Alright, already. I know, we’ve been VERY remiss and have not done a Blog during this Spring/Summer trip. After the very long Alaska trip last summer - when we did 33 entries - I think we just got a little burned out. It’s not that we’re not traveling, and it’s certainly not that we’re not having a great time and seeing and doing wonderful things, it’s just that putting together all the Posts and pictures takes a lot of effort and we took a little time off from getting it all together.
SO, that’s the “mea culpa” and since we’ve received all kinds of subtle (and some not so subtle) chidings to “get on the stick” and publish, here’s an update.
Word of warning: this is a condensation, so it covers several weeks and many miles all lumped into one Post.
We left Flagler on April 16th and went to Ocala, Florida. This was only a short distance but was for a VERY IMPORTANT occasion. Judy’s son, David and his lovely fiancée, Erin, were married on Saturday, April 18th. It was a beautiful wedding followed by a wonderful reception. Everyone had a fantastic time. They are such a cute couple and we wish them all the luck in the future. Mom shed a few tears ‘cause her “baby boy” is now married but she was just busting with pride and love.
From Ocala we headed north to Nappanee, Indiana to the Newmar factory. Newmar is the manufacturer of our coach and we’re very fortunate that they are still in business and honoring their warranty customers. This area of Indiana (Elkhart and the environs) has been severely impacted from an economic standpoint because so many RV manufacturers and all of their suppliers have gone out of business. It has a very high unemployment and it’s painful to see all the facilities idle and so many buildings just empty and stuff just rusting away. I fear it will be a long time for the economic recovery to have a positive impact on this industry.
At the plant we had a few items taken care of (since we are still under warranty) and had a couple items added. The coach is in real good shape and we really enjoy it. Our good friends Kris and Jessie and Mary and Maria Elena joined us in Nappanee and traveled with us for the next several weeks.
We toured the Amish/Mennonite area of north central Indiana, visited Notre Dame (Mary’s alma mater), the RV Museum and several other interesting sights including the HUGE Shipshewanna market.
From Indiana we all headed to Ohio and spent several days touring the Amish/Mennonite areas there as well. We also went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Smuckers and several other great sights. While in Ohio we got together with Freddie and Sally (whom we went to Alaska with last summer) and had a nice lunch and visit with them and some other friends whom we know from Florida (who also have a place in Ohio). After Ohio, Mary and Maria Elena headed south to visit Washington, DC and the four of us continued on.
Next it was to Ridgway in north central Pennsylvania where we spent a couple days visiting with Pat’s relatives and attending a fun family get together. There was even a CD put together that included film of a VERY CUTE “Patsy” when she was three, or four, or whatever…
From there we went north to Campbell, NY (near Corning) where we spent a couple more days visiting with Judy’s cousin Judy-Judy. We toured the Corning glass museum and taking in the sights of this lovely area. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Judy and Dick’s home and the “CUZ’s” spent lots of quality time catching up.
Next it was north, across the border at the Thousands Islands and on to Ottawa, Ontario where we spent several days touring the beautiful capitol of Canada. Among the many highlights we visited were Parliament (including the Senate, House of Commons, Library and Peace Tower), the Bytown Market, The Rideau Canal and Locks, the National Arboretum, Hogsback Falls, the Riding Stables of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Gatineau Park and Prime Minister MacKenzie King’s Estate as well as many, many other great attractions. Since Ottawa was the international headquarters of Pat’s company she had spent a lot of time there over the years and was quite familiar with everywhere to go. We also had a great evening at the home of a friend. Donna, and her husband,Geoff. They prepared a delicious cookout and we had wonderful time. We were also treated to a fantastic lunch at the Canal Ritz. The former CEO/President of the company that Pat worked for hosted this meal. The food was exquisite and Ron and his wife Gail were just delightful. Much of the conversation was centered on Scotland since Ron and Gail are from there and we hope to visit Scotland next year. Kris and Jessie really seemed to enjoy their time spent in Ottawa and even spoke of possibly returning. After a great time in the Capitol city, Kris and Jessie headed south and we proceeded west into Ontario.
Among the many highlights in Ontario was a visit to Kirkland Lake where we attended a performance of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride. This is a fantastic and entertaining display showcasing the equestrian skills performed by thirty-two cavalry mounted on perfectly matched black Hanoverians. This was especially exciting since just a few days prior we had visited them at their official stables in Ottawa. It was very impressive to view these Mounties performing the intricate movements of the Musical Ride. After several other stops and lots of beautiful scenery in Ontario, we crossed back into the states at Sault Sainte Marie.
Once in Michigan, we toured the “SOO” Locks area, enjoyed many lighthouses and waterfalls and sailed to Macinac Island. We also went to the museum dedicated the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Freddie and Sally joined us again and together we visited Fort Macinaw, the lighthouse and the Coast Guard Cutter “Mackinaw”. After Sault Sainte Marie we left the Upper Peninsula and traveled south to Frankenmuth, a lovely German-influenced town. We continued to tour the “mitten” including a visit to the beautiful Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore. Heading north again, we returned to the U.P. and took a boat ride to view the Pictured Rocks National Seashore (which was beautiful) and also a cruise in a glass bottom boat to view shipwrecks of the lake. Every day included a visit to at least one, if not several, lighthouses; there are more than 300 lighthouses on the Great Lakes!
Next was on to Wisconsin with our first stop being lovely Door County, an area of beautiful scenery and the famous Fish Boil. This concept is a little difficult to describe. A fish boil is a Door County culinary tradition with Scandanavian roots. The fish is a delicious whitefish caught by local fishermen, cut into small chunks and cooked in boiling water with red potatoes and pearl onions. Salt is the only seasoning used, and used only to raise the specific gravity of the water. The cooking of the fish is an elaborate presentation. The fish and potatoes are placed in a cast-iron kettle. When the water comes to a boil the potatoes and onions, kept in a wire basket, are lowered in. The fish are then placed in another wire basket and lowered in. When the fish oils rise to the top of the pot, the boiler throws a can of kerosene into the flames. YES, he THROWS KEROSENE ON THE FIRE and the flames leap many feet into the air. The increase in flames causes a boilover, the fish oils spill over the side of the pot, and the fish is done. It’s quite impressive and quite delicious. After Door County it was on to OshKosh to visit with our friends Al and Mary from Flagler Beach. Next we went to Baraboo, WI and the Wisconsin Dells area. We visited the International Crane Foundation which was fantastic. The ICF is dedicated to the study and preservation of the 15 species of cranes. One of the premier goals of the ICF is to create a "species bank" where cranes can be kept safely, until the factors causing their decline, such as loss of habitat and indiscriminate hunting, are corrected. We also visited the Circus Museum. Baraboo, Wisconsin was home to the Ringling Brothers. It was from Baraboo in 1884 that the Ringling Brothers Circus began their first tour as a circus. The museum includes many artifacts, over 200 circus wagons and has a live performance of the circus every day! It was really fun and informative. We’re grateful to our friends Tom and Gary who insisted that we go to Door County and on to Baraboo and especially visit the Crane Foundation. It was a wonderful suggestion.
From Wisconsin we headed into Iowa, stopped at Moscow to have the jacks on the RV worked on, Newton to get some Maytag Bleu Cheese and we are now in Des Moines where we have been visiting with Pat’s cousins. Tomorrow we’ll drive to southern Iowa and spend about a week and a half with Pat’s 98-year-old Aunt Maxine. Sunday is the annual family reunion and it’s always a good time. We missed it last year because we were in Alaska so it’s good to be back.
Okay, it’s been a little over two months, thusfar, and, as the heading says: We have visited with relatives and friends, seen all five of the Great Lakes and toured many, many wonderful sights, and we’re still on the road.
This Post doesn’t begin to mention all of the great places we’ve been or all the wonderful sights we’ve seen but, hopefully, it will give you all a little taste of what we’ve been up to.
Here’s the usual link to some photos. Check them out and, with luck, you’ll get a bit of a glimpse of all the fantastic sights we’ve been fortunate enough to see.
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=242c7397c83613cd&sid=0Sbs27hoxZMb0
Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
www.patjudy.blogspot.com
Pferraro1@cfl.rr.com
