Back home to East Lansing, a day earlier than planned

More of Thu. Sept. 22: Just a few miles away it began to rain more earnestly and continued from Rogers City to the Presque Isle area. As we turned to go north towards the lighthouse, the sun came out and we were treated to a beautiful rainbow! The first lighthouse is the “Old” lighthouse, built in 1840 and restored with a small museum in the keeper’s quarters. It was an easy climb to the top to see the lens that is still in it and a nice view of the harbor. About a mile north is the “New” lighthouse, built in 1870 after there were too many shipwrecks in the area because the old one was too low and too far in towards the harbor. The Presque Isle Historical Society has big plans for the complex and we hope they can accomplish all they dream of doing. Time was getting on and so we didn’t climb the new, higher lighthouse, instead driving on down the Lake Huron coast to the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse, south of Alpena. They have a nice restoration area there, including an old one-room schoolhouse and several out-buildings, besides the lighthouse itself, which was also built in 1870. Unfortunately, while we could enjoy our picnic on the grounds and walk down to the beach, the buildings were not open so we couldn’t get inside any of them. The day was passing quickly though, and we had decided to make it home in time for choir practice, so south of Tawas City we drove west to I75 and took it to I69 and home. We bought gas in Flint, happy to find it for $3.41 a gallon but when we got home we found we could actually have gotten it for $2.98! We had traveled over 1300 miles, biked only about 17 miles, and hiked a lot. We were very happy with the Provincial Parks and especially appreciated how they seemed to have turned most of their pit toilet/outhouses into cold water flush bathrooms. Camping, beer and gasoline were more expensive than in the States, but it was a really nice trip that we both enjoyed very much.

Sunrise over Lake Huron

Thu. Sept. 22: There were a few long clouds all around at 7:00 Thursday morning but nothing to interfere as the sun slowly came up from the water. Those clouds became rosy and pink and then lined with gold all around the edges. Then quick as a flash the sun popped up and blazed across the water. It was a very satisfying sunrise, indeed, and well worth rising early to see. Interestingly, as we waited, I saw a black blob on the sand a little way off from where we were. I went over to check it out and was surprised to see it was OUR binoculars, which Marv had unknowingly dropped the evening before. They were safe in their cloth case; however, something had chewed the strap into about four pieces and nibbled at the case itself. Judging from the footprints in the sand around it, I guess it was a fox. Happily, the binoculars seem to be alright. The higher the sun rose, the more the clouds rolled in until the sun disappeared into them and we returned to the camper for ham and eggs and more coffee. After doing dishes we cleaned up the camper and readied it to take down. The end was a bit rushed as we heard a few raindrops pinging on the roof. But they stopped as we finished and got on the road. (See the next posting for the rest of the day...)

The West coast of Lake Huron

Wed. Sept. 21: The rain continued pretty much all night, letting up for short periods of time but then starting in again. We had about a 10 minute respite as we got up in the morning but it came back with a vengeance. We dashed over to Ross & Pat’s trailer with our microwave S’more maker because we really didn’t want the trip to end until Ross had had a chance to try one. As we lingered over coffee they decided to go directly to their cottage without a stop in St. Ignace to camp together at the Straits of Mackinac, as we had originally planned. We bid each other good-bye and they were quickly on their way. Marv & I readied the inside of the camper and hoped that the rain would let up for us to close up, but after half an hour or so, we decided to put on rain gear and just get it done. Of course, within a half an hour more as we left The Soo, the rain finally did let up. We drove back-roads to our favorite café in St. Ignace, Bentley’s, which has been there since 1945 and still has the old soda fountain. Before this we had only had breakfast there, but Marv enjoyed a good beef pasty and I had a grilled white fish salad for lunch. After crossing the Big Mac Bridge, we continued down the Lake Huron coast through Cheboygan and south as the weather became nicer and nicer. We decided to stop at P. H. Hoeft State Park, just north of Rogers City and found only a handful of other campers there. Our site was right next to the path leading over the dune and onto the beach. After setting up the trailer we took chairs and our books down to the completely deserted beach and enjoyed the sun and gentle waves in solitude. Combining left over chili, left over spaghetti sauce, and a can of black beans make for a very hearty “last supper” of our trip. Bedtime came a little earlier than the rest of the trip in hopes that there would be a good sunrise over Lake Huron to end our voyage and we were not disappointed.

Back in the USA!

Tue. Sept. 20 Back to the USA: The trees dripped all night long but the next morning was perfectly clear and it had only gotten down to the low fifties overnight. We packed up the trailers and were on our way by our customary 10:00. Just north of Grundy Lake we pulled over at the French River Visitors Center (which was closed) so we could walk on the suspension bridge over the river that we had seen from the nearby highway. It turned out to be the longer of two bridges built by the Voyageurs Snow Club for snowmobiles to cross over the Pickerel and French rivers. It afforded us a nice view up and down the river from 100 feet over it. Back on the road we drove north to Sudbury and then west towards Sault Ste. Marie. We stopped at a roadside park to enjoy our picnic lunches and continued on to “The Soo”. The autumn color along the highway was the best we had seen so far, the sun was shining, and it was in the low seventies all afternoon, which made for a really pleasant though long day of driving. In an attempt to get back to The States without a lot of extra high priced gas we made several stops to add just a bit more. Once again we breezed through Customs and we were back to Michigan. Pat knew of a campground right on the Saint Mary’s River that was cheaper than what we had been paying in Canada and had water and free WiFi at our site so we set up on two tiny lots and went to get dinner. Ross and Pat treated us to a dinner at Clyde’s Drive-In to thank us for planning the trip and the extra driving Marv had done on side trips. Each couple shared a “Big C” burger and an order of onion rings and we each had a shake or a malt to complete the experience. As we ate in the truck, we watched a couple of freighters pass each other in the river and saw the Sugar Island Ferry make a trip from the island to the mainland and back. Back at the campers we had to batten down the hatches because there was a 60% chance of rain tonight, tomorrow, and tomorrow night.

More time at Grundy Lake

Mon. Sept. 19: There was a 60% chance of rain, but I still hadn’t seen any moose and the trails at Grundy Lake appeared to be my best chance. So after peaches-and-cream oatmeal with extra nectarines and doing a few small chores like putting away the kayak and making spaghetti sauce in the Crockpot, Marv and I rode our bikes over to the Gut Lake Trail to see what we could find. It was just starting to sprinkle a bit but the temperature was in the upper fifties and so we were plenty warm while hiking. The 2.5 km. trail travels by two different areas: the rugged rock of the Precambrian Shield (which supports most of the life in this area) and the lakes, streams and wetlands which drain excess water into Georgian Bay. It was a nice hike which took us longer than the predicted hour and half but we made lots of stops to take pictures and search for wildlife, to no avail. All that we saw were a few birds and one other hiker, with her dog. Arriving back at the campsite about 1:30 we were happy to find out that Ross & Pat had eaten lunch without us, but had Reubens ready to grill for the two of us. They tasted great after our long hike and bike ride! While we ate and chatted the rain began to come down in earnest. We returned to our camper and prepared to do a load of laundry while Marv took a shower. When the wash cycle finished we put the clothes in to dry and returned to the camper to read (me) and work on pictures from the morning (Marv). The whole time it rained hard but when we were ready to return to get the clean clothes, the rain had let up a bit. So I talked Marv into getting the laundry and then going on to the Swan Lake Trail. It was about 4:30 by then and I thought the conditions ideal for seeing moose. The trail is a 1.5 km. look that winds through a special area in the park set aside as a nature reserve. The trail was much like Gut Lake Trail but it includes a boardwalk over a wetlands area. Sadly, once again, no moose appeared in the heavy mist/light sprinkles. We stayed dry enough in our rain gear and Marv got a few more pictures before we returned for the last time today to our campsite. Ross & Pat came over for spaghetti and salad. We hoped to top off the evening with microwave S’mores but just as we finished dinner the power went out in the campground for some reason. So they went back to their trailer and Marv & I did the dishes and then looked at pictures on the computer until bedtime. As the evening wrapped up the rain showers seemed to finally end for good and the dripping of the trees slowly diminished.

A Day trip to Killarney Provincial Park

Sun. Sept. 18: It was a perfect day for our trip to Killarney. So, after scrambled eggs at our trailer and preparing chili in the Crockpot, we all (Jake, the dog, too) piled back in our truck to drive a little more than an hour to Killarney Provincial Wilderness Park. About 20 minutes north on 69, we then turned on new-in-1962-Highway 637 to drive 62 kilometers down into the park which is on a peninsula that sticks into the Georgian Bay and serves as the gateway to the North Channel of Lake Huron. The park itself encompasses over 64,000 hectares of protected landscapes and is comprised of globally unique Great Lakes coast, white quartzite hills, exceptionally clear blue lakes and intact ecosystems that support wolves, bear, moose, and deer. After a short stop at the Registration Center we drove through part of the small George Lake Campground to see the nice big sites along the lake outlet. Because Grundy Lake has a “boil water” advisory Marv & I took this opportunity to fill our blue water jug with water from Killarney. From there we drove a short way into the village of Killarney at the tip of the peninsula. It was begun in 1820 by Etienne Augustin Rocbert de la Morandiere and his native wife Josephte Sai sai go no kew (“woman of the falling snow”) to establish a fur trade post. Though as tiny as Britt had been, it is a nice, neat little village that looked more thriving than Britt. We drove straight into town and to the dock area on the river and were happy to arrive at Herbert Fisheries Fish & Chips. Served from an old schoolbus beside the dock where their fishing boats pull up, we had been told it was the best place in the area for fresh whitefish and fries. And it was GREAT!! Their “6 piece” box was actually more like 9 or 10 pieces and a large order of fries was more than enough for two to share. We ate at a picnic table on the dock in the sun and agreed it couldn’t have been any better. By the time we finished we were eager to go back to the park and take the Granite Ridge Trail. The trail was 2 kilometers and moderate, with some steep sections, winding through old fields and forests. It took us up on a ridge that offered two lookouts over the park. To the south, Collins Inlet and Philip Edward Island follow the shore and the Georgian Bay stretches as far as the eye can see. The north lookout opens onto the ridges of the La Cloche Range. This white quartzite landscape is what Killarney is renowned for. The return loop involved a challenging climb first up and over, then down, large smooth granite outcroppings. Upon approaching them I took a deep breath and said, “Okay, Jan Oien—this one’s for you!” She would have loved it! We were pleasantly tired by the end and gratefully returned to the truck to drive back to Gurney Lake. It was still beautifully sunny and 68° by then. On the way back we stopped at Beausejour Inn again to use the WiFi while Ross and Marv each had a piece of (mediocre) strawberry-rhubarb pie. It was wonderful to return to the Crockpot of chili all set to eat. Ross and Pat called it an early night, but Marv and I opted to go down to the lake to look at the bright stars before the moon rose at 10:00.

On to Grundy Lake

Sat. Sept. 17 Grundy Lake Provincial Park: It didn’t get as cold as we expected; in fact, the temperature stayed right about 44° all night and rose quickly on a clear, sunny morning. We took the time to make oatmeal for breakfast before packing up the trailer to continue north on Highway 69. Before leaving Killbear, though, we wanted to see the Visitors Center, which was opened on Saturday. They have a nice display there on the history, animals and geography of the park which we enjoyed very much. Then we got on the road. We only had about an hour and a half’s drive today so we didn’t need to hurry. We wanted to check out the Little Brit Inn, which our brochure said is listed in “Where to Eat in Canada”, to see if it was worth coming back down to for dinner. Not realizing that there isn’t a bridge across the Magnetawan River, I tried to take us to Britt from the south side of the river at Byng Inlet. The tiny First Nation village had gravel roads and no businesses that we saw. There were some tense moments as we searched for a way to turn around but then the GPS showed us how we could go around a “block” and get back to the road into Byng Inlet. But we were glad we made the detour because on our way into town a large, glossy black bear ran across the road in front of the truck. On the way out of town in the same place near the town dump Ross said he saw a bear lying in the road ahead of us, but neither Marv nor I saw that one. Retracing our steps, we got back on Highway 69, crossed the Magnetawan River, and then turned west to find Britt. Britt is a sleepy little enclave that may have a bit more going on in the summer, but by fall it is really quiet. The only grocery in town had closed and was for sale. We did find the very unassuming Little Britt Inn and it was opened but in talking later we all agreed it didn’t look worth the return trip, since we were still going to have to go north to find some groceries. We soon arrived at Grundy Lake Provincial Park and were happy that they could give us two electrical sites next to one another. This is our first park that isn’t on Lake Huron or the Georgian Bay but it sits on three small lakes next to each other, Grundy, Gut & Gurd) and has several littler lakes sprinkled throughout, as well. All the sites in our campground (with the boring name of “Trailer” while all the others are named White Pine, Red Cedar, etc.) on Gurd Lake are pull-through and we were worried it might be a field of tightly packed trailers but it is as wooded and nice as all the other campgrounds we have experienced in Ontario. After setting up we walked with Pat over to the lake and found that there are a couple of sand beach areas where the campgrounds are situated and the rest of the shoreline is rocky and lined with pines. The sky was nearly cloudless and the temperature had risen to 63°. So we came back and got out our inflatable kayak and took it out on the lake. There was a busy loon fishing and we had a great time paddling around about half of the lake. When we had enough we came back to the campsite and I decided to get a shower and wash my hair. The nearby Comfort Station is closed for the season so I had to drive to the farther away one. When I got back Ross & Pat came over to our camper for Happy Hour. As we were leaving the campground for dinner and to find a grocery store, a small red fox was trotting down the camp road towards us on the other side of the road seemingly without a care in the world. We drove in our truck north to French River and then east to Alban, where the young woman who checked us into Grundy Lake had told us we could find a grocery store. After buying a few things we needed, we drove on to the Beausejour Inn for dinner. They had two fish dishes, a pickerel dinner and a fish and chips basket, but the waitress/owner, Wendy, told us that neither used local fish. When I expressed my disappointment she said that the Georgian Bay whitefish was local. “We didn’t see that on the menu!” we exclaimed. To which she smiled and replied, “It’s not on there.” So we all ordered the whitefish dinner and were very happy with it. It was lightly breaded and fried but not greasy; in fact, it was a little dry but it still tasted good. As we were leaving we asked where the closest WiFi would be. Again Wendy smiled wryly and said, “My restaurant.” So she gave us the code and Marv & I Skype-called Ken, who told us that MSU had lost to Notre Dame L and that he had more possibilities but nothing yet in his job search. Then we tried to call our respective Moms, neither of whom was home at 8:30 on Saturday night. Not bad for a couple of 90+-year-olds! We got back to our campsites by soon after 9:00 and retired to our own campers to prepare for our day trip to Killarney Provincial Park tomorrow. Marv and I walked down to the lakeshore to look at the stars but were surprised to find they weren’t as brilliant as they might have been because the still pretty big moon was just rising and giving off a great deal of light.

Killbear Provincial Park

Thu. Sept. 15-Fri. Sept. 16 Killbear Provincial Park: The day dawned clear and 47°. Marv made us Deviled Eggs for breakfast and we packed up the camper quickly. Once again we got on the road a bit before our hoped for 10:00 departure time. After a stop for gas we took Highway 12 to the northeast until we joined the TransCanada highway 400, which was limited access all the way to our ending point for the day. As Marv drove I read about the areas through which we would be passing and found Port Carling in the Lakes area just to the east of the highway. There are three major lakes there and historical locks that were put in in 1861 so that tourists could come to Gravenhurst, at the south tip of Lake Muskoka and travel by steamboat up that lake to Lake Rosseau and then to Lake Joseph. I learned that there is an historical museum overlooking the locks and it sounded like someplace that would interest us all, so about an hour and a half into our drive we led Ross & Pat on a 20 km. side trip. The Muskoka Lakes Museum proved to be a gem with a little bit of everything explaining what life was like in the area since prehistoric times. There were several wooden boats and a good explanation of boat making and the regattas that have been held on the lakes for 150 years. Ross and Pat talked quite a bit to the curator while we wandered about as pretty much the only visitors. As we left he offered us an apple from the tree right outside the Museum. They were delicious. We strolled back to the trucks, which we had parked in the Community Center parking lot a few blocks away, and sat on their steps in the warm sunshine out of the wind to enjoy our picnic lunch. But clouds were moving in and the temperature never got above 53° all day. We continued north on Highway 400 for about an hour, just about to the end of the limited access, and then turned west above Parry Sound to go to Killbear Provincial Park. The park itself is on a peninsula with a very protected cove and over 1400 sites on six loops but several are closed for the season. Several signs greeted us with warnings of an active bear in the campground. As we arrived it began to rain a bit and it continued to spit a bit while we got set-up on sites 87 & 88. I was a little unhappy when it seemed that our site backed up to two outhouses and was a long walk to the Comfort Station. I was much happier when Marv paid the men’s a visit and found out that they were actually individual cold water bathrooms with a flush toilet and a sink with soap dispenser. Ross’s delicious pork roast with asparagus and a wild rice mixture made a delicious dinner. Afterwards Marv & I returned to our camper and played two hands of Cribbage (Marv won both) before going to bed. The temperature was down to the low forties by then so we were happy to have electricity! The overnight low was 38° but we stayed cozy and actually were a bit too warm in the morning when Marv got up and turned the heater back up at 7:30. He cooked the rest of the bacon out on our grill and we took it over to Ross & Pat’s to go with more blueberry pancakes. Then we all walked with Jake down to the water’s edge and along the campsites there for awhile. Pat returned to their camper with Jake while Ross and I continued walking and then circled back along the shore to our road. Ross went back to their campsite from there and Marv & I continued all the way around the cove to the day use area and boat visitor mooring spot before we came back to our campsite. Ross & Pat wanted to go to the “Killbear Mall” to get some groceries and use the WiFi so Marv and I packed a lunch in a backpack and took off on our bikes to explore while they were gone. There is a 6 km., hard packed gravel, recreational trail that parallels the road that runs the length of the park. Along the way we startled three grouses, who took off with their trademark thumping flutter. We took the path to the Visitors Center. We were very disappointed to find that the Center was closed Thursdays and Fridays for a few weeks so we couldn’t see it. But we walked from there down to the shore and took the “trail” that really involves clambering over the rocks all along the water lining the bay. It was still in the forties but the sun was shining brightly so we stayed warm enough with our exertions. We found a large rock, warm from the sun, on which we sat to enjoy our lunch. The waves were splashing on the rocks and the wind was blowing and it all made for a stunning picnic area! After eating we climbed on up the rocks thinking we might find a path to take back through the woods. Finding nothing we returned to the shoreline and got back on our bikes to continue riding the pathway to its end at Lighthouse Point. There is a short “trail” there that took us over the rocks again out to the warning light at the narrowest point of Parry Sound before it opens into a larger bay and harbor at the town which bears its name. After resting a while on the sun warmed rocks we began the return trip by bike. We stopped along the way to see the Pet Beach and ride through Lighthouse Point campground (closed for the season). We crossed paths with Ross & Pat in their truck as they headed to the Pet Beach with Jake and then continued back to our campsite, having ridden just over 9 miles. We collected our chairs and books and walked to the campground beach to enjoy the rest of the afternoon sitting in the sun. Pat had been cooking a venison roast in the Crockpot all day, which we enjoyed with the rest of the corn on the cob and tomatoes. After dinner the four of us drove in our truck back to the Visitors Center, seeing many deer along the way. We walked down the path next to the Center to a picnic table on a large rock at the water’s edge. We sat there to enjoy a lovely sunset over the water and into the trees on the far shoreline. Back in the truck afterwards we saw that the temperature had dipped to 44°. Since it was still very clear we foresee an even colder night ahead! When we got back to the campground we noticed how it was filling up now that it is Friday night. Coffee and sliced peaches on butter pecan ice cream made a delicious end to our day, and then Marv and I returned to our camper to begin cleaning up and writing before bed. It had been a really lovely day!

Moving on to Awenda Provincial Park

Tue. Sept. 13-Wed. Sept. 14 Awenda Provincial Park: The next morning dawned cool and perfectly clear. Both couples ate breakfast in respective campers, and then closed up camp to be on the road by 10:00. We had cereal with raspberries and had no problems getting cleaned up. Highway 21 hugs the Lake Huron coastline and passes through pleasant farm country with very little traffic. There was, however, a lot of construction along the way that held us up frequently. We passed through Goderich, which had suffered a lot of visible tornado damaged just a few weeks ago. Many of its lovely old buildings will need new roofs and windows because of the storms. At Pine River we pulled into the Pine River Cheese Cooperative and bought some of their products, but were disappointed to find out that they had no curds because of a fire they had had this summer. Along the way the sunny skies and temperatures in the low seventies gave way to clouds, a few hit-or-miss showers and dropping temperatures. At Southampton we stopped at The Lighthouse for a late lunch. Our original plan had been to continue up a little way into the Bruce Peninsula to visit Sauble Falls Provincial Park and hike into the falls. However, we had driven for nearly 3 hours and weren’t halfway to our next campground so we reluctantly decided to go east on 21 to Highway 26. We checked out a small maritime and rail museum in Owen Sound and passed by The Blue Mountains before going north towards Midland and Penetanguishene, ending up at Awenda Provincial Park. This campground of 325 sites is way out on the tip of the peninsula, sticking out into the Georgian Bay in the “30,000 Island” area. The office gave us adjoining sites, 95 & 96, and then realized that ours wasn’t an electric site, but we can go several days without electricity so it wasn’t a problem. We each got set up and then Marv & I made a big tossed salad that we took over to Macks’ trailer to have with Ross’s smoked chicken. Tired from all the driving, we called it an early night and went back to our camper to read and finish setting up. The skies cleared again overnight and the temperature got down to 52°, but we stayed snug and cozy. The next morning we all had bacon and eggs in our trailer for breakfast. Then everyone (including Jake, the Dog) piled into our truck to do some exploring. Marv headed around nearby Farlain Lake and then down to the shore of Severn Sound. A quick stop at a Farmer’s Market netted us some local sweet corn, apples, & peaches and Marv and I split a yummy Date Bar. We traveled slowly through the town of Penetanguishene and into Midland as our trusty GPS took us to Sainte Marie among the Hurons. This historical village is a replica of the Jesuit Mission that was in the same place for approximately 10 years in the 1640s. From our trip to this area in 1979 I remembered the tale of the martyred Jesuits who were killed by the warring Iroquois. I’m not sure if the rebuilt village was here then or not but we were happy to get the chance to visit it now. After visiting their museum and watching an interpretive film about the Mission, the wall of the theater opened on to the front gate of the village and we walked in with our Audio Tour Wands in h and to immerse ourselves in what life was like long ago. It is very well done and we learned much in the nearly 3 hours we spent at Sainte Marie among the Hurons. Although it is late in the season, they still had a handful of people in period clothing to talk to us about what we were seeing and help it come alive for us. When we finished at 2:00 or so we opted to have lunch right there at their restaurant, where we could sit out on the patio and enjoy the warm but waning sunshine. Clouds were once again filling the sky and some of them looked threatening and the temperature never got much above the mid sixties. Our next planned stop was at the Wye Nature Preserve, where their most prominent feature is a large flock of Trumpeter Swans. But when we found out that it would cost over $8.50 to visit, we all agreed we didn’t think we had the energy to do it justice and instead voted to return to the Park to see its beaches. We were sorry that the historic naval base at Discovery Harbour, which Marv & I had visited on our previous visit to the area, was closed for the season, because Ross, particularly, would have really enjoyed it. But we knew that Jake would be happy to pay a visit to the Pet Beach at the park. We hiked a ways into the beach, stopping along the way to read interpretive signs and gaze across the water to nearby Giants Tomb Island, where a metal structure and a small light are all that remain of the lighthouse that used to stand sentinel over the tricky waterway. Jake was a bit put-off by the crashing waves and so he didn’t spend much time in the water. So we soon returned to our campsites. Ross & Pat chose to rest awhile in their trailer while Marv & I hiked around the camping loop to see the handful of other campers in Hawk campground. Then he built a fire and the Macks came over for brauts cooked over that fire. Just as we got things started, however, it began to rain. The men managed to cook the brauts while Pat & I set up in our camper and I cooked the corn on the cob in there. We ate indoors but then the rain let up enough for us to all go out and make S’mores over the fire. After three quick games of Banagrams in our camper, they returned to theirs in a light sprinkle. Marv did the dishes while I added to the Blog and then we read a bit before going to bed with the sound of rain drops dripping from the trees above onto the camper roof. With the temperature already down to 51 degrees it was likely to be another snuggly night.

Blue Water Tour: camping around the Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada

Sat., Sept. 10—Mon. Sept. 12 The Pinery Provincial Park: Ross and Pat planned to arrive at our house during the MSU/Florida Atlantic football game. But as they left Valparaiso, they discovered they had no brakes on their fifth wheel. So Ross spent about three hours repairing it before getting underway. Ken & Jen ate “their” dinner at our house, along with Thelma, who had hoped to see Ross and Pat. But eventually they did arrive and we chatted while keeping one eye on the US Open Tennis semi-finals and the other on the Michigan/Notre Dame football game, both on mute. We got to bed and Sunday morning we went to Edgewood to sing and hear our new interim pastor preach for the first time, while Ross & Pat went to All Saints Episcopal church, where they found one elder who recognized him as June Mack’s son, after all these years. We got on the road by about 1:00 with a quick stop for gas ($3.59 a gallon) and lunch at McDonald’s. We made our way to the Blue Water Bridge and crossed into Canada without incident. At the Welcome Center we got a booklet called “The Blue Water Tour” which leads the traveler clockwise around the Georgian Bay, going up the Bruce Peninsula and taking the ferry across at Tobermorey. Both the Macks and the Dunns had already been to that area, so we chose to go counter clockwise and circle across the top of Lake Huron and come back through Sault Ste. Marie. So from Sarnia we headed north along the Lake Huron Coast. The Pinery Provincial Park is about an hour north of Sarnia, on the shore of Lake Huron. It has over 1200 campsites on a large track of land, with beaches and sand dunes reminiscent of the east shore of Lake Michigan. Although it had been full over the weekend, like in the States, there remained only a few campers, nearly all retirement age. They gave us campsites 1 & 5 with electricity just over the dunes from the shore. There was one campsite in-between us but it worked just fine. Ross & Pat grilled hamburgers for dinner to which we added baked beans and potato salad. After dinner Marv & I tried to walk over to the lake in time for the sunset but found that we missed most of it and had to settle for the color remaining in the sky. As we walked back to our camper the nearly full moon was rising and bathing the whole campground in its light. We got to bed early and slept well with temperatures in the low sixties. Monday dawned clear and sunny. We took our chairs and our coffee to Ross & Pat’s campsite, where Ross made wild blueberry pancakes for everyone. Most of the morning was wiled away, chatting and sipping coffee, sitting in the sunshine. At nearly noon, Marv and I took our bikes to ride around our camping loop (just over a mile) and out to the main drive, taking it to its end about half a mile away. Leaving the bikes in the parking lot we walked into the beach where I found the water to be just perfect—cool and refreshing. Vowing to go to the “Dog Beach” with Jake, Ross & Pat’s golden doodle, for a swim we headed back to the campers. Ross made us Reuben Paninis for lunch. He wanted a nap and Pat wanted to go to town to fill up their truck with diesel. So Marv and I opted to go with her to Grand Bend for gas and groceries. When we returned about 3:00 we all piled in their truck and drove to the one beach in the park where they allow dogs. Along the drive we saw a large flock of wild turkeys. At the sandy beach Jake and I went swimming, Marv dipped in briefly and Ross & Pat got their feet wet. But by then our eighty degree, sunny day was cooling off and a big thunderstorm was building in from the southwest. Reluctantly, we headed back to the truck and as we drove back to the campers it began to rain. We all hurried to close windows while the skies opened up. During a lull in the rain, Ross & Pat came down for happy hour, which we began outside but eventually moved into our camper because of the heavy rain. Marv managed to grill salmon steaks under the awning and we had those with couscous and marinated veggie salad. Ross & Pat headed back to their camper right after dinner, leaving us to read until about 10:00. Marv went to get a shower and realized that the full moon was out and the skies had cleared so we headed back to the beach to enjoy a romantic walk in the moonlight. The breeze was mild and the moon was very bright as we strolled along the sand. Marv took a few pictures before we headed back to bed in the camper with the temperature in the mid-fifties.

Heading Home

Fri. & Sat. June 24 & 25: We were all up by 6:00 again to have a quick “Continental Breakfast”. Macel, Kari & Laura left quickly to try and get Laura to a family gathering in Kalamazoo Saturday afternoon and Kari home to prepare to lead the service Sunday morning. The van with Alex, Eli, Carol, Linda and Sue left next. When Jackie, Ed, Marv & I left, only Mary, Emily, Karen, Katie, Summer, and Maddie remained. They were heading to the North Badlands unit to do some hiking since we missed out on that on Sunday with the rain. We decided to drive up to Wounded Knee one more time. As we walked around, Dakota came up again. He was taking a picture of the grave of his uncle, which now bore a small Swedish flag. It turned out that his uncle had traveled to Sweden and married a Swede. Dakota has cousins and other relatives there and has visited them, near where Ed once lived. The relatives sent decorations for the grave and he was taking a picture to send back to them. Then the four of us got on our way, stopping only to get postcards in Nebraska to mail to James & the McCoy kids for their collections, and for lunch at a local café in a small town in Nebraska (Marv & Ed had the special—chicken fried steak—and Jackie & I had the Navajo taco salad, served on Indian Fried Bread.). Along the way in the morning we saw several deer and prong horn antelope, and more evidence of flooding. We stopped at another small town café just inside the Iowa border and then drove on until about 10:00 to stay in Waterloo, Iowa. The first place we found was a Howard Johnson’s that had no vacancies, but the desk person kindly called 4 places before finding a Motel 6 that would take us. It was not nearly as nice as our stay on the way out and didn’t offer breakfast. We got a sandwich at Subway and plowed east, stopping at Wendy’s south of Chicago and Panera’s in Battle Creek for faster meals than our first day. We got home about 8:30, looked at the yard and gardens as twilight fell, checked in with our moms and kids and fell into bed. In the next few days I finished the wonderful book, Neither Wolf Nor Dog, by Kent Nerburn, which was so helpful in putting much of what I had seen on Pine Ridge Reservation in context or me. I recommend it highly! Marv found a Pandora program online that recovered most of the pictures he had deleted, but none of the videos. Once we were home we again had access to the internet and our email. So I am able to offer this latest adventure, with pictures, to you on The Savage Traveler.

Final Work Day

Thu. June 24: Our final day dawned sunny and less cool than the day before. Marv, Mary, Macel, Maddie, Emily, Alex, Elijah, Katie, and Karen got up at 4:45 to climb the hill and watch the sunrise. I got up and saw that I could see the sun rise from my bed and decided that would do. After breakfast my group and one other went back to Agnes’ trailer to finish up while Marv’s went to continue the roofing job at a long, added-on-to house. There was a nice breeze that kept the roofers cool enough but Marv said that the shingles were really too hot to have so many people walking on them. They finished the job, though, and that was very satisfying. They stopped for ice cream and got back earlier than scheduled. Our group finished the front porch/deck, repaired and remounted the back porch with the old steps from the front, and completed the corner caps for the skirt. There were plenty of jobs for everyone there. Then we headed to the Grandma’s nearby trailer to repair gaping holes in the floor. There were not so many things to do there and most of the group ended up sitting around and chatting. Karen and I measured and cut while David and Mark did the repairs inside. We fixed two and, although it was getting pretty late, David really wanted to do a third. I suggested that Marisa take the van full of people back, leaving Karen and the men to finish and Maddie to play with the many kids (that was her preference). When we got back to Re-Member we found that two groups were still out and that everyone who had returned had done the cleaning on their own. We began packing and, when one of the groups was back, we enjoyed a Pizza Hut dinner that no one had to prep or clean-up. We had Wrap-up of the experience with just our group again, telling the Greatest Gift from the week and the thing we would like to leave here when we go tomorrow. I found it interesting that about half of the people talked about negative ideas or behaviors that they hoped to “leave behind” and half spoke of the ways they hoped they had had an impact to “leave behind”. The final activity was ice cream sundaes and then Marv and I climbed the hill one more time and watched the sun set from the same place he had watched it rise. We got our Prayer Partner gifts and tried to finish all but the last minute packing. It had been an emotional, and in some ways heart wrenching week, where we all learned a great deal and could leave with the feeling that we have had an impact on this very impoverished but culturally rich community.