Sensationally Six

We continued to enjoy our time in Colorado. The day that everyone did Epic Discovery was a highlight. We were all impressed with the bravery Bee showed as she gutted out the ropes course even though we know she was scared to death. She also did the trampoline, rode the Super Chair Lift with LaLa all the way up the mountain, rode the mountain coaster, lots! She also rode the Alpine slide, jumped in the bounce house, played mini golf and panned for gold (or maybe just cool rocks). What a day.

We continued to enjoy daily gelato as well as ride the gondola, which allowed us to spot a momma moose and her baby, also deer. We rode the gondola just to spot the moose. And on our way down the mountain in ROADA the baby moose and momma walked right out in front of us on the rodeway. We were so excited. 

I know it isn't the best quality pic but our eyes saw them and our memory will last a long time. It was very neat to see for sure!

The big horn sheep herd was WOW!

After the kids headed home MiRV and I stayed on a few days and made it over to Gunnison and Crested Butte. We were able to see a marmot, elk, big horn sheep, hummingbirds right in our campsite, woodpeckers, bluebirds and lots of ground squirrels. We have enjoyed some lovely weather and nice camp spots. 

Sensationally Six

We are over a week in to a ROADA trip but have taken a luxury week to meet up with the parents of our Bee. She left with us for a few days of roughing it in ROADA and checked off another state. Colorado was new for her and her daddy. What fun we've had with her and she is loving the "mountain house". She has also enjoyed riding the gondola, seeing moose, horseback riding, hiking and gelato.

She's tired, we are tired but we are having a great time in the mountains. One more full day and the adventure is still ongoing.  We've had mild temps, some rainy afternoons but that hasn't stopped us. MiRV and I will continue on doing some exploring as they head home this weekend. Nice to be escaping the excessive heat warnings in MO right now! We are enjoying 70's in the day and mid 50's at night. I may not go home til September!

The HANDFUL

The best thought out plans change! So on Sunday we were rested and ready and decided to head on into Great Smoky Mountain National Park... Yeah, I'm not gonna say it was m.i.s.t.a.k.e. but it WAS super duper busy and crowded.  The drive up to Clingman's Dome was long and bumper to bumper traffic. People were doing pull off parking about for the last half mile up. When we left they were even farther back on both sides of the road. But the mini donuts on the way there were scrumptious!

Walking up the .5 mile path to the Dome was a worlout. Gracious! It was straight up, ooh-kay, okay, maybe NOT straight up but up at a huge angle. I made it. Views were good, some haze but still overall a spectacular view. Took the time to stop (wait in line) at the little ranger store on the way down in hopes of scoring a T-shirt but no joy. Not only are they VERY proud of their T-shirts at GSMNP ($34.99) they didn't have a size M in hardly any styles I liked. I'm just disappointed that the last few NPs we have visited are so stinkin' expensive with their T-shirts. Why?

We started our trek home this week. There were several routes to take and we pretty much had decided to just wing it but when we hit Kentucky we were sooooo close to Mammoth Cave National Park we decided to stop. And stop is all we did. While I had been here and got to take a cave tour in my childhood MiRVB had not so we were plannig to do the self guided tour like we did at Carlsbad. Nope, that didn't work out, they had no tickets for this type tour until October 18th. So we got the T-shirts (which were much cheaper than any other Park we visited and just as cool) and motored on.

As we motored we passed a very large GM factory... and as we pass MiRV realizes it is the corvette factory. Next thing I know we are crossing three lanes of traffic to make that exit and find ourselves in the parking lot of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Now I'm quickly googling and find out there are factory tours. We head inside to get the scoop. Unfortunately, no tours, you know COVID and all. So since we are here and all we just decide to tour the museum instead and $28.00 later we are in the museum theater learning all things corvette. While it was a cool stop, the venue has a big focus on the sinkhole that occurred a few years back. By far the Harley Davidson musuem in Wisconson is way better. But it you're a 'vette enthusiast I'm sure you'll enjoy a visit. MiRV certainly did. AND we go the T-shirts though MiRV would have preferred to pick up an actual corvette there!

Thankfully, we are back at the Meadow, have ROADA tucked away (although she needs to get in for a looksy at the water tank issue and service) and now we are catching up on home chores. I have sadly only really scratched the surface on our trip. There were so many more things we were able to see and do and I have just not captured them, this makes my crazy but also I know I cannot put everything here so I have attempted the highlights. 

The HANDFUL

So we did make it onto the Blue Ridge Parkway via Skyline Drive which was just beginning to pop with fall colors and another National Park. Ohio has a national park...who knew? Well, MiRV did, so we planned a stop. Stopping was not easy. This is NOT an RV friendly National Park. We were, thankfully, able to snag a spot to park at the Ledges area (though truth be told we took up three spaces and just prayed for the best). We hiked the 2.5 mile trail and enjoyed the scenery. We tried to get to some of the Falls in the park but there was NO parking to be had for an oversized vehicle. We even drove waaaaay out of way and still no joy; I call that a BIG party foul. We were able to get into the visitor center and see one of the neat bridges but it was a no go for most other areas.

Oh, and the update on our water tank is that we believe it is still leaking. Spoke with the dealership and we will just be without onboard water and address it with the RV repair shop when we return to MO. So there is that to contend with upon our return.

Alright, well today we are heading on to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park via Tsali Campground in the Cherokee National Forest. We have been in Tennessee the last couple days. 

So fun to get together with these people!

So driving Skyline Drive was neat in a lot of ways. Had some beuatiful views and swirly, curvy roads, though I feel like the Blue Ridge Parkway was even more swirlier, curvier, twisty turny. So the ride was at times notsomuch fun for me...but again, scenery was very pretty to look at with so many shades of yellow and green it was amazing to see. If you can take a look at the many beautiful landscapes and scenery without being able to belive in creation perhaps you need your eyes checked. God created such a beautiful world for us, it saddens me to think about how we are not being good stewards of all that He has so freely given to us.

We have decided to take a couple down days and wait out the weekend before moving on. It is fall break in this area and we have definitely noticed an increase in the crowds. Our plan is to just chillax until Monday before we head into GSMNP. I haven't been here since childhood and remember virtually nothing. MiRV was last here while on his AT ThruHike.

The HANDFUL

We have been in Colorado this week. It's been too long since we have been footloose and fancy free. It feels good. It's all gone too quickly, in fact we are actually making our way back East today. It's been a good trip. The Blue River was a great place for a getaway. No hustle and bustle but if you are looking for that sort of thing you are just a short drive away. We did take a day trip into Breckenridge. Rode the gondola up the mountain, strolled the town, got the T-shirts, had lunch and then returned to our quiet little riverside spot. And yesterday we made our way through Hoosier Pass so we could make a stop by Bailey, CO. Found some neat things in this cute little town. IYKYK...

Campsite view night #1.

Campsite view nights#2 & #3

Night #4 was another awesome view but I failed to snap a picture. The real picture would have been the road getting there...yes, yes it was quite a ride! But we made it in and out unscathed. Though I do not wish to repeat such trip.

Here's hoping to be able to get out and do this again soon as when the weather cools. Chose our destination specifically to escape the Midwest heat. It worked as there was snow in the higher elevations while we were there and the overnights were quite chilly. It was a welcome change and made morning coffee taste that much better! While we might have had bigger plans like paddleboarding and hiking, We mainly enjoyed the scenery, good food and bourbon.  Cheers to our last night in the mountains.

The HANDFUL

This was a milestone week for us. It's been a whopping 35 years since we got married. It's a bit hard to fathom this milestone since some days I still think I am in my 40s. LOL Anyway the two kids who put college on hold to get married and start a career in the United States Air Force are still together. Both of us went on to finish college and one of us over achieved with multiple degrees including a Master's Degree in Information Technology. You would be correct if you guessed that it wasn't me! The Air Force career was a 26+ year adventure that seems like a lifetime ago when in reality it only ended in 2013. It was an adventure in which we made homes out of 17 various situations from duplexes to apartments to RVs in eight states and three countries. While in the Air Force we were apart the good majority of at least 6 years for various TDYs and other job related travel/training. That's a thing of the past as we rarely travel separately nowadays. Honestly, we rarely do anything separately, never have.

Since retirement we have been able to travel to 42 of our 50 United States of America and four of the ten Canadian Provinces in our RVs. And you know we wanna try to hit the other drivable States along with the remaing 6 Provinces and three Territories in Canada. Come on Canada open that border! However, this is not gonna be the year for Alaska just sayin'. Oh my how I've gotten off track...

Back to the two young kids who got married way back in 1986. We are still together and living the dream. Once in awhile its been a little bumpy but we continue to work on doing life together, remember to extend grace and love even when we are acting unlovable. It's a partnership and it is NOT 50/50. Marriage is 110/110 and some days you don't feel it but you do it. I love the product of our love, she is remarkable and she has given us one of the greatest gifts ever. They are a huge wonderful outcome of our union! There are so many defining moments of our years together and I cannot pinpoint just one as we have such a treasure trove of memories to pull from. I love them all for different reasons. I'm thankful for all our adventures together even the ones I'd rather forget! Like how about that little hike? Then 9 miles later... or the Tipo breakdown on the Autostrada in Italy and let's NOT forget you being away on January 16, 1991 when I needed a driver. Yep, there are some great memories!

So MiRV I say 143 to you...you make living the dream, dreamy and there is no one I would rather be doing life with! Happy Anniversary! And thank you for the carrot cake, it was totally awesome but we are gonna have an anniversary dinner out sometime soon!

The HANDFUL

We are on a roadtrip with the Bee in ROADA! So far so good...weather has been less than cooperative but we are, of course, making the best of it. She is a great "camper" so far. She loves throwing rocks in the "ocean lake" right behind our spot and going to the playground four spots down. The bigger bonus was PBS on the TV this morning with breakfast. 

After breakfast we headed into town to do some exploring...she loved the Lincoln County Museum. It was a neat stop for sure. We also got to see a two week old baby buffalo!

This one is ALWAYS up for a playground stop and Cody Park was a really nice park. There were peacocks, buffalo, deer, geese and a few more I am forgetting. Plus another train section. This is a railroad town!

I am calling her first trip out with us quite a success and it's only been a little over 24 hours! She is a great traveler!

Happy New Year 2021!

UnFOURgettably Four will be on hiatus until February when she turns FIVE, yes, you read that right, five. I will decide between now and then what will be the new postings if any at all. Until then we will make do with random post as things seem postworthy.

Our NYE was quiet, how about yours? I spent the afternoon at my folks visitng and celebrating my second mom's 79th trip around the sun. Not a lot of fanfare since we are trying to keep everyone healthy. There are some with colds and snuffy noses or sore throats  so the traffic was limited to the healthy ones. Glad I am one of the so called healthy ones and praying it remains as such. In the days ahead we will face some new roads with her as unforseen health news presented on Christmas Adam.  Speaking of Christmas Adam have you heard of it? I had not, but now that I know about it, I love it. It is the day before Christmas Eve; Adam came before Eve so it is Christmas Adam! I like it so much and we are totally calling it and celebrating it from here on out.

We are thrilled to have made it into another year. Personally, hoping 2021 is not a repeat of 2020. But as usual we will roll with whatever comes our way. MiRV is researching and doing a litle a little trip planning already. He would like to get a trip or two in the books this year. Hopefully, we will be able to take the Bee with us at least once. Of course, just holding fast to see what comes our way in the next several weeks. 

Stay safe, stay well!

Wild & Three Thursday!

It's 8:00 P.M. and we are safely back at the Meadow. For the most part ROADA is unloaded. What a great trip. The big win was getting to Isle Royale! After stopping in Grand Portage, MN and finding the ferry service only running on weekends we thought, okay, another trip, another time. But on Sunday we rolled into Copper Harbor as a way to get around a rainy damp day in Wisconsin and scored. The joy of spontaneity is alive and well as we strolled around town and happened to stop at a bakery that was right next door to the dock. As it happens the very dock that is home to the ferry for going to Isle Royale. We inquired about IRNP passage and believe it or not they have service tomorrow...and yes there are two seats available! We are IN, parking at 7:00 a.m. boarding at 7:30 with departure at 8:00.

This was a bucket list item so what a boon to just walk up and get on this normally booked ferry and at the half price rate since it is the off season.

It was a 3.5 hour ride. The boat was full but with comfy seats; we made it just fine. It was a bit of rolling in the beginning but calmed down after the first hour or so. The return was a bit bumpy but not terrible. Bit of conversation and a good book made the long journey easier. The island itself was extremely pristine. We had just under three hours to explore so we set off hiking immediately after our NPS briefing.

I had hoped to see a moose but really we were not in the right area for that though there are about 1800 in the park according to the ranger. We did see lots and lots of cool lush lichen, moss, mushrooms and fern in all shapes and sizes. The trees were mostly green. It was a nice day for a walk in this plush, lush, unspoiled environment. While three hours is much to short to really experience the island it was enough to make us want to return.

From Copper Harbor we headed on to Wisconsin. We wanted to make a loop through Door County to return to the quaintness of the area and have cherry strudel. We were hoping for cherry donuts,too  but it's apple harvest time so it's apple cider donuts this time of year. They were outstanding (but cherry are still my favorite). The honeycrisp apples they had were the absolute best I have ever had. We also tried smoked fish as that is a local thing. We decided on the Atlantic salmon as it is boneless. We will definitely have that again and try some of the other local choices they had. Charlie's Smokehouse is the place! And they ship...

It was a bust on fall colors once we left Michigan. The rest of the area just isn't there yet. It was still very green all the way down. In Missouri not only is it green everywhere it is also quite warm and still very wet. It is certainly feeling more like summertime here rather then heading into fall. Gonna be near 90* for the next week!

It was another good trip! Gotta get some grass mowing down and cleaning up of ROADA as she is a very dirty girl after her voyage around Lake Superior.

Wild & Three Thursday!

Annnnnd we are in Canada! It's been a lovely trip to see the fall foliage which is stunning in the Lake Superior Provincial Park not to mention the road along the way to get here. The traffic has been light. It's definitely our favorite travel time, before the rush. We didn't get away until late Saturday afternoon and we diverted west a bit to see the Daughter and BEE but we headed on north Sunday afternoon.

We were disappointed to arrive in Grand Portage, MN and find no transportation available to Isle Royale except on weekends as the season is winding down. We had wanted to go on Tuesday. Another time! We have so enjoyed just meandering along with no reservations. We have also enjoyed mornings with both Starbuck's and Tim Horton. Completing the Lake Superior Circle Tour is our mission. Tonight we are actually in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada. We are going to see Downton Abbey. And tonight we will be paying for a spot so we can grab showers and do laundry. Then tomorrow it's on off into Michigan. The weather has been pretty mild, with scattered clouds and a few sprinkles. It's been great!

Before I forget let me tell you about Blueberry Wine. YES, I said blueberry wine and it's definitely yummy. We bought two bottles and I think we should have bought more...anyway if you ever find yourself in Wawa, Ontario, CA I suggest you visit the Algoma Highlands Wild Blueberry Farm and Winery. There Trevor will most likely share some of his story, show you the wine making room then give you a sample of the blueberry wine. He also has strawberry to taste; though not for sale yet, but soon. We loved the blueberry! And if they are picking blueberries be sure to check out the blueberry picking machine, it's pretty cool! Then travel just down the road through his farm to Magpie Falls. It's a bumpy dirt/gravel road but at the end you can boondock and it was very peaceful. BTW they turn the falls off at night. I know, shut up; but it IS true.

Oh, this guy is thrilled due to getting wet!

Stay tuned...this adventures isn't over!

Wild & Three Thursday!

This week was planned and then it didn't pan out so we found ourselves with some time. That means plan a trip. So we are gonna take off this weekend. Had planned to go tomorrow but gonna stick around for a family event on Saturday.  Then it's off to see where the road takes us.

I'll hopefully be able to check in while on the road but phone service may be scarce and internet even more hard to come by so don't count on it. I will try to do catch up post when we return if posting while gone doesn't work.

Ciao!

Yooper Land

We are totally impressed with Michigan! Amazing, beauty beyond imagination. I really, really, REALLY like it. The weather has been incredible. So much so that we nearly needed to turn on our heat! Now before you think I drank the Michigan kool-aid I am not a fan of their bugs..mosquitoes are horrid. Thankfully, it's not been everywhere nor every time we are out so it's doable just not pretty!

The people are pretty friendly, the roads are good and the amount of available low cost, free parking options for RVs is wonderful. They have welcome centers, city parks, county parks, township parks, rest areas and on and on. Most have at least restrooms, some showers, many offer electrical hookups, too. Like I said, wonderful. We bought the Michigan State Park Pass which was around $30/year. A lot of neat things are within their park system not to mention a lot of the waterfalls we would like to see so we thought it was money well spent.

The waterfall hunting was fun! They almost always included an adventure to find them and that adventure usually meant stairs. LOTS of stairs, it was good for me! But I have to admit I didn't always embrace it but I was always glad I went. And as I indicated I was NEVER overjoyed in the bugs we had to endure. UGH, mosquitoes were often plentiful and I was pretty darn happy to have that silly pullover netting thing I thought was such a waste of money! LOL best clearance $4 MiRV has found this year IMO!

The highlight I think was dinner at the Harbor Haus in Copper Harbor. The view was so peaceful, it wasn't too busy and the food was above average. I had bacon wrapped whitefish with mushroom risotto and steamed veggies along with a very yummy classic German garden salad. But the view, I did mention the view, right? Well, it was the real winner no doubt about it. After being satiated like Kings we motored on to see another falls and couple of lighthouses before turning in for the night. We actually found ourselves in the quiet of the lighthouse parking lot and thought let's just stay here, so we did!  The sunset that night provided another picturesque moment that could not adequately be captured.

As we made our to Sault Saint Marie we decided to do our first Casino stay. The Kewadin have campgrounds at their casinos, some with amenities. This one was tops...$20/night which is high end for us but the perks made up the difference. Showers, yeah, and so clean, FREE laundry, which is was time to do ours so that was really a benny we liked, plus wifi and access to the hotel pool and sauna. MiRV really enjoyed that! We lived large for 2 days! It was a great town for biking, too and we did all over, that was really nice! The Soo Locks were quite an adventure as well! We took the cruise and had a great time; met some neat folks, too. Those freighters that go through the locks are B-I-G! And watching the water level drop some 30 feet was like WOW? On our Soo Locks cruise we went through the locks. Being on the boat while the water dropped was even more WOW! We went through the American side first and then came back around the Canadian side. No comparison there the Americans have it going on and there are plans to redo two of the non operating locks to make then bigger and operational again.The size of ships that go through is amazing. The COE had a nice park and visitor center along with a viewing platform that gave you a great view all for FREE. Love the free!

Next stop was Mackinac Island. Hmmmm, while overall it was a fun day, I would say not gonna be on my list to ever go again. In fact after we arrived and there were hundreds of people on the main street I was honestly thinking we had really messed up on this adventure especially when you factor in cost. You ride a ferry out to the island and back to the tune of $20 or so bucks a person (w/MilDiscount). We took our bikes so add in another $8 each and you can see we were somewhat heavily invested to not like it. Getting off the ferry we collected our bikes and tried to make our way down the main drag. There were hundreds, I mean hundreds of folks who I had no intention of becoming BFFs with but felt like we might since it was wall to wall people, strollers, bikes, horses. The Island is vehicle free, so you get around via bikes, horse drawn carriage, horse drawn taxi or your own two feet. Hence the reason we brought our bikes. Of course it was way touristy in this area which also bummed me out; however, the farther away we got from the ferry docks the better things were.

We biked the perimeter of the island. Yep, all 8.2 miles worth. I even got the T-shirt, so did MiRV even though they are mailing his since they were out of the color he wanted in his size! Overall, it did end up being a really fun day. We even ended up enjoying the main drag much later in the day when most of the other tourists had made their way back to the mainland. We even found fudge that the Daughter could eat! Neat since treats are few and far between with her limited diet due to Trigger's little intolerance's. And my advice on the caramel corn, skip it, it's just way too sweet! However, the fudge, well everyone says it's awesome, we opted out except for what we got for the Daughter so no firsthand tasting to report but lots of folks were toting it back.

Let me take a moment to mention the foliage and blooms...Lilacs, everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE and their scent just permeates the air, it's not in a bad way like walking into the Bath & Body Works store. No, not like that at all, it's just a light hint of lilac fragrance everywhere you go. In addition to the abundance of lilacs, there are lupines here, too. Which I did not know, but they are and we have seen quite a bit of it, not like in Maine but it's still around. Then there are the ferns, yes, ferns, all over. There are tall ones, short ones and everything in between and they are so green as are the trees. All sorts of greens, yellow green, green-green, deep green, light green. I can see why people return here in the fall the changing leaves has to be super incredible. The entire state has been lush and green with many, many gorgeous blooms of all varieties!

So, Michigan's UP is definitely up there on my list of favorite places, I have loved it. We have really enjoyed so much of the beauty of this area. The Pictured Rocks provided views of the waters of Lake Superior that would make you think you are in the Caribbean; yes, the water was that beautiful. The turquoise and deep blues along with the greens surprised us. The shore while certainly not oceany in the Pacific or Atlantic kind of way was also not like any other lake shore I have ever experienced. But be advised the water is c-o-l-d, oh yes, very cold indeed, MiRV said so.

As we say goodbye to Michigan, we will say hello again to Wisconsin as we make our way back towards home...Door County will be the next stopover for us. It's an area I have wanted to explore for some time so I am excited to be able to finally go. We will also pass through Green Bay, go Pack!