to the historic mining town of Calumet and then over to the coast of Lake Superior to a beach at Eagle River. We had a picnic lunch, the boys played in the freezing water, and Regan ate sand. Fun was had by all. We then proceeded along the coast up to Copper Harbor, diverting briefly to drive to the top of a hill from which you could see for miles. From there, we went a short drive into the woods where we hiked about 1.5 miles on a trail through old growth trees. There were some white pine trees over 3’ in diameter.
Rob is a civil engineer who specializes on cleanup from old mines. On the way home, he showed us one that he recently finished where mine waste was buried under 18” of soil, and a drainage ditch that was placed where a natural creek had run before the mine dumping. The new creek was lined with native trees and vegetation, most of which survived the transplantation. Rob said this project, which he designed, managed, and completed under budget, was closely monitored by the state and the EPA, and will be used as a model for future cleanups. He has 3-4 more projects lined up in this area.
Anyway, we stopped and had Mexican food in Calumet on the way home to end a very enjoyable time. We took a number of pictures to share.
As mentioned earlier, Colby and Quinn are twins. They are actually identical and very difficult to tell apart for those of us who see them so infrequently. We have a “cheat sheet”, you might say, that makes it easy. Several weeks ago, Quinn broke his left arm when playing on monkey bars. The cast makes it easy. Actually, had that not been the case, we could have identified Colby because of the bandage on his chin from a separate monkey bar incident. These are active boys!

Day 6, Saturday, September 19, 2009 – 215 Miles

Another colorful sunrise greeted us after a restful night as we prepared for the last leg of the journey to Monica and Rob’s. It felt good to start the day with fully charged batteries, both us and the trailer.
Our route took us off of US2 for the first time since Oldtown. Shortly after crossing into Michigan, we used a series of state highways to find our way. Although I had it mostly mapped out, I must confess we relied a lot on Gretchen, our GPS, to find Chassell and the Aho’s home. The speed limits are 55, so travel was a little slower. The bonus was our fuel consumption was lower.
The trip across the top of Wisconsin took us inland except for around Ashland where we experienced magnificent views of the lake and lakeshore. It is a clean, attractive town as well. The majority of the rest of Wisconsin and into Michigan up to Chassell had us dissecting mixed deciduous and evergreen forests with fall colors starting to come on.
We advised Monica on Saturday that we would arrive at 3:00 p.m.; we arrived at 2:58, and we did not speed up or slow down to hit the time. Actually, we could have been an hour early as I did not realize most of the UP is in the Eastern Time zone. Only the counties that border Wisconsin are on Central. Anyway, the Aho’s have a lovely home on 5 acres. The house was originally built a hundred years ago. It was modernized and enlarged before they bought it and recently added to it further. The land is on a gravel road with little traffic. It is mostly flat with an old barn for Rob’s wood tools, a garage turned shop for the airplane he is building, a shelter for his old Allis tractor (I’m jealous), and a tree house for the kids.
We went for a walk in the neighborhood after dinner, with Monica carrying Regan in a back carrier and Rob pushing the twins in a stroller. There are lots of unutilized land parcels around here and nice parcels can be bought for a thousand an acre. Homes in the area sell for half of what they sell for in Spokane. The winters are long and snowy (average 300”), so maybe there are few willing to brave it. Also, there are few year round employment opportunities here. Copper mining and wood products are what caused this are to be settled. With mining gone and little logging going on, the main industries are tourism and Michigan Technical University.

Day 5, Friday, September 18, 2009 – 399 miles

We got an early start after a quiet although well lit night in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Laurel’s medication means frequent trips to the bathroom, so we had to stop several times at first. No problem as we were in no hurry. We stopped for a warm breakfast about 9.
The landscape changed continuously from large wheat and hay fields to other crops including corn, soybeans, sunflowers, and cattle. We soon entered the national forest and lake region after Bemidji winding up in the Duluth MN/Superior WI area where we are tonight. We found this small RV park with full hookups for $24. After eating dinner, we drove around the area for about an hour and a half. It is a very interesting place with shipping the major industry. I have a picture of the lighthouse on Point Wisconsin. Very pretty. Also, it was windy causing white caps on the lake.

Day 4, Thursday, September 17, 2009 – 426 miles

The day started somewhat ominously as we noticed our batteries were low. Apparently, they have not been getting a full recharge during the day’s towing. I thought the truck should be able to keep them full. We stopped in Wolf Lodge for fuel. I inquired with a local police officer for an RV shop. The closest was Williston, ND. I suspected one of the batteries, but a test at the Car Quest store indicated the batteries are good. We stopped at the RV place in Williston, and the technician spent nearly an hour with me trying to trouble-shoot, but to no avail. We decided our overnight, planned for Devil’s Lake, ND, must be at an RV Park where we can get an electrical hookup. Guess what! There are none in Devil’s Lake, so we are in a Wal-Mart parking lot being very stingy with batter consumption.
The drive was much like most of yesterday, being the Great Plains. We saw a large bull dear, white crane, and lots of antelope. Repetitive, yet beautiful countryside. The further east we came, the more farm land. Wheat is in full harvest (hard red, I believe) as well as hay and other crops. I love farm country. The highlight was a stop at Rugby, ND, the geographical center of North America.

Day 3, Wednesday, September 16, 2009 – 416 miles

We started the day with a skirt around the southern edge of Glacier Park. Some very beautiful, mountainous scenes were afforded us on another bright, sunny day. The landscape transgressed to the high, grassy plains (about 4400’ elevation). This was the view out the windshield for the rest of the day, save occasional towns, rivers, and clumps of trees.
We completed our day at Fort Peck Lake. We scored a free camp site overlooking the lake. What luck! With very little ambient light around, star-gazing was a real treat.

Day 2, Tuesday, September 15, 2009 – 168 miles

Today, we did what most visitors to Glacier National Park do – drive the Going to the Sun Highway, a 50 mile trek across the Continental Divide at Logan Pass connecting West Glacier with Saint Mary on the east side of the park. For anyone who has never experienced the drive, put it near the top of you “to-do” list. Ask anyone else who has done it. There is a lot of road rebuilding going on, so there were some construction delays. No problem, just opportunities to meet more people and take more pictures.
There are two large, beautiful glacier lakes on the drive, McDonald on the west and St. Mary on the east. They are so beautiful, tucked in the mountains. We saw a large black bear on the shore of St. Mary. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a photo of it.
After we returned to camp, we made a sojourn to check out Whitefish, Montana, about 25 miles west. It is a ski town in the winter at the base of Big Mountain. In the summer, it is a bit of a tourist town with a fair population of yuppies, very much like Sandpoint, Idaho. We were fortunate to catch a weekly farmer’s market in a park across from the railroad station. We bought a nice loaf of bread and some corn from one of the local religious sects. We took a look at the old railroad station. They have a 60 year old Hertz car rental office (the oldest for Hertz). They are still using an old roll-top desk (but have a computer).
The day was fantastic, sunny and unusually warm for this time of year. Temperatures were in the mid 70s to 80s here at the lower altitudes (3200’) pleasant up on top. There was some late summer haze that shows up in the pictures, but not too bad. Many businesses and park activities are already closed for the season.
Tomorrow, we attack the Great Plains.

Day 1, Monday, September 14, 2009 – 294 miles

As we prepared to hit the road, I tried to hook up the GPS unit that we fondly refer to as Gretchen. To my dismay, the car charger was broken. I thought that this is no way to start a vacation. I then thought of a work-around plan. I would use the AC charger and the DC inverter I bought to keep the computer charged in the car. Laurel had a better idea. Our pals Pat and Vic have the same model GPS, so I called and borrowed their charger. I got on line with Magellan and ordered a replacement sent to their house so all is well.
We had beautiful weather today. Our journey took us north through Rathdrum and Spirit Lake, Idaho to connect to US2 just east of Newport, WA. We travelled through Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry before heading east into Montana. We lunched in Libby and are spending the night at the camp ground in Glacier National Park. The camp ground seems to be a feeding area for deer. We saw several while walking to the registration station. One walked within 6 feet of us as we stood watching it.
Three or so years ago, I purchased a senior pass for National Parks. Sure glad I did. We get free admission to the park and 50% off on camping. We will use it at Acadia and other parks too.