Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Chicago June 2010
Tuesday the day after Memorial Day when most people have to go back to work and the kids have to go back to school before their summer break, we are on the road crossing the farm lands of Ohio and Indiana toward our destination of Chicago.
Before we get to Chicago we have to set up camp at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, which is on the south shore of Lake Michigan in Indiana. We have camped here several times in the past. One of the nice things about this campground is that across from the entrance is the train station where we get on the train to head to midtown Chicago. When we arrive at the campground it is mostly empty, the weekend holiday campers have left and we have our pick of campsites. This year we need three sites, one for us, one for Roy and Carol (Dolphin36.blogspot.com) and one for Ron and Nancy (Graciesgreatadenture.blogspot.com) who have accompanied us this year. We find three sites in the shade that are near to each other and setup camp. Now it is time to relax and plan our travels for tomorrow.
Wednesday morning the weather is nice after a rainy night the day is perfect, partly cloudy and in the mid 70s. We board the train and head to Chicago for breakfast, however upon arriving at our favorite breakfast restaurant we find that it has closed. A slight change of plans and we find a restaurant overlooking the Chicago River for breakfast. After breakfast we check out some of the stores on Michigan Ave. also known as the Magnificent Mile. Shopping done we hop the bus and we are on our way to the Lincoln Park Zoo. This zoo is huge, and with many of the grade schools field trips scheduled on this day it is a tiring experience for us old people. After the zoo adventure we should have called it quits and headed back to the train station and the campground. Ron and Nancy haven’t seen the Chicago Navy Pier, so back on the bus and off we go to the Navy Pier for some more sight seeing. It is now time to beat the rush hour outbound traffic and make it back to the train station at Millennium Park in midtown, a bus ride and five block walk and we are back on the train heading for our homes away from home and dinner around the campfire and a good nights rest.
Thursday morning out to breakfast in Michigan City Indiana and then on the train to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. This is located in the museum campus right on the shore of lake Michigan. The aquarium was built in 1933 for the Chicago world fair, A Century of Progress. Beautiful aquarium with many new exhibits added since we were there years ago. One of the many interesting displays was a fish that was put on display in 1933 and is still living and on display now. After a long day touring the aquarium the group is ready to head back to the campground for dinner and a time to sit back and relax. We now say goodbye to Chicago for this trip and board the train back to our homes away from home.
Before we get to Chicago we have to set up camp at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, which is on the south shore of Lake Michigan in Indiana. We have camped here several times in the past. One of the nice things about this campground is that across from the entrance is the train station where we get on the train to head to midtown Chicago. When we arrive at the campground it is mostly empty, the weekend holiday campers have left and we have our pick of campsites. This year we need three sites, one for us, one for Roy and Carol (Dolphin36.blogspot.com) and one for Ron and Nancy (Graciesgreatadenture.blogspot.com) who have accompanied us this year. We find three sites in the shade that are near to each other and setup camp. Now it is time to relax and plan our travels for tomorrow.
Wednesday morning the weather is nice after a rainy night the day is perfect, partly cloudy and in the mid 70s. We board the train and head to Chicago for breakfast, however upon arriving at our favorite breakfast restaurant we find that it has closed. A slight change of plans and we find a restaurant overlooking the Chicago River for breakfast. After breakfast we check out some of the stores on Michigan Ave. also known as the Magnificent Mile. Shopping done we hop the bus and we are on our way to the Lincoln Park Zoo. This zoo is huge, and with many of the grade schools field trips scheduled on this day it is a tiring experience for us old people. After the zoo adventure we should have called it quits and headed back to the train station and the campground. Ron and Nancy haven’t seen the Chicago Navy Pier, so back on the bus and off we go to the Navy Pier for some more sight seeing. It is now time to beat the rush hour outbound traffic and make it back to the train station at Millennium Park in midtown, a bus ride and five block walk and we are back on the train heading for our homes away from home and dinner around the campfire and a good nights rest.
Thursday morning out to breakfast in Michigan City Indiana and then on the train to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. This is located in the museum campus right on the shore of lake Michigan. The aquarium was built in 1933 for the Chicago world fair, A Century of Progress. Beautiful aquarium with many new exhibits added since we were there years ago. One of the many interesting displays was a fish that was put on display in 1933 and is still living and on display now. After a long day touring the aquarium the group is ready to head back to the campground for dinner and a time to sit back and relax. We now say goodbye to Chicago for this trip and board the train back to our homes away from home.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Mesick Michigan
Well here it is our first trip out with the mobile motel of the 2010 summer season. May 8th, and what do we get? SNOW ! That’s right I said snow. After several days in the 70s near 80 at home, we decided to head north to Mesick Michigan for their annual morel mushroom festival. We knew the weather forecast called for cool weather and rain, but we didn’t expect the snow. In Mesick we had no accumulation of snow, however in nearby towns they had accumulations of 3 ½ to 2 ½ inches of snow. Needless to say the crowd for the parade Saturday noon was a little sparse also both venders and customers sparsely attended the carnival and huge flea market. Several of the venders that were set up on Friday decided to close up shop and leave early and forfeit their spots for Saturday and Sunday because of the cold weather and few people.
We did get in a lot of exploring of the Manistee National Forest. The Jeep functioned well, with the heater and windshield wipers working so that it was comfy and we could see to find our way through the forest on the snowmobile trails that we were following. The four-wheel drive was needed on a few occasions to transverse these trails. Many miles of exploring and several stops to check for mushrooms resulted in no mushrooms in our basket.
Something good did come from the foul weather, it gave us an excuse to hop in the Jeep and explore the surrounding towns. One of the towns was Interlochen, Michigan. In Interlochen we stopped at the Interlochen Center for the Arts to check on tickets for the N P R radio show, A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keilor, scheduled to play there in August. It was a good thing we stopped, according to the N P R web site these tickets are not on sale yet, however at the Arts box office the lady there said the 4,000 seats were just about all sold out. We were able to buy two of the few remaining tickets. We now have seats in Row 2, seats 1 and 2. We were also able to reserve a campsite at the state park across the road from the arts center. That means that we should be able to walk from our trailer over to the show.
We did get in a lot of exploring of the Manistee National Forest. The Jeep functioned well, with the heater and windshield wipers working so that it was comfy and we could see to find our way through the forest on the snowmobile trails that we were following. The four-wheel drive was needed on a few occasions to transverse these trails. Many miles of exploring and several stops to check for mushrooms resulted in no mushrooms in our basket.
Something good did come from the foul weather, it gave us an excuse to hop in the Jeep and explore the surrounding towns. One of the towns was Interlochen, Michigan. In Interlochen we stopped at the Interlochen Center for the Arts to check on tickets for the N P R radio show, A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keilor, scheduled to play there in August. It was a good thing we stopped, according to the N P R web site these tickets are not on sale yet, however at the Arts box office the lady there said the 4,000 seats were just about all sold out. We were able to buy two of the few remaining tickets. We now have seats in Row 2, seats 1 and 2. We were also able to reserve a campsite at the state park across the road from the arts center. That means that we should be able to walk from our trailer over to the show.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Heading North
Moving on. A lot has happened since we left the Orlando area. First stop was Wickham park in Melbourne Fl. for two plus weeks with some long walks on the beach when it was warm, and checking out the Melbourne zoo. There where some very nice days intermixed with the cool ones. Over all it was a very nice stay with Ron and Nancy at the campground. From there we moved north to the Ocala National Forest again for a stay at Salt Springs and a visit with Dick and Sharon in Ocala. A few days after leaving the Ocala National Forest we ended up in Pigeon Forge Tn. We followed Rt. 441 the old Orange Blossom trail form Florida into the Smoky Mountains.The snow we had in the higher elevations of the Smokies was the last we hope to see untill next year.
It was nice to have the slower pace of the back roads compared to the interstates. Some of our warmer weather was in the states of Georgia and Tennessee, in the 70s the last few days. Once in Pigeon Forge we had to take the trolley ride back to Gatlinburg to take the ski lift up to a lookout spot to overlook downtown Gatlinburg.
Today is Sat. March 20th and we spent the afternoon at the Knoxville Zoo. Temps in the mid 70s, which made it a very nice day at the zoo. We sure had some beautiful days for site seeing along the way. Tomorrow is planned for a cook out at son Steve’s home and then it is time to hook up the mobile motel and take it home.
It was nice to have the slower pace of the back roads compared to the interstates. Some of our warmer weather was in the states of Georgia and Tennessee, in the 70s the last few days. Once in Pigeon Forge we had to take the trolley ride back to Gatlinburg to take the ski lift up to a lookout spot to overlook downtown Gatlinburg.
Today is Sat. March 20th and we spent the afternoon at the Knoxville Zoo. Temps in the mid 70s, which made it a very nice day at the zoo. We sure had some beautiful days for site seeing along the way. Tomorrow is planned for a cook out at son Steve’s home and then it is time to hook up the mobile motel and take it home.
Monday, March 1, 2010
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