"Today is a Good Day to Drive!" .....Van-Go

September 29, 2006 Located in Green Bay, WI, the National Railroad Museum is home to the "Big Boy," the nickname given to locomotives of this type. There were only twenty-five built; this is one of the few left. It is 132 feet long. This 4-8-8-4 configuration carries over 30 tons of coal and 25,000 gallons of water. The full load would get it the first 75-miles on the UP, Union Pacific, trip from Cheyenne to Ogdan. The museum has 77 pieces of rolling stock including : The Dwight D. Eisenhower Command Train, One of only three ever built aero trains build by GM in the 50s, a set of passenger and dining cars you can walk through to name a few.

September 28, 2006 We awoke to sun just coming above the cloud layer at the horizon. With hot coffee in hand we went out to the shore line and watched as five eagles flew and landed on the beach just within binocular view. The white head, the dark body, the strong legs -The Bald Eagle. One flew and hit the water sending up a spray, but we couldn’t see if it caught himself fish breakfast. We left our coffee cups in the dune grass and walked up to where the eagles sat; they flew off long before we got there. Will went right up on the rocky spit of land to the log they had sat on and saw the scratch marks. A Great Blue Heron had walked in the sand near by and a raccoon had come out to see if the eagles had left him a snack. Kathy cut some yellow and deep brown willow to work with later. Menominee had internet service so Kathy was able to load another journal entry and do some internet searches. Carmine, thanks for taking the ball on getting our reservations for a sisters trip to Hawaii fo...

September 27, 2006 We got up to a cloudy rainy cool day and said to each other, “Today is a good day to drive!” We got a misty picture of the Manistique lighthouse and took off on route2 heading west. Having trouble again with the battery not charging; when something gets wet the needle drops and something shorts out. We found a nice little restaurant, Rosie’s at Tyelene’s, on the Bay de Noc and had breakfast. They also had free internet so we took advantage of the time and put up yesterday’s journal. We found out that pasties, advertised everywhere up here, are meat pies. It was pouring down rain. We checked the weather and it was going to storm all day so we found a little nitch in the Hiawatha National Forest at Flowing Well to camp for a while. We drove around the ten sites and found one to suit, put out the awning. Will examined the leaky tail light, but could not find a way the water was getting in. The rain finally stopped and we packed up to continue our drive on route 2. A sig...

September 26, 2006 It was a beautiful sunny morning. We walked along the shore of Lake Michigan and sat there at the water’s edge sipping our coffee and enjoying our hot oatmeal. Will took the opportunity to pull out the items from the bottom storage bin that filled with water the other day. We opened everything and let it dry out in the breeze. Four swans paddled out to sea and off, a schooner sailed along the horizon and sea gulls came and went. The air was still for most of the morning. When the sun went behind the clouds we packed up. We are leaving the northern most tip of Lake Michigan. The leaves are colorful; the air is crisp. Waves roll white-capped to the sandy shoreline. We are heading south. It is flat here for the most part. Trees are maples and long skinny pines. There are towns separated by a distance of open land and for sale signs everywhere. President FD Roosevelt created Seney National Wildlife Refuge in 1935 to protect wetlands for loons, swans and nesting bald eagl...

September 25, 2006 Mackinaw City; walked around: main street and mall area around the old train station, now a restaurant. Good internet service. Some real down pours, but the sun won out a few times and provided us with some sunshine. Crossed the 7-mile mackinaw bridge that separates Lake Huron from Lake Michigan. It was a wind blowing and scary exerience. At one of the overlooks we saw they had ut up a sing that the bridge was windy and escort was in service. That means that smaller vehicles ride alongside big heavy trucks. Saint Ignace is home of the gravesite of explorer Father Margette who traveled with his scout Louis Jollitt. They explored the upper great lakes bringing Christianity to the natives. Will remember studying about them in grade school. We found the national memorial a few miles away and walked down to the overlook reading all the little exhibits along the way. We had to run back because it started to rain. We were on US2 established in 1926, which follows ancient Na...

PH Hoeft State Park, 40-mile Point Lighthouse, We got the radio station with news of the lighthouse history. It was built in the late 1800s. It is a little unique as it is a duplex with two apartments. The cost was $25, 000 to build and the focal plane is 23 miles. Originally the lamp was kerosene and now it is halogen. The Calcite Carrier Bridge is here; the ship was beached during a storm and all but one crewmember survived. The carrier was replaced in 1950 with a 700-footer and later with 1000-foot carriers. He painted them all gray and they were known as Greyhounds or Boomers because they had their own booms. The county moved an old school onto the complex that is being renovated. Hammond Bay Refuge Harbor is a public harbor provided by the Army Corp of Engineers. Just up the road was another picnic pull off where were had some breakfast. The sky is gray and the waves coming in from the lake make it look like an ocean. Along our travels of route 23 we have seen several flocks of tu...

September 23, 2006 We slowly worked our way up route 23 along the coast of Lake Huron to Roger City. The streets of town brought us to a main street; a street of flags, and the town park. We like murals and saw one with ships so pulled close to get a picture. The name on one of the ships was Carl Bradley! Will walked in the Maritime Museum and found that Carl Bradley was an executive at the calcite mine and had a shipped named after him self in the early 1900s. The Calcite mine here at the edge of town is the largest limestone mine in the world. A ship was in being loaded so we drove past the gravel piles out to the viewing area. As we got there the ship was pulling out from the loading dock. A few others came to watch and we got to talking to them. One lady’s father, grandfather and great grandfather worked at the mines in one job or another. One man’s cousin captained a steamship that sailed the Great Lakes. They still enjoy coming to the view area to see the ships. It was like being...

September 22, 2006 Walked out to past the lighthouse at Sturgeon Point to watch the sunrise. The sky was so red. “Red in the morning, sailors have warning.” Drove route 23 into Alpena, a tow n right on Thunder Bay off Lake Huron. A flock of about twenty turkeys sat near the roadway. We crossed the 45th parallel, which put us half way between the North Pole and the equator. . Ate at the city park looking out at the lake and got a hit on wireless service so we spent time on the internet. We looked out to the water and saw a three masted topsail schooner! It reminded us of the ship Hector that we had helped to build up in Nova Scotia. Both ships were launched in 2000. We drove into town and saw the sailing ship sitting across the river. We had heard on the radio that the public could take a ride tomorrow so we headed over to the NOAA Building to see about it. We were surprised when we went into the newly built building; they have exhibits about the significance of shipwrecks. We were able...

September 21, 2006 Continueing our drive through the Huron national Forest we came to the Foote Dam and walked around a bit. Harrisville State Park is nestled within a stately stand of pines and cedars along the sandy shores of Lake Huron. We drove around the park established in 1921, then we drove into Harrisville for lunch at the marina. A short way up the road was the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse. It was closed, but we walked around the grounds. The old Bailey Schoolhouse from 1907-1941 caught Kathy’s attention. It stands as it did then with the desks and chalkboard still there. The lighthouse still operates the light for the lake boaters and ships. We walked out on the sandy spit and found a dead seagull, poor thing. The wind blew and the waves moved across the water. We decided to spend the night

September 19-20-21(morning), 2006 We stopped at Klenow’s Market in operation since 1900 here in East Tawas, MI. They have smoked meats, jerky and custom meats. They were butchering and cutting while we were there. The counter guy was very helpful and gave us lots of information about the meats. Try them at http://www.klenowsmarket.com/ Oscoda is right on Lake Huron. They have a nice little park where we spent the day. It was a real find with electric and water. Will painted the cook table with some black enamel paint we have been carrying. We walked along the shore and collected shells that have a flat side like gravity pulled them down when growing. We played Boggle, a word game Justin got us. Justin this is a great game! We entered the Huron National Forest and drove just twenty some miles to a road leading down to the Au Sable River. A flock of about twenty-five turkeys strutted across the road. At the overlook the river makes an oxbow, a u-bend. That is where we parked. The air was...

September 18, 2006 We woke to a gray day with rain at Linwood Beach, MI. The high for the day, 72 degrees, was already past. We looked at some pictures labeling them so we remember where we were, looking at others for cropping, preparing to make others into album. Then we decided to drive. Standish was a small town where we found a post office and Internet service. We did a quick update to the blog and were off again on route 23. Omar is considered the smallest city in MI; it had a small main street with nothing really unique to point to it as smallest. The water was off about five miles to the east, but we could not see it. At Alabaster, MI we came under the roiling clouds. Lake Huron can be seen from time to time between the trees and houses. The Tawas City Walmart is right on Saginaw Bay; one of the prettiest views one could have at the Waldorf. We did a little shopping; picked 10 new DVD’s for our collection including: Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter, batteries not included, 28da...

September 18, 2006 We woke to a gray day with rain at Linwood Beach, MI. The high for the day, 72 degrees, was already past. We looked at some pictures labeling them so we remember where we were, looking at others for cropping, preparing to make others into album. Then we decided to drive. Standish was a small town where we found a post office and Internet service. We did a quick update to the blog and were off again on route 23. Omar is considered the smallest city in MI; it had a small main street with nothing really unique to point to it as smallest. The water was off about five miles to the east, but we could not see it. At Alabaster, MI we came under the roiling clouds. Lake Huron can be seen from time to time between the trees and houses. The Tawas City Walmart is right on Saginaw Bay; one of the prettiest views one could have at the Waldorf. We did a little shopping; picked 10 new DVD’s for our collection including: Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter, batteries not included, 28da...

September 18, 2006 We woke to a gray day with rain at Linwood Beach, MI. The high for the day, 72 degrees, was already past. We looked at some pictures labeling them so we remember where we were, looking at others for cropping, preparing to make others into album. Then we decided to drive. Standish was a small town where we found a post office and Internet service. We did a quick update to the blog and were off again on route 23. Omar is considered the smallest city in MI; it had a small main street with nothing really unique to point to it as smallest. The water was off about five miles to the east, but we could not see it. At Alabaster, MI we came under the roiling clouds. Lake Huron can be seen from time to time between the trees and houses. The Tawas City Walmart is right on Saginaw Bay; one of the prettiest views one could have at the Waldorf. We did a little shopping; picked 10 new DVD’s for our collection including: Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter, batteries not included, 28da...

September 17, 2006 The sun rose over the lake. Kathy did a half walk this morning while Will readied the van for departure and Bob helped him fill the water tank. We sipped a little coffee and munched English muffins and it was time to say good-bye. Hugs and handshakes, then we loaded up. Mary and Bob walked us out and stayed waving until we were out of site. We will see them next in Texas. Frankenmuth is a tourist town set up like a German town. We arrived early and were able to park and walk about before the crowds came. Damiana is the name of our granddaughter; she was named after an herb. We found the herb in a little shop and got some to mail to her. We picked up some died pineapple and banana too- yum. The covered bridge reminded us of Will’s cousin who visits ever one and takes pictures. Their home is filled with covered bridge memorabilia. At the craft booths we admired flowers in a resin made into jewelry; Will bought a Black-eyed Daisy pin for Kathy. We munched a bratwurst...

September 15-16, 2006 There was a family of swans on the lake, mom, dad and the two young ones. All were white except one that was gray; it reminded us of the ugly duckling story. Mary goes out when she sees them swimming close by and calls to them. Bob takes a loaf of sliced white bread and heads down to the dock. He hand feeds the little white one and tosses pieces to the others. When we were out on the boat we went near the swans and fed them trying to get them to follow us back to the dock. Sure enough they came and Kathy got to feed them. The little one would come up and hiss like it was saying please, then reach out for a slice of bread. Kathy held on to the little slice of bread until the little swan, about the size of its parents, took it. Mary took Janet out to see the house she grew up in. It was still there and was recently remodeled. The breezeway still was a dining room just like when she was a little girl. Kathy suggested a picture of her in front of the house; a thing bo...

September 14, 2006 We spent time at the Walmart doing searches on the internet; love this wifi! We updated the journals and galleries on our blog, and sent a bunch of email. Will updated our route map and we found that our drive today would only be about forty minutes! Gosh we could have made that last night and gotten in some trivia time with Mary and Evelyn! Well I guess we were just too anxious to shop. Morning time went by so quickly and before we knew it time to depart was upon us. We headed southeast and arrived at Mary and Bob’s. Mary greeted us outside her house with a big smile and a grand hug. Mary lives on a lake and we got the grand tour of home (We had seen the pictures of the new remodeling.) and area. Her cousin from California, Janet, is visiting; her Mom came by and brought dinner; her daughters-Lisa and Denise- dropped in too. What a great family. We went to the Penalty Box and played some trivia. The sports bar had Detroit Redwing pictures everywhere; a former coach ...

September 13, 2006 It was dark when we got up. The lights along the Bridge to Bay trail had a soft glow. We walked along the St. Claire River that connects Lk. Huron to Lk. Erie. We passed a statue to Thomas Edison, a ship lighthouse museum, and an old train station now a museum. The day had begun as we returned. We made some breakfast and enjoyed the view while sipping our coffee and munching our Tom Horton Tidbits. With free wifi we were on the computer updating the blog; check for new pictures in the Photo Gallery and new movies in the Movie Gallery. Big ships came and went, a switching engine moved cars along the tracks, and people walked the trail. One man, he looked homeless, was searching trash bins for cans. Will gave him a few Tidbits and a cup of hot coffee. A couple stopped and asked us about our roadtrek: He wanted to travel free of hotels, she wanted “holiday” where she didn’t have to cook and clean. Don’t think they are going to be getting a Roadtrek. We finished dinner a...

September 12, 2006 Walked the beach; headed out about noon . Stopped to feed some horses a little roadside grass. Drove around Kettle Point Indian Reservation; the shore of Lake Heron is much rockier here. We crossed the Port Huron Blue Water Bridge back in to the United States and into the state of Michigan. We spent the day parked near the bridge watching big ships coming and going to the great lakes. New movies in Movie Gallery

September 11, 2006 While our parents generation had Pearl Harbor, V-E and V-J days and knew what they were doing on those days. Our generation remembers what we were doing when President John Kennedy was assassinated and when the twin towers in New York fell. It has been five years since terrorist hijacked four planes and attacked the United States. Today it is referred to simply as 9/11. Here’s to the heroes of Flight 93. … We were so excited to visit Home & Park Motors, birthplace of our Roadtrek 200 Versatile Motor Home. The visitors parking area was made only for cars; Will found a spot and backed in. We entered the brick building through the double door entryway and approached the desk where a young woman sat talking into a microphone headset. The large room was divided into small cubbies where individuals sat doing what people do in these little spaces. The receptionist, a young happy girl, acknowledged us. Will asked about a part order from the Roadtrek dealer in New Castl...

September 10, 2006 We had a lazy morning sleeping in until 8am, then worked our way over to Maid of the Mist. This is a boat ride up into Horseshoe Curve, the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. First we went out on to the deck high above the water and above the falls. Then we rode down the elevator about 300 feet to the level of the water. Here we got our blue ponchos and waited to board our boat with all the other tourists mostly from somewhere away. Our captain was a happy smiling gentleman who brought us past the American Falls and right up into the roiling waters of the Canadian Horseshoe. The mist was blowing off away from us and we could look up into it and up beyond to the water falling in great profusion over the edge far above. What a magnificent experience! We spent the rest of the day in the park. Will made us hotdogs, we let family know we were heading into Canada and would not be using our cell phone at $.69 cents a minute, and Kathy got into doing some cleaning. We drove acr...

We arrived in Niagra Falls, NY and spent the day seeing the falls from every angle. We even went down to the Cave of the Winds. Kathy was brave and went up to the Hurricane Level!

September 9, 2006 Will tried a little fishing and Kathy decided to walk along the shore and look for some glass rubbed smooth by the surf. She walked the short distance to the effluence of the little stream entering Lake Erie. One large piece, about the size of a quarter, was laying in clear site right where the waters mix. She reached down, picked it up and saw that she could take maybe one more step before the waters would be too swift. This is where she made a tactical error. She took that step. She sunk into the quick sand up to her thigh. In an instant her heart raced as she sank, then she returned from panic to clear thought. She twisted and leaned forward in one frantic action onto the foot that was still on firm sand. A wave came and helped her to boost her back on the firm land. Wet from the waist down, but safe she walked over to Will on the far side of the little park and asked for a hug. Grapevines cover fields from Pennsylvania and on into New York.. This is prime area for...

September 8, 2006 We woke up in Titusville and drove to Spartanburg about 20 miles away. The Clear Lake Park is just north of town at Oil City Creek. Large geese and ducks waddled about. We stopped and did our morning walk along the lake, had breakfast and walked uptown to the post office. Will enjoyed walking through the hardware store that had everything. Hanging high on all the walls were lots of antique tools like a museum. Horse drawn buggies pulled Amish People to locations around town. Spartanburg is having their 85th Fair. Findley Lake in NY state is just about 10 miles in from Pennsylvania. We stopped and had a snack, waxed a part of the van, and chatted with a kyaker about fishing for perch. Lake Erie at North East is open to the public at the little park, Freeport Beach Halli Reid Park.. We spent the rest of the day here, walking along the shore, looking for glass ground by the sand, building rock towers, (Kathy felt sad when a little girl tore hers down throwing the rocks a...

September 7, 2006 The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. -- Carl Sandburg That is how it was at lake Arthur. It came in the night while we slept and in the morning it filled the space between lake water and sky. The sun worked hard thoughout the morning burning slowly at the fog. We took our morning constitutional out to the marina and back, then watched as the sun slowly won its battle with the fog. Oil City is a small town. We went to the state park and saw where the train station is located; they have a tourist train that rides about two hours through the old oil fields from Titusville to Oil City. In Titusville the Drake Well is now a museum. We sat most of the day at the water’s edge. Will fished; he got a few bi tes from small guys who followed his lure through the water. He practiced guitar working to calus his fingers to the metal strings. We walked the trails and had a meal. The Steelers played their first s...

It is Windshield time! After being caught in the eddie of Pittsburgh, Pennyslvania for three months; today is a good day to drive. The day is cool and grey We did the last minute clean-up and organizing at Jayne’s, gave out good byes and hugs. We pulled ourselves away from Pittsburgh after a three month stay. We are off; well not really because we have a few places to stop around old stomping grounds. First stop is Cranberry to check in with our banker, Nina. While in the area we stopped by Ericson and had lunch with Carmine; Maria had prior arrangements and couldn’t join us. It is really cool because they work just a few miles from each other. Off to New Castle. The Galbrath motors roadtrek dealer fit us in to replace the kitchen sink spicket with a longer hang over kind. It was a $50 improvement. We made arrangements to pick up the part for the door we ordered from Roadtrek in Canada. Coney Island Hotdogs is our favorite spot to eat up here. We walked around Walmart for a while then ...

Mel and Nan had invited us over for breakfast. It was a nice surprize to see Monica and her daughter Kelly. Elyssa and Kelly have grown up to be wonderful young girls. We remember their kindergarten days fondly. Elyssa spending time at the puzzle center quickly putting pieces into the correct spots and coloring lots of great pictures for her teacher. Kathy still has Kelly's pictures too! Today Elyssa has started high school and will be appearing on Fox Chapel TV; Kelly finishes Dorseyville Middle school this year and still loves soccer and basketball. Nan made yummy waffles for breakfast. We sat together around the table with little Truffles, Elyssa puppy, jumping up for attention. Abbey has grown up too; she is now in first grade. It was fun to hear the lates news of freinds, school life and mutual aquaintences. We were treated to a video that was shown for Elyssa's bat mitzva. It blended photographs from birth to present, of family and friends and good times; it was put to ...

We had a fairwell and happy birthday get together over at Carmine's Sunday September 3, 2006. The house was filled with happy faces! Brian and his girlfriend, Jill, her three children: Sky, Destiny and Westly, Jill and her boyfriend, Rick, his two children:Drew and Jenna, Robert and Carmine, Will and Kathy, Jayne, and Cliff and Maria enjoyed snacks (Thanks Ria.), hotdogs on the grill, potato salad (Great job, Robert!), and birthday cake. (Thanks Jayne.) It was fun having children in the mix. Happy early Birthday, Carmine! Happy 21st Birthday, Jessica!

Being a Steeler fan means so much more than football. It means being from a corner of the world unlike any other. It means being from a place where the people are so tough-minded that they have survived the Homestead strikes, the Johnstown flood and most recently the Etna Floods. These people have the DNA of hard work, in mills and mines, without the necessity of complaint. They live simply, with no frills. They don't have movie stars or fancy cars. Instead, they have simple traditions like kielbasa and Kennywood. They live in distinctive neighborhoods like Polish Hill and the Hill District and all of the surrounding counties. These people are genuine. They don't have chic internet cafes and cappuccinos, but they have The Original Hot Dog joint, Eat n' Park and Iron City Beer. People from Pittsburgh don't have sunny beaches or fancy boats, but the rivers roll gently, connecting the small towns of people whose histories have been built on strength and humility. People fr...

Jen and Troy are now home owners. We presented them with a housewarming gift, a butterfly from Phipps in Pittsburgh. It symbolizes change and freedom both feeling we know they are experiences as they take the step toward having their own place. We arrived in the South Hills about ten to help with packing the truck. Jen and Troy are moving their things from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia where they are proud new home owners. Will has lots of experience packing trucks! After getting all of the items from Jen's Mom's we did a lunch break at The Warehouse then added all the items from Troy's Mom's into the truck. The truck was packed tight ready for the drive east before the day was done. More pictures in the Photo Gallery