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| Trip Report (technically boring again) [message #219613] |
Fri, 23 August 2013 12:24  |
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Matt Colie
Messages: 8547
Registered: March 2007
Location: S.E. Michigan
Karma:
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Senior Member |
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This report is posted mostly for those readers that think these coaches are less than reliable. This is just a short summary of the enjoyment that a coach can provide.
Plan: Sailing ships will collect at Navy Pier in Chicago 8~11 August and we will track them up the coast and back down the bay on their way to Green Bay. That was the plan.....
Summary:
1784 miles around Lake Michigan in 12 days.
Saw a lot. No oil added. No coach issues.
Day One - Saturday 10 August
Go to the Cabela's in Hammond IN for the night.
Day Two - Sunday 11 August
Got on the web and found out that the plan for the sailing ships has changed since we read it last. This gives us an unplanned extra day in Chicago area. We tried to get to Shedd, a long hoped for destination. Parking would coat 35$, bag it. Went to a park with a view of Navy Pier and determined that it would be a good place to return to in the morning. Went looking for a Wally's for the night. Found one in Niles, with a Fresh Farms next door. Great place, we had a better than normal dinner.
Day Three - Monday 12 August
On the web, Two of the ships have put out and are farther up the lake than I expected. We made for Racine to look for them, but it was too hazy to see anything. Tried again in Manitowoc - no luck. We did make a stop at a great music store that specializes in folk stuff. I got a new cable to charge my phone as the one I had brought with me is bad. We went looking for an actual campground because Mary wants a hot long shower. Place was not bad.
Day Four - Tuesday 13 August
Departing with an empty black tank, a full potable tank and a solid charge on the house bank. (The main engine alternator seems to not be making it, but we aren't doing the usual 500 mile days either.)
We got wire again and found out that the plan is way different than we had first read. The ships are putting in a stop at Sturgeon Bay on their way to Green Bay. I am having a hard time holding 3G and am often back to 1X.
New Plan Time. Go to Green Bay and do a tour of the Door Peninsula. What a great ride and with a GMC HD widescreen windshield, even better. All the way to Northport. Back in Green Bay we scouted where to watch the arriving ships. Found a good place left by the COE when they widened the canal. It also was a good overnight.
Day Five - Wednesday 14 August
A Beautiful Day. After breakfast, I rode a bike to the Coast Guard station at the end of the canal and found that there was foot access to the north breakwall. We moved the coach to a nearby parking area. What a great show.
We took the coach back into town because Mary wanted to see Niagara close up. The plan had been to overnight at a casino with cheap electric. The electric places were taken and we were relegated to RV/Truck part of the lot. We had settled in when someone started a reefer. I moved to another part of the lot and as I was settling in there, some nice young man said I had to park over by the load truck. I wasn't very nice to him when I told him want were going to do. I went 2.2 miles to Wally's.
Day Six - Thurdays 15 August
Took advantage of the new situation to bring in some minor provisions. Then off to the National Railroad Museum. SA's locations is way wrong, but we found it anyway. They have one of the few surviving Alco Big Boys and lots of other railroad stuff I didn't know about.
Then off to Iron Mountain, the home of the largest Cornish pump engine on the continent. It is impressive, but not a go out of your way stop. We are headed for Marquette I have solid 4G and have just been informed that the reason the case of my Droid is popping is that the battery is getting ready to explode. This has me a little worried, but it turned out that there was nothing that could be done about it in Marquette. We hold up at Wally's again and met a nice German couple that have been touring the continent (US and CA at least) and sending reports to a publisher. They have a strange coach built in a Fiat truck.
Day Seven - Friday 16 August
The Michigan Iron Museum is a good stop if you are in the area. Look for the signs, the address won't get you there. Another good stop is a free sculpture park called Lakenenland is on M-28 on your way to Munising and the other famous falls. We got to Tahquaminon both Upper and Lower. I had hoped to camp at the campground at the lower falls, but they had the campground had the FULL sign nailed up. We did access to the dump and potable so we were set again. Now, to find a bivouac. Near Paradise we found a parking lot called the snowmobile park and guessed that few would be using it.
Day Eight - Saturday 17 August
I greased the bogies, I try to get at that every 1k miles. Made off for the Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. A good stop if you at the falls, but a long way from anyplace else you might actually want to be. I found that I can talk about Fitzgerald (a ship lost Nov 10 1975), but I still can't deal with seeing pictures of the crew, some of whom were friends. There was a blue berry festival in Paradise. we might have stopped, but parking was not going to happen in walking distance.
So, off to Sault Saint Marie and the locks. I had good internet and was tracking the ships approaching the locks, so we got to the visitor center and they thought I was a tad optimistic about the first ship's arrival time, so we went to the campgound, down the way and settled the coach in for the night and rode bicycles back to the locks to watch them lock about four serious ships through. As those that know me might imagine, I collected a crowd as I gave a running commentary as each ship passed.
Day Nine - Sunday 18 August
We had planned to museums, the Museum Ship Valley Camp and the River of History Museum. But, when we got to Valley Camp, we found out that the other was closed. A museum closed on Sunday in Travel Season?? This made for a slow day that was kind of a relief.
Day Ten - Monday 19 August
Full Battery, Potable and empty Black....
Down to the rip-off Machinac Bridge. I am offended by the fact that I (all GMCs) pay more toll than most motorhomes because all they do is count wheels in side view.
On the south of the straight, we we started a tour of the west edge of the lower peninsula. I saw a sign that said something about a tree tunnel. It was right. We drove a tour of the Travers Peninsula and were surprised that as soon as we were away from the city the world turn into orchards and vineyards. We headed for Sleeping Bear Dunes. The No-Hook-Up state campground was full, but we just hold up in the lot for the Cannery Boathouse Museum.
Day Eleven - Tuesday 20 August
Did some dune sight seeing on the way to Muskegon and Grand Haven. There is a long drive tour that is free with a Geezer Pass. It is good, and the dune and Lake Michigan overlooks are well worth the drive. I'm used to east coast size sand dunes. these are not. The Sleeping Bear is an amazing place.
On to Grand Haven for dinner and the fountain show. The fountain is a good show and well worth the price (free). It is not as good as Belagio. And on to overnight at another Wally's.
Day twelve - Wednesday 21 August
Wake up, have breakfast, walk the dog and head for the barn.
Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit
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