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.

A very quiet Sunday night at Birch Grove Campground near Iron River, Wisconsin, on the shores of Deep Lake (relatively speaking).  We had a very good sleep.  That is, until a heavy rain began hitting the top of our RV at 6:00 am.  Well, at least we know the RV is water tight because we were comfortable and dry with the heat on.

It seems that a number of RV parks we’ve been staying in rent out to seasonal campers who leave their RVs there all summer.  The owner of the campground at Iron River said some even park their RVs there year round and use it as a place to store them.  Though small, and certainly not secluded, the campground is on a beautiful lake where people avidly boat, fish, swim, and basically get away from the city.

We spent a couple of hours the next morning in the city of Iron River, all four blocks of it, mostly because it had a very important asset that we needed, a laundromat.  With clean clothes and the necessities of life, we headed to Bayfield, Wisconsin, a city near the very northern tip of Wisconsin on Lake Superior.  (A florist in Iron River across the street from the laundromat – where Sima had stopped in – highly recommended Bayfield as a place to visit.)  On the way, we visited the fascinating Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, a three-story building filled with exhibits and information on Lake Superior, and the history of the area and its original residents, the Chippewa Indians.  We ate lunch on the grounds.

Once in Bayfield, we decided to take the ferry, RV included, from Bayfield to Madeline Island, the largest of the 22 Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, and the only island that is open to commercial development.  After a 20-minute boat ride, we reached Madeline, drove to the middle of the island, found the Big Bay Town campsite, and reserved a spot.  The campsite is nicely situated in the woods, a short walk to a beach that has a boardwalk along the shore.  We took several walks around the area during the late afternoon and evening, taking in all the beauty that northern Wisconsin has to offer.  And it is beautiful!  Being in all this beauty is why we’re here; it brings a sense of quiet and peace.

Day 2:  The campground was so nice and the weather so perfect – it didn’t rain last night or today and the temperature was in the mid 70s – that we decided to stay an extra day.  We explored the town, visiting the tourist shops and art galleries.  The town is exactly what you might expect from a vacation/resort town: laid back, quiet, pretty.  While sitting and having something to drink, we happened to see a religious family walk by.  After striking up a conversation with this New Jersey family, we discovered a connection, a mutual friend – again, a small Jewish world.

In the early afternoon, we ate lunch in a park overlooking the lake and watched the sailboats go by.

Back at the campground, Sima used the bread machine for the first time.  We haven’t really needed it since we have been able to find bread and rolls with a hashgacha everywhere we’ve gone (although we have to look carefully at the labels if we want to buy whole, and not pre-cut, rolls), but since we were relaxing during the afternoon after walking all morning, she decided to experiment.  It was a time of firsts – Sima’s bread was a success, ah newly baked bread, and we made our first bonfire.  We ate the fresh bread watching the fire, what could be better?

Day 3:  After returning by ferry to Bayfield, we explored the city, whose main street is lined with unique craft, camping equipment, and other stores.  One of the most interesting was an artists’ co-op which featured the work of several local (“if they are close enough to drive here, they are local”) artists – in wood, glass, fabric, jewelry, etc.

And then, it rained, and rained, and rained.  As it pretty much rained all day, we drove most of the time.  We entered the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and drove through the beautiful Ottawa National Forest.  The road was lined with trees on both sides, there was very light traffic, and the feeling of quiet and serenity was everywhere.  When we arrived at Crystal Falls after leaving the forest, we decided to stop at Bewabic State Park, on Fortune Lake, Michigan and secured a campsite there.  Hopefully, there will be enough of a break in the rain tomorrow to see the falls that are nearby.  For dinner we had salad, tomato soup, and the leftover bread from yesterday – very good and just the right meal for sitting in the RV at night while it is still raining.  There is a comforting feeling here.

Possibly one of the more interesting side stories is that we have become fans of Walmart.  The mega store seems to have everything we need, including many food products with a hashgacha (thanks, again, to the CRC Kosher app, we have found Blue Ribbon out of Minneapolis mentioned in a previous post, Vaad Hoeir out of St. Louis, and Star K out of Baltimore).  I even got a haircut at Walmart.  As in the old TV commercial song, “Sears has everything,” Walmart does seem to have everything.

The rain has stopped and after our morning routine, it was time to hit the road.  We drove down the Superior National Forest Scenic Byway to Minnesota Highway 61, a sparsely travelled road that follows the shore of Lake Superior.  Lake Superior is, by surface area, the world’s largest freshwater lake, contains 10% of the world’s fresh water, and is the largest lake in the U.S.

We are still awed by the beauty of nature in Minnesota and by the lack of road trash.  Minnesota claims to be the land of 10,000 lakes – they say so on their license plates – and seeing is believing.

Once on Highway 61, we stopped off at a rest stop for lunch.  We parked in a spot that overlooks Lake Superior and a small boat dock.

We then followed the shoreline into Duluth.  It was not our intention to spend time in large cities (Duluth’s population is about 86,000), but it was an opportunity to see the downtown area and we took it.

We arrived at Congregation Adas Israel, which is in downtown Duluth, during the early afternoon.  So with time to spend before Shabbat (which started at 8:48 pm), we walked to the main street and happened on some very interesting and unique shops: the Duluth Trading company, an upscale camping/clothing store with great clothes, high quality, higher prices; a Duluth visitors center where Sima got very interested in stories about the numerous shipwrecks in the Great Lakes; a huge second-hand store with antiques and books, which brought back so many childhood memories.  (We both recognized things that were very similar to what our parents had.  Why, I asked myself, did my mother make me give up my baseball card and comic book collections?)  I really felt old when we came upon two young women trying to figure out what they were holding in their hand –  I had to tell them it was an ice tray, where you pulled the handle up to break up the ice into cubes.

Further down the street we stopped into a coffee shop where they roast their own coffee beans and I found what I have been looking for since we started this trip, coffee brewing cones.  Of final interest, we found a throwback to the 60s, a hippie store with clothes and the largest selection of vinyl records I have seen in a long time.  The store has been in business since the 60s so I guess it has hardly changed.  No other comments necessary.

Shabbat, June 24, 2017 – first day of Rosh Chodesh Tammuz

Adas Israel left me with mixed emotions.  It is a struggling congregation, whose members are all aged 60 plus, and has a difficult time putting together a minyan; there was no minyan Friday night and barely a minyan for Shacharit.  The shul is 118 years old, very well taken care of (although, unfortunately, they are looking towards future financial problems), but the orthodox Jewish population has either moved away or passed away.  Like Moshe Yes’s song, “The Torah of Kiev,” it is a holy place of worship with hardly anyone there to be its soul, except for a handful of devoted people trying to keep it from being lost.  We found the people to be warm and caring and, regardless of the numbers, davening was with kavanah (no talking).  We then enjoyed a wonderful lunch: different fishes, including lox, cream cheese, bagels (Sima was very happy), salads, kugels, potato latkes, etc…, finished off with chocolate ice cream for dessert.  A meal fit for a Shabbat King.

We enjoyed many stories about the shul’s history (no, Bob Dylan did not have his bar mitzvah in the shul, but he was born three blocks away and moved to a nearby town at the age of three).

When other shuls within a hundred or so mile radius closed their doors, they donated many of their treasures to Adas Israel: sifrei Torah (they now have 11 or 12); an aron kodesh, which is in the downstairs shul where we davened (the beautiful main shul is used only on the yamin noraim); even the bronze memorial plaques, where small bulbs are lit to commemorate a yahrzeit.  We were also shown cupboards full of sifrei kodesh that were printed as far back as the 1890s.  What will happen to all of this if there is no one left to love them and this shul has to close its doors?

Downstairs shul:

Upstairs shul:

One of the cupboards

An interesting side story – in a conversation with one of the congregants, who also happens to be a drummer, I learned that his grandfather was the shamash of the shul I grew up in, in Chicago.  It’s a small Jewish world.

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Rain, rain and more rain, and the forecast is for rain during the week.  We knew we would have times like this and at least we had over a week to get used to living in the RV.  One thing we have come to realize is that we did not bring enough warm and waterproof clothing.  Walmart, here we come.

We met with David Sher, the leader of Adas Israel and the person most responsible for keeping the shul going, in the morning.  He spoke some more about the shul he so dearly loves (he was married there and remembers full houses on Shabbat and holidays), and about the Jewish community at large, past and present.  He asked if there was anything we needed and I mentioned that we had not found grape juice or wine for Shabbat (although we still had enough for a few weeks).  He went to the cupboard and found us a bottle of Kedem grape juice.

We then headed to Wisconsin to find a campground with water and electrical hookups, hunker down, eat good food, drink good drinks, maybe watch a DVD, and wait out the weather.  We drove down a scenic highway and noted how different Wisconsin is from Minnesota.  There are many more cultivated fields, cows, and farm houses here.  Our GPS found us the type of campground we needed.  It’s interesting – we really don’t have any reservations; we simply hope to find what we need along the way.  We don’t plan too much except to head in a general direction.  This is so unlike us, ask our kids.  “And away we go.”

After a beautiful last walk this morning in Rice Creek Chain of Lakes, we drove about 275 miles north and arrived at Voyageurs National Park.  As I look out my window, we are totally surrounded by forest, staying in the (Chief) Woodenfrog State Forest Campground.  Either this is a very secluded campsite or no one else is here.

Voyageurs National Park is in northern Minnesota, near the Canadian border.  It is a water-based park, with 500+ islands and 655 miles of shoreline – in total around 218,000 acres.  Named after voyageurs, the French-Canadian fur traders who were the first European settler in the area, the park is notable for its boating, fishing, and amazing scenery. The quiet of the waters, the green of the trees…. It brings a sense of peace.

Here, in Woodenfrog Campground, we have a chance to see exactly how self-contained the RV is, as there are no hookups here.  (But there is Internet throughout the park!)  The RV has two AGM batteries (in addition to the Dodge Promaster engine battery) that are powered by solar panels, a gasoline powered generator, and the alternator of the Promaster’s engine.  We have a 2/3s-full fresh water tank and empty black and grey water tanks.  We also have enough food for quite a few days.  We are only here for a night or two, but it’s a good test, never-the-less, of our being self-sufficient.

We like to walk, but every 10 minutes it starts to rain, (yes, folks, it does rain – a lot – in the summer here).  That’s why everything is so amazingly green.  We took a chance and did take a walk in-between rain showers and ended up being very lucky.  As soon as we returned, it started pouring again.

A quiet night, a cup of chamomile tea, a good book, the two of us.  “I think I’m going to like it here” (Annie).  FYI: sunset is at 9:20.

Day 2: After a great night’s sleep (I do sleep better here), we woke up to a sunny morning.  After davening and breakfast, we took a walk to an indescribably beautiful lake, Kabetogama Lake, where we could see some of the islands that make up Voyageurs.  It sounds like I keep repeating myself when I talk about beautiful scenery but the hits just keep coming, and, after all, that is why we’re here.  When they wrote the song “America the Beautiful” they knew what they were talking about.

After some more exploration, we walked to an overlook and hiked to Beaver Pond (nobody home).  We then decided to figure out where we wanted to be for Shabbat.  The campgrounds here were too rustic for us to be comfortable, even the private ones.  After calling around we found two options: a campground at Two Harbors, Minnesota on Lake Superior, which had full hookups and a cancellation for the weekend; and a 118-year-old modern orthodox shul in Duluth – the person Sima spoke with said we could park in the shul’s lot (no hookups) and join a congregational lunch on Shabbat.  We decided on Duluth.   More on that after we have the experience.

We have chosen to drive to Duluth via the Scenic Byway of the Superior National Forest; this will take us to the shores of Lake Superior, and we will then drive down the coast to Duluth.  We drove today (Thursday) to the beginning of the Byway and found a campground.  Here we will stay the night in a quiet, wooded area, again surrounded by trees and the sounds of nature.

For those who have asked, we will be posting more pictures and responding to your comments, as we can.

Bill and Sima

There was a movie “Finding Forrester” in which a famous author was instructing his protégé that the way to begin writing is just to sit down and write anything that comes to mind.  Don’t think, just write.  Using this technique seems to work for me and that is how I am writing this blog, with the added advantage that when Sima sits down to add her thoughts, she edits mine.

Today has been a day filled with good fortune.  Everything seemed to work out for the best.  In the morning, while waiting at the RV dealership to ask a few questions about the operation of the stereo system, our license plates were delivered.  We quickly prepared the RV for travel, bought a few extra food supplies, and hit the road.

We headed for Minneapolis-St. Paul, as we needed a keilim mikvah for a few items that we bought after arriving in Iowa.  As long as we were in the area, we decided to experience Mall of America.  Whoa, four floors of 570 stores and restaurants and an indoor amusement park that is the dream of every little kid, and some big kids too.  This was the definition of sensory overload, too much to see, too noisy, and too big.  After about two hours we had had enough and left; it must be for the younger generation.

Next, we looked up the address of a mikvah, put it into our GPS, and headed for St.Paul.  When we got there, no one was home.  When I say home, I mean home – it was in a house in a residential neighborhood.  We weren’t sure we were in the right place until I found a sign behind a bush saying mikvah.  Sima found the phone number of a Chabad rabbi listed for the area.  The first time she called, no one answered, and she left a message.  The second time, she got through to Rabbi Mendel Feller who was waiting at the airport for a delayed plane and just happened to check his cell phone.  He arranged for us to be able to get in.

About 45 years ago, while working at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, I was asked to drive a Rabbi Moshe Feller to the Rhinelander Airport and wait with him until he got on the plane.  While waiting we began to talk and he asked if I knew how to put on tefillin. I replied that I was absent that day in Hebrew school.  You guessed it, he taught me how to put on tefillin at the airport and I have never forgotten that day.  I always connect that experience with being the first spark that started me on the road to being a baal teshuva. Because of that day, I have a wonderful wife, two daughters, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren – we all live in Israel, and are shomrai mitzvot.  Rabbi Mendel Feller is, I believe, his son (did not have a chance to ask).

When Sima wrote Rabbi Feller the next day to thank him for his help, she related this story, and his response was “Wow!!!”

After St. Paul and a harrowing experience with rush hour traffic (actually I’ve been in worse, but not driving an RV), we found this amazingly beautiful RV campground on the side of a lake – Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Reserve. After a walk, dinner, and a good night’s sleep, we decided to stay an extra day.  Again, we are retired and have no schedule to keep, so when we find a place we like, we will enjoy it to its fullest.

Day 2 at Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Reserve – a beautiful, well kept, clean, wildlife preserve, with forests, seven lakes with swimming, boating, and fishing, a golf course somewhere, and a campground where the sites are not crowded.  This is why we stayed the extra day.

Though it rained last night, the day was sunny and comfortable for hiking. With two extended walks and exploring two different trails, we didn’t find a single piece of trash.  I think the only frustrating part is that we still don’t have great cell phone and Wi-Fi connection.  We were able to get two posts out to the blog in the afternoon but have no reception in the evening.  Either the cell towers get off of work at 6, or there are too many people streaming Netflix.

On a personal note: Traveling in the RV is something I have wanted to do for a long time and feel blessed that I am able to do it now.  In the short time that we have been traveling, we’ve met couples that are 10+ years older than we are doing the same.  For the most part, this has been a very relaxing time for us.  Point being, the term “do it while you can” seems to have greater meaning for me now.  One good thing about modern technology, we are able to stay in touch with the kids while we travel.

Bill and Sima

Just outside Forest City is Pilot Knob State Park.  As we are still in the area, we decided to take a ride there and walk around.  We elected to stay on the road that winds through the park (sparsely traveled, and we seemed to be one of just a few walkers) instead of the trail, as the ground was still wet from the rains.  Winding through the quiet forest was a delight for the senses.

Founded in 1923, Pilot Knob is one of the oldest parks in Iowa and its focal point – the Observation Tower – is the second highest point in the state, at 1450 feet.  From the Tower, one can see for approximately 40 miles and thousands of acres of farmland.  The tower, built during the Depression, was part of a program to put people to work.  A first impression was that it was a Crusader citadel, though wrong time and wrong continent.

Pilot Knob is truly beautiful, and one of many state parks in the area.

Sima continues to get more creative in working in our mini-kitchen; a challenge to be sure.  There are still other things we need to learn about the RV and how to use it but, little by little, we are mastering the technique.

Bill and Sima

Friday afternoon, we still did not have Internet connection, but we are hopeful that this post (and the previous ones) will get out soon.  This week we plan on looking for somewhere where AT&T will work.  We hear Minnesota might be better than northern Iowa.

The day was spent at the campground, where we prepared for Shabbat.  Last minute shopping, cooking, and cleaning the RV (about 15 minutes )…it doesn’t take much in a small space.

We decided before we left Israel that the RV kitchen would be pareve/dairy.  We have a stainless steel sink, two burners, a microwave/convection oven, fridge, and freezer (all compact size) – but the kitchen area is small and storage space for utensils is at a premium.  Non-fleshig works for us, as – even back home – about 80% of our cooking is pareve.

We prepared simple meals for Shabbat: the first meal – salmon patties, rice salad, and cut vegetables; for Shabbat lunch – turkey pastrami and corned beef (from Chicago, of course) with salad, tiny carrots (a nice find) and chips – this was served with paper/plastic.  OK, so not everything is totally pareve/dairy and healthy, but who can pass up Chicago cold cuts?  Seudat shlishit was rolls with Philadelphia light cream cheese, and again more vegetables.  Fruit salad for dessert.

Shabbat starts late here (8:37 pm this week), so we ate most of our meal earlier, and made Kiddush, washed on rolls, and ate lightly after maariv.

Although we bought a good thermos that will keep water hot for 15 hours (so it says), we are still looking for a place to “tovel” it (and the bread machine pan) – the only lakes around here are dirty and the shores have pond scum; “yuk,” we will keep looking.  For Shabbat morning we prepared cold coffee to keep in the fridge (where we had the Lichtsinn service people disconnect the light – another unusual request for them, and they keep saying, “sure, no problem, whatever you want”). The cold coffee was surprisingly good and refreshing.  We may do more of this.

Working out the details of kashrut and Shabbat are the enjoyable challenges of the adventure.  Before leaving Israel we consulted with rabbanim, and implementing what we learned and dealing with the unexpected are experiences we are eager to have.  In time, we will have the Shabbat routine down pat.

As it rained again Friday night (with hail, lightning, and thunder) and somewhat on Shabbat, we spent most of the day reading and relaxing.  A walk around the campgrounds rounded out the day.  As there was no eruv we made use of a coiled key chain belt that we bought at Neve Daniel for a few shekels; it worked great as a belt and key holder in one.

Shavua Tov,

Sima and Bill