Iron Mountain, Michigan (GA591)

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 5,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

To view past blogs, scroll to the bottom of this page and use the menu.

I’m currently in my 24th year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click Here

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The motorhome is parked at Shady Acres RV Park in Yuma, Arizona. I’ll depart here March 4th.

 

 

 

Since my RVing life is changing (see above), I’m starting to re-visit previously visited places. So rather than constantly re-blogging past entries, I’ve decided to do something different.

  In 2011-2013, Mary and I did a 682 day, 12,679 miles in the motorhome and 8,000 miles in the Bronco, circumnavigation of the United States, which I called The Great Adventure. I called it so because other than my oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation in June in Connecticut, I didn’t know where we would be going or when we would be there!

So, unless I do something really different and unusual warranting a new blog entry, I’ll be posting entries from that trip.

This entry was posted August 26, 2013…

 

 

 

Yesterday I drove the motorhome the about 45 miles from Bark River to Iron Mountain, Michigan. Mary lived in this area at about the age of ten.

 

 

Along the way we stopped at the home of the world’s largest pasty. You can read all about this place by clicking this link… http://pastys.com/

 

 

Here are some of the photos that I took…

 

 

 

 

 

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are big…

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s what they look like inside. Full of beef, potatoes and onion…

 

 

 

 

 

Seasoned lightly with salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ketchup are they are ready to be eaten…

 

 

 

 

 

In Iron Mountain the afternoon temperature hit 91 degrees…feel like 96. We found a shady spot to hide under for a couple of hours. We read while the air conditioner brought the 94 degrees inside the motorhome to a livable 80 degrees…

 

 

 

 

 

About 5:00 PM, We moved to Elks Lodge #700 which was closed, but we parked there for the night any ways…

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the usual dinette window photo…

 

 

Today we hope to get our motorhome to Bronco electrical problems resolved. Then visit a couple of old Mary’s haunts, do laundry, then move on down the road.

 

 

Another scorcher is forecast for today.. 92 degrees with a real feel of 102. At 4:00 AM it was 80 degrees with 64% humidity. YUK!

 

 

Enjoying visiting places where you lived years ago is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

 

 

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Michigan. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! MARY WROTE A MANY GREAT BLOGS…SO WHENEVER SHE PUBLISHED A BLOG POSTING THE SAME DAY THAT I DID…YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ HER BLOG BY CLICKING THE BELOW LINK! DO IT NOW!

https://otrwjam.wordpress.com/2013/08/26/quinnesec-and-serendipity-twice/

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Forecast for today is sunny and 79 degrees.

 

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

 

“Let me recommend the best medicine in the world: a long journey, a mild season, through a pleasant country, in easy stages.” –James Madison

 

 

“Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.” —Mark Twain

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 600 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2019

Menominee, Michigan

Yesterday I drove the motorhome the 54 miles south from Escanaba to Menominee, Michigan. Mary lived here from ages 3 – 5.

It was a miserably hot and humid day…about 85 degrees and humidity. Another one is forecast for today. YUK!

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Upon arrival we parked at VFW Post #1887 where they had shade and an electrical hookup…

Here’s the usual dinette photo…

I unhooked the Bronco and off we went to explore elements of Mary’s past. But first it was time for lunch so we stopped at Colonel K’s Pasty Shop…

Third owner Becky confessed she’s made many a pasty…

We then crossed the Menominee River into Marinette, Wisconsin to search for Mary’s grandmother’s house. After more than an hour in the blistering heat…she finally found it.

Then she wanted to visit to the Peshtigo Fire Museum about 10 miles distant. This museum documents the story of the worst fire (number of people died) in the history of the United States. The docent described it as a fire tornado that occurred on October 8, 1971…coincidentally the same date as the famous Chicago Fire. You can read about the Peshtigo Fire by clicking this Wikipedia link… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peshtigo_Fire

This mural in the museum shows the before, during, and after artist rendition of that tragic event…

Here’s a couple more artist’s renditions…

We crossed back into Menominee. This time to look for the house that her brother Bill was born in. With no specific address in the general area…she thinks she found it. The house she lived in nearby is gone and was replaced by this church…

Enjoying visiting places you once lived is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Michigan. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

MACKINAW, ST. IGNACE, OJIBWA MUSEUM

Look what fudge built?  This is Mackinaw City which sits next to the Mackinac  Bridge leading to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The town is busy, touristy and obviously a favorite place for vacationers. We found a spot to park the Motor Home and wandered through the Michilimackinac State Park which sits under and on both sides of the bridge.

The mainland Fort Michilimackinac  wasn’t military, it was more of a trading post and kept the peace between the English, French and Natives. At one point the Natives took control of the Fort on nearby Machinac  Island,  which was a Military Fort and saw two battles during the Revolutionary War. Mackinac Island was known as the “Great Turtle” by the local Ojibwa Indians who for many years were called Chippewa Indians. I was born in the Upper Peninsula and my genealogy has us related to the Huron or Ojibwa Native Americans, I’ve forgotten which.  Both were prominent in this area. To read more about  Fort Michilmackinac, click the following link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Michilimackinac_State_Park

The visitor center’s great choice of books on the area tribes. culture, the history of the Mackinac straits, the fur trade, Native Americans, its prominent people and industry is sure to spark your interest.

Two beautiful paintings hang in the center, above and below:

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Crossing the bridge was a real thrill for me. People from the Upper Peninsula are referred to as Yoopers and those below the bridge are called Trolls, a sparring tease between the two sections of the state. My folks were quite political and fought for a bridge, but there was no bridge until after we moved to California. It opened in 1957.  The common complaint of Yoopers, no money was spent on their roads, or schools. In fact, not even a Jr. College was available to Yoopers when I left in 1954.  It was good to see how much things had changed. Our friend, Susie Lambart told us about her first crossing of the 5 mile  bridge, with the longest suspension between anchorages in the western hemisphere. She was on a motorcycle with Art trying to impress him with her courage though she was scared silly as clouds obscured their vision, the wind was making the bridge sway and the railing was looking too close. At one point they had to pull over and don rain gear. (The bridge has a sway factor of 35 feet.) Fifteen years later, the wind tossed a car over the rails and its occupants were killed. Now they close the bridge when the bridge swings in high wind. She shudders to this day when she remembers that windy trip.

Of course, you can get across the Straits of Mackinac, or to Macknac island in a “rooster tail.” The harbor is full of high speed boats, and slower ferries that take tourists to Mackinac Island, which is why people flock here and to St. Ignace on the Upper Peninsula side.

St. Ignace is the opposite of Mackinaw City. Quiet, laid back, with plenty of boats, lake fish and hotels, just friendlier and prettier, in my opinion. These pictures deserve a double click to make them larger. We chose not to take the trip to the Island. No cars are allowed. An exciting  horse and buggy cab will take you to town. Or rent a bike or walk the mile into town from the landing. It is worth a trip ($23 per person on the ferry) to see  the fantastic and well preserved Victorian Grand Hotel. I visited in 1974. The view from Fort Mackinac is stupendous. My oldest brother worked at the Grand Hotel  one summer doing dishes at age 15 where he found out his favorite food is roast duckling a la orange.  (He lied his age to get the job.)  For more on Mackinac Island click the following link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackinac_Island

St. Ignace’s visitor center has a brown bear skin, smaller than one I hung on my wall for many years; it was killed by my youngest brother, Clark, at age 18. (In California.)

In fact, my father had a hunting lodge on our property for two or three years when we lived in Hardwood, MI. I don’t know why I never took a decent picture of my brother’s trophy, so I made sure and got a good one of this pelt.

Left of the tee pee, St.Ignace Mission, is on the State Registry of Historic Buildings. The Mission was  run by Father Marquette. He had a high opinion of the local natives and they apparently cared deeply for him. He died away from St. Ignace and two years later they brought his body to be buried at the St. Ignace Mission Cemetery.  He was only 38 years old.

Father Marquette’s grave marker in the beautiful grounds and garden at the mission.

A fountain and a statue of Father Marquette is in the park. They have a parking area for visitors here though we parked at the Chamber of Commerce right next door.

A Huron Long House, a ceremonial building, is falling apart.The Ojibwa Museum is inside of the Mission building and for the price of a donation, you can see it.

The Chippewa are now called Ojibwa. A video showed Ojibwa making a birch bark canoe. I was stunned at the roll of birch bark in this photo. You would never find a birch tree with that girth today. One single  long piece of birch bark was used to make this canoe. What a marvelous craft with rudimentary tools and materials. A fascinating video shows the intricate steps in making a birch bark canoe by modern tribesmen who have better tools.

The Ojibwa had fine features, almost Eurasian. They were not tall people.

I admired the shells on this model’s clothing and the beautiful bleached white, soft deer hide.

The Ojibwa were very clever artisans with feathers of all types when birds were plentiful.

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The museum is small and cramped, but the gift shop carries only native made items, jewelry, paintings, and leather goods, knick-knacks, etc. Nice that NOTHING is made in China. At our VFW stay in Indian River, the vets complained that the American flags they put on veterans graves come from China. They can’t buy them American made.

We went to Bessie’s Pasty Place and enjoyed an iconic Yooper Cornish meat pie. Delish, but not as good as mom made. (It could have used a bit more meat.) Steve, at the VFW told us there’s are home-made and better tasting, except they were temporarily out.   In our family, pasty was made in a huge casserole and left on the counter to cool. We ate it after midnight mass during Christmas. The pasty would be at perfect temperature.

We’re camped at the VFW, next to Bessies and also next to a cedar, spruce, pine and wild rose, forest, perfuming the air. Ahhh. Heavenly remembered smells.

St. Ignace, Michigan

Yesterday I drove the motorhome the 47 miles from Indian River to St. Ignace, Michigan.

When we arrived yesterday, I had driven the motorhome 1,070 miles in the last six days. About 1,000 mile of that was on the Interstate Highway system, which I hate to do. It’s very stressful and dangerous. But we needed to get away from the heat and humidity on the east coast and get staged for the next portion of our journey…to arrive in Monroe, Washington on September 24th. In addition to my annual physical on September 26th at the VA Hospital  in Seattle (which I missed last year), I have an eye exam scheduled, I need to renew my driver’s license and have my mechanic Mike do some mechanical work for me. We want to be heading south for Mary’s home in California before the rainy season begins in Washington around October 1st.

We are now on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan…where the locals are called Youpers. Mary told me folks from lower Michigan are called udders or trolls by the Youpers.

As we started yesterday’s travels…it was time to clear the windshield after six days of hard-driving…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Instead of taking Interstate Highway 75 to the Mackinac Bridge, we opted for Michigan Route 27 which went through Cheboygen…a real pretty town…

The Mackinac Bridge is the third longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the world and the longest in the western hemisphere and was completed in 1957. You can read all about this bridge by clicking the official website link… http://www.mackinacbridge.org/

Here are some of the photos of the bridge as shot from the southern end in Mackinaw City. Some of the photos are in the watercolor mode…

In St. Ignace we went to the Museum of the Ojibwa Culture. Mary thinks she might have some of this blood in her. Here;s the official website link… http://museumofojibwaculture.net/

Mary sees a resemblance between herself and the guy in the middle…

Pasty is a regional Upper Peninsula food which you can read about by clicking this link… http://absolutemichigan.com/michigan/real-michigan-food-the-pasty/

For lunch we went to Bessie’s Pasties…which just happens to be next to VFW Post #5114 where we parked for the night. We took out pasties into the VFW and had a beer with them…

We’re parked on the grass behind the VFW Post away from the road…

Here’s the usual dinette photo…

Later this morning we’ll start out on U.S. Highway 2 West on which we will follow all the way to Washington State.

Enjoying eating local foods is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Michigan. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust