6/24 Mackinaw City & Wilderness State Park, MI

Unless you have traveled to Michigan, you may not have heard of Mackinaw City.  It is the top-most city on the northern tip of Michigan's lower "mitt."  It is a pretty small village and extremely empty during the winter, but it comes alive in late spring with tourists heading across the "Big Mac" bridge to the Upper Peninsula or to Mackinac Island.

(Note that the city is spelled with a "W" at the end and the island is spelled with a "c" at the end.  This is because the English settled in the city and the French settled on the island.  Both places were fur trading locations and stopping places for hundreds of years for Native Americans.  Both places are pronounced "aw" at the end.)

About ten miles west of the village and along Lake Michigan, you will find Wilderness State Park, which is where I am staying for three days. 

This is the new, full hookup area.  No room for me there, so I drove up the hill to another area. 

No lake view up here, but it was open and breezy to keep mosquitoes at bay, and I got some satellite TV.  

 

A quick view of Lake Michigan.  Note the lack of a beach.  Water levels on the Great Lakes at record high levels, so hardly any beaches anywhere on any of the lakes. 

I had expected it to rain all day today, but around noon, it started to clear up, so I packed everything up and headed into Mackinaw City to get some fudge.  First stop was the parking area just under the bridge, which is part of Fort Michilimackinac State Park.  I knew from past trips up here that there was excellent RV parking in the fort's parking lot next to the bridge, so I stopped here.

The fort is a reconstruction, but I like the Michigan products sold at the visitor's center, so I headed over there to look around.  Did not buy anything, but I like how it is tucked under the bridge. 

This is the pretty little park next to the bridge.  Always a pleasant place.

This is the Big Mac bridge.  It was completed in 1957 to tie Michigan's lower and upper peninsulas together at what is known as the Straits of Mackinac.  Previously, you had to wait in hours' long lines to take a car ferry across the straits.  From shore to shore, the bridge is five miles long and very scary to drive in high winds. 

A couple of photos of some of the exhibits.  There are more in the fort, but it was closed.

One thing I really miss in my travels are lilacs.  Found this bush in full bloom in the middle of a roadway.

This is the very pleasant village of Mackinaw City.  About half of the stores and restaurants were closed, but it was nice anyway.

There are several large ferry companies in Mackinaw City and in St. Ignas on the other end of the bridge.  They take visitors to Mackinac Island for day trips or for longer stays at hotels and bed and breakfasts.

Ah, my favorite fudge place!!

And a few of the choices of fudge flavors.

I got a slice of double dark pecan, double dark chocolate, and double dark cherry and pecan. 

If the weather is OK, I may go to the Island tomorrow. 

6/5 Camping on the Ohio Turnpike

It is hard to believe, but the Ohio Turnpike is one of the few freeways in the U.S. that has parking areas for RVs that are equipped with electric hookups for each RV, and dump stations and water fill stations available.  They are located on both sides of the turnpike and at about every other service area.  Cost is $20 cash, and you must have the right change.  Credit cards are NOT accepted!

The neat thing is that if you are traveling and don't want to get off the turnpike to search for a site, this is very convenient.  However, you cannot stay more than one night and have to be off the turnpike within 24 hours after you entered it. 

Here is a map of the Blue Heron Service Plaza southeast of Toledo.  The RV overnight lot is in the upper far right.  Next to it is the employee lot. 

This lot has all pull-through spots.  They are wide, but lengthwise will fit only a 35' long rig.  If you have a tow vehicle, you will have to unhook and park it next to you.

Just another view.  You can see the food court in the distance. 

This is the drinking water fill.  You need to attach your own hose and try not to spray water all over yourself since the faucet is one of the 100% on or 100% off versions.

This is the sewer dump station.  Just the usual sewer connection and a rinse hose.  

 

 This is a photo of one of the other RV areas, except this one is back-in, which would make it less convenient for trailers being towed or motorhomes towing a car.

5/24 Cedar Point by Boat

No, unfortunately Cedar Point Amusement Park is not open, but I am in finally in Ohio visiting my younger son and his family, so he took me for a boat ride today.  The only part of the park open is the marina, so it was nice to ride past it and at least see some life there. 

This first photo is of the park from Sandusky Bay. 

Lots of roller coasters, but nothing moving.  

And the view from the marina.  The marina was the only place where there was any activity.  In the background is the Power Tower, 

Good photo of a very quiet Magnum Force Roller Coaster.  

Having trouble identifying the rest of these. 

Leaving the marina and Cedar Point.  

By the way, because Lake Erie water level is so high, there is water lapping up on the parking lot.  Hopefully, it will be lower by the time the park opens this fall or next spring.

5/3 Coronavirus Musings

Nothing else to write about, so I have decided to share some of my Covid-19 musings and concerns.

First, there are some real advantages in living as I do, alone and in a motorhome full-time.  The biggest is that I do live alone and so am not exposed to a lot of other people as I might in a condo or apartment complex.  I have been shopping for groceries once and week and that has been about it.

Also, I can move away from an uncomfortable spot.  While I was evicted from the Florida State Parks I had reservations at, there are still lots of commercial campgrounds open.  However, since I am very picky about where I stay, it has not been easy.  I was lucky in that George state park campgrounds are still open, and I was able to stay there for more than a week.

I stayed a month in two commercial campgrounds in northern Florida, although one of the two had a lot of kids and families who were not taking the social distancing rules seriously.  The second one had mostly couples who were snowbird refuges, just like me, waiting for it to warm up and get less dangerous up north.  The reason I chose northern Florida, however, was that it had very few virus cases and almost no deaths.  One county had only two cases and the other had 8 when I left after two weeks.  The county where the Georgia state park was located was also rural and had less than 10 cases.  (I just checked, and it now has 17 cases, but that is not bad compared to most other places.)

The disadvantages are also many.  The big one for me is that I have little extra storage space, especially for groceries.  My refrigerator and freezer have a total of 8.5 cubic feet of storage, so stuffing in an extra half gallon of milk is impossible.  I am afraid I will need groceries if I get sick, so my freezer and my refrigerator have been spitting packages out every time I open one of the doors.  My choices for a meal are limited to what takes up the most room or has the least shelf life.

Another big issue is my lack of ability to get mail delivery. And even if I could, staying 7-14 days in one place means someone has to send me something early enough so that I will still be here to receive it.  And I am not going to be back in Ohio at my son's house until May 22.  My big need right now are some face masks.  I cannot make them easily, and while a couple of people could send them to me, i can't get them until May 22.  I can't buy them in stores, although I did buy a nylon headscarf, but it keeps falling off and is really not right.  I am really getting frustrated, so am going to call around to medical supply places or drugstores tomorrow to see if I can get some disposable ones.

Also, it is hard to get things fixed without someone coming into my home on wheels, which I really do not want to permit.  I did get a new water pump for my motorhome about five weeks ago because Camping World agreed to install it in their parking lot.  But, a month ago, my toilet was causing me problems, and it is really hard to do without a toilet, so I had to have a mobile RV repairman and his daughter come inside to fix it.  And, yes, it was actually the 16-year-old daughter-in-training who fixed my toilet!  I used Chlorox wipes on all surfaces after they left, even on the bathroom and hallway walls.

Right now, my porch light has been burned out for the past three weeks.  I got a replacement, but the Camping World in Georgia wanted to drive my vehicle into the shop to replace it, so I said no thanks, and left with just the porch light.  It's not an emergency, so I will have to wait until I get to Ohio to get it installed. It would be nice to have an outside light, however.

Another problem, is that I have somehow lost one of my two mobile hotspots.  I have searched everywhere, but none of the Verizon stores within 250 miles have any in stock, and they are on backorder, so I am making do with fewer gigs of service, again until I can get one sent to me in Ohio.

I cannot to back to Ohio right away, by the way, because there state parks do not open there until May 17, and I cannot stay legally in my son's driveway because of subdivision regulations.  It's also a little chilly there right now, so am just hanging around Tennessee for the next couple of weeks.

Luckily, I have not been affected financially because of the coronavirus.  I have my social security and have been teaching college classes online for the past 17 years, so I can still do that just as I have been doing it.  And I am still healthy and in much better condition than a lot of people my age, so I am very thankful for that. 

4/24 Reed Bingham State Park, Adel, GA

This campground was highly recommended to me, even after I had made reservations several months ago.  My plans then were to leave my Florida state parks in the Panhandle and head northeast to the Blue Ridge Parkway.   Unfortunately, the corona virus shut down not only the state parks in the Florida Panhandle, but also the visitor centers and campgrounds in the parkway.  However, since Georgia had kept it state park campgrounds open, and I had found out that the rates of virus cases in this park of Georgia were very low, I decided to head hear on my slow trip back to Ohio and Michigan.

It turned out to be a pretty nice place, with sites well-spread apart and mostly empty campsites except for the weekend.  I had chosen a site, as usual, that was open so I could get good satellite service.  I absolutely have to have Verizon cell service so I can get internet access, but I really do like to have my TV service!

Weather for the first few days was nice, with highs in the low 80s and lots of sun.

As with most state parks, this one did have a lake, which I really don't care about as much as I care about having internet access and TV, but here it is--typical inland lake. 

Nice little fishing pier.  

What was interesting was the type of dam.  It was not a high dam, but it had a cement rim of sorts where the water was constantly flowing down to the river in the upper left of this photo.  Height of distance from top of dam to river was about 8'.

However, one day this past week, it rained hard all day, for a total of 3" within about 8 hours.  So, when I went to look at the dam two days later, there was hardly any dam showing.  The water was flowing over so heavily and the river so full on the other side, that the height of the dam was only about a foot higher than the river!  I noticed a lot of flooding in fields as I drove out of the area. 

So, next stop is Tennessee!  I have reservations in two campgrounds there for a week each--one on the Tennessee River near Lenoir City and the other in Jellico at the northern border of the state. 

4/11 Strawberry Fields for RVers

As everyone else is, I have been bored for the last few weeks, but I have been catching up on minor repairs and cleaning chores.  Not being able to sightsee or drive has given me a lot more extra time.

After a bad experience in another campground, I have been in a very nice place for the past week.  The problems with the last campground were a dusty road behind my campsite, dirt/gravel campsites that produced even more dust, a lot of families around with constant golf carts driving around, and a lot of people not obeying distancing rules for coronavirus.  Part of the problem is that I was put in a long-term spot near the laundry room, which was close to all the activity.

This campground had a pool and in contrast to a lot of campgrounds right now, it was open and packed with kids and families.  In addition, there were a lot of people sitting close together around the pool and kids playing games under the open-sided activity building.  In addition, there was a parade of two golf carts, covered with Trump stickers and a person holding a sign saying that the virus was a hoax!  Did not make me comfortable about the safety of being around these other campers.  Lesson learned is to stay away from campgrounds with pools or beaches and a lot of activities.

Anyway, I found this much nicer and brand-new campground about 50 miles south, but still in northern Florida.  (So far, only 6 coronavirus cases in this very rural county!)  It is run by a young couple with two small children and has all pull-through sites with full hookups for about $7 per night cheaper than the one with the pool.  This place will have a pool, but they have just finished constructing the second of four phases.  It will be a really big place when finished!

It is also within walking distance of an ACE hardware and a small grocery store.  Town is about a mile long and has a Walgreen Drugs, Walmart Superstore, and a McDonalds.  Can't beat that for a small rural town!

All of the campground roads and camping sites are paved.  Sites are also large and fairly well spread apart.  Grass is a little sparse, but they went around today raking to get the ground ready for more seed.  It is expected to rain most of next week, which will help it grow.

I have been to a lot of campground laundry facilities, and for the most part, they are basic and not entirely clean.  This one is spotless and it is obvious that someone has taken a lot of time to decorate it. 

Love the paint scheme and the use of laundry product containers as decoration!  Also a choice of top-loading (left) or front-loading (right) washers.  Also nice to have a sink with paper towels and an iron and ironing board available.

This is the bathroom building, right next to the laundry room.  Cute design on the outside also!

Instead of large men and women rooms, this place has six individual bathrooms, three on each side.  There are coded locks so people cannot wander in from the outside. 

Does this not look homey??  Not at all like a public bath and shower room you get at most campsites.  And the floor is wood-like linoleum instead of the usual concrete.  

Also note that there is paper towel available and TWO electric receptacles!  You might get toilet paper in a campground restroom, but almost never paper towel and soap. 

Here is what the rest of the campground looks like.  Instead of families taking a weekend or so at a pool, this place is filled with people like me--full-timers or long-timers who got stuck because of the virus shutdown. 

The next few photos are of the newer area.  The two rows on the right were finished in a hurry this winter because the area constructed in the early fall got full.  To the left is the area that they just put in the asphalt and utilities.  

This area to the left just got grass seed planted this past week.  It also can use rain since there is no sprinkler system installed.

Lots of new "strawberry field" RV sites for next year.