Another day, another $8mil in fuel. Drove a few hours north yesterday arriving in Paradise about 2pm. Nice enough but not up to that particular descriptor. Set up camp in the Tahquamenon State Park, riverside campground. Even camping prices are getting a bit out of hand right now. For 2 nights of tent camping the bill came to $61. To be fair that did include use of the hot showers in the fancy RV campsite nextdoor and a MI State Park pass that will cover my entrance fees in MI for the next 6mths - of course I'm leaving MI next week :-)
Decided to set up the Suzuki tent (pics soon) because we'll be here 2 days. I've been very impressed how well it stood up to the 30mph winds that set in around 4pm for about 7 hours. Thankfully I staked it down or there would have been blue & yellow UFO sightings in Nth Michigan. It's quite a lot cooler up here which suits me fine because it dissuades the man eating insects - mostly black flies & mosquitoes. Another 5.30am morning today. Not sure if it's the sunrise tapping on the truck windows, the birds squawking or just my new habit but it certainly adds to the ability to fit more activities into a day. Now that camp is set and the wind has mostly died down, today will be a mountain biking day. There's at least 3 good trails around here. I guess I'll take a shower, have breakfast and head for the trails. I wonder if Monika will be up before I get back. She only gets up at 5.30am for work. I'd rather do it for play. Carpe diem !!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Up North, and then some ...
Woke up this morning at 5.30am to the sound of sea gulls fighting over some tasty tidbit. I've been in Northern Michigan for the past week and spent last night in the UP (Upper Peninsula for those unaquainted). It seems like I've spent all my time near the water since leaving Georgia, over 3 weeks ago now. It makes me miss Australia. I'm currently parked on a point about 30ft from Lake Huron. I was driving toward Sault Ste. Marie (MI's oldest city) from Alpena when I saw this little sign saying "rustic camping on lake". Never one to miss an adventure I headed down the dirt road and a few miles later it opens up to a fantastic bay. Not sure exactly where I am but I think a town named Charles may be the closest. Funniest part is I'm only about 5 miles from I-75, which also runs through the middle of Atlanta (the one in GA, not MI).
This was actually my first night camping in the truck as I've had friends with spare beds until now. It rained sometime in the middle of the night but no worries there - waterproofing was well tested before I left. The new self inflating mattress worked well. I'll have to work on gear locations to give myself more space but slept pretty well. Temps have been mild. Mossies are a bit rough but we all have to eat. I have a little cemetery with 15 of them lined up and a dozen or more still flying around. I'll just get up and at the day to avoid them.
Heading for Paradise today after breakfast - yes, that's really the name of the place.
This was actually my first night camping in the truck as I've had friends with spare beds until now. It rained sometime in the middle of the night but no worries there - waterproofing was well tested before I left. The new self inflating mattress worked well. I'll have to work on gear locations to give myself more space but slept pretty well. Temps have been mild. Mossies are a bit rough but we all have to eat. I have a little cemetery with 15 of them lined up and a dozen or more still flying around. I'll just get up and at the day to avoid them.
Heading for Paradise today after breakfast - yes, that's really the name of the place.
Friday, June 20, 2008
The Daily New's
Only a few photos to post from this most recent jaunt (uploading soon) but it has been very memorable. One new experience after another.
I've spent the last 2 weeks at my friend Monika's place in Indianapolis. Her generosity and hospitality have been enough to make me want to stay more permanantly but she's leaving with me for the next two weeks so that's not an option.
I've been to Indy before but not in the summer. What a wonderful experience.
Monika's friends Karen and Dave were great, sharing with us not only dinner and a play at the local theater but also the Indianapolis Indians Minor League Baseball the following week. Although I've been to my share of Major League games, I've never been to the smaller and more action packed AAA games. It was full of suprises right up until the end, not the least of which was the broken bat flying into the crowd just across the way. A great time was had by all.
The Nancy's (of which there were many) were all fun, particularly the one married to Ralph. We enjoyed a Sunday brunch at the White River Yacht Club followed by an afternoon on their boat which included many stops and a variety of local hitchhikers. By the end of the afternoon we had a crowd of at least 8. They were also our last friends to see, joining them for "the best sushi in Indy" this evening. It was good and better still there was no waiting,
From my very first dining night (previous post) to tonight, we have met up with so many fun and gracious people it's hard to keep count. From the theater to the baseball to riding the river, I have experienced mid-America in all it's glory and enjoyed every minute.
I can truly say that the last two weeks were unexpected and full of new and enjoyable times. Even Monika's dog Shylee grew on me after spending two weeks with her during the day.
We're heading up to Michigan tomorrow and that will be a blast too. The Great Lakes, the northern scenery, it's all to come...
Many thanks to Monika and the rest of her Indy crew for great times and good friends.
I've spent the last 2 weeks at my friend Monika's place in Indianapolis. Her generosity and hospitality have been enough to make me want to stay more permanantly but she's leaving with me for the next two weeks so that's not an option.
I've been to Indy before but not in the summer. What a wonderful experience.
Monika's friends Karen and Dave were great, sharing with us not only dinner and a play at the local theater but also the Indianapolis Indians Minor League Baseball the following week. Although I've been to my share of Major League games, I've never been to the smaller and more action packed AAA games. It was full of suprises right up until the end, not the least of which was the broken bat flying into the crowd just across the way. A great time was had by all.
The Nancy's (of which there were many) were all fun, particularly the one married to Ralph. We enjoyed a Sunday brunch at the White River Yacht Club followed by an afternoon on their boat which included many stops and a variety of local hitchhikers. By the end of the afternoon we had a crowd of at least 8. They were also our last friends to see, joining them for "the best sushi in Indy" this evening. It was good and better still there was no waiting,
From my very first dining night (previous post) to tonight, we have met up with so many fun and gracious people it's hard to keep count. From the theater to the baseball to riding the river, I have experienced mid-America in all it's glory and enjoyed every minute.
I can truly say that the last two weeks were unexpected and full of new and enjoyable times. Even Monika's dog Shylee grew on me after spending two weeks with her during the day.
We're heading up to Michigan tomorrow and that will be a blast too. The Great Lakes, the northern scenery, it's all to come...
Many thanks to Monika and the rest of her Indy crew for great times and good friends.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Experiencing St Elmo's Fire
Friday was drive day. Thankfully, stopping in KY meant Indy was only a little over 4 hours but of course leaving Frank & Deanna's was difficult. An early departure, although planned didn't exactly happen. I thought I'd make a quick call to Monika to let her know my ETA when I got back into cell range. Lucky I did. She had made dinner plans with friends at a swanky downtown restaurant and I was expected about an hour before I was likely to arrive - always tough to do. A quick brainstorm and we decided I'd meet her downtown (she lives north of the city and I was driving thru downtown to get to her place anyway) where I could put my very unlockable collection of toys inside her work parking garage. I was assured that the shorts and t-shirt I was wearing would be acceptable, although I was suspicious.
Everything turned out well, the restaurant, St Elmo's - an Indy classic, was great and the "spicy" shrimp cocktail lives up to it's name incredibly well. I got away with what I was wearing but I did notice they seated us well away from the nicely dressed people :-) The small but fun group of Monika, her friends Susan and Jeff and myself made for a great first evening, although hard to top Deanna's scallops.
We even missed the rain in the city, although apparently I drove through a tornado and flood zone earlier without noticing. Looking forward to a great couple of weeks in the area.
Everything turned out well, the restaurant, St Elmo's - an Indy classic, was great and the "spicy" shrimp cocktail lives up to it's name incredibly well. I got away with what I was wearing but I did notice they seated us well away from the nicely dressed people :-) The small but fun group of Monika, her friends Susan and Jeff and myself made for a great first evening, although hard to top Deanna's scallops.
We even missed the rain in the city, although apparently I drove through a tornado and flood zone earlier without noticing. Looking forward to a great couple of weeks in the area.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
On the Lake - Barren River, KY
Waking up at the lake is quiet, serene and inviting. No clocks, no alarms - just the sun filtered through the blind on the door gently pulling me from slumber. My natural clock seems to be around 7am, at least for now.
After a leisurely breakfast we headed out on the boat for some skiing, exploring and general fun. Having never skied behind a pontoon boat before I wasn't sure if the outboard would do the job. After one false start I held my breath, put my head down and let it drag me a little longer before it grabbed and up I came. Barren River lake is a relatively quiet damned river that has created a 10,000 acre lake with great skiing fingers. After a quick ski I tried a knee board for the first time. It's a blast and less fatiguing than skiing. With Frank's advice I picked it up quickly and secured my first 360 spin on the second day - gotta see the video. Highly recommended.
After a quick bite of lunch we headed further up the river for some exploring. We came across a very unusual sight - something that looked like the mist off Niagra Falls. Getting close enough, we could see there was some type of water pipe spraying HUGE amounts of water from the shore, through the trees and into the lake. Deanna, ever curious, had us drop her on shore so she could scramble up and see it closer. 
A few minutes later she returned with information that the local water board was cleaning out a pipe that had earlier been under repair, at a rate of 300 gallons a minute. Seemed like the EPA wouldn't be too impressed but I guess mid Kentucky is fairly rural. On the way heading back to the house I took a nap laying out on the front deck - bad mistake. Even though I was slathered in 50+ sun block, apparently laying in direct sun was just too much for it. By the time we got upstairs, my stomach and fronts of my legs were lobster red. The next few days were spent covering myself in various sunburn remedies so my drive to Indy wouldn't be too painful. I live and learn - it will be long sleeve shirts from now on ...
A few minutes later she returned with information that the local water board was cleaning out a pipe that had earlier been under repair, at a rate of 300 gallons a minute. Seemed like the EPA wouldn't be too impressed but I guess mid Kentucky is fairly rural. On the way heading back to the house I took a nap laying out on the front deck - bad mistake. Even though I was slathered in 50+ sun block, apparently laying in direct sun was just too much for it. By the time we got upstairs, my stomach and fronts of my legs were lobster red. The next few days were spent covering myself in various sunburn remedies so my drive to Indy wouldn't be too painful. I live and learn - it will be long sleeve shirts from now on ...Thursday was spent re-packing the truck, trying to minimise the amount I have to take. I left the majority of my tools with Frank to take back to GA on his next trip. Some more space for sleeping is always a good thing. I'll get a shot of the loaded expedition truck up shortly.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Up, Up and Away...
It took a little longer than first planned but I am now on "The Big Trip". Departed GA around 3:40pm on Tuesday 6/3 with 5515 miles on the Tacoma. Let's see how many more I rack up this year. As I left it was thundering, threatening rain and about 82 degrees. The trees were green, everything I needed was on board, including the motorcycle and bicycle, and dinner would be waiting for me when I got to Kentucky.
Driving through Signal Mountain in TN was a great first experience. Even though it's not far away I'd never been there before and it is simply stunning. Not suprisingly, quite like the Nth GA mountains. I arrived in Scottsville at Frank & Deanna's around 8pm local time. They have a lovely home on the lake that's very peaceful and Deanna had prepared a wonderful meal of Pasta and Scallops to welcome me. The evening was easily spent with great food, great wine and great company - a hard beginning to beat for the trip.
Driving through Signal Mountain in TN was a great first experience. Even though it's not far away I'd never been there before and it is simply stunning. Not suprisingly, quite like the Nth GA mountains. I arrived in Scottsville at Frank & Deanna's around 8pm local time. They have a lovely home on the lake that's very peaceful and Deanna had prepared a wonderful meal of Pasta and Scallops to welcome me. The evening was easily spent with great food, great wine and great company - a hard beginning to beat for the trip.
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