There no such thing as a bad Pasty...

Mary


We are finally in the Keweenaw, or the Wolf’s Mouth as native Yoopers call it. We Michiganders like to name the different parts of our state. There has been summer heat in North Carolina since early April. I know that is nothing to cry about, but I was craving some cooler weather. We had to drive above the 48th parallel to find it.

Our maiden voyage is going pretty good. So far no major arguments and the only major problem was the starter going out. That was not fun, but we fixed it and all is good. Today did feel like we were on a dream vacation. It was a beautiful day. The temps were about 60 degrees and great for walking.

We started out in the town of Copper Harbor. Its just about a mile from Fort Wilkins State Part where we are staying. We had a great lunch, fresh white fish for me and a pasty for Tim. A patsy is like a pot pie but not. Most Yoopers drink about a six pack of beer with their pasty, it’s a local seven course meal. After lunch we walked down to the shore line of Lake Superior. There really is something about this lake. I almost feel like I could look up and see one of the characters from Last Of The Mohicans canoeing across the water. It is very pristine.

From there we drove back to Fort Wilkins State Park. We visited the fort. It is on Lake Fanny Hooe. I am not sure if Hooe is pronounced like “hoe” or “who.” Either way the name is just to much fun to care. The fort had been restored to museum condition. 19 of the original 24 buildings are still standing. 12 of those are original to the fort.

When we left the fort Tim decided to drive to the END of the Keweenaw. About three miles from the state park, hwy 41 ends after about 2000 miles. The other end of hwy 41 is in Miami Florida. Someday we are going to have to get a snap shot there too.

From there on its dirt road. About 7 miles of jaw crunching, kidney popping dirt road. I do not think there is a way to get there in a car. The dodge 2500 was in 4 wheel drive most of the way and that was with the roads in good condition.

Going in we didn’t know if we were going to even get to see what we hoped was a once in a life time view.

The drive was worth it.

There is something absolutely magical about this place at the end of nowhere.

Way off the beaten path, eh?

Leaving Green Bay is a bit more hilly than I anticipated. It is also a LONG drive. Houghton is a great town. Across the river is HAncock. Leaving Hancock is the beginning of wilderness...almost absoulte WILDERNESS. There are bits and pieces of the old mining industry everywhere. Small miner camps, and even a few old miner towns. Half way between Copper HArbor and Houghton is Calumet. This town is still thriving in the wilderness of Keewanaw. Mary counted 6-7 churches--dating back to the 1900s. Most looked to have been abandoned.

Coming into Fort Wilkins, it is a 25 mile drive from Calumet. The LAST stop for diesel is a small intersection of a town called Alleouz. There MIGHT be diesel at the Phoenix Store. There is gasoline available in Copper Harbor in the morniong hours between 9:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M or upon request by calling the owner at the telephone number listed on the door.

We are having lunch at the Tamarack Inn where there is Wi-Fi. Copper Harbor is also home to the Presque Isle ferry to the NAtional Park.

Too much to see and photograph. Will be posting again...

Tim and Mary

In the final frontier of Michigan

Copper Harbor...

Returning to vacation mode

We had a brief thunderstorm come through Green Bay last night. I slept through it. Our Lola the Plott hound is terrified this morning, as she always is after a storm.
After some blueberry and cherry pancakes, we are packing and heading to Copper Harbor this morning. The storms we had here in Green Bay are supposed to meet us in the Upper Peninsula by noon or so.
We are going out 41 / 141 from Green Bay. We would really love to stop before crossing the border and pick up some FRESH cheese curds.

Road ready warriors heading to Copper Harbor

Thanks goes out to Farm and Fleet In the Dells. Obviously they thought it would be best for mre to climb under the Dodge and replace the starter rather than one of their 2o something technicans>?

The Dodge is back up and running....we will be heading to Copper Harbor Michigan tomorrow morning.

Arrived at Bayshore PArk....finally

Well, the Dodge started after cooling down in Omro. We are set up here at Bayshore Park north of Green Bay. It is a great park. We plan to stay for 2 night (we have reservations in Copper Harbor Michigan for Monday night).

We are going to look for an autoparts store here in Green Bay / Door County and probably have to replace the starter ourselves on Monday. Good thing check out is 3:00 P.M.


Tom and Mary

Settled at Bayshore County Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin

Can we get just a little luck?

We picked up the Dodge at Farm and Fleet yesterday evening. They said it was all good and eveything checked out--including the starter. Hmmmmmm.
It started a little slow when I took it out of the parking lot but shrugged it off as being a low charge.

It started right up this morning as we left the Dells. After driving 130 miles to Omro, we are stopped for lunch. As soon as we turned off the Dodge I tried to start it and the starter refused to turn more than a groan. Guess the techs at Farm and Fleet were wrong? So we are finishing luch here at the Mickey D's (free Wi-Fi) trying to find a mechanic in Appleton or Green BAy that can replace the starter today or tomorrow. So far Craigslist has been little help. We did get in touch with a guy in Pulaski (NW of Green Bay) and he wasn't sure if he would be of much help beings he is 20-30 miles out of GB.

Mary is using this time to shop at the Piggly Wiggly next door. I am getting ready to make a few phone calls to try and get a mechanic who might be able to do this today--which is doubful as it is already 1:39 CMT....


Tim and Mary


Off the road in Omro, Wisconsin

Every journey has a little RAIN...

July 7 & 8, 2011


We pulled out of Shipshewana at 8:00 A.M. Thursday morning. We had fueled up the night before when we spotted diesel for $3.86 a gallon. I thought I could catch I-94 west after a short drive on the Indiana Toll Road. WRONG…the ramp for I 94 west was closed and the detour ended $14.00 and 25 miles later when we found ourselves on I-94 heading into downtown Chicago. Suddenly we were facing another toll of $14.00!! We pulled out an old I-Pass transponder I had used in 1997 and held it to the windshield. The light went green and we continued on our way. The traffic in Chicago is never easy, especially in a Dodge 2500 with a 33-foot 5er.
We made our way north and jumped on I-90 west towards Rockford, Illinois. By the time we left Illinois at the South Beloit toll, we had paid another $12 in tolls at 6 other toll-ways. Never again will we be on the toll roads of Chicago. In 2002, we paid .35 cents for each toll stop, for a total of $3.50. But to spend $26 in Chicago and another $14 in Indiana is outrageous I believe.

It has been nearly 9 years since we had been this way. Though I had traveled it more than 30 times in 1996, I had a difficult time remembering the route. We did remember the Cheese Shack we stopped at in December 2002 just as we were leaving the Madison city limits heading north.
As we were getting closer to the Dells, the landscape looked more like parts of North Carolina than the area around Janesville. We stopped just outside the Dells at a really nice rest area. We noticed immediately the Prairie School influence. Wisconsin’s native son—Frank Lloyd Wright, made this architectural concept famous.
Just as every maiden voyage looks like all is good, before things go bad, this was not going to be the exception. Now that the Coachmen was relatively happy, it was time for the Dodge to act out.
We had plans to spend 2 nights at Country Roads RV Park while exploring the Dells on Friday. After checking in at Country Roads, the Dodge decided it didn’t want to turn over. I thought for sure the batteries were toast. The engine S L O W L Y turned over—groaning with every turn. The great folks at Country Roads came to our aid and jumped started the Dodge. I worked the rest of the afternoon trying to charge the batteries (our park neighbors had a battery charger) and checking wires and alternator connections.
Today there was NO improvement in the Dodge’s condition. I managed to get it started with a jump, but the engine continued to resist. I now have it at Blain’s Farm and Fleet in Baraboo were they are putting in a new starter for $199 plus labor…OUCH…

Tim and Mary

In the Dells of Wisconsin