12-08 Dade City, Florida

In early December, we moved north to Dade City, Florida about 35 miles NE of Tampa. We went to the Many Mansions RV Park which is really closer to Zephyrhills but has a Dade City Address. We went to this park because it is the winter home for our friends Dale and Cindy Sumner. It was their coach that we saw redecorated and inspired us to come to Florida to have ours done. We enjoyed being able to spend several months in the same park with them. Plus Dale is a Master RV Tech, and he did the annual maintenance on our appliances.

From 12-08 Dade City

This is a nice area with gently rolling hills. The surrounding areas are very rural. At one time this was a major orange growing region, but a bad winter in the 80's destroyed many trees. So many orange growers moved further south. We had enjoyed visiting an orange grove in Avon Park. They had wonderful Navel Oranges and, even better, a great orange ice cream made with their own orange juice. What a way to get your vitamin C. Yum!

We had expected to find lots of orange groves in Dade City. While there were some around, we only found one small grove where we could go and the folks would pick us a 5 gallon bucket of oranges for $5. The oranges were good, but not as good as those in Avon Park. We did find some good fresh fruit and vegetable stands in the area. Local strawberries were especially tasty and at a good price - about $2 to $2.50 a pint.

This was another tough winter on local crops around the Tampa area. One sad scene was a small orchard full of ornamental palm shrubs/trees. One day they were beautifully green, Two days later after two nights of freezing temperatures, the leaves on the majority had turned brown. I do not think the plants died, but years of growth were lost. I saw where the leaves had all been cut back a week later. I'm sure that was a tough financial loss. I also read in the local paper about tropical fish farms that were likely to lose their aquarium tropical fish. I had no idea tropical fish were raised in ponds around Tampa or for that matter anywhere in the US.

Some people had told us we would not like Florida. They said it was crowded and full of angry or rude "old people". We did not experience any of this. The majority of the people we met were very friendly. We would not hesitate to go back to the areas we visited in Florida for winter.

Florida has some wonderful biking trails. I(James) enjoyed riding with a group of other men three or four times during our stay. The chief organizer was Bob Brown,a semi-retired Lobster Fisherman from Maine. We hope to stop by and visit the Browns if we make it to Maine this summer or fall. Here is Bob and the other fellows riding one of the trails ahead of me.

From 2008 Dade City

Monique and I also went riding on one of the trails and wished we had gone more often.

From 2008 Dade City

The Zephyrhills airport is one of the most popular skydiving
locations in the country. Hundreds of people come from all over the US and Europe during the Christmas to New Years period to skydive. We frequently heard the planes overhead. We went down several times to watch. Sadly the first time Ward and I went down, we saw ambulances and emergency personnel rush to the airport. We did not realize it, but two people had crashed together while a large group was joining hands to make a circular formation before opening their chutes. One of those, a local woman, was killed by the collision.

From 2008 Dade City

We had a mix of good and bad experiences in the RV park. Most people were very nice, but there were a few "bad apples"- especially one couple who liked to play their music very loud right beside our RV. They did not understand appropriate RV park etiquette. We ended up moving to another location in the park. We were one of four couples to move or leave early due to this couple's noise.

The other negative was the fact the park was right next to a very busy train track. Trains came by regularly throughout the day and loudly blew their horns as they approached the road crossing to enter the park and other nearby roads. We became used to this, but we would prefer not to have this noise again.

Overall we enjoyed our stay in Florida and will likely go back again for the winter, although we are also interested in joining some friends who winter in south Texas. Time will tell.

11-08 Avon Park for Coach Redecorating

After a week in Hanna Park, we moved further south to Avon Park, Florida to have the redecorating work done by "Coaches by Design". We stayed in the coach at night in the shop's parking lot. During the day we wondered around the area and went shopping for new items such as a table cloth, napkins, magazine baskets, etc. to match the new interior. On the weekends we moved to nearby Bonnet Lake RV Park, a nice location with very friendly residents. We especially appreciated being invited to their Thanksgiving celebration - what a feast!

We had the following changes made to our coach:

• New Flooring - a lovely wood look laminate and new carpeting

From 2008 Redecorating

From 2008 Redecorating

From 2008 Redecorating

From 2008 Redecorating

• New Window Treatment

From 2008 Redecorating

From 2008 Redecorating

• New day/night shades. The original shades provide privacy at night but did not fully block the light. The new ones do so and provide better insulation since they are honeycombed and are lined with foil.

• New cornice over the driver's and passenger's chairs
  
  

  From 2008 Redecorating

  
  
  

  From 2008 Redecorating

  
  
  
• New Front curtain which also blocks the light and provide better insulation
• Replaced the carpet in the bathroom over a pipe run with the laminate flooring
• replaced the carpet on the sides of the entrance steps with the laminate flooring
  

  From 2008 Redecorating

  
  
  

  From 2008 Redecorating

• replaced the aluminum blinds in the kitchen with wooden blinds

In addition, Monique removed the wallpaper border in the bedroom and kitchen since they did not match the new colors. She also has finished the new bedspread she started in Lake Delton.

From 2008 Redecorating

We are pleased with the "new look" and think we are about finished making changes to our home on wheels or, as our great niece calls it, our "car house".

11-08 Hanna Park, Atlantic Beach, Florida

We left Columbia heading south to Florida both to have some redecorating done to our motorhome and to spend the winter. We stay for a week in Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park in Atlantic Beach, Florida near Jacksonville.

It was a nice quite park with very heavy vegetation. It was a challenge maneuvering our 40' motorhome through the narrow roads in the campground.

From 11-2008 Jacksonvile and Hanna Park

Once set-up, we enjoyed walking through the park.

From 11-2008 Jacksonvile and Hanna Park

It looked like an ideal location to film a jungle movie. You felt like Tarzan could come swinging through the trees any minute.

From 11-2008 Jacksonvile and Hanna Park

The beach was lovely. However it was a long way from the campsite and the weather was a bit cool for laying out on the sand. So we only made one visit to walk in the sand along the water's edge.

From 11-2008 Jacksonvile and Hanna Park

We enjoyed our visit except for one annoying problem that developed. I normally spray an insect spray around our wheels, leveling jacks and hoses - anything that touches the ground. For some reason I did not do so when we first arrived. After a few days we started seeing large black ants inside the RV. I went out and sprayed, but it was too late. We had been invaded by carpenter ants. I ended up sparaying boric acid in various corners and cracks and putting out sticky paper traps. Nothing worked. We kept seeing the ants. We knew they had established a colony somewhere. It was eventually found by the folks doing the redecorating when they took down the cornice over the driver's seat. They managed to carry the majority of the ants in the colony outside and kill most of th rest. It took a few days before we stopped seeing the remaining survivors. You can bet I am more diligent about spraying the insecticide now when we move to a new location.

10-08 Rantoul, Illinois

From 10-08 - Rantoul and Farm

After leaving Lake Delton, we traveled south to Rantoul, Illinois to a city park at the former Chanute Air Force Base. We had enjoyed a previous stay at this park. Unfortunately we were not as pleased on our second stay.

Two things bothered us. The first was the worst experience we had all year with biting insects. We were plagued with tiny biting gnats. Someone called them teeth with wings. They were about the size of a grain of pepper, but gave a really nasty bite. The second problem was an unpleasant encounter with one of the camp hosts.

On the other hand , we had a wonderful visit with our new friends Carol and Jim Chaney. We met them in June at the Newmar Rally. They travel most of the year but return home near Rantoul in the fall to help their son-in-law harvest his corn and soy bean crops. We called Jim and Carol when we arrived to see if we could meet them for dinner. They thrilled us when instead they drove their RV over to the campground and stayed several days to visit with us.

The highlight of our time in Rantoul was a visit to the Chaney's daughter and son-in-law's (Suzi and David) farm.

From 10-08 Rantoul and Farm

I loved visiting two of my Uncle's and my Grandfather's farms as a child. Farming has really advanced since those days. Now the huge tractor's can pull multiple implements to prepare the fields for planting. What took two or three passes through the fields can now be done in one pass.

From 10-08 Rantoul and Farm

Another big change is the computerization and use of GPS technology. Several of David's tractors and the combine are set up for self steering. By use of GPS technology, the tractors can be set to street automatically in a straight line and sound a signal when approaching the end of the row so the driver can take over to make the turn. The combine is also set up to interface to a laptop PC to keep track of harvest yields and other data as they work through the fields. It was quite amazing to see. Monique especially enjoyed being able to sit in the cab and work some of the levers - under David's supervision.

From 10-08 Rantoul and Farm

We also enjoyed meeting the Chaney's other Daughter Diana and her children Nicole and Noah whom she is home-schooling. That is something we really have an appreciation for since Monique home-schooled our son Ward for several years.

From 10-08 Rantoul and Farm

While in Rantoul, Monique visited two eye specialist due to some issues she was experiencing with her vision. They ended up recommending some additional tests including a visit to a cardiologist. That caused us to change our travel plans and to go to SC to see our home town doctors. Thankfully no serious problems were found. The eye issues are something Monique will just have to live with and have monitored periodically.

House on the Rock

As we traveled and mentioned we would be going to Lake Delton, Wisconsin, we were often told we needed to visit “House on the Rock” while in the area. Yet those making the recommendation had difficulty describing the place. Now I share the same problem.

It is a rambling tour through multiple connected buildings that display the extensive collections of a somewhat eccentric man – Alex Jordan. It started with a house he built in the 1940’s around a 60’ chimney rock. The rooms of the multi-story house circle the rock so that at least one wall is formed by the rock. The ceilings are very low and the house is rather dark, so you get the feeling of being in a house built within a cave. I assume this is the desired effect. Mr. Jordan had a vision or an atmosphere he was trying to convey in the house and all the subsequent displays he constructed through the years. He did not start out to create a tourist attraction, but so many people stopped by for a tour of the house he finally decided to turn it into one. It opened to the public in 1960. He used the proceeds to expand his collections and add more rooms and buildings.

So what did he collect? Just about everything it seems. A few of the things I can recall: antique toys, guns and all types of weapons, merry-go-round horses,
doll houses,

From 9-08 House on the Rock

miniature circus tents and circus toy sets,

From 9-08 House on the Rock

model airplanes and ships,

From 9-08 House on the Rock

huge automatic player organs and fully automated bands,

From 9-08 House on the Rock

and antique automobiles. Most of these collections are extensive – often hundreds of items.

Being a fan of the antiques road show on PBS, we cannot imagine how much all of this is worth. We will see some rare item on the TV show estimated at say $10,000. We will turn to one another and say “Good grief – there must have been 30 or 40 of those at “House on the Rock”.

Yet we have a complaint about the way all these items were displayed. While almost all the items are museum quality, the workers are quick to point out that Mr. Arnold did not want this to be a museum. He wanted his collections displayed as an “attraction” following the vision or atmosphere he was trying to create. For example one area is titled “Streets of Yesterday”.

From 9-08 House on the Rock

This displays items seen in shop windows in the late 1800’s. It is designed to appear in an evening setting with simulated gas lighting. Thus is all quite dim and some things are difficult to see and fully appreciate. This problem with dim lighting happens in other places throughout the tour such as this antique steam tractor somewhat hidden away in a dim corner.

From 9-08 House on the Rock

Plus there are places that are dusty or where there does not appear to be adequate climate control to prevent deterioration of things like antique doll clothing. We can see lots of money being spent on new buildings and future displays. It is sad that more is not being done to protect existing collections.

Still it is a fascinating place to visit. Do go if you are ever in southern Wisconsin.

(Note you can click on the link below the pictures to see other pictures. If you click slide show, all pictures will load and then the slide show will start. This may take a couple of minutes. Once you finish viewing, keep clicking the back arrow until you return to the blog)

Lake Delton, Wisconsin

We have really been fortunate to find some great campgrounds. Country Roads Campground in Lake Delton, Wisconsin is another one. It is near the tourist area of the Wisconsin Dells, but away from the hustle and bustle. The Dells area reminds me of Gatlinburg, Tennessee with all the T-shirt and souvenir stores, thrill rides, bars, neon lights, etc. There must be a dozen huge water theme parks in the area, most connected to a hotel. These have big water slides that weave inside and outside the hotels. I guess this allows them to be used in cooler weather.

We had a great site at the back of the campground that looked out onto a large field surrounded by trees and shrubs. It was like our own private park. We walked Clay there each day and usually were alone since few others walked in that area. We delighted in seeing a flock of wild turkey walk across the field several evenings.
The scenery was beautiful all around the area. There were rolling hills and valleys. In spite of the serious flooding that had occurred in the spring, the fields in the valleys were full of corn ready for harvest. We enjoyed just riding around the area as we traveled to local towns to shop.

Monique decided to make a new bedspread for the RV. That meant she needed a new sewing machine and then fabric. She found a Janome machine she liked at a little shop in Baraboo. We went back and forth several times as she shopped for the machine and then took sewing lessons. There were a number of things to tour around Baraboo, but we only visited a few. The main thing we did not visit was the circus museum. The Ringling brothers grew up in Baraboo and for many years brought the circus home to Baraboo for the winter. Some day we hope to go back and tour the Circus museum and see some of the circus shows they perform during the summer tourist season. We did enjoy visiting a nearby state park with a lovely deep lake created by an ice age glacier.

We also enjoyed a brief visit to the International Crane Federation. At the ICF, volunteers raise and protect endangered Cranes from all around the world. The largest effort is directed at restoring whooping cranes. The ICF participates in a program to raise and then lead a group of cranes to Florida each year. A group of pilots from Canada lead a small flock from Wisconsin to Florida each year using small ultra-light planes to guide the birds. They believe the birds can become self sustaining if 125 mating pairs can be trained to make the annual migration. We read a sad story in National Geographic about all the effort to lead one group of 19 birds to Florida only to see all but one of the cranes killed in a hurricane later the same year.

Having seen all the different cranes in Wisconsin, we have been delighted to find many Sandhill Cranes living around us in Dade City, Florida. These are also large beautiful birds. They all gather in a large field near the local airport each evening. Then during the day they separate into small groups and fly to different fields around the area. We often see them flying overhead or grazing for insects in the fields next to our RV Park.

While Monique was searching for fabric, we learned that a large quilt show was being held in Madison, Wisconsin about an hour’s drive away. Since we enjoy seeing the handy work of talented crafters - especially quilters, we decided to go. We had a great time. There were quilts being judged from all over the US. What a huge diversity in styles. All looked like prize winners to us.

From 2008 Lake Delton Quilts

(Click on the link above to see other quilts from the show. If you click slide show, all pictures will load and then the slide show will start. This may take a couple of minutes. Once you finish viewing, keep clicking the back arrow until you return to the blog)

Gladstone Michigan

We moved from Sault Ste. Marie to Gladstone, Michigan. Gladstone is located on the southwest shore of the Michigan UP (Upper Peninsula). We stayed at the Gladstone City Campground which sits on the shore of Little Bay de Noc. This long bay connects to Green Bay. In the far distance is Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula where we stayed in July.

We had a decent view looking out to the bay but were about 100 yards from the water. The sites vary greatly in size. Some were pretty large, but we were packed in very close to our two neighbors. As a result we really got smoked and had to keep windows closed each evening when one or both of our neighbors had their camp fires. So this was not nearly as nice a location as we had in Houghton or Sault Ste Marie. Still we had a nice time there. We enjoyed talking with our neighbors and others we met there. Plus we toured some more beautiful sites in the UP.

One day we took a long drive. First we went to the peninsula across from us on the other side of the bay. We went to the tip hoping to see Monarch butterflies. We had read that the Monarchs gather there waiting for favorable winds to cross Green Bay. We were told that the cedar trees at the tip can be covered in butterflies. Unfortunately our timing was not good. We were either too late or too early. We only saw a dozen or so Monarchs fluttering around the goldenrod. (There are beautiful masses of goldenrod all along the roads in the UP.) Yet the views from the lighthouse located on the tip were magnificent, but just as we arrived I realized I had forgotten my camera. I was so disappointed.

We then went to the next peninsula to visit Fayette State Park. This is a really interesting and beautiful historical site. It is an old ghost town with a lovely natural harbor. The town was built and occupied from about 1867 to 1890 for iron smelting. The town had a relatively short life because of changes in the way iron was processed and a decline in the iron market. Better methods were developed elsewhere to process iron plus much of the timber had been harvested that was used to produce the charcoal necessary for the smelting process. The town remained as a fishing village for a while but was finally abandoned. In the 1950’s the state bought the property and restored and protected the remaining buildings. I would estimate 30 or more buildings remain including the iron blast furnaces, charcoal kilns, large hotel, office building, workshops, and a number of individual houses. We only stayed an hour or so because we arrived late in the day, and we had Clay with us. We could tour the outside areas with Clay, but could not take him inside any buildings. We would definitely like to go back and spend a full day touring the buildings and just enjoying the beauty of the harbor and surrounding area.

Another trip we made was north across the UP to Pictured Rocks National Park. The name comes from the colors in the rocks that form bluffs along the edge of Lake Superior. Various minerals in the soil stain the rocks different colors. We went to Miners Castle and Miners Beach.

From 8-08 Gladstone

From 8-08 Gladstone

The “Miners” Castle name was given to a rock formation by early explorers/miners coming along the shore looking for locations to locate mines for the minerals rumored to be in the area. While many mines were ultimately located in the UP, none are in this area. Instead there is a lovely National Park that stretches 50 miles along the shore. We again brought Clay with us hoping to take some walks in the woods. However dogs are only allowed in certain public areas and are not allowed on any trails. That surprised us. However that may have been a blessing because we ran into some nasty biting flies at one stop as we walked from the parking lot to the beach. A sign said to wear long sleeves and long pants if you go hiking because insect repellent does not work on these flies. Fortunately we were able to enjoy a nice picnic in another area without being bothered by the flies.

On our way back to Gladstone we took a different route in to go to Palms Book State Park to tour the “Big Spring”. One of our campground neighbors highly recommended this site, and we were glad they did. It is a gorgeous site. The Big Spring is a large sinkhole with a fast flowing underground spring (10,000 gallons/minute). This results in a large pool of crystal clear water with a lovely emerald green tint. There is a self propelled raft that visitors steer across the pool. A cable is stretched across the pool and a large wheel is turned to move the raft. As you move across you can easily see the bottom which is about 30 feet deep. In several places you can see the water bubbling up through the sand. We also saw a few fish lazily swimming around. I have a few pictures, but they really do not display the beauty of the water and surrounding area.

From 8-08 Gladstone

From 8-08 Gladstone

The last thing we did in Gladstone was to attend an antique steam engine and tractor show in nearby Escanaba on Labor Day. We had a great time looking at all the old machines. I had never seen steam driven tractors nor a lot of the other older kerosene and gas powered tractors. On the other hand, I was reminded of tractors I had seen on my Uncle Vernon’s and Uncle Ralph’s farms. One I particularly recall is a John Deere tractor either my Grandfather Rone or Uncle Ralph owned when I was very young. I remember its distinctive ‘tuck-a-tuck-a-tuck-a’ sound. I think Uncle Ralph may still be using that tractor.

From 8-08 Gladstone

From 8-08 Gladstone

We had a pleasant nine day stay in Gladstone before going back to Wisconsin, heading to Lake Delton near the Wisconsin Dells in the southwestern portion of the state.

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan #2

While in Sault Ste. Marie, we toured a museum inside a retired Great Lakes freighter, the Valley Camp. It was really interesting to see the cargo holds, engine room, pilot house, and especially the rooms where the crew slept and ate.

From Sault Ste Marie

When buying tickets for the Valley Camp, we went ahead and bought tickets for the nearby “Tower of History” since it did not cost much more for the extra tour. I had not planned to go to the Tower since I had read there was not much “history” in the museum portion. I am really glad we did though because the views from the three viewing platforms were great.

From Sault Ste Marie

From Sault Ste Marie

We could see down one side to the area our RV was parked.

From Sault Ste Marie

On the other side we could see ships out in Lake Superior approaching the locks. In between were the locks, the St Mary’s River, the city of Sault Ste, Marie, Michigan and across the way a portion of Sault Ste. Marie, Canada.

From Sault Ste Marie

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

We have moved to yet another beautiful campsite at the water’s edge -this time in Sault Ste. Marie (pronounced Soo Saint Marie), Michigan. We look out onto the Saint Mary's River, which connects Lake Superior with Lakes Huron and Michigan by way of the SOO Locks. We are just a mile or so south of the locks. We have been fascinated watching the large freighters pass in front of our RV. We can sit inside and watch them out the front window but usually run outside for a better view and to take pictures.

From Sault Ste Marie

We went down to the locks late one evening and watched two ships pass through.

From Sault Ste Marie

Most ships are around 720 feet, the former maximum size that could pass through the SOO locks, and are still the only ones that can go all the way to the Atlantic. The ones that go to the ocean are "Salties". In 1968 a larger lock was added and now there are 13 larger 1000 foot "Lakers" that can traverse the SOO Locks. All the freighters are bulk carriers. They transport iron ore, wheat, soy beans, various type of rocks, cement, etc. Some are "self-loaders" with on board cranes and conveyor belts. Others rely upon shore based loading equipment. All are interesting to see passing by. They come by day and night. Fortunately they are relatively quiet as they pass. On the other hand a small ferry just down from us, seems to blow its horn every 30 minutes most of the day and well into the night as it goes back and forth to a small Island in the river between the US and Canada. (We look across at Canada from our campsite).

We toured another lighthouse - Iroquois Point.

From Sault Ste Marie

I had great fun there "rock hounding". Up here instead of looking for sea shells, folks look for interesting rocks along the shore, especially agates.

From Sault Ste Marie

This area was covered by glaciers in the ice age. These pushed many different kinds of rocks and minerals over the land. Many small rocks have been smoothed by wave action. I have now gotten the bug to get a rock polisher. Actually this is an old desire resurfacing. As a child I lived near a gravel company. They had rock shipped in via the Mississippi River and stockpiled it for use by various construction companies. While in College, I worked for a road construction company and would sometimes carry loads of these rocks in my dump truck back to the asphalt plant. As a young child I often played atop the huge piles of gravel. I spent time looking through the rocks and would occasionally find some small fossils. So I have always been interested in rocks, though I know very little about the different types. After hunting around the beach and picking up several pocketfuls, I want to learn more and perhaps get a polisher. Of course Monique points out that collecting rocks is probably not the smartest hobby for someone living in a confined space and worried about the weight we carry in our house on wheels. She is right so I doubt I will continue.

Houghton Michigan on the Keweenaw Penninsula

From 8-08 Houghton Campground

We moved to a great campground in Houghton, Michigan - our new favorite. Houghton is located midway up the Keweenaw (pronounced key-we-nah) Peninsula. This is a peninsula on a peninsula - the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. Our camp site was right on the water with full hook-ups, cable TV, and a paved pad with a covered picnic table and park bench facing the river/canal.

From Houghton Campground

(Click link to see more pictures)

Houghton sits across the river from Hancock. The cities are separated by a river/canal that connects with lakes further across the peninsula. This provides a waterway across the peninsula that allows freighters to shorten the route from the upper portion of Lake Superior. It was primarily used in the past to allow freighters to come to the copper smelters that were on the waters edge. From the mid 1800's to the mid 1900's, this area was one of the main producers of copper in the US if not the world. Copper mining started in the 1840's and continued until the 1990's, although most mines closed in 1968 when copper prices were very low and no settlement could be reached in a labor strike.

We continued to have great weather, especially for August. Highs were usually in the mid 70's and lows in the mid 50's. I was glad to have nice weather the first two days, because I spent much of those days washing the RV and Honda. We drove through road construction where the old highway had been stripped down to bare earth. They were putting water on the dirt to keep down the dust and to keep it hard packed. As a result both the car and the RV looked like we had been out "mudding" with the 4-wheelers. I've never had one vehicle much less two covered with so much mud. That is my only complaint about the UP. Many of the roads are very bad and, where they are making repairs, you must often drive long stretches on dirt.

This is another beautiful area to tour. The views along the shores of Lake Superior are gorgeous. The water is crystal clear and very blue along the horizon. Much of the area is covered in forests. We went to two different places where we could see long distances with nothing but trees and lakes in the distance. One of these was Porcupine Mountain State Park near Ontonagon (pronounced ahn-two-nog-n) in the southern portion of the peninsula. At the top of a ridge, we looked down on "Lake of the Clouds" and green trees as far as we see.

From Keweenaw Peninsula

The other high spot was along Brockway Mountain Drive at the opposite end of the peninsula near Copper Harbor. At the high point of the drive, we could look out to Lake Superior in one direction and in the other direction were miles of green treetops. Further along the drive was an overlook looking down on Copper Harbor which is near the tip of the peninsula.

We toured another lovely lighthouse in Eagle River, Wisconsin.

From Keweenaw Peninsula

Nearby we stopped at a waterfall along the road. It was next to the "Jampot" operated by a Monastery. The Monks make great jams and baked goods. I wanted to go back after trying some of their cookies but they were closed by the time we came back through. Too bad.

One of my favorite places was Calumet, Michigan. It is about 12 miles north of Houghton. At one time it was one of the richest cities in America because of the wealth generated by the Copper Mines that created the town. It looks like everything was built around the turn of the century. Due to the closing of the copper mines, there is significant deterioration in some places. Fortunately the National Park Service is working to help preserve this historic slice of America. We toured the Calumet Theater which opened in 1900 and was a stopping point for many of the top stars of the day - John Phillips Sousa, Sarah Bernhardt, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., etc. It has been nicely restored and is very beautiful inside and out. There are many other old churches and buildings I would love to go back and tour.

From Keweenaw Peninsula

Another highlight from Calumet was the Country Kitchen which makes great Pasties (pronounced past-e). These were the meals made by the Cornish wives for their miner husbands. They are a pastry filled with diced potatoes, carrots, rutabagas, onions and beef. I was not too sure about the rutabagas, but they turned out not to have a strong flavor or much flavor at all. We both loved the Pasties and have several in the freezer for future enjoyment.

I hope we work our way back to Houghton. We could easily have stayed several months in this area, especially with such a great campground.