2009 Road Trips

[eubank]

Keep those eyelids open!

In truth, it's best to get some sleep. On one of our early trips to the mountains from Texas -- my gosh, I guess this was 15 years ago or so -- I had my first experience with involuntary sleep. Just driving along, chatting with Maria, and next thing I know, Maria's yelling at me, and we're hitting gravel on the shoulder of the highway. A very ugly feeling!


Lynn

[Caryl]

Gene,

We took part of your planned trip last summer. Here are some recommendations/thoughts.

On the UP: Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Paradise, MI
Tahquamenon Falls State Park and Campground, Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Paradise has a surprisingly good quilt shop on the main drag if interested.

Porcupine Mt. State Park: Much old growth wilderness

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park Detail

There are two campgrounds: Union Bay CG has electric service and has crowded, small sites. Presque Isle campground is rustic, but in an old growth forest overlooking L. Superior--awesome. Roads into these campgrounds are fine.

Fort Wilkins State Park in Copper Harbor on the Keweenaw Pennisula is also lovely. Long way up that pennisula to get to it though.

I look forward to your reports on the trip. Happy Trails

Caryl

[rjacques]

Sounds like a nice trip. Have you checked the weather? Winter storm watch on the north shore of Lake Superior today. Snow. Supposed to warm up later in the week. Coming across the UP from Sault Ste. Marie you will probably be on highway 28. You might think you can see 28 miles ahead on some stretches but the Michigan state troopers keep track of speed limits very closely. The Keweena Pennisula is very pretty all the way to Copper Harbor and back. Hougton MI has an intesting double decker lift bridge. It is up in the summer for boat traffic to pass underneath so you drive on the lower deck which is raised. In the winter the bridge is lowered so snowmobiles can use the lower level to get across and cars now drive on the lowered upper deck. Amy Jays? pasties in Houghton, MI are excellent. As you are going up the hill around the curve going out toward the Keweena it is on the left. Miners took this all in one food to work with them. Porcupine Mountains in MI is great sight seeing. When you cross into Wisconsin at Ironwood, MI you go from a 'quiet' town to Hurley, WI. Hurley was known for its rowdy past. When you go across Northern Wisconsin you will probably go through Ashland. Follow HWY 13 towards Washburn, WI and Bayfield, WI. Washburn has a couple of nice rv/camping parks. We camp at Washburn Memorial campground in the summer. It is overlooking Chequamegon Bay. I don't know if this campground is open this early. Bayfield is a jumping off point for The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The guided tours of the islands are excellent. Check ahead to see what is open because this is early in the year. Superior, WI has some interesting things. Richard Bong (WWII Ace) came from near their. Look up the Bong museum. Duluth, MN is great. See the Army Corps of Engineers Museum near the lift bridge. I believe admission is still free. Watch 1000 foot lakers move through the ship channel and watch the lift bridge. Enger Tower has some wonderful views. It is up the hill in Duluth. Gooseberry Falls, Two Harbors, Split Rock Light House, Grand Marais, MN are all on the North Shore. Enjoy.

[Gene]

Information overload.

I'll try to keep track of all these suggestions. They all sound good and I'll never get past Duluth. I'll keep checking this thread as we travel and can make plans as we go. As we go east, speed limits drop, always a concern since we're used to driving 65 (and above) here. Bong Museum? I guess I never heard of that kind of Bong Museum! Snow? It'll be summer by the time we get there—I hope.

Slept late. Even more rushed. Ahhhhhh.

Gene

[Lily&Me]

We suspect you will find the whole area beautiful, get a good look at things in general and then bookmark many places to go back to. You really can't go wrong, where you are headed. How's that packing coming?

[tksbaskets]

Hi,
Might I suggest Wilderness State Park outside of Mackinaw City for a stay before going across the bridge to the UP? If you are interested in a yummy pasty in St. Ignes (city right over the bridge in the UP) I'll look up the place we ate at last July when we camped at Wilderness.

Happy packing!
TK

[Gene]

Some packing done, truck oil changed, greased, trailer fully polished. Went to hook up water and dewinterize, went in and heard water running that didn't sound right. Water was running on the floor of the bathroom. After screaming to Barb to turn off the water, I finally discovered it was coming from behind the toilet. The cold water pipe to the toilet is screwed into a fitting at the back of the toilet. I called an RV place and found out it's a "water valve" and they replace a lot of them every year. I guess I didn't get enough antifreeze in that line and blowing it out won't help unless someone is inside holding the toilet valve open.

Before I found it I was thinking of all those water lines behind the bathroom cabinet, so I guess I'm lucky.

So, to replace it you have to remove the toilet after you get a new one part and press it in. I'll let Airstream fix it when I get there and use a jug of water until then to flush. Kind of old fashioned, but we'll survive.

And the shower head came apart. The outside shower head works fine.

The system is now disinfecting with a load of chlorine bleach. Then flush and flush and flush.

I'll have to get out there early and check all the tire pressure before the sun gets too hot, then attach the TPMS system. Then, check if the hitch is adjusted correctly, turn on the refrigerator, pack some more and eventually fall down in a heap somewhere.

Our outside faucet with the "frostfree" spigot froze sometime in the last few weeks. Either we forgot to let the water out, or it's a piece of crap, most likely both. The new one costs twice as much and the copper pipe is a lot thicker. Maybe it'll last more than 7 or 8 years.

I pressed the wrong keys the the size of the type got smaller. Can't find out how to change back and don't know what I did.

1 1/2 days if we survive.

Gene

[Pacerized]

Sorry to hear you're going through all that Gene but at least these things happened before you took it Jackson Center.
One of the worst things about living where it can get this cold is having to wait so long to de-winterize. I've made the mistake in the past of de-winterizing too early and then having a late season snow storm come which caused me to have to winterize again. Now I wait until the last minute to flush the system of antifreeze but I try to do everything else in early April. The down side of waiting is that I'm holding my breath that the plumbing system checks out so I won't have to alter the plans of our first camping trip. I'll be working on mine all day tomorrow. Cleaning, polishing, installing a new heating element for the fridge, changing 2 battery cables, and finally trying out my new hitch by taking it to a level parking lot to fine tune. We've already fully stocked her for our first outing next week to Arches.
I hope all goes well for you at Airstream so you can get out and enjoy your trip.

Charlie

[Gene]

Charlie, you said is best. I had to wait to today to summerize because who knows what's next? If it isn't a late snow, it's a bathroom fountain. Been working on stuff for weeks and the water system is about the last thing (before packing everything in the world). Flushed the chlorine out 3 times. It's 9:30 and we will probably sleep well tonight.

Gene

[Aage]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

I pressed the wrong keys the the size of the type got smaller. Can't find out how to change back and don't know what I did.

1 1/2 days if we survive.

Gene

Gene,

If travelling is making you as upset as you are beginning to sound, maybe you should delay...?

Oh, and assuming you are using Windows, check out "Text Size" which is under the "View" menu. Look up to the top, near the left..

[Gene]

Thanks Aage. I'm using Safari, but it's under the View menu also. I'm too tired to make sense anymore.

I'm not really upset. We just pack too much into our days (ex.: I had two meetings yesterday, Barb had one yesterday). We went to the Front Range last week to see Barb's parents. We just are too busy and getting a trailer ready for travel season is more work than I ever imagined. We always go through this for every trip and somehow we get on the road early (before 2 pm). Then we go like maniacs to get somewhere and see everything. Maybe in several years we'll go back in see what we missed. We've taken 11,000 mile trips in 6 weeks. Everyday is another list and there are always things that don't get done. I guess this keeps us young and ornery. And it is easier than working—we both worked at high tension professions, so this is nothing.

Best to let the frustration out, look at the problem and solve it.

What was really good today is that I settled the dispute with the dealer that put a crease in the side of the trailer. It'll help pay for this trip and I can live with the damage. I was just about unleash a lawyer (and good friend), but at the last minute the owner called me and we came to an agreement.

I think now that summerizing is done, we're in pretty good shape. I probably won't feel that way tomorrow evening.

I understand Canada changed it's citizenship law. I'm trying to figure out if I'm a Canadian too. My father was born in Montreal while my grandparents who came from Latvia were there for a few years. My father was naturalized in the US as a minor and at one time I could have claimed dual citizenship, but the date had passed before I heard about it. I looked at the new law but couldn't figure it out. If I were also a Canadian I'd have to calm down, be polite, complain about the metric system and taxes and the US. I already like hockey and snow and we've been to all the provinces and territories except Nunavut. Maybe I can ask when we enter Ontario next month.

Gene

[Boondocker]

All this rushing around reminds me that I need to be getting my act together for summer travels, the time is at hand. Just take it as easy as you can, relax some and enjoy the trip. Post lots of images, I hope to bump into you some time this summer as I enjoyed chatting with you and your lovely bride last year. Cheers.

[Aage]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

I understand Canada changed it's citizenship law. I'm trying to figure out if I'm a Canadian too. My father was born in Montreal while my grandparents who came from Latvia were there for a few years. My father was naturalized in the US as a minor and at one time I could have claimed dual citizenship, but the date had passed before I heard about it. I looked at the new law but couldn't figure it out.

From what (little) I know, if you were born here, you're a Canadian. Other than that, you need to git natcherlized, or bribe a politician (I can supply you a list with names and prices)

I went through a similar thing with Denmark: there was a time I could have claimed citizenship, but it passed over 50 years ago. Hey, your dad was a minor? My dad was a bricklayer, and my uncle was a sailer!

Glad things are coming together for you. Even gladder I'm retired, too!

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

If I were also a Canadian I'd have to calm down, be polite, complain about the metric system and taxes and the US. I already like hockey and snow and we've been to all the provinces and territories except Nunavut. Maybe I can ask when we enter Ontario next month.

Gene

The trick is always to get enough sleep before you frappe la rue (hit the road).

Cheers,

Aage (sounds like "doagie")

ps: what does a Canadian say if you step on his toes? "Oh, sorry, excuse me!"

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Aage

From what (little) I know, if you were born here, you're a Canadian. Other than that, you need to git natcherlized, or bribe a politician (I can supply you a list with names and prices)

ps: what does a Canadian say if you step on his toes? "Oh, sorry, excuse me!"

The new law seems to allow some people who have never been to Canada if a parent was Canadian to be also a Canadian, but there are different rules for people of different ages. 1947 seems to be an important date and I'm older than that. The fact that my father was a minor (not a miner) when he was naturalized means he had no say in it, so there may be rules about that that aren't on the Canadian govt website. I send ahn e-mail to the Canadian consulate in LA asking the question and I'll see what they say. He may have remained a Canadian and not known it. We have always enjoyed our trips to Canada and have met many Canadians. I know people on both sides of the border may disagree, but we are much alike, much more alike than different (including having politicians that can be bribed).

Now to step on my toe and see if I apologize (part of the citizenship test).

Gene

PS: do you pronounce "doagie" like someone in the west, south, east or in Canadian with an "eh"?

[Aage]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

PS: do you pronounce "doagie" like someone in the west, south, east or in Canadian with an "eh"?

I've no idea. Just so fits in with "Git along li'l...." An "O" sound like in "Oh, no!"

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Aage

I've no idea. Just so fits in with "Git along li'l...." An "O" sound like in "Oh, no!"

I think the accent is on the "O" = DO gie. Very un-Canadian.

Gene

[Gene]

We got off to our usual early start at 12:30. I slept late and felt like a human today instead of the zombie I was yesterday. Barb's zombie day was Wednesday. A 100 miles from home we stopped for lunch and opened the door to greet the table on its side on the floor. Three screws had come loose from the leg, the mounting was bent and I began to curse Airstream QC. I stuffed some paper into the holes, banged the mounting plate flat and put it back together. Seems more stable than it was before. I expect the table is made of some sort of fiberboard and once screws come loose from fiberboard, they never can be tight again. Either use a larger screw or fill the hole with glue, a solution not practical at a rest stop. Another item for the ever growing list for Jackson Center.

Traffic on I-70 was light today and we got through Denver easily just after the height of the rush hour. We're presently in Strasburg, Colorado at the KOA and just finished a wonderful dinner (what a wonderful cook I married).

The stories on TV tonight about swine flu are worrisome. Not a good time to be traveling because of possible exposure. Our remote home in western Colorado is a lot safer if there's a virulent virus about because we have much less contact with the outside world. First reports—usually wrong—are that young adults are most susceptible, just like in the pandemic 91 years ago. Mortality rate in Mexico City near 7% and that's very high. My mother, who was about 8, did get the flu in 1918 and her lungs were damaged, though she lived to 89. This has a personal connection for me.

The roads were traveled today are in the worse shape I've seen in Colorado. I-70 eastbound over Vail Pass was exceptionally bad with potholes, big long ruts and rough "pavement". This was the worst stretch of a lot of bad sections on the highways. We are a low tax state and we fall further and further behind in keeping the roads in good condition. Instead of paying higher taxes, we pay more for vehicle repairs and a bad ride. We traveled west on I-70 a week ago and the road is much better in that direction.

It's about 1,200 miles to Jackson Center and we should get there Monday afternoon. It looks like a cold front will be chasing us most of the way with showers, thunder and some wind. We'll try to outrun it. We did about the same distance (JC to Denver) on I-70 last June not towing in about two days, part of the time going about 85 trying to avoid a tornado (we beat it).

Gene

[Boondocker]

Gene,

Glad you are finally on the road, you are going to have such a blast. The tables AS puts in are not worth much I am afraid. I rebuilt mine using the old one as a template. I used oak veneer plywood and love the result. Maybe you can get JC to make one for you . Keep us posted and give us some eye candy from the trip.

I head out in two weeks, lots to do and I lost a curved window to the Oklahoma winds today. Yay . Like you, I will be glad to be on the road again...

[Gene]

Tornados again? Last we were here, bad weather from Indiana to Colorado.

We made it to Junction City, Kansas, crossing 430 miles of green and brown hills from eastern Colorado. Not an inspiring drive. When we got here, turned on the TV to tornado warnings, flash flood watches, severe thunderstorms. The good news is it all is about 50-100 miles east of us. Tomorrow more of the same, so we'll get up early and blast eastward hoping to beat the afternoon heat and more storms. Fear of hail abounds.

Sorry to hear about your window, Rodney, and I hope none of this weather has hit you in Oklahoma.

A word about LED's. We replaced just about every light in the main cabin, bathroom and shower with LED's. It was not cheap. The glaring recessed lights are now just right in brightness. True of the other lights too. Now the light is pleasant, we use far less electricity and they will last as long as I do. Next year the bedroom.

Gene

[Lily&Me]

Are the items on your list for Jackson Center covered by warranty, you can just go in there and get them fixed, or is it the per /hour repair deal? Also, is it easier to get warranty-covered replacements at Jackson Center than it is from a dealer? Our experience has been abysmally slow in getting parts.

The swine flu is a worry, we have a social worker daughter in NYC, where there has just been an outbreak.

Take of yourselves and enjoy your time on the road.