Your Plane Is In The Hangar

Yesterday the flight from Harrisburg, PA to Chicago, IL went off without a hitch. I checked my roller bag at the door of the plane and put my back pack in the overhead bin leaving me with plenty of leg room. I finished my book on my phone and could not download anymore while in the air so I just looked out the window at Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. Once in Chicago it was a mile hike to the next gate but that went fine. We were supposed to board the plane at 8:10 p.m. but there was no plane to board. At 8:15 a plane was towed to our gate only to be towed away to another gate. We waited. I stook and waited because I don't like to sit so long. This morning my daughter-in-law gave me a 30 minute lesson on how to do full range of motion on all my joints and I was feeling pretty good as far as my joints went. At 8:45 I ate an orange because I was bored. We were told that our plane was coming from a hangar. So we weren't waiting for a plane to unload and be cleaned. We were waiting for a plane to be towed to us from a plane garage. That knowledge wasn't so helpful. A little bit after 9 a plane was towed to our gate. Even the two pilots and one flight attendant were happy to see it arrive. I checked my roller bag at the door of the plane and put my backpack in the overhead bin. The plane was entirely full with the exception of one empty seat - the empty seat next to my seat. Score! My book I downloaded at the airport wouldn't show on my phone so I stared out the window. This is a picture of Chicago with Lake Michigan across the top. We flew along Lake Michigan to Green Bay and then headed across the beautiful state of Wisconsin. I ate a free bag of pretzels. I read an article about airplane travel affecting your sense of taste. The air in the airplane is so dry that you can't taste many foods. The air is part of the reason airline food tastes so bland. The article recommended eating and drinking savory foods. I don't usually drink tomato juice but I always get it on a flight. I used Google maps to watch the plane progress over streets and streams. I know I shouldn't do that but it was fun to watch my speedy progress. We arrived in Duluth before 11 p.m. All four of the landings I had on this short trip were excellent. I experienced no bouncing or skipping. Are pilots more talented or are they using artificial intelligence to do the landing? I really don't know.  I got my bag and rolled out of there. I went across the street, past the parking ramp to the open lot near the exit. I had parked my car on top of a pile of snow and now my car was lowered to the pavement. I paid $52 to leave. As I left the airport road I came across a huge puddle in the road. I watched the car in front of me make a huge splash so I drove around the puddle. I was home in 10 minutes.

 

I Saw My House From Above

My flight left the James Oberstar airport at 11:30 this morning. I watched spellbound out the window as the plane followed Chester Creek down to the shore. I could actually see my house from the sky!

 

Fall

 Let's think about fall. Not the sudden downward movement of someone or something that has lost balance. I am thinking about the season between the end of summer and the beginning of winter. 2021 feels like the longest fall season of my life. I left my home just a week after peak fall color. I experienced peak fall colors in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts. Now here it is nearly mid-November and Rhode Island is still pretty. Fall colors are somewhat muted by the sea but some maples and oaks are gorgeous. Yesterday we drove north for an hour and a half. Although the beech and birch trees were bare, that left more room for the oaks to show off their bronze, gold, orange and scarlet colors. The grass is still green and lush. Leaves fell as we walked through the town of Sturbridge. When I was a child I enjoyed running up and down our road trying to land each foot on a leaf. My hips hurt just thinking about all the jumping I did. I tried to catch some Massachusetts leaves in my hand as they fell. Some leaves were huge. I carried one maple leaf because it was pretty and large enough for me to wear as a hat. One lady who was watching the firing of the cannon-ball cannon with us remarked on the beauty of my leaf. Spring is my favorite season but fall is also nice. At the beach sand fleas bite my legs if I am bare legged but I prefer sand fleas over deer ticks.

Street Name In Kalamazoo

 As I have been driving north and south between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, I noticed something about the street names for the exits on Highway 94. First there was Dickman Street. Next was Lover's Lane. After that came Romance. Each time I drove by these exits the names got funnier and funnier to me. By the last time I drove by in the middle of the night or early the next morning depending on the time change I was roaring with laughter. I get the giggles when I am anxious. Street names are important to me. I really don't like numbered streets or lettered streets. Fifth avenue is fine but once you get to 116th or 164th the name of the street just doesn't appeal to me. In fact, I refuse to live on a numbered street anymore unless the number is under 6. County Road E is fine but when I was returning from Necedah to Humbird, Wisconsin I had to take County Road HH and County Road O which I remembered by thinking of HOH (water). Just think how grand it would be when someone asked for your address and you replied, "Oh, I live on Lover's Lane." 

Play A Kazoo At The Zoo In Kalamazoo?

Although my plan was to explore Kalamazoo, I was so angry at getting lost I went to Battle Creek instead. This makes sense because I went to Frank B. Kellogg high school. A nice man at the Dollar Store drew a great map toward downtown where I could buy a map. I once bought a road atlas at a dollar store but I can't find it now. The Michigan rest stop was fresh out of state maps. I parked across the street from the Battle Creek police station and asked for directions. A very nice female officer pointed the way. I had to walk 3 blocks and look for the blue roof on the Chamber of Commerce building. My problem is my memory. I remembered red roof because I saw so many red roof inns driving around last night. Then I realized I forgot my phone in my car so I had to walk back and get it. I was so smart to park by the police station! Except the police station is right next to the courthouse where the criminals and home less people hang out. "Who carries cash these days?" I lied. This picture shows a lion rising out of somebody's chest.

I went to the free museum because the chamber of commerce lady said I should. I loved it! Aw shucks, this girl looks  just like grandgirl #2!!!!!

I got a cup of decaf coffee with macadamia nut milk because I was still tired. I read an article about how only humans drink milk after being weaned and maybe this isn't good. I don't drink much milk but I grew up drinking milk. Yogurts and cheese and sour cream should still be good though. Whole milk is supposed to be healthier than skim. Then I bought a bowl of delicious lentil soup at the Veggie Café. The chef who made the soup said I should go next door and see the Lincoln Project. OMG! Look at Abe here made entirely of pennies! He is so shiny! Is it wrong to use United States currency as art? What would Honest Abe say about this? Actually I would like to get his opinion on many topics, wouldn't you? On my way back I got lost again but enjoyed the drive through fields of cabbage and blueberry bushes. Lower Michigan is sooooo pretty considering how flat it is. I bought some small apples and a pint of whole milk at a farm stand. Honestly, I bought a small cherry cheesecake pie and got my steering wheel all sticky with sugar. My motto is moderation in all things even abstinence and obstinance. I have been so lucky with great weather too!

 

Time To Buy A Map!

Although it feels like last week I woke up early in Humbird, Wisconsin yesterday and floated to Michigan. I was a little tired at 6:45 a.m. but a close call with a buck in the first five minutes of my drive woke me right up!!! I arrived in Milwaukee early and got in line for the ferry. I went to the upper deck with my giant sunhat and as soon as the high speed ferry left the dock my hat blew off and the chin strap tried to strangle me. My pen flew across the deck and the guy next to me threw his sunglasses at me. So I went inside. In only one hour we were halfway across. I asked a passenger for the Wi-Fi password. She said there was no free Wi-Fi. A female mate on the ferry called me and whispered "Sturgeon with a capital S." I moved my fingers over my mask to indicate I locked the door and threw away the key. And then I went and told someone else. I had so much fun on the boat meeting all kinds of interesting people. One guy worked for Trek bikes. He was heading to a convention where Colin Powell was supposed to speak. Some controversy was starting over his appearance. Then I read that Colin Powell died! Wow.

I decided this acorn will be that mascot of this trip to the east.

One fellow suggested I go to Grand Haven for lunch. I fired up my camp stove and warmed up this soup I had frozen. Tomato soup with kale and serrano peppers hit the spot after the boat ride.

The Michigan side of this great lake reminds me of the southern shore of Lake Superior near Superior Wisconsin. Look at the size of that dune! See the tiny person walking up?

I thought I would be to my hotel before the sunset. I was very, very, very wrong. I am not going to even tell you how late I got to my hotel in Kalamazoo. Two male employees of the hotel had me running my yellow car up and down the highway at 70 miles per hour between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, Michigan so many times. I drove an extra 100 to 150 miles because of these two men. I really miss my former coworker at work who would give me directions over the phone when I got lost at work. She was great! Today I went to Battle Creek and bought a postcard of Tony the Tiger and I will mail it to her because she said I can still call her when I am lost even though I am retired.

 

In The Market For A New Backpack

I bought this Swiss Gear back pack in 2006. This bag has been to Kenya, Seattle, San Diego, Connecticut, Sicily, Italy, Greece, Georgia, Germany, Japan, Ecuador, Michigan, Montana, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Poland, Texas, Tasmania, New Mexico, North Dakota, Finland, Florida, Alabama, Amsterdam, Australia and Alaska. I didn't take it to Isle Royale. I bought a special backpack for Isle Royale and a strap on that new backpack broke on the second day of the trip.

But my back pack is wearing out.  You can see the fabric is starting to tear. That round hole at the top was the new thing in 2006 because you could thread your ear buds and listen to music playing inside your bag. I never did thread my ear buds through there but I could have.

I kept my cell phone in that tiny pocket on the strap! That was a cellphone where you had to press the 7 key four times to get the letter s.

The strap on the left partially melted when I rode my motorcycle to work. I must have hit the muffler with it before I got saddle bags. Sometimes that strap would whip my thighs in the wind and boy, howdy, that hurt. I am in the market for a  new backpack now. I hope the new one lasts 15 years like this one did. So long Swiss Gear back pack. Thanks for carrying all my stuff. You were real comfy.

 

Last Day In The U.P.

On our last day in Michigan we drove to various spots on the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore to see the sights. This is Log Slide and it is located on Log Slide Road east of Grand Marais, Michigan.

The storm that brought rain and thunder last night was still blowing this morning. The waves were amazing.

We walked to Sable Falls which was 168 steps down and 168 back up again.

 

We woke up on our last day in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to cold, rainy, and blustery weather. I wore socks, two pairs of pants, and my fleece jacket to bed inside my sleeping bag and my shins and feet were cold. Neither one of us wanted to go out in the rain to make coffee. Finally Offspring #2 made coffee so I felt obligated to make the oatmeal. It was still raining when we left about 10 a.m. to go to Grand Marais, Michigan. Look at me all matchy matchy in an ancient yellow rain suit sewn by my mother-in-law about 30 years ago and yellow umbrella. Although we had to go ten or fifteen miles out of our way we found a paved road out of Muskallonge State Park. We were so happy to avoid the bone-jarring gravel roads.

The wind was blowing gusts up to 30 miles per hour in the morning. We parked by the beach and the sand blew into our eyes. Serious agate hunters disregarded the wind and waves while they searched for treasures washed up by the storm. We stopped for coffee and drove around town for a while. The rain stopped around noon so we walked a short path to miner's rock (as seen in the photo above).

Doesn't Sasquatch look surprised to see a fox hound under his hand? We decided to splurge and have lunch in town. Only one place was open and it was super busy because all the campers wanted to get out of the elements. We ate outside on the patio. The pizza was delicious! I liked the upper peninsula of Michigan but it was one of those places like Wyoming. You had better buy gas when you got the chance because you might not see another gas station for a couple of hours. Cell service was rare. Unlike camping near Hayward we had absolutely no mosquitoes, deer flies nor horse flies. The campsites near Black Lake State Park in Hayward were secluded and private. The campsites at Muskallonge State Park in Michigan were packed closely together, few trees, and no privacy. Most of the campers had off road vehicles or dirt bikes to play with. I was really grateful we came here. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore was on my destination list ever since I heard about it 15 years ago.

Pictured Rocks Cruise

 

Here we are on our cruise. The beauty of the pictured rocks is breathtaking. Our campsite was 30 miles east of Munising so we didn't cruise as far as where we stayed. We cruised from Munising east. When we got the the beginning of 12 mile beach we turned around and cruised back again.

The cliffs are made of sandstone. Some of the sandstone is softer which is how the caves and arches are formed at the water line from the action of the waves. The wind was fairly calm on our cruise. We had two foot waves. The next day the wind was blowing all the way across the lake from the Duluth area toward us and the waves were 20 feet high! I was glad we went cruising on this day instead of the next.

The sandstone is beige in color. Mineral deposits add the color. Iron deposits made yellow, orange, red and purple splotches. Copper deposits make blue and green splotches. Manganese makes black splotches. Limonite makes white splotches. Gulls also make white splotches.

Look at the cool arch. A boat ride is essential to appreciating the beauty of this place.

I could not stop taking pictures.

Michigan is beautiful as long as you are not driving on gravel roads. The gravel roads were the worst I have ever driven on. Even driving at 12 mph the road was so bumpy my teeth felt loose. I couldn't even talk without the bumpy ride affecting my voice is a funny way.

I really enjoyed our cruise. The $40 cost was well worth it. See this pine set on a rock? It is a great example of resilience. The land on both sides of it fell away. The only way the pine gets sustenance is through it's roots which have formed a bridge to the left of the rock and burrows into the land. Nutrients carry across the root bridge and feed the tree.

At one point toward the middle of our trip our captain took the boat into a narrow cove. I kept thinking he's going to put the engine in reverse now but he didn't. He got so deep into the cove one of the assistants, standing on the prow of the boat, lifted his muscular (he was wearing shorts) right leg and pushed his foot off the rock face. Wow. We just idled there for a few minutes soaking in the experience. The water was only six feet deep and was a tropical blue green color like you see is Hawaii or the Bahamas. What a moment!

This is a picture inside the narrow cove. Everybody on the boat was impressed.

We were so close to the walls.

You can see some copper deposits here about half way down the cliff.

The water looks tropical.

Gorgeous natural beauty!

Camping!

We just got back from a 1900 mile camping trip which was a ton of fun. Our first night was at Black Lake National Forest campground near Hayward, Wisconsin. Although the wind was blowing 20 plus miles per hour the mosquitoes, horse flies and deer flies bothered us. It was so windy (and the sky was clear plus it was hot) we decided not to put the rain tarp on the tent. We regretted that decision at 2 a.m. when rain began to fall and we tried to put the tarp on in the dark.

We had a nice private campsite right on the lake shore were at least fifty green frogs sang us a chorus all night long. In the morning we made hash browns, fake bacon and coffee before heading out to the upper peninsula of Michigan. We had a longer driver than we thought it would be. We arrived at Muskallonge State Park around six in the evening.

The next day we drove west to Munising, Michigan to take our boat tour of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Here is a picture of a dock. In a distance a large boat of offloading something black, perhaps coal?

Two boats were leaving for the 1 p.m. cruise. This is the boat we didn't take which was larger and faster than our boat. Our boat had only two decks. In the end we were glad we took the smaller boat. The boat charter service had boarding facilities for dogs so we brought Clover into the kennel room. She wasn't  happy about staying in the kennel but she did very well in there. We picked her up two and a half hours later and she was fine.

This is our view from the lower level of the boat. The upper/outdoor level was completely full by the time we boarded. Just wait until you see the pictures! Pictured Rocks rocks!