7/25 Michigan Update: Sterling State Park, Frankenmuth, and Traverse City

Yes, I have been terribly lazy lately, but much of my two weeks in Michigan in July were taken up with visiting relatives and friends, and most importantly, taking care of some frustrating, but important, motorhome repairs.  

• The first major problem was that I had been noticing that the motorhome radiator hose that was replaced in February in Phoenix and repaired in Colorado, was still leaking, but much more slowly than previously.  Getting mechanical work done on the engine of a motorhome is not easy because regular car and truck repair places don't have the facilities to work on what is actually a medium-duty gas truck.  Nor do the big diesel truck places want to deal with a motorhome.  I finally found a Ford dealer in Traverse City that had just opened a new commercial truck facility, and was able to get them to look at  it.  Since it was a Ford part, it was covered under a warranty, so no charge.  Only problem was they had to order the part, so this took a couple of days.  Made an appointment for a Friday to get it put on.
  
• The second major problem was that my water heater quit on me, and resulted in my having to take showers by heating water up on my stove and pouring it over me in the shower.  Not much fun.  
• I managed to get that fixed in Traverse City, but as soon as I did, my water pump quit, so that I had hot water but no way to get it from the tank to my shower!  This happened on a Wednesday, so I made an appointment for Friday, which is amazing considering how busy RV service places are this time of year.  (Note this appointment was for the afternoon of the same Friday that I was scheduled to get radiator hose put on.)
  
• The radiator hose was replaced on time on Friday, and I drove off, except I made it only 5 miles before the radiator hose came apart and blew fluid everywhere, causing the engine to overheat and smoke.  I called dealer and they sent technician who admitted he had realized he had put it on backwards!!  So he brought another hose and put it on, but by this time, I missed my water pump repair appointment time.  
• Spent the weekend at two full-hookup sites where I could hook to city water and take nice, hot showers and do dishes!!  Yea.  (Finally got new pump on Monday, and got out of town fast, before something else broke!)
  

 Anyway, here are some of the places I stopped on my way from Ohio to northern Michigan:

First stop for a few days, was Sterling State Park.  This is a place I often stay at while visiting friends and visiting places in the Detroit area as it is the closest state park to the city.  I was here on a weekend, so it was very busy, but I like to choose a spot with a view of Lake Erie. 

 

 

Next, I headed north to the small town of Frankenmuth to stop at one of my favorite bakeries at the famous chicken dinner place there--Zhender's.  Unfortunately, it was very busy and the bakery counters were mostly empty.  I need to get there earlier next time!!

Next stop, was Traverse City to visit my niece, but i have been there many times and did not take photos of the city.  Last time I was here, I stayed at the state park, but it was horribly crowded and the place needs some serious updating because of small spots, unpaved sites, and just being too difficult to get into and out of.  

This time, I decided to try the camping area at the nearby Northern Michigan Fairgrounds.  It is a pretty basic place, but it has water and electric at a lot of the spots and was pretty empty. I met some nice  people there and felt very comfortable and safe there.   And because it is not very close to the highway, it was extremely quiet. 

Had a good visit with my niece and stopped at one of the cherry shops and bought some cherry barbecue sauce, which I really like.   

Next stop was Mackinaw City.