Back on the Road 9/15/10

The view from the Lookout point, that's our motorhome below

The road was very steep so we see the lake over the motorhome

Wednesday morning after making a much needed laundry stop we headed out again. We retraced the 80 miles to Arcadia not stopping until we hit a scenic turnout well north of there. We climbed about 100 steps looking out on a high bluff overlooking Lake Michigan for a spectacular view. Leaving there we continued on to Point Betsie Lighthouse north of Frankfort. There we enjoyed a very quiet Lake Michigan as there was almost no wind and no waves. A few amatuer fisherman were working the shoreline as we walked along an almost deserted beachfront. We finished the day arriving at the Platte River campground in Sleeping Bear Dunes Park where we turned in for the night.

Point Betsie Lighthouse

Inspecting the beach breakwall 

Hanging Out 9/14/10

Looking at antiques

Tuesday was a day spent mostly waiting for John to complete the needed replacement part. We did spend a some time biking into Montague again from Terry's repair garage, a distance of about 3 miles. There we did a little antique shopping and then ate lunch at a Soup & Sandwich place. About 6pm the new part was finished an ready to be installed. Terry was finally done putting it all back together about 10pm and we were on our way back to the Montague RV park for the night. Lucky for us, Terry works very long hours, rising at 6am and finishing after dark seems to be a normal day for him. What would have taken a week or more at any other place took us only two days because of his work ethic.

Our home away from home

The freshly milled part

Motor Home Problems Revisited 9/13/10

Terry tearing off the exhaust for the 2nd time

Unfortunately, Monday found us back at Terry's place with additional RV problems. We had left out Sunday and made it as far as Arcadia before we discovered oil speckeling the back of the motorhome. After a quick call to Terry we decided to just head straight back to Montague, about 80 miles, and let him look at it. Arriving about 6pm that evening Terry immediately began work diagnosing the problem. It turns out that an adapter plate for the hydralic pump had a crack in it. We had always lost a little bit of oil but now it was much worse, probably aggravated by the disassembling and reassembly during the previous repair. We couldn't replace just the part since Caterpillar just sells the entire assembly, which wasn't even in stock anywhere. So Terry asked a friend of his , John, a semi-retired machinist, to mill us a new part which he did in his garage shop. We ended up camping out Monday evening at Terry's shop with the motorhome disassembled waiting for the part to be finished. We weren't the only ones with problems as Terry's own Case tractor ended up needing a new clutch assembly for the power takeoff. Rich, Terry's brother, needed it to do some corn harvesting so it got quick attention.

Dagmar really loves a big tractor

Rich and Terry diagnosing the Case tractors problem

Hydraulic fluid drained, the case is disassembled

Arcadia, Mi 9/12/10

After Ludington we continued on Hwy 31 through Manistee and Onekama before stopping at Arcadia, directly on the Lake Michigan coastline. A more beautiful spot would be hard to imagine. We spent time just walking along the beach, then sitting and swinging from equipment thoughtfully provided by the city, and the neighboring Camp Arcadia, a Christian summer camp for youth. From these perfect vantage spots in the warm afternoon sun we began to transition from thinking we were on a vacation to actually enjoying retirement.

Arcadia Beachfront (click for larger picture)

Beach Swings

Strolling on the Sand

Camp Arcadia (click on link below for Video)

Camp Arcadia VIDEO

Ludington, Mi 9/12/10

We left Montague about 10am this morning travel north on Hwy 31, our first stop was Ludington, Mi. We parked on the beach and toured the town by bicycle. The Ludington Lighthouse was beautiful but we couldn't ride our bikes all the ways out to it.

Luddington Lighthouse

rrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Makes for a great Gift!!

After that Dagmar decided to take her sandals off and test the water temperature. She said it was fine and we could swim if we wanted.

The water was almost warm and very clear

rrrrrrrrrrrThis the loading point for the Ludington to Manitowoc Ferry. It makes one round trip each day and takes about 4 hours for the crossing.

Entrance to the Luddington Ferry

rrrrrrrrrrrrWe skipped breakfast when leaving this morning so we were both starving when we reached Ludington. We found this quaint little shop to eat and outdoor lunch.

Outdoor Lunch

After lunch we looked at the antiques in Maude's Garage, a gas station converted to a cute little store. I almost bought an croquet mallet but finally decided against it.

Antique Shopping

On the way back to our RV we couldn't resist stopping for a picture in front a murel of the SS Badger, the latest ship to make the ferry trip. That's a good shot of Dagmar's new bike 'Dunebaby'.

Before the Luddington Ferry Mural

Our last stop before leaving was a trip to the Ludington Dunes State Park. This is a shot facing away from Lake Michigan showing our RV on the highway with more dunes beyond.

Ludington Dunes State Park

Resting on a Rainy Day 9/11/10 Montague, MI

Marshland Early Morning Sunrise

Woke up early Saturday morning to take out the dogs for their business. A red glow in the sky was promising a colorful sunrise.  This was my cue to go back inside the RV  to get the camera. My hands were full with two dog leashes and camera. Excitedly I hustled along the bike trail toward the bridge over the marshland. Poor dogs, I dragged them along because I was worried that I would miss the sun coming up. Instead the colors around me got more and more intense. I  took several pictures,....this is one of them. I don't think I have ever seen a more colorful sunrise!

Enjoying Fresh Fruits and Vegetables at the Farmer's Market

After our morning duties we headed out to breakfast at a little corner restaurant and then to market to pick up fresh blueberries, apples and green and yellow beans. This was the first rainy day on our trip so far and we were well prepared with umbrellas and rain jackets. Actually on this day we rested quite a bit and just enjoyed "chillin".

Running Loose

Later in the afternoon the rain stopped, even though there still was precipitation in the form of a light mist. The dogs were a bit stir crazy, (meaning they were playing rough in the RV), so we decided to take a walk with them. Back on our trusty bike trail, but this time we found a side path that led us along the marshes and into the woods. Beautiful! We were able to let the dogs off the leashes and they frolicked in nature, doing what they do best.....chasing rabbits and squirrels. Grindi tried several times to jump off the board walks to flush out fowl or toads. This dog has the hunting instinct! We came home an hour and a half later and felt great to have been physically active. Needless to say, my day was not over until both dogs had a much needed bath!

Human meets Nature!!

Unforseen Day in Montague 9/10/10

You remember from yesterday that we were test driving a couple of  'slightly-recumbent' Electra bicycles; today we are the proud owners of 'Duneboy' and 'Dunebaby'!  We were really enjoying our test ride but, were thinking about the price, and decided we could get a few more miles out of our old bikes. That was true until we got on our old bikes the next morning for a ride to the auto parts store to pick up a couple of spare filters for the RV. Compared to the Electras, we felt like perched divers trying to pedal and balance atop the bikes while keeping ourselves from falling over the handlebars! When we went back to 'The Kickstand', our minds were returning the bikes but, our hearts had a firm grip on them. The owner Joe, and Sarge, his comedic side kick, knew we were going to keep them. As we rode away from the shop , Dagmar was yelling to all the drivers.... "Hey, look at my new bike"! She said she felt like when she got her first bike as a kid!

Unloading "Duneboy"

We finally had to find a mechanic to fix the starting problem with the RV. After asking at the campground and getting directions to a shop we power pedaled to Advanced Diesel Systems a mile and a half away. The lady there took down our phone # and pad # at the campground and sure enough, Terry showed up later that afternoon to take a look. If you ever are in this area we recommend his services. HE KNOWS A DIESEL!!! He has a barn full of tools that would put most Caterpillar service centrs to shame.  The next day we sat in the country at his shop and watched him do his magic!! He was tearing things down and getting black and greasy and then putting it all back together and voila!!!!! ....we have a starting motorhome again. Later on we met his friend Moose and Terry's brother, Rich. When Rich showed up in his green tractor machine I (Dagmar)  was able to cross one more thing off my bucket list.............riding in a BIG, BAD tractor! It was great and  gave the feeling of owning the road! This was the biggest and baddest tractor...it measued 18 feet wide!! Get the picture???  David was able to go on a ride as well and had a great conversation with Rich. This morning Terry called us and made sure that the rig was still starting. Boy, it feels like we have a Doc in the house. Terry, thanks for finding the problem!!

The fix-it boys Terry and Moose

Rich climbing into his 1977 Steiger Tractor

Rich taking Dagmar on a joy ride 

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