July 29, 2008 - DeForest, WI

Don't forget to check out our itinerary at: 

 

 Bounder Across America Itinerary 

 

Hello all. OK... we know we're a little bit behind on our blog. The truth is, we've been quite busy enjoying time with friends in the Madison, WI area. But during the next few days we will again be on the road; and for the first time since starting our Bounder Across America Tour, we are traveling into areas where we are actually just doing sightseeing - no friends or relations to visit. So we hope to have some time to update the blog about our Milwaukee, WI and Madison, WI segments of the trip. Stop by again in a few days and check us out. We promise to have more blog - and of course, more of Donna's photos. 'Til then - take care.

Donna & Glen

July 21, 2008 - West Bend, WI

Don't forget to check out our itinerary at:

Bounder Across America Itinerary

We're back in Wisconsin, our home state; and we're near Milwaukee, where we were both born and raised. We're here to visit Glen's brother Dale and his partner, Cheryl and Glen's sister Kathleen and her husband Alan. And of course, we'll also be seeing the extended family of nieces and nephews and their children.

But before we get carried away reminiscing about the Milwaukee area... and family - let's cover the previous week.

We arrived in Apple Valley, MN on Thursday, July 10th, after driving down from Hinckley where we'd had a couple of pleasant days for rest and recuperation. Hinckley boasts a beautiful casino and resort, and the stay there was just what the doctor ordered. We even had a bit of luck at the casino, and left Hinckley with a few more dollars than we arrived with.

The Twin Cites area was home for us during the early nineties when Glen worked for Northwest Airlines; and our son David stayed there when we moved back to Wisconsin to open our bed & breakfast. So we were excited to visit Dave and his girlfriend Jenni, as well as some good friends in the Twin Cities.

No sooner had we arrived at Lebanon Hills campground (a nice park operated by Dakota county) when we received our first visitor. Our friend Donna, who worked with Glen at Northwest, stopped by on her way home from work to welcome us back. After a short visit she headed out, and a few minutes later David and Jenni arrived for some hamburgers on our grill. We made it a short night because we were tired after the drive, and because we needed to rest up for the week ahead, that Dave and Jenni had planned for us.

Around noon on Friday we arrived at Dave and Jenni's new townhouse. David was working, but Jenni drove us into Minneapolis for an afternoon of music at Orchestra Hall. Multiple outdoor venues were operating, with a variety of music styles to choose from. All was free of charge, and after sampling various musical options, Donna and Glen both agreed that the mandolin quartet was our favorite. At the end of a pleasant afternoon we packed up and headed back to the townhouse, where David had already arrived home from work and Jenni's sister Karissa had stopped over for a visit. Dave & Jenni prepared a nice dinner for us, and later in the evening Jenni's parents, Marc and Debbie, arrived from Racine, WI. This was our first opportunity to meet Jenni's family, and within a few minutes, they all felt just like family.

Saturday morning we returned to the townhouse for a light breakfast... and a surprise that Dave & Jenni had told us they'd planned. We drove to Stillwater, MN and boarded an old-time paddle-wheel steamboat for a leisurely brunch along the St. Croix River. The day couldn't have been more beautiful, and both families enjoyed the opportunity to get to know each other in such a pleasant environment. After the boat trip we all walked the streets of Stillwater - looking for bargains before returning to the townhouse to freshen up and head out to Eagan, MN where our friend Donna (who coincidentally is also Jenni's second cousin) had invited everyone over for dinner. It was a great time and a great meal. It was also great to see Donna's husband Dan and daughter Anna, who we haven't seen for a few years.

Sunday was another full day. We started out by moving the motorhome from Lebanon Hills in Apple Valley to Dakotah Meadows in Prior Lake, MN. We had wanted to stay the whole week at Dakotah Meadows, but when we tried to make reservations months ago, the park was already filled for our first weekend in Minnesota. After getting everything set up, we then headed to Como Park Zoo in St. Paul, with the intention of meeting up with the rest of the family. A lesson learned: If you want to go to Como Zoo on a beautiful day in the middle of Summer - it's best to arrive early. After driving around for nearly an hour, looking for a place to park, we gave up and decided to meet everyone later in the day. We were all invited for a barbecue with Jenni's brother Jason's house to meet him and his wife Chastity and their two children, Liam and Bedelia. We had a great time - and enjoyed meeting the rest of the family. The children are beautiful, and Jason and Chastity were warm and gracious host and hostess. On the drive home we decided we just had to stop (it's right on the way - HONEST!!) at Little Six Casino. This was the first Indian casino we ever visited (back in 1991 when we first moved to Minnesota). Like all Indian casinos, Little Six has prospered. Our first experience was in a set of double-wide mobile homes. Today the casino looks like it was transplanted from Las Vegas.

Monday we again drove to the northern edge of the Twin Cities to meet friends Brian and Kip - who have been our neighbors during our Gulf Shores, AL winters the past couple of years. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch, and then stopped at Trader Joe's with Brian & Kip to stock up on their fine coffee and 'all-natural' peanut butter. After returning to Brian & Kip's house for coffee and dessert, we pointed the car south - just in time to beat the afternoon rush. Jenni & Dave, and Jenni's mom Debbie then joined us for dinner at Mystic Lake's Minnehaha Cafe. (Mystic Lake is a huge recreation complex that includes several hotels, restaurants and casinos, as well as a world class golf course and the Dakotah Meadows RV resort where we were staying with the motorhome.)

Tuesday morning we took a drive out to the far southern suburbs of the Twin Cities, where we lived for four years in the early 90s. We needed new tires for the tow dolly that is pulled behind the Bounder with our Escape on board; and Fleet Farm in Lakeville seemed the perfect place to buy the replacements. While we were waiting for the tires to be mounted, we drove to see how our old house was faring. Wanting to see more than was visible from the road, we entered the drive, and were soon greeted by the new owner Krista and her son Stevie. After introducing ourselves, we were warmly greeted and received a tour of the yard. It was great to see that the 'English Country Garden' that Donna cultivated - and which Glen, along with our son David, spent a couple of years fencing - was still intact.

That evening we were scheduled for a St. Paul Saints minor league baseball game, and we used the opportunity to arrive in St. Paul a little early (along with David and Jenni... and Jenni's mom Debbie and sister Karissa) and finally got to see a bit of the Como Zoo - as well as the beautiful conservatory and butterfly house. Later, it was only a few minutes drive to Midway Stadium, the home of The Saints. What can we say about The Saints Baseball game? It's probably the most fun we ever had at a baseball game where the home team didn't even score a run. In fact, The Saints had more errors than hits - but no one in the stands seemed to be bothered by that. There is so much going on in the stadium that it feels just a bit more like a circus than baseball. (Perhaps the fact that Bill Murray of Saturday Night fame, and Mike Veeck, son of Bill Veeck, are part owners has something to do with this.) Whatever the reasons, we did a lot of laughing, and everyone agreed that the St. Paul Saints provide great entertainment and bring baseball back to the level of fun and excitement that it had in it's earlier years - before business and money took the game over. Even though this is 'minor league', more than 6300 loyal fans showed up for the game. (That's more than attended some of the regular season games we enjoyed with the White Sox in Chicago when we lived there.)

Wednesday we started the day with a visit to the Minneapolis Farmers Market. After having the opportunity to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables, we then headed to Minnehaha Falls park for a picnic - again along with Jenni, Dave, Karissa and Debbie; and this time we also enjoyed having Jason and Chastity's two little ones, Liam and Bedelia, along with us. David and Jenni packed a great lunch for us, and we enjoyed the companionship as well as the opportunity to view the beautiful falls - a unique attraction in the middle of a major city. Later in the day we met our friend (and Jenni's cousin) Donna, along with her son Nate, and all headed back to the Minnehaha Cafe at Mystic Lake. While we were there we just had to give the machines another go, and happy to say - at least Glen left with more money than he arrived with. We then returned to our motorhome for a round of sad but satisfied good-byes with family, old friends, and new friends.

Thursday we packed up the Bounder and left Dakotah Meadows, on our way to a one-night stopover at Wisconsin Dells, WI - before making our way to West Bend, WI for a week of visiting with yet another branch of the family.

But more of that later. In the mean time, we hope you will enjoy the photos Donna has put together of our time in Minnesota. You can check these out by going to the Picasa link:

MinnesotaJuly, 2009

Until the next time, when we chronicle our time in the Milwaukee area, we hope you've enjoyed coming along on our journey with us, and that you'll leave a comment and let us know you've visited the Bounder Across America blog.

Donna & Glen

July 13, 2008 - Prior Lake, MN

Don't forget to check out our itinerary at: 

 

 Bounder Across America Itinerary

 

We are enjoying a week in Minnesota with friends and family. We'll be updating our blog when we again 'hit the road'... so stop by and check on our progress. And don't forget to say 'Hello' while you're here.

Donna & Glen

July 9, 2008 - Hinckley,MN

Don't forget to check out our itinerary at:

Bounder Across America Itinerary

Well, it's been a while since we've had internet access; so that explains the absence of blog postings for more than a week. Now we're in Hinckley, MN at our first 'RV Resort'. Quite a difference from the 'shaky' operation of most 'campgrounds'... and even RV Parks. Everything is very organized here at the Grand Casino RV Resort! Great sites and great amenities. The casino even provides a 24 hour shuttle that picks up (every fifteen minutes) right at our motorhome. We have a lighted address post with a red flag (just like a mailbox), and if the flag is up, the shuttle stops. We arrived in Hinckley yesterday - a day early. We had only planned a short overnight stop at the local Wal-Mart; but we cut our planned two-day stay in Bayfield down to a day, and decided to opt for a little luxury... but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

We drove from Sault Ste. Marie, MI to Mackinac Island, MI as planned on July 3. The island is only an hour away, and we were anxious to return to Mackinac. As always we took the Shepler's ferry, and the service was great. Drop the car and bags and bikes at the dock, and everything else is automatic; baggage and bikes are loaded on the boat, and the valet parks the car in a secured parking lot. All we needed to do was board!

When we arrived at Mackinac Island and disembarked, we were greeted by Glen, the Windermere Hotel porter. It's been six years since our last visit, but Glen has a great memory, and asked how the B&B was doing. We filled him in on our most recent life changes. Although we were a few hours early for check-in, he informed us our room was ready and that our bags would be waiting there for us. We made the short walk (about a block) to the hotel, and were greeted by Margaret Doud, the proprietress (and also the mayor of Mackinac Island). We were a bit surprised, but she too remembered us. Not sure why everyone was waiting for us, but we were feeling quite welcome for our stay at the island.

Wasting no time, we did a quick 'freshen-up', and then grabbed our bikes for a ride around the island. The trip is pleasant. The round-the-island ride is only 8 1/2 miles, and it's all flat and the road is right next to Lake Huron. The weather was mid-70s, and everything couldn't have been better. Even our traditional stop at The Cannonball at British Landing for a snack and a drink was perfect. There must be new owners, because the food was actually better than remembered.

While taking some island photos, we met Becky - a fellow traveler. She's making nearly the identical trip to our Bounder Across America journey, and doing it in about the same time frame. But one difference. She's doing it in reverse. Becky's a bit more of a bare-bones camper than we are. She's tent camping with only her dog for company. (Her children expect she'll give up and go home early. But after speaking with her - we don't think so!) We wish her luck and a safe journey, and hope she visits our blog to stay in touch.

In the evening we headed to our favorite island restaurant, The Village Inn, for 'planked' whitefish. The fish is baked and served on a hot piece of lumber, surrounded by yummy garlic mashed potatoes (squirted from a pastry chef's tube) and fresh vegetables. Even though the bicycle ride wasn't overly strenuous, we were both tired, and so after a half hour on the Windermere's porch, watching the world pass by, we headed to bed.

On the 4th we headed to Murdick's and Ryba's for some fresh fudge (and to complete the orders we'd received from friends and family), and then enjoyed watching the annual stone-skipping competition and old-fashioned children's games (climb the greased pole, hunt for pennies in the sawdust, sack race, etc.). At 'tea' time we took a horse-drawn cab up to the Grand Hotel, and spent a couple of hours listening to the harpist while enjoying their high-tea service. At around 10pm we followed the crowd going down main street for a 2 block walk to where the fireworks were to be displayed on Lake Huron. From where we sat, we could see not only Mackinac Island's display, but also the fireworks from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City. After another short stay on the porch it was again time for bed.

Saturday we headed back to the mainland, with only a small glitch. Our luggage didn't arrive on the boat with us. After a call back to the Windermere we learned that our delayed luggage would arrive on the next ferry (along with a few items we'd neglected to clear out of the dresser drawer in our room). Then it was back to Sault Ste. Marie... and more Lake Michigan Steamers passing our motorhome as they make their way up and down from the Soo Locks. We never tire from seeing this activity - right outside our window!

Late in the afternoon, Glen was outside making a small repair to the windshield washers on the motorhome when someone called out: "Don't we know you from Gulf Shores?" What a surprise. Our neighbors in Alabama, Red and Eleanor were taking an afternoon stroll in the RV park at Sault Ste. Marie. It seems they've stayed there many times, and our paths just happened to cross. What a small world.

Sunday morning we packed up and headed across Michigan's Upper Peninsula for our stopover at a Wal-Mart in Marquette, MI. What can I say. Whatever else you might think about Wal-Mart, they never fail to make us feel welcome when we need a convenient place to stop for the night. (In this case, the parking lot looked a bit like an RV park when we arrived.) We picked what we thought would be a quiet spot. And it was... until a refrigerated truck parked right next to us (with his refrigerator compressor going to beat the band). We moved across the lot, and had a good night's sleep.

Monday we again headed west, across the state of Michigan, to arrive in Bayfield, WI early in the evening.

The campground in Bayfield (Buffalo Bay Campground) has a wonderful location. It's right on the bay, with the Apostle Islands in full view across the water. But there's a problem. The park can best be described as 'rustic'. (Even though there are full hook-ups, there are a few things lacking. No wi-fi. No cable TV - or broadcast TV, for that matter. And no decorative landscaping. The sites are grassy, and I don't think that a single site in the park is on the level.)

Just a quick aside about the physics of RVs. For a trailer or a 5th wheel, off-kilter sites wouldn't pose much of a problem. But a motorhome is not the same. Trailers are naturally built to act like a lever across the fulcrum of the wheels. It's pretty easy to compensate for a site that's not very level. But a motorhome, with a set of wheels at each end, can only be minimally leveled. The jacks are more for stabilization than for leveling. So the two of us spent the night trying to keep from sliding from the back of the coach to the front. Glen (at his age) needs a few bathroom visits in the middle of the night, and he was afraid that he would lose his footing, and roll from the back of the coach right into the cab!! And every walk from the back of the coach to the front felt nearly aerobic! Well... OK, maybe it wasn't actually that bad. But the truth is, when you spend a night not-on-the-level, it can be just a little bit disorienting.

And so that's why we arrived in Hinckley, MN a day ahead of schedule. We are enjoying the stay here - with good wi-fi and 100 cable channels. (Bayfield had one tunable channel using our antenna.)

One more interesting note in the 'small world' department. When we arrived here in Hinckley and were able to see our e-mail, there was one waiting from our friends Richard and Geri (kindred 'snowbirds' from Gulf Shores). They live in Tennessee, but they were driving east, on an excursion across Michigan's upper peninsula, when they spied a Bounder motorhome pulling a gray car behind it, making its way west along US Hwy 2. They wrote to see if the Bounder might be us. IT WAS! Like I said... SMALL WORLD.

Now we'll soon be heading out to lift the flag on our address post, and then we can give the Grand Casino a run for their money!! (That's some kind of reverse psychology, I think!!)

Donna's put together a Picasa photo album from this past week, and you can see what she's got in store at:

Sault Ste. Marie, MI / Mackinac Island, MI / Bayfield, WIJuly, 2008

And don't forget to leave us a comment. It makes us happy to see that so many of you are enjoying our blog of Bounder Across America.

Donna & Glen

July 1, 2008 - Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Don't forget to check out our itinerary at:

Bounder Across America Itinerary

It's been another busy week, and it's good to be settled in for a few days here at Sault Ste. Marie, MI. We've stopped here as a jumping off point for a 4th of July stay at Mackinac Island, MI. The island holds lots of memories for us. Although Glen has fond memories of visits to the island when he was a child, we first visited Mackinac as a couple when we were on our honeymoon. In the years since, we 've traveled to the island more than 30 times. Many of these trips were as a family aboard our sailboat, the 'Donna Lee'. It was a tradition when the children were growing up to spend a week or two aboard the boat at the island around the 4th of July holiday. We'll cover our trip to Mackinac Island on our next edition of the blog, but for now let's cover the last leg of our Bounder Across America journey.

When last we wrote we were about to begin our visit to the falls at Niagara. Although Glen has been back since, the last time Donna and Glen visited Niagara Falls together was more than forty years ago.

What can be said about Niagara Falls that hasn't been said before? The views were as spectacular as remembered. But even if the falls haven't changed in this time, everything else sure has. Although tourism has always been a major part of Niagara, the balance seems to have shifted from American tourists to a preponderance of visitors from many other lands. The conversations of the many people who had come to see the falls sounded like a day at the U.N. We were particularly interested to notice how many tourists seem to be coming to Niagara from India. The town seems to be catering to Indian nationals, with several Indian restaurants seeming to have popped up downtown, near the falls. It is also apparent, from overheard conversations, that Russia is also providing a healthy number of tourists as well. Whatever the mix, it was great to see so many people enjoying what has to be one of America's greatest contributions to the Wonders of the World.

Not having our fill of the sounds and sights of Niagara during the day, we returned in the evening for a spectacular 'light show' that colors the waters from 9pm to midnight every day. All-in-all - a great day. It's always a great day when you can be awed by the beauty and majesty of nature. (Unless, of course, nature has blown your house away or flooded your back yard!!)

Following Niagara we set out on Sunday morning, prepared for an ordeal at our crossing across the Canadian border. We had heard about a variety of nightmares at the Canadian borders for RVs since the onset of the more strained relationship with our neighbors to the North. With this in mind, Glen prepared a Travel Plan for presentation at the border if necessary.

(We can both still remember when all that was necessary to cross the border into Canada was a pleasant smile and a few cordial remarks. Sadly, these days are long gone.)

When we arrived at the border, we were somberly greeted by an armed agent of the Canada Border Service Agency - with dark glasses and holstered weapon. Glen was intimidated enough that it took a moment to remember, when asked, where we were from. When asked if we were carrying any alcohol or tobacco, it seemed the appropriate time to present the printed copy of our travel plan. This seemed to do the trick. After glancing at the sheet, the border guard smiled, and asked where we got the idea to prepare the plan. Glen responded that a little research of the CBSA web site had given us all we needed. The guard said it appeared we were adequately prepared, and signaled us to pass. Whew!

(For our RV friends, Glen has created a demo copy of this plan, and you can view it by going to this link:)

Link for
Border Travel Plan

As expected, the drive across Canada was beautiful. The rocky land of the Canadian Shield is in sharp contrast to the rich soil that we grew up with in Wisconsin. But the abundance of trees and water, with the rocky backdrop, are amazingly beautiful. Other than the Sunday traffic in and around Toronto, the drive was uneventful; and we stopped for the night at a Wal-Mart in Parry Sound, ON. True to our expectations (and memories), the Canadian people at the Wal-Mart were warm and friendly.

Monday we had planned only a short drive to Sudbury - for another Wal-Mart boondock. But the day was beautiful, and we just kept driving. Before we knew it, we had arrived at Sault Ste. Marie, MI, and after a call to see if we could get a spot a day early at our campground, we hooked up and began to unwind. Tuesday we were delighted to join in the festivities for Canada Day (celebrating their 141st birthday) by sitting on the banks of the river outside our motorhome and watching the fireworks display from Sault Ste. Marie, ON.

Our campground is located on the St. Mary's River, just downstream from the famous Soo Locks. Glen enjoys just sitting at our site, on the water and facing the Lake Michigan Steamship traffic passing by. Today we'll head to the Kewadin Casino here in Sault Ste. Marie, and tomorrow we're headed to Mackinac Island to celebrate the 4th of July (as we did so many times in years past with our children.) But that's material for our next posting.

In the meantime, enjoy the Picasa picture album that Donna has put together of our visit to Niagara Falls and our drive across Canada, as well as the ore boats passing us by here in The Soo. The link is:

Niagara Falls, NY & CanadaJuly, 2008

When you stop by to check our blog, don't forget to say 'Hello' with a comment.
Until next time.

Donna & Glen