SOMEWHERE IN TIME

Fri, 7/23/10. Sunny, a "little" humid, check air in tires and continue down Hwy28E. What's this??!! Not 5 min down the road, we pass a tiny tag sale sign at a storage building. Decide to turn around and check it out. OMG.... this gas pump is so appealing! Doors off, guts in tact...love it! On-site sale ladies explain that the pump eloquently stood in front of an area lodge for a long time, and was stored here in Munising for 3 years.

"Somewhere in time" it was useful--perhaps we can make it useful again.

Tim, "Oh, we can fit this on the RV." Can't help imagining a 450+lb object tied to the rear of the RV, causing it to lean precipitiously. An eastward wheelie? Not!

Tim, "I can do this!" "We'll take it apart and distribute it evenly throughout the RV." OK, 7 hrs later...yes, 7 hrs to disassemble....then wrap and heave the shell up and into the RV's loft. With an online search, the antique gas pump appears to be quite a find-- a sought after National Model A38, in the 1940's art deco style. Curved glass in tact ("Pure Oil Co, USA"). Original hose and nozzle. No rust, no dents--just several layers of paint. After some restoration, won't it sit pretty in front of Tim's Garage Mahal?

The nearest RV parking site, please. It's 8:00 pm. The Wandering Wheels Campground in Munising has a small spot for us next to their utility barn. Fine, we'll take it.

Sat, 7/24/10. Cloudy, intermittent rain, and a good day to visit the Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. Hwy28E to Newberry and Hwy23W loop.

"The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee

The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead

When the skies of November turn gloomy......"

Question: With his 1976 ballad, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," what Canadian folksinger inspired popular interest in this vessel? Answer at end of post.

The vessel Edmund Fitzgerald was lost with her entire crew of 29 men on Lake Superior 11/10/75...17 miles N-NW of Whitefish Point, Michigan. The legend of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains the most mysterious and controversial of all Great Lake shipwreck tales.

Great scenic drive to the Point and fascinating museum artifacts, exhibits and stories of numerous shipwrecks in deceivingly beautiful Lake Superior's unrelenting fury. Interesting USCG Lifeboat Station and oldest operating Lighthouse.

Pass through Sault Ste Marie and settle in St. Ignace at Tiki RV Park and Campground. Early to bed....

Sun, 7/25/10. ....and early to rise to board the a.m. ferry to Mackinac Island with our bikes. The Mackinac Bridge has 33 foundations resting on bedrock, supporting the 4-mile long uninterrupted steel superstructure. The 2 huge tower foundations descend more than 200 ft below the water. Amazing!

Mackinac Island State Park, 1800 acres and no vehicles allowed, has miles of trails for biking, hiking, and horseback riding. The island joins Lakes Michigan and Heron. The government declared it a National Park in 1875, then transferred Fort Mackinac and Park to the state in 1895.

By ferry, land in historic Haldimand Bay. Popular sites-- Ft Mackinac, village district, SHOPS, and awesome Grand Hotel.

The Grand Hotel opened its doors in 1887. It's immense, with a 660-ft porch. The Hotel was the backdrop of the 1979 filming of "Somewhere in Time, " starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour....a great romance story about a man who goes back in time to meet the woman of his dreams.

Goodbye Mackinac Island!,-- your historic character and natural beauty is a charming, one-of-a-kind place to visit.

At 6 p.m., take I75S across the famous Mackinac Bridge to Hwy31. Height restrictions on the ferry to Wisconsin! --so continue driving Hwy31S and reach Alanston. Find Crooked River RV Park with time to grill country ribs, accompanied with hash browns and broccoli. Looking forward to arrival in Illinois to visit friends.

Answer to above question: Gordon Lightfoot

GITCHE GUMEE

Sat, 7/17/10. Leave Minnesota, enter Wisconsin and stop at Walmart! in Superior. Great buy at a tag sale...water hose, level, 2 snow shovels, small heater...all in almost new condition..all for $4 + a tennis ball for Zack thrown in. Leave Wisconsin, enter Minnesota to reserved RV site at Waterfront Boat Basin in Duluth.

Surrounded by boats and view of the harbor...just like home!, except there's no high heat and humidity. Breezy and 72 degrees.

Duluth's landmark Aerial Lift Bridge, originally built in 1905, rises to let sailboats to 1,000 ft freighters enter the harbor.

Tim gets comfortable waiting for the bridge to lift. It goes up 25-30 times daily during the height of the shipping season and takes about 2 min. to rise.











Short walk to bustling Canal Park and Lakewalk for shopping, strolling, and taking a peek at the Dog Show. Grilled turkey legs/wings, cob corn, fresh broccoli. Watch the sun set. Duluth is a great place to visit.

Sunday - Thursday, 7/18-22/10.

Lake Superior facts: Largest fresh water lake in the world. With the entire surface frozen (has only happened twice), there would be enough room for every person on earth to spread out a 12' x 12' picnic blanket. Large enough to dramatically affect weather patterns in surrounding areas. This Greatest Great Lake could contain all the other Great Lakes + 3 additional lakes the size of Lake Erie. But surprisingly, the reason it's called Lake Superior by it's French discoverer was not for its size, but because it is geographically above all the other Great Lakes.

5-day highlights:


Into Wisconsin again, I535, Hwy2E and 13 along the coast of Lake Superior. Can't pass up an old vacant schoolhouse! Metal detecting=little treasures.

Two nights at Town of Clover Community Park. Swimming is refreshing in unsalted Lake Superior! Bike around quaint Herbster community. Check out 2 lonely old gas pumps--owner not selling. Napping. Stunning sunsets.
















































The Keweenaw Peninsula (actually an island) is located at the northwestern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, surrounded on 3 sides of Lake Superior. Popular Copper Mining District, waterfalls, 17 lighthouses, more than 20 "ghost towns," and areas of arts and culture. Pine forests, parks, hawk migrations...lots more...quite unexpected.

Camp 1 night in historic City of Hancock, northside of Portage Lake Life Bridge....camp the next night at Lake Fanny Hooe Resort and Campground at the peninsula's tip in Copper Harbor.




























The longest continuous north/south route in the US begins at the peninsula's tip and ends in Miami.

The journey around Keweenaw is a world of things to see! Lake Superior is truly superior!

















Gitche Gumee (By The Shining Big-Sea-Water) RV Park and Campground, in Marquette, Mich, is the most eclectic overnight site thus far! Jeff, with cigar in mouth, welcomes us to his domain.











Throughout the campground are interesting etchings carved in stone.















Question: What do you suppose is stored in the RV's upper bunk?

Answer begins in the next posting.

ST. CROIX RIVER

Mon. 7/12/10. Just northwest of the Twin Cities, we are in no hurry to get anywhere. Hang around a.m. poolside at the campground. Later hang among a mecca of vintage gas pumps and other old stuff a short distance down the road. Owner not selling!...maybe with luck, find a gas pump in our travels that will sit pretty in front of Tim's Garage Mahal.



Round in circles we go through metropolitan Minneapolis... out fast and north to Ham Lake and quiet campground. Shrimp w/peas, carrots, bacon/onions over bowtie pasta. Crickets chirping, frogs... roosters?


Tues, 7/13/10. Roosters, chickens, llamas, goats--is this a campground or a farm??



























Do these feathers make me look fat?













Minneapolis and St. Paul (state capital) areas look to be hip with an array of things to see and do but right now the surrounding roads and construction are just terrible...so we head east. Find a great RV site next to the St. Croix River at Wm O'Brien State Park. Grilled beef nubbies, mashed potatoes, broccoli. Skinny Cows for dessert (have to cut down on calories somewhere).

Wed, 7/14/10. Cloudy, spotty rain, run a few miles through the park. Severe weather and tornado warnings posted for today. Cancel canoeing plans. Along the St. Croix River, visit Stillwater, one of Minnesota's oldest towns (1843). Rain or shine (raining), stroll through charming shops, markets, and winery!



It's 5 p.m.--return to Wm O'Brien State Park for another night. Fishing is good!




















Dinner is good! Lambchops, hashbrowns with bacon and onions, spinach. Spirits have lifted and we look forward to new discoveries of a different sort.



Thurs, 7/15/10. Clear, sunny, beautiful day! Leave early for a river adventure-- Hwy95N to Taylors Falls. Rent canoe for 3 hour cruise down scenic St. Croix River, ending at Osceola.








Lots of wildlife habitat...turtles, herons, BALD EAGLES! Where's the zoom lens when I need it!!












Someone napping behind the canoe?







































Rt8E into Wisconsin! Riding along Hwy63, see a Municipal Park in the city of Shell Lake--they have RV parking and 1 site left on the lakefront. Run between shops and laundrymat in town. Turkey chili for dinner. Time tomorrow for off-the-beaten-path exploring.



Fri, 7/16/10. From Shell Lake, Hwy63S to D (county road) to M to D, Birchwood town with tag sales, Rt48 to C (unpaved), to Rt70W into Spooner town with a bakery! Hwy53N through Superior and back into Minnesota, and without a doubt... the worst roads ever. Through traffic, construction and detours, reach Indian Point Campground in Duluth on the St. Louis River, at the western tip of Lake Superior. Nice wooded dock and trails. Nice dinner--ribeye, sweetpotato, beets. Ahead is the largest body of fresh water in the world. Must be incredible.