Sima:  I have four first cousins in Montreal, the children of my father’s eldest brother.  I have not seen them for many years, and our trip was the perfect opportunity to visit, talk, and for us to enjoy Shabbat in a community.

Arriving a bit early on Thursday afternoon at the house where we would be staying, we took a walk and  found a kosher market; the folks there pointed us towards a pizza restaurant – the first pizza we have had since we left Chicago in mid-June, sooo good.

Friday morning we decided to see what Montreal is famous for – Mount Royal, a jewel of a park which gave the city its name.  It is a large (692 acres) volcanic-related hill (or small mountain) created in 1876.  We decided to walk there and back, about 3.5 kilometers each way.  Although we had only vague directions, we simply walked towards the mountain and found it.

We walked into the park on one side and found a small pavilion at which we rested and took some pictures.  Then, following the crowd we walked up to the Chalet, a building at the summit of Mount Royal which has a large interior space that can host events, as well as a few small shops.  From the Chalet we had a beautiful view of the Montreal skyline.

Montreal – at least the parts we saw on our walks – looks very European with some stunning buildings.

We returned to our hosts’ house walking down the mountain on the other side and got ready for Shabbat.  Joining us were other family members: we were 17 for Friday night dinner and 21 for Shabbat lunch.  Chicken for the first time in weeks, cholent, kugel…. And good conversation and singing.

Day 2:  Shabbat in Montreal

The neighborhood we stayed in is one of two neighborhoods that has a religious community: lots of shuls and schools, a kollel, and kosher stores.  It seems to be a close-knit community – kabbalat Shabbat was held in someone’s house as he cannot get out; a women’s Tehillim group provided an opportunity for women to visit an elderly woman who also has a hard time getting around.

Being with relatives who I have not seen for many years was wonderful.  My cousin showed me a picture that I had never seen of my grandfather.  We talked of my father.

Day 3:  After stopping at the kosher store to stock up on a few things – hard cheese, cold cuts for the freezer, diet hot chocolate mix, pitot … we were on our way.  As usual, we decided not to take the interstate but to drive the scenic route: through Quebec eastward, and we entered the U.S. at a small border crossing at Coburn Gore, Maine.  Our fourth crossing (two into Canada and two into the U.S.), and all were quick and easy.

We stopped at an overlook soon after entering Maine:

We then drove a bit until we reached the Cathedral Pines Campground, an absolutely beautiful campground on Flagstaff Lake.

After spending the night in Walmart’s parking lot, well worth the money (and, actually we did go shopping twice), we drove a short distance to Fort Ticonderoga on the shores of Lake Champlain – a real slice of American history.  And the sun shone.

There we experienced the refurbished fort and heard its interesting story: built by the French in 1755, taken by the British in their second attempt in 1759 (after failing in their first attempt in 1757 even though they greatly outnumbered the French), and then captured by the Americans in 1775 by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold.  It was decommissioned as a fort by George Washington in 1783, as the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War was signed.

Throughout the morning, costumed actors related what life and war were like under its various owners, and how events affected the local Indian, French, English, and American soldiers and settlers (did I say settlers, oops).  Fife and drum performers marched and played and explained how music was used to communicate with the soldiers.  A musket demonstration showed just how slow and unwieldy these weapons were. The officers’ barracks and troop barracks showcased weapons and how the troops lived.

The grounds are both immense and beautiful.

From Fort Ticonderoga we drove a short distance to the Ticonderoga ferry, a platform pulled by a cable across a narrow section of Lake Champlain.  In seven minutes we reached Vermont.

The best word to describe Vermont is lush.  Vermont is called the green state, and the winding roads we traveled surely attest to that.

We camped in Branbury Vermont State Park, at the foot of Mt. Moosalamoo and along the side of a rocky stream – in the middle of the woods but within walking distance of a beautiful lake and beach: peaceful and relaxing. The Green Mountains National Forest borders the park to the east.

Day 2:  Goodbye to Branbury Vermont State Park, one of the more beautiful places we’ve stayed in (among a host of beautiful places).  Hello Green Mountains.

Our first goal was to drive through the Green Mountains, up over Brandon Gap and back down, ever so slowly.  For nine miles the road was all small stones that were laid in preparation for new pavement.  Very steep and very slippery, not feeling we had total control of our traction, but there were few cars on the road, and once we were able to really look around, the views as we got deeper into the Green Mountains were breathtaking.

We traveled on scenic Route 100 that wound through and around the eastern part of the Green Mountain National Forest.  And it is so true: the mountains are totally covered with trees and vegetation.

We stopped at Warren Falls on the Mad River, that seemed to be a popular place (though we didn’t know it when we started the trail) for locals to go wading and to cool off.  There we met a group of religious boys and their hiking counselor from a camp a little ways off; the counselor told us they had been hiking on and off marked trails.

Our next stop was the famous Green Mountain Coffee and Visitor Center.  We sampled different types of coffee, had a cup there (the best coffee we’ve had in a long time), and bought some to take home.  As we sat outside the store, enjoying our coffee of choice, lo and behold, right across the street was a laundromat, so of course, we took advantage of that.

Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream factory was just down the road.  Realizing that there was a long line for the tour and an even longer one just to buy some ice cream, we decided it was not worth it.  We can get it back home (and everywhere else).

We looked for a campground and found Little River State Park, beautiful, woodsy and on the Waterbury Reservoir.  A quiet secluded campsite awaited us.  We like state parks: sites are usually set apart and quiet, and although they may not always have all the hookups (they differ even within each state), we often don’t need them as they almost always have fresh water and a dump station, and our solar panels and battery provide electricity.

Day 3:  On the road again, through the Champlain Islands, over numerous bridges, some very long and some very short, lunch on a pier, over the border to Canada once again, and into Montreal to visit family.

After three days in the comfortable and scenic Higley Flow State Campground we drove into the Adirondack Park, home to the Adirondack Mountains.  The park is a mixture of state and private lands, and within its 6 million acres are 3,000 miles of lakes and ponds and 30,000 miles of rivers and streams.

It is larger in area than Yellowstone, Glacier, and Grand Teton National Parks put together.  And it is awesome.

The drive to the Adirondack Park Visitor and Interpretative Center, almost directly in the middle of the park, was – as so many of our drives have been – beautiful.  We stopped at the center (part of the College of Environmental Science and Forestry of the State University of NY) for information; it was also the start of the Peninsula Trail that followed the shoreline of Rich Lake: lots of interesting views, a grand variety of mushrooms and other plants, rocks big and small (see the large boulder below), and a foot and a half, very fast, black with white spots snake.

After the drive and the walk, we could only marvel that this was one very small part of the Adirondacks.  In fact, after looking through an Adirondack hiking guide, this area could surely keep someone busy for weeks or even months.

Once we left the center we started looking for a campground.  One we didn’t like, another was full, and we ended up at Eagle Point State Park, another in our list of NY state parks.  No water or electricity hookups, but we didn’t need those amenities, as we have our own.  What it did have was a beautiful view from our campsite of the Schroon Lake.  Well worth it.

Day 2:  Rain, Rain Go Away

The sun was shining as we left Eagle Point and headed for Lake Placid; we wanted to get into the high peaks of the Adirondack Mountains.  The drive led us past beautiful lakes and rivers, lots of trees – with the mountains always in the background or to the left or right.

Just before the turnoff to Lake Placid we turned into the farm of the abolitionist John Brown. The site includes his rebuilt house and barn and story boards telling about his life and the events of Harper’s Ferry.  There was also a group of archeological students with their professor digging shafts in the ground, looking for relics of John Brown’s second wife (the first wife never lived there and John Brown himself spent little time in the house as he was usually away, busy with his abolitionist work).  As the black clouds came quickly over the area, we just made it back to the RV.

Just before we arrived at Lake Placid it started raining, heavily.  We pulled over on the main street to see if it would let up; it did, so we went a little further, hoping to see Lake Saranac.  We changed our minds, turned around, and went back again through downtown Lake Placid, not that big a town, but crowded: lots of tourists, lots of shops.

We found a parking spot on the street, grabbed our rain jackets, and headed on a mission: to buy a Starbucks cup to add to our collection – which the local Starbucks did not have, much to our disappointment!

The rain let up, momentarily, and we were able to get some pictures of Lake Placid and see the Olympic winter training center and those enormous ski jump towers (notice them behind our RV) built for the 1980 Olympic Games.

As we said goodbye to Lake Placid, some even more serious rain started.  Driving down the mountain road, twisting and turning was fine sport, not worthy of the Olympics, but it could be.

On the road in the rain

We arrived in Ticonderoga, NY, needing supplies, and with the rain still coming down, we went to our favorite hangout, Walmart.  While shopping, I found the store manager and asked if he allowed overnight parking.  He said that it was no problem and told me to just park in the far lot and that’s where we are as I write this post.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is called “boondocking,” parking in an unofficial spot overnight.  Walmart is well known for being boondocking friendly as long as you ask permission first.  Other places that are often used, at least according to the blogs I read, are Bureau of Land Management Land (BLM) which is federal government land not being used, and Cracker Barrel; some people have been known to park on non-crowded city streets.  Anything private with permission, or public without a notice of no overnight parking or a city law prohibiting staying in your vehicle overnight is doable.

Personally, we prefer being in the woods in a rustic campground, but with all the rain we’ve had, the mud just doesn’t appeal to us.  Also, at Walmart we have good internet connection.

We stayed last night in Selkirk Shores, a New York State park; a bit crowed but it had a view of Lake Ontario.  It rained almost continuously (well, we wanted a car wash anyway), but the sound of the rain on the RV was very soothing (it wasn’t unrhythmic).

We got an early start in the morning, driving up to the beginning – or the end, depending on which way you look at it­ – of the St. Lawrence River.  In a light rain, we drove parallel to the shore in the Thousand Islands area; the river and the islands that are within it are beautiful (thank you Alan for the great suggestion).  We stopped at an overview park at Alexandria Bay which had a great view of some of the islands.  One of the most prominent islands was dominated by a castle built by George C. Boldt for his wife, Louise, though she did not live to see it finished.

We then drove along the river to Ogdensburg, NY and had lunch at the boat pier.  Continuing along the river shoreline, we found ourselves at the U.S. Eisenhower lock of the St. Lawrence Seaway at Massena, NY.  Completed in 1959 as a joint U.S.-Canada project, the St. Lawrence Seaway allows ships – up to 740 feet in length and 78 feet in width – to pass from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ending at Lake Superior.

Fascinated, we watched an oil freighter pass through the lock.  To our eyes, the boat was probably as large as can go through, certainly width-wise.  The process took about 30 minutes: tie up the freighter, lower it 42 feet in about seven minutes, untie the freighter.  We noticed on the information board that there was another ship due into the locks within the hour from the opposite direction; this ship would have to be raised 42 feet.

There is no way photos can do justice to the process.

This was the third lock we have seen, as we have experienced the locks at the Chicago River and the Panama Canal.  It never fails to impress, as we watch ships being raised and lowered to become level with the next section of the body of water.

It was getting late and time to head for our reserved campsite for the weekend, but first another stop at a Walmart where we found (from an online search) kosher string cheese at the Potsdam NY store.  It’s the little things in life you learn to appreciate.  When we arrived at Higley Flow State Park, our third New York state park, we started to really appreciate what New York has to offer.  This is another beautiful area in the woods outside of the Adirondack Park.  Our goal was to get back to nature and we have done that.

Day 2:  Just a few words before we go into Shabbat.  In the morning we had possibly the heaviest rains we’ve experienced yet, so it was time to do laundry, clean the inside of the van, and prepare for Shabbat.  It stopped raining in the afternoon, so a short walk was in order and then back to the RV.  Nothing exceptional about the day, until we had an unexpected visitor.  While working inside the van, a deer came within a few feet of us and spent several minutes chomping on the plants at our campsite.  Since we were inside and there was no one else in the vicinity, the deer did not feel threatened and stayed long enough for us to snap a few photos.

We have not gotten tired of experiencing the beauty around us that nature has to offer.  Shabbat Shalom.

It has been one of those days: lots of driving, light rainfall through most of the day, challenging.  But we set out to see Niagra Falls, and we did.

We traveled on Ontario Highway 3 across the province to the falls; a trip which, after a while, turned out to be quiet tedious as we never really knew exactly where we were: we did not have Waze or AT&T in Canada, and our map of Ontario was not very explicit.  After a 3 ½ hour drive, maybe more, we got close to the falls.  Not knowing exactly where they were, or what we would find there parking-wise, we parked on a side street, grabbed backpacks and rain jackets, and started to walk.

We walked about two miles.  We knew we were getting close when the souvenir shops started to become more numerous. Walking through the crowds became more challenging and the stores more grossly plastic.  There were multiple stores of fright and awe, bars and restaurants by the dozens, and an amusement park with a Ferris wheel.  In a few words: not our style.

After all the glitter we finally made it to the falls.  The only word we both can think of is “WOW.”  The beauty and power of all that water going over those rocks is amazing and yes, well worth the drive and the walk to see them (there are two: the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls).  We were told the Canadian side of the falls had better views than the American side and this must surely be correct.

Horseshoe Falls

American Falls

Over 600,000 gallons of water go over the falls every second.

On our trip we’ve been collecting key chains from some of the places we’ve been and, of course, we had to stop at one of the gift shops to buy one.  OK, we’re tourists. Then a walk back to the van.  There was a light rain on and off: sometimes on the way to the falls, sometimes on the way back, sometimes while we were at the falls.  The rain, added to the mist of the falls, provided quite a nice effect.

Back at the car we followed the signs to the Back to the USA Bridge; we made a wrong turn but lucked out and found a Tourist Information Center which pointed us in the right direction.  We also got an Ontario Map, not that we needed it anymore, but we like collecting maps of the states/province we’ve traveled through.  We found our way onto Highway 18 which borders Lake Ontario (our fifth Great Lake), and ended up at 4 Mile State (N.Y.) Campground, a beautiful place: nice, clean, friendly.  We had internet and cell phone reception, a hot dinner, and all is well with the world.

Day 2:  We decided to stay here another day, Shiva Asar B’Tammuz, and take it easy.  Our campsite is in a beautiful location, right on Lake Ontario, and we are spending the day relaxing and reading.

To top it off, a beautiful sunset just behind our van on Lake Ontario.

Day 3:  A travel day as we wanted to get closer to the Thousand Islands at the St. Lawrence River.  More on that in the next post.

On Thursday, July 6^th we settled in for the night at a small county campground just outside Lexington, Michigan.  Our neighbor at the campground was a retired theater/speech teacher from Aurora Illinois; he is also a performing musician who plays the drums and sings.  We sat over a campfire that night telling war stories of our teaching careers.

Lexington is a small town; the business district has perhaps a four-block radius with some interesting tourist-type stores, a grocery, a laundromat, a hairdresser, numerous antique stores, and a beautiful beach with a pier walk.  We explored Lexington on Friday as they were getting ready for their 4^th of July celebration (celebrated on the weekend after the 4^th).  We were told there were to be fireworks on Friday evening at the harbor and a parade down Main Street on Saturday.  We decided to take advantage of the day and did our shopping and our laundry, and Sima got a haircut.

Shabbat at Lexington Campground was nice and quiet, exactly what we wanted.  Our second neighbor had an antique Volkswagen camper in amazing condition that brought back memories of the 60s.  Though there was not a large area in which we could walk, we made our rounds of the campground at least three times to stretch our legs and breathe the fresh air; it really does smell fresh.

Sunday morning we left the United States and crossed over to Canada; the border crossing went smoothly and quickly.  Our first stop in Canada was Port Stanley on the northern shore of Lake Erie.  We walked to the beach in order to see number four of the five Great Lakes.

Lake Erie at Port Stanley, Ontario

The waves of Lake Erie were choppier than we had seen in Lake Huron.  While walking on the pier as we were taking pictures, we heard a woman scream – she had gotten drenched by a giant wave that had come high up on the pier.  I was standing at least five feet behind her, but also got soaked.  A good laugh was had by all.  Gratefully, it was fresh water and it was a warm day.

As we walked the streets we saw more unusual cars than we’ve ever seen: vintage cars and trucks in pristine condition, new sports cars in the very highest price range – there would not have been a greater variety in a museum.  According to a woman who works in one of the shops, the locals of this city like to cruise around the town to show off their cars.

She also recommended Springwater Conservation Area, not far from Port Stanley, as a good place to camp for the night, and she was right.  The conservation area is natural and beautiful, and leads into the Springwater Forest.  The trail we walked was what we would call an “absolutely perfect trail.”

It wound around Springwater Pond (that is what it’s called, but it looks like a small lake) and went through the forest.  After walking in part of the forest (we couldn’t know how large it actually is) and completing the pond circle hike, we returned back to the campsite for dinner.  It was a most beautiful and enjoyable two-hour walk.

Time to travel:  We visited a couple of new lighthouses, both the old and new one at Presque Isle, Michigan, shopped at Walmart, and found a new campsite.  As I write this post, someone near the Au Gres, Michigan city campground where we are staying for the night is giving a live outdoor concert.  It is a local musician singing his own compositions and people seem to be enjoying the performance.

Our campsite area

The pictures of our travels today will speak more than the written story.  It was a lovely day driving through beautiful forests and small towns along Lake Huron.  The big news is that summer has arrived in Michigan.  It’s in the 70s and 80s.

There are many roads to choose from, the interstate being the fastest, but we have decided to take our time as we have no specific destination or time schedule.  We’ve been following Route 23 along Lake Huron in the Michigan Lower Peninsula.  We see what we see; sometimes there is a lot to see, sometimes not, but a massive lake is always to our left.

We have learned the characteristics of different campgrounds: national, state, and city parks each have their own unique characteristics.  National parks are more rustic with few amenities; state parks often have electric – and sometimes water – hookups with a dump station as you leave, and are in a forest or shoreline setting (though this is not always the case); and city parks are often cleaner, more manicured, and have full services.  City campgrounds are also usually less expensive.  A big plus for city campgrounds is that we can usually get good internet reception there so that we can keep up with the posts and our email.  We have not yet stayed in national forests where there are no amenities.

Day 2: New Sights

As we are traveling the Lake Huron Scenic Tour, along the eastern coast of Michigan, Waze – in its effort to lead us on the fastest route – had us take a turn we didn’t intend.  Though it wasn’t the route we had planned, we didn’t regret the mistake.  We ended up traveling through immense swaths of farmland – corn as well as other crops.  Dotting the roadsides were farm houses, many of them large and quite beautiful.  It is a picture of plenty, and knowing the hard work that goes into farming, one can only feel immense gratitude for people who work the land.

Another industry that seems to be popular in this area is wind turbines; they were scattered over miles and miles of fields by the dozens, all working to create non-polluting energy.  At first you would think this is a win-win industry – energy and income for the farmers – but there are those who disagree, as the political road signs attest.

Once out of farm area and back to the shoreline we found a nice public park/beach in Bay Harbor, Michigan where we ate lunch and walked on the pier to see the local lighthouse. Traveling to look at lighthouses all over the Great Lakes area can be a trip all its own: not till now could we appreciate the importance of these beacons as we hear their stories and the stories of all the shipwrecks in the Great Lakes before they were built.

For the evening we have found a small county camping area in a nice, wooded area near Lexington, Michigan, and we’ve decided to stay here for three nights.  This way we are sure of having a comfortable place for Shabbat.

We’ve traveled now for just over two weeks.  This first part of our journey took us to northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and northern Michigan.  We’ve been in one U.S. national park (Voyageurs), four national forests (Superior, Chequamegon, Ottawa – which is in Michigan, and Hiawatha), and a good number of state parks.  We’ve camped at Voyageurs, at state parks, and at municipal campgrounds (so far no national forests; these are the most rustic with no amenities as a rule).

We’ve spent two days on an island (Madeline Island, part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in far northern Wisconsin), driven through forests, walked along lakes, rivers, and on trails, and stood by four waterfalls.  We’ve come across several lighthouses and toured one (40 Mile Point) that was open to the public where we got a pretty good education on how they worked.  As we’ve chosen to drive along U.S. routes instead of interstates, we’ve visited countless small towns, some interesting and pretty, others less so.  We talked with local shopkeepers (gift store owners are the best) who were more than happy to share life in the northern areas.  They are proud and independent – and tough, which you would need to be when winter brings in more than 200 inches of snow.

The beauty we’ve seen is astounding.  As these northern areas are sparsely populated, we went for long times with little or no traffic.  We just breathed the fresh air, took in the sights, and took delight at what we experienced.  The one time we hit crowds (Painted Rocks National Lakeshore, 4^th of July weekend) we decided that although it was indeed beautiful, we are just as happy in lesser visited areas.

We are getting used to the rhythms of travel:  driving, meals, davening in beautiful surroundings, shopping, laundry, tank fills and dumps….  We stop at things that interest us, drive as much as we want.  We are trusting that we will find campgrounds.  The only time we look for something specific is on Thursday, for a place to spend Shabbat, which we spend quietly, with walks around the campsite, reading, studying.

With our small kitchen, our meals are simple and we try for healthy.  We have found just about all we need at local Walmarts (the exceptions so far are yellow cheese and regular yogurt, although Chobani Greek yogurt is good and seems to be available everywhere); we have even found grape juice in two places – Superior, Wisconsin and Cheboygan, Michigan.  The rolls we buy feel and taste the same two weeks after we bought them (the wonders of packaged bread), but we keep them for Shabbat and have now started to supplement with homemade challah.

We have found the folks at campgrounds to be friendly and courteous.  Quiet time (usually from 10 pm to 8 am) is adhered to.  Campsites are clean, even though in many cases the only place to throw out trash is at the entrance to the campground, and that is not always a short walk.  We have also found that our RV looks so small next to the big Class As and trailers – being pulled by large trucks as a rule – we park next to in campgrounds (and looks so large next to cars in a shopping center), but we like the fact that it drives and parks like a regular van.

Time, quiet, and space allow for reflection and thanksgiving – for what we have, for what we are being shown, for the privilege of experiencing the beauty that is in this world.  Though we have tried, we cannot name a specific favorite so far – maybe Voyageurs with its pristine, natural beauty; maybe Lake Superior, that largest of the Great Lakes and very impressive body of water, although the drive along Lake Huron has also been spectacular; maybe a quiet spot in one of the state parks we stopped in.  Maybe, in some way, spending Shabbat in Duluth with the dedicated people of Adas Israel, trying to keep the shul going under difficult circumstances.

We are looking forward to seeing other places to choose from.

Shavua Tov.  After having a restful Shabbat in a very comfortable and serene setting, where we stayed for three days, we hit the road.  On a whim, again, we changed direction after seeing a place on the map called Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  We figured that it must be interesting and worth a side trip.

Pictured Rocks, on Lake Superior’s  northern shoreline, is the country’s first authorized national lakeshore (in 1966), designated as such in order to preserve the unique shoreline, cliffs, beaches, and dunes. The name Pictured Rocks comes from the streaks of mineral stain that are on the face of the cliffs.

We stopped first at a picturesque waterfall called Munising Falls, one of the many waterfalls that dot the Upper Peninsula.

Munising Falls

We moved on to the indescribably beautiful colored rock formations at Miners Castle.  What made this a very different experience from our earlier walks was how crowded it was.  Was it the 4^th of July weekend or a popular tourist destination? – probably the later due to an abundance of foreign tourists equal to, if not more numerous than, American tourists.  Till now we’ve been lucky; everywhere we have gone has been sparsely populated.

Miners Castle

From Pictured Rocks we headed south and east.   After calling around to different campgrounds, only to find them all full, we stopped at a gas station and the attendant told us about two nearby state campgrounds.  We stopped at the first one we reached called Black River.

The campground was deeper into the woods than we’ve ever been – the road to the site was 2- ½ miles long, unpaved, full of holes, and very muddy from the recent rains.  Probably the reason there were available spaces was that it was so rustic and so far from civilization; other than the attendant, no one seemed to know about it.  During the night there were only two other campers so we had the whole campground to ourselves.  No water or electrical hookups – we were really roughing it on battery power, propane for cooking, and full water tanks.  OK, it’s not tenting; we did that when we were younger.

At Black River campground

On a side note: We have generally found that people in campgrounds will go out of their way to be friendly and helpful.  When we struck up a conversation with a fellow camper, he made the offer “if there was anything he could do to help.”  Taking him at his word, I asked if he had a ladder.  We had a tree branch stuck on the RV roof air conditioner and I couldn’t reach it.  He did not have a ladder but he walked with me to the RV and together we lifted a very heavy park picnic table, moved it next to the RV and, while standing on it, I used a stick to remove the branch – problem solved.

After salad, French toast, and a diet fudgsicle (I told you we were roughing it), we turned in early with a good book.

Day 2:  Back on the road in the morning, we started driving in the wrong direction and had to make a U-turn.  I am still impressed – after all the parking we’ve done in normal parking lot spaces – with what a short turning radius the Dodge Promaster has; it is a very comfortable van to drive.  We then continued south and crossed the Mackinac Bridge which connects the Upper Peninsula to the Lower Peninsula.  Instead of taking Interstate 75, we opted for a scenic road that follows the eastern coast of Michigan along Lake Huron, our third lake of the five Great Lakes.

Lake Huron

At Cheboygan, Michigan we found a laundromat and a Walmart in the same mall.  It was time to take care of business and we spent a good three hours dealing with the needs of travel.  After lunch in the parking lot we decided to look for a campground early in the day since it was July 3^rd and we knew we’d have a difficult time.  Though we were prepared to park in a Walmart parking lot – this is called boondocking in the RV world (more on that another time) – we again got lucky and found a campsite in a crowded state park on the shores of Lake Huron.  Once you get used to how close your neighbors are, it is really not so bad; again, people are very friendly.

After we put away clean clothes and groceries, we took a walk on the beach, Sima checking out unique stones and watching the movement of the lake.  As I sit here at the picnic table by our RV writing this post, I am feeling very relaxed and so glad we started this adventure. I sleep better, I eat better, I get exercise walking – though it could be more – and my blood sugar level is great.

Day 3:   We decided to stay in the same campground for the 4^th of July, taking a hike as well as avoiding the traffic of people going home, and we understand from the ranger that it will be a lot less crowded this afternoon.  As I sit here, I notice people are starting to pack up and leave to be home so they can go to work the next day, ah retirement.

Our 45-minute walk this morning led us to the “40 Mile Point Lighthouse,” named because it is 40 miles south of Mackinaw Point, about half way between the lighthouse at Cheboygan and that of Presque Isle.  Before construction of this lighthouse, there was an unlighted segment of coast that was extremely hazardous for ships.  The lighthouse has been fixed up and using old – when possible – and new materials, is exactly how it looked when a lighthouse keeper and assistant were resident; it is a museum now of turn of the 20^th century furniture and appliances.  I even saw my grandmother’s pedal-powered Singer sewing machine with attached table; I grew up with her working on that machine.

And as testament to the many shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, nearby, half-buried in water, was part of a ship that, as it was being torn apart by a storm, intentionally beached itself, so that all but one of its crew members survived.

It rained all night at Bewabic State Park (I can so hear Elmer Fudd saying Bewabic), the first time since we’ve been traveling that neither of us got a good night’s sleep. (Bewabic means “iron” in Ojibwe, the language of the local Chippewa or Ojibwe Indians, and the area is full of towns with “iron” in their names.)  It wasn’t the rain so much as the drops from the trees that were over us which made un-rhythmic noises.

In the morning we decided, on whim, to change our route and explore more of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  While driving, we passed a sign for Canyon Falls and decided to make a side trip and walk the trail to the falls.  Due to all the rain, we followed the muddy – and I do mean muddy – trail to an exciting, quick moving river that fell over a tall rock formation into a waterfall.  We both agreed that it was worth getting our shoes and clothes dirty to see it.

Canyon Falls

Back on the road we headed to Houghton, Michigan, home of Michigan Technological University, a beautiful, large campus right on the shores of Lake Superior.  At the first RV park we stopped at, the owner proudly told us that Michigan Tech places almost 100% of its graduates, though it is probably not as well known as other tech universities – perhaps due to its remote location.  Though that RV park was full, the owner helped us call a park across the river; it had one space available and we took it for three nights.

We now had our place for Shabbat.  Since candle lighting this week was not until 9:36 pm, we had plenty of time to tour the U.P. and still return to make challah.  We also, thanks to Google, discovered that we had crossed over the time line from the Central Time Zone to the Eastern Time Zone when we checked candle lighting time for our area.

Day 2: Tour of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Other than a light mist, it didn’t rain much last night but we woke up to heavy fog.  We took a chance and drove up to the northernmost part of the Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw Peninsula, following a road that went right along Lake Superior.  This is “copper country” and we followed the Copper Country Trail National Byway, stopping in small towns along the way.  In the city of Calumet (which claims to have the best copper gift shop), we purchased a few items.  The gift shop was three stores long, and it was pretty nice, but the rest of the town seemed to be closed, except for the gift shop and a breakfast diner.

Across from the gift shop we visited a very nice visitor’s center, which focused on the history of the U.P.  Copper was first mined by the Ojibwe Indians, but as word spread of the riches of this area, people flocked to it, and towns grew up employing thousands of workers well into the 20^th century.  But as the price of copper went down (competition from mines in other areas, the need to keep digging deeper and deeper as more and more copper was extracted, union issues), the cost of mining wasn’t worth the investment.  As the main source of employment ended, many left the area.  It seems, however, to be starting to rebuild itself with tourism.

The 2010 census Kewennaw Peninsula was 43,200 people.  The record snowfall in 1978-79 was 390 inches; the average is about 240 inches. Burr….

On to Eagle River, not the one by Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, but in the U.P.  We caught two beautiful waterfalls (and we didn’t have to get our feet muddy).  Ironically, Waze took us directly to the first one and said “you have reached your destination,” but where was the waterfall?  We were in front of an old, closed visitor’s center, but no waterfall.  As we were about to drive away, we decided to have faith in Waze as it hadn’t lead us astray yet, unlike the Tom-tom GPS that came with the RV.  We got out of the RV and walked to an old bridge, and there it was, Eagle River Falls, so beautiful.  I’m glad we didn’t miss it.

Eagle River Falls

Jacob’s Falls

On the road to Copper Falls, at the northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula and as far north as we would go, we stopped at Jacobs Falls for a view of another one of the many waterfalls in the U.P.  Then, a stop for lunch at a boat dock; note the sign.

Copper Falls had an interesting agate stone gift shop, much of which was found in the area.  Although agate is mined throughout the world, this area is proud of the richness and beauty of its stones.  The woman who works and lives at the shop said it was only open for a few months in the summer.  Around the block was a picturesque lighthouse, American flag and all.  This lighthouse is one of many in the area as naval navigation was hazardous.

Friday afternoon back at the campground, it was time to prepare for Shabbat. The sun came out on Shabbat and we had a nice, relaxing day at the campground.