One Week To Go

Sunday the 12th of June and we are ready to start our new adventure, hit the road, and see the sights. The fuel tank in the motor home is full and I have my comfortable chair, in other words all is ready.

Off we go!!!!!!

Once Again

Seems like old is new and what goes around comes around. Time to start the "blog" again. Here are some pictures -

Trip to Hill City, SD

Went to Hill City, SD for the afternoon. Did some shopping and had lunch at the "Bumpin' Buffalo Bar & Grill". The pictures are from there.

Back on the road - again

Well, here it is June on 2009 and Denise and I are back on the road. First stop is in Steamboat Springs, where we started in 2006.

Our Last Adventure on The Road

Our last adventure takes us to the beautiful State of Michigan. Where I (Denise) was born and raised. Our trip takes us to the upper peninsula where we visited Mackinac Island, Tahquamenon Falls, Pictured Rocks Shoreline, Mackinac Bridge, Sable Falls and Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. We also visited my family who live near the Ann Arbor area and Detroit. Visited an uncle who built a house in the upper peninsula. Spent three days on Mackinac Island celebrating my youngest sister, Martha's 40th birthday. And attending a high school graduation for my nephew, Joshua who lives near Detroit. The time spent was very busy as you might image when visiting family. Our trip will end on July 1st. Which will be the end of our Blog. The blog will remain so you can visit it anytime. I hope everyone enjoyed traveling across the United States with us. Even with all the problems with the RV, and bad weather. We are glad to have experienced this once in a life time adventure. We even made friends with a couple from Grand Junction, CO. Who we met while in Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. We learned alot about traveling together and how to live with each other 24/7. We will travel home and move back into our house and spend the next several weeks unpacking and keeping our feet at home for a few years. May your horizons broaden everyday!

Fort Michilimackinac

Fort Michilimackinac with Bridge in the background.


Michilimackinac was an 18th century French and later British, fort and trading post in the Great Lakes of North America. Built around 1715, it was located along the southern shore of the strategic Straits of Mackinac, connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, at the northern tip of the lower peninsula of the State of Michigan. Today it is a National Historic Landmark and is now preserved as an open-air historical museum.


Beginning of the Mackinac Bridge. On the lower peninsula. There were more obstacles overcome and problems solved in designing and building the Mackinac Bridge than in any comparable project. It is one of the safest and most beautiful spans ever built.


Mackinac Bridge is the world's longest suspension bridge. Since 1884, when building a bridge across the Straits was first proposed, until Nov 1, 1957, "Mighty Mac" was known as the "bridge that couldn't be built. On that eventful day Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas were permanently tied together.


Mackinac Point Lighthouse.


Mighty Mac. Total Length with approaches 5 miles, Length Main Span (between Main Towers) 3800 ft, Heights and Depths Main Towers above Water 552 ft.,

Mackinac Island

Hotel Iroquios. Martha worked here for a summer as an intern in Hospitality Management
Back of the Hotel Iroquios. The top floor corner windows is where Mom and I stayed. The hotel is very beautiful with period furnishings.
Pier near the Hotel.
I made this quilt for Martha to celebrate her 40th birthday. The quilt block is a "Log Cabin" Martha, Denise, and Marcella with her quilt.
Martha with her children, Marcella and Jeremiah. Birthday dinner in the Hotel Iroquios.
The Grand Hotel. This is where the movie "Somewhere In Time" was filmed starring Chirstopher Reeves and Jane Seymour.
Side of the Grand Hotel.

Miner's Castle

Miner's Castle. On April 13 the NW turret collapsed. The collapse was reported by a fisherman in the area. Most of the rock fell north and into Lake Superior. Notice the flat area on the right of the turret.
Miner's Castle A distant view
Another view.
Sam, Denise, and Uncle Bob.

Pictured Rocks

The name "pictured rocks" comes from the streaks of mineral stain that decorate the face of the sculpted cliffs.

This place of beauty was authorized as the country's first national lakeshore in 1966 to preserve the shoreline, cliffs beaches and dunes. Little more than 6 miles across at its widest point, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore hugs Lake Superior's shore for nearly 40 miles.

Indian Head Rock.

Grand Island Lighthouse in Distance.

East Channel Lighthouse. This wooden sentinel has stood watch over the bay's entrance since 1867. Now through the dedicated efforts of caring community it stands proud with a renewed lease on life. It was one of the first lighthouses constructed on Lake Superior after opening of the Soo Locks in 1855. It served Great Lakes ships and sailors entering the harbor for over 40 years before being decommissioned in 1913.

Flowervase.

Denise and Sam on the Tour Boat.

Cove
The streaks on the cliffs occur when ground-water oozes out of cracks. The dripping water contains iron, manganese, limonite, copper and other minerals that leave behind a colorful stain as water tricles down the cliff face.

The rock formation is called "Battleship Rocks". Notice how the rocks are formed in rows.

This formation resembles a Church called "Church Rock"
.
Arch Way

Sable Falls

Walking up from the Falls.
Sable Falls
Looking down at the falls.
Denise and Sam at Sable Falls.

Tahquamenon Falls

Tahquamenon Falls is one of the larget waterfalls east of the Missisippi. It has a drop of nearly 50 feet and is more than 200 feet across. A maximum flow of more than 50,000 gallons of water per second has been recorded cascading over these falls.


Stairs going down to falls.
Lower Falls. Four miles downstream is the Lower Falls, a series of five smaller falls cascading around an island
Denise, Bob, with friend Jan.
Closer view of the falls.
Bob showing how many steps to the falls.

Geocaching in Arizona

Here we are learning how to "Geocach" with our friends Jim and Marlene Carson. Geocaching is a treasure hunting game where you use a GPS to hide and seek containers with other people. These caches are located across the country and around the world. You can find items from these caches that came from Europe. This activity is becoming a favorite with "RVer's".
This "geocach" was in a cactus garden not far from the resort we were staying at in AZ. We found the "geocach" in a log very well hidden. This one took us about 20 minutes to find.
Our first experience with "geocaching" with Jim Carson.

In Colorado - again

Denise and I delayed our trip, back to Colorado, for a month to avoid what you see in the following pictures. As always, the best layed plans of mice and mice...
Easter Sunday we drove to Denver from Grand Junction on EB I-70. This trip took us almost 5 hours. Looks like Sam has become an expert driver in the snow and ice.

East Bound I-70

East Bound I-70, at Copper Mtn