Sunday, July 15, 2007

THE NEXT ADVENTURE

We are home now so I completed the BLOG hope you enjoy it.
Getting ready for the next big Adventure Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2007 (BLOG)http://2007albuquerqueballoonfestaval.blogspot.com/ ( http://www.balloonfiesta.com/ ) Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta held October 6 – October 15, 2006 see you there.






Ron & Deb

THE END……………………

Captains BLOG
06/26/2007
Birch Run, MI – Dip in Lake Huron – Frankenmurth
Visited the World Largest Christmas Shop. This town is a throwback to a German village.
Odometer: 8943.3













Captains BLOG
06/27/2007
Fayette, MI – Back to St. Ignace, MI
Odometer: 9302.3
Stayed at a Coastal Campground View of Big Mack (the bridge) and some freighters in the fog. Decided to take the coastal route to head home and we are still amazed at the rest areas in Michigan. We did stop at one rest area to wet our feet in Lake Huron.
(YES FOLKS THIS IS A REST AREA)
Captains BLOG
06/28/2007
Traversing Canada
Odometer: 9302.39724.0
Entered Canada with lots of worry, having heard of all the horror stories. It was a funny feeling knowing you were driving in a Foreign Country but it actually looked just like the good old USA. Their farms and barns were all in beautiful condition. RE-entered US with no problems at all. The Border Patrol Officer was actually from Norwood, MA.


Captains BLOG
06/29/2007
HOME, Tow bar incident
Odometer: 9724.0
Pulled into a rest area to check maps for local museums when Ron noticed he could see the Jeeps mirror in the RV mirror. Not a good thing!!! After checking, we discovered 2 bolts on the drivers side of the Tow Receiver had fallen out and the pressure of the jeep pushing against the remaining side had broken the weld (FUN OVER). We disconnected the jeep and Deb had to drive it home. In hind site we were fortunate it did not break loose on the turnpike as there could have been a REAL TRAGEDY.

THE END……………………

Total Mileage for trip in RV 3,231.9

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

06/25/2007 Fayette, MI – Back to St. Ignace, MI

Captains BLOG
06/25/2007
Fayette, MI – Back to St. Ignace, MI
Odometer: 8679.0 Total of 927 Miles in the upper Peninsula loop
Got into Fayette around Noon today. Took a tour of the Fayette State Park “ghost town” iron mining

6/20/2007Copper Harbor, Brockway Mountain

Captain’s BLOG
6/20/07
Copper Harbor, Brockway Mountain
Odometer: 8218.2
The drive into Copper Harbor was very pretty. There were so many small towns, so small that if you sneezed then you missed that town. Checked into the Fannie Hoo Resort Campground right on the lake. Again, the place was empty. Everyone keeps telling us that tourist visits are down but we think tourism to this area is over. Took a ride up to Brockway Mountain and was afforded great views of Lake Superior and its water traffic. The landscape in the area can be very similar to ours and then totally different all in the same view. The weather has remained sunny and very warm so can’t complain. The UP is a place we could spend 2-3 months exploring.

6/24/2007 Iron Mountain – Cornish Pump – Escanaba MI









Captains BLOG
06/24/2007
Iron Mountain – Cornish Pump – Escanaba MI
Odometer: 8506.5
Finally ran into to someone who knew what bit us. They are called no-see-um, no really that is true. We looked it up on line and they are so small and nasty that you don’t even know they have bitten you until you develop the pain, itching and bumps. In rare cases too many bites can result in kidney failure. Treatment is generally prednisone. All we have is topical cortisone so if we are not cleared up by the time we get home we may need a prednisone taper. Anyway it was off to Iron Mountain for a tour of an Iron Mine. We thought that mining iron may have been done differently then mining for copper but it was not. The only real difference was that the stopes were bigger. Next it was on to the Cornish Pump which is the largest steam powered water pump ever built and was used in the mines to keep the mine shafts dry. That concluded that day. We will be heading to an abandoned mining town “ghost town” for a tour.

6/23/07 Paulding Lights, MI

Captain’s BLOG
6/23/07
Paulding Lights, MI
Odometer: 8362.9

Drove to Paulding today to witness the mysterious Pauling light. Since the early 70’s a mysterious light appears in the state forest located in a remote area following the power lines.
The light appears almost every night at dusk and remains visible even during winter snowstorms. There has been scientific studies done to try to figure out what the light is but no one has been able to come up with an answer to the mystery. The local people find the light to be comforting and we spoke with the man that developed the Paulding light web page. http://www.backwoodswisconsin.com/paulding_light.htm http://www.unexplainedresearch.com/files_anomalies/paulding_light.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrnZVTzQ06Y
He has lived in the area for many years and has witnessed the light in the best and worst weather conditions thereby dispelling the thought that the light is headlight reflections. We went to the locale to get a look and sure enough there it was, first very bright then fading, even changing to a red color at times. There were many people viewing the light and no one has a explanation. It was very eerie, but real. We had binoculars so did get a closer look. The light was bright and looked like it was sparking around the perimeter leading us to think it may be coming off the high tension wires but I guess scientists have disproved that theory. We went back the next morning to get a look at the area in daylight but did not see anything unusual. Then it was back on the road to our next destination.

Monday, June 25, 2007

06/22-23/2007 Quincy Mine, Porcupine MTNS

Captains BLOG
06/22-23/2007
Quincy Mine, Porcupine MTNS
Odometer: 8320.9

Well, it was another great day of sun and beautiful weather. On our way to Porcupine Mountains we stopped at the Quincy Mine in Hancock, MI. The mine and surrounding property is designated as a National Park. We went on a two hour tour of the mine traveling down 1900 feet to the seventh level mine shaft. The mine is 9000 feet deep and all levels below 1900 feet are flooded. Cannot imagine working in the conditions that were so dark, damp and uncomfortable. At the height of its’ operation there were over 2000 men working the mine. The majority of workers came from Scandinavian and European countries all wanting to better themselves in the USA. Unfortunately most lost their hearing from the constant high decibel levels in the mines. There were millions of pounds of copper extracted with even more then extracted left behind. The mine shut down 50 years ago because it became a cost prohibitive operation (copper value had dropped too low). Within the complex is the largest hoist ever built and at the time was the showpiece of the mine. It is in pristine condition and operational although will never be used again. Our copper is now imported from China, Mexico and South America from open copper pits. Then it was off to Porcupine Mountains 100 miles away. Got into Ontonagon MI around 5 PM and found a great campground right on the banks of Lake Superior at the Ontonagon Municipal Park for $18.00 dollars with water and electricity. Since we were only going to spend one night it was off to the Porcupine Mountains, so named because someone with a good imagination thought the mountains looked like two porcupines resting with their backs up. That adventure took us almost 4 hours (longer then anticipated), a lot of hiking and some OK views. The area is very similar to the White Mountains so didn’t bring anything new or different to us. Got back to the campground around 10 PM (still light and bright out because we are the furthest West in the Eastern time zone) and ate leftovers from the German Restaurant. Boy were we tired! Oh, did I mention that we have been eaten alive by “something”, not sure what because you can’t feel being bitten. First you may notice blood dripping down your face, feel a bump, then pain, then the swelling and pain intensifies and if you lightly touch the area the pain gets worse. We have bites on our heads, necks and temple areas only, and no one can tell us what bit us. The boat Captain in Copper Harbor told us it may be a small black fly that bites, injects a blood thinner and then sucks the blood. It has been very uncomfortable but the good news is that after 3 days the pain and swelling subsides.