Back from Michigan

     Compared to many of our trips this was a short one.  Still, I am happy to be home.  The weather was just so unseasonably hot.  I was prepared for sweatshirts and wool socks, not wading in the lake to cool off.  We are now really spoiled because we have a thermostat that can be adjusted from our smartphones.  I checked the house temperature last night and found it to be 88*.  Whew.  It was great to turn on the air and have it a comfortable 75* as we unloaded the camper.
    Driving through Wisconsin is always a pleasure with the many rolling hills and pretty farms.  We saw a lot of signs to watch out for horse and buggy's which  made us remember our day on Mackinac Island.  It also made me think of the many stone farmhouses and barns we saw in Michigan - even a round stone silo.  I wish we could have stopped to take a picture, but that isn't too practical while driving a camper and towing a car behind.
    It was a great little trip with no car troubles and no illness or injury.  We learned a lot about shipping on the Great Lakes, shipwrecks, and life in the little towns along the shores.  We visited four Michigan State Parks which were beautiful and well maintained.  We stopped in a dozen Michigan highway Waysides for picnics and rests.  I wish that Wisconsin had nice little stops along the way as well, but instead we had to pause at giant truck stops.
    I hope that you will consider a vacation to some of these nearby places.  The area around Great Lakes is beautiful, varied, interesting and historical.  Just bring along your passport or Enhanced driver's license if you go across into Canada at Sault Ste Marie.  Maybe we will see you on the road!

Marathon Park, Wausau, Wisconsin

   I often use a website called rvparkreviews to find a nice campground.  This is especially handy when we are driving between two points and want to stop after four or five hours of driving.  I just search on towns near our proposed stop and look at the reviews on the available campgrounds.  I have found a lot of nice city and county campgrounds that would not be listed in a commercial directory.  Tonight we are staying in a city park in Wausau, Wisconsin.  There are 40 large sites with electricity in a stand of beautiful white pines.  On this hot weekend night there are 15 sites filled.

    We are a couple miles off the main route through town.  Near some nice restaurants and other services.  We can hear a little road noise, but we are further from the road than in a lot of KOA's.  The ground is covered with pine needles and no campfires are allowed.  Its so hot and humid though I don't miss a fire tonight.

    We certainly drove some back roads today (and several other times this trip).  We have a GPS that has a database which is aware of weight and height limitations on roads - used by truckers.  We put in the size of our camper and towed car and we shouldn't be routed anywhere we can't go.  We left that GPS at home and figured since it is a short trip we would use Google maps.  Well, we haven't had any disasters, but we have been routed on some very narrow back roads.  The driver has been patient with his navigator, but we have had some tense silences.  

     I am looking forward to  in all the nooks and crannies of the camper to pack up a summer's accumulation of snacks, toys, books, and clothes.  We almost always have to go to the storage lot and look through the winterized camper for something we are missing.  

    Then tomorrow we drive home, unload, and start thinking about where to go next summer.

Kitch-iti-kipi

    I looked at several lists of things to do in Upper Michigan and then plotted a round trip that included most of them.  An unusual point of interest was a spring called Kitch-iti-kipi.   The spring is a pool of very clear water which is 400 feet across in its largest dimension, and up to 40 feet deep.  Snow and ice melt seep through limestone, run under the bedrock and bubble up into the pool through cracks in the rock.  The temperature of the water is about 45* - not great for swimming.

The raft crossing the spring

    A large wooden raft running on a steel cable provides self service transportation across the spring.  As each group of visitors climb on the raft, one volunteer turns the large wheel which pulls the raft across the pool.  An open area in the center of the raft provides a great view of the bottom of the spring so that you can see water bubbling up through the sand 40 feet below and dozens of huge of large brown trout that the spring is stocked with.  The self-service raft has been in operation since the 1930's (although I'm sure modern safety rails were installed).  Everyone waits in line, takes their place on the raft, and someone steps up to turn the wheel.  It was a fun place to visit.
    We drove into the town of Manistique for lunch.  It's a pretty shopworn place without much to recommend it.  There is a nice boardwalk along Lake Michigan, but it was very hazy today and the sky sort of blended in with the water.  Too much heat and humidity.
    We spent much of the afternoon cleaning the inside of the camper.  It will be time to winterize it when we return, despite this summer-like weather we have been having.  By late afternoon we were sitting in the shade watching the lake when I could hear thunder.  A ranger stopped by to tell us that there were severe thunderstorm warnings.  We put buttoned up the camper and put our chairs and outdoor rugs away.  The wind started to blow harder and we decided to retreat.  Then it blew harder and harder very quickly.  I am, as always, so happy to have an awning that goes in and out with the push of a button.  So we brought in the awning and moved to our bedroom window to watch the storm.
    The storm shelter (bathroom) was just across the road if things looked really bad.  We watched one neighbors awning fly up and over his camper and another couple of roof vents fly open.  Luckily we had no problems.  Soon the rain came and we finally got a little relief from the heat.  By dinner time the rain was gone and the weekend campers were arriving.  We gathered on the stairs to watch the beautiful sunset.  One more night on the road and then we are home.

Indian Lake State Park

   We are still in this magic Indian Summer mode with temperatures in the low 80's.  Every day is more perfect than the last.  Our campsite tonight overlooks a large lake just  four miles from Lake Michigan.  We are camped 30 feet from the bluff overlooking the lake with a nice set of wood steps going down to the water and a bench for two at the top.  Since we are backed into the site we can see the sunset on the lake from our bed.  A bunch of ducks hang out on the shore and keep quacking at me.  I think they expect to be fed.

    The campground is about half full but will probably get busier on the weekend with such good weather.  Tonight it is quiet except for the ducks and a red squirrel who also seems to expect a handout.  There's not much to the park except for the beach and the campground, but its a beautiful place that just happened to be along the north shore of Lake Michigan on our drive back home.

    We crossed back over the Mackinac Bridge and were lucky once again to have calm, sunny weather.  Then we headed east on Michigan Highway 2 which follows the north shore of Lake Michigan along the dunes and through little towns.  There are a lot of 1950 style travel courts with tiny cabins and 1960 style motels and drive in restaurants.  I think much of it looks the same as when my family drove here in about 1958.  We camped in a tiny pop-up camper then.  I'm spoiled in my nice little Winnebago now.  

     September is great for camping when you're retired.  Fewer crowds and mosquitos, warm days, cool nights and perfect campfire weather.  

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

    The Ojibwe have a legend that says there was once a mother bear with two cubs.  They were starving and so she took her cubs and swam across Lake Michigan to find food.  They were almost to land when one by one the cubs sank and died.  The mother was so sad she swam ashore and climbed the bluff to look out over the lake where her cubs had died.  The great Spirit turned the cubs into North and South Manitou islands and mother bear into the Sleeping Bear Dunes.
   The 36 mile Manitou Passage between the islands and the Michigan mainland is a heavily used shipping route.  Unfortunately is has many dangerous shoals and sandbars so there have been many shipwrecks.  In the 1800's ships using this route stopped at small towns along the shore to purchase lumber for fuel for their steam engines.  The lumber industry thrived until the forests were depleted.  Fruit orchards were planted to replace trees. Passengers on the ships stopped in the towns to buy fruit from the orchards and eventually the beautiful area became a destination and tourism became a prime industry.

At the top of one of the highest dunes

    We spent the day stopping at the many beaches, overlooks, and little ghost towns in this park which stretches along the northeast shore.   There is so much to do for the very ambitious younger crowd.   Paved bicycle paths run along much of the seashore.  Kayaks and canoes are for rent to use on the rivers and lakes.  The really adventuresome climb the 200 foot high dunes and slide down again.  The sand is very fine and easy on the feet.  Beaches are everywhere and the water is very clear and not too cold so there were lots of swimmers.  However, on Lake Michigan beaches we saw signs everywhere warning about riptides.  I would go swimming in the Platte River where it meets the big lake instead.  The river was shallow with a slow current and a beautiful sand bottom.
    It was a good day for being in the water with temperatures in the low 80's.  We hopped in and out of the car all day to take short walks to overlooks, take photos, and read the information about the site.  By the end of the day we were both wiped out.  We turned on the air conditioner in the camper and had a short reviving nap.   We could have easily spent a couple more days in this area, but tomorrow we move on - back over that enormous bridge.  Praying for good weather!

Mackinac Bridge

     The Mackinac Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere and the third longest in the world.  It is nearly five miles long and connects upper and lower Michigan.  It opened in 1957 during the post World War II time when everyone took car vacations.  I remember my Dad talking about it and planning a vacation with the major goal of driving across the new bridge.
     An Internet site tracks the conditions on the bridge and the length of backups on either side.  The campground host told us that the backup was eight miles long on Memorial Day.  On days with very windy conditions campers, high profile vehicles, and trucks or cars pulling a trailer need to drive very slowly.  The Mackinac Bridge Authority has a Drivers Assistance Program that provides drivers for those with gephyrphobia (bridge phobia), or anyone who is more comfortable having someone else drive them across. More than a thousand people use this service every year.  Under really windy conditions the bridge is designed to move with the wind.  It can move up to 35 feet to one side or the other.  It doesn't sway, it just moves with the wind and when the wind subsides it moves back.  It is built to be stable in winds up to 150 MPH.  Of course that doesn't mean that your car won't blow off, just that the bridge will be fine.  Only two cars have gone off the bridge- one that was speeding and one that may have been a suiside.

     It was our luck today to have a quiet, sunny day.  I was also happy that some repair work closed the outside lane of the bridge which is usually used for trucks and campers, so we were driving the inside lane.  I read somewhere that kids who are afraid of an event can get through it by taking photos.  So I took pictures as we drove.  Rick just asked me not to hang out the window.

     We are staying at the Platte River Campground in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park.  It's the nicest non-commercial campground we have ever stayed in.  Huge trees, very little underbrush, paved parking sites all nicely spaced.  Most of the sites with electric hookups are occupied tonight.  It's so popular that I had to plan the dates of the trip around when I could get a reservation.  Its a real deal for us too as we get 50% off due to our Senior Parks pass.  Ricks card was wearing out so they gave him a new one with a picture of a goat on it.  The Ranger told him it was special for "old goats."

     It gets dark and cool fairly early so we build a campfire at nice spots like this one.  We buy wood for one or two nights at a time because wood from other areas that might contain one of the many insects tht are eating our trees can't be used.  We found a new deal at this campground for wood - a vending machine!  You put your dollars in a slot and a bundle of wood drops into a bin.  I just love it.

   We went to the meeting of the Platte River and Lake Michigan for some wading and sunshine.  Hard to believe that this is mid-September.

Mackinac Island

    Today we took a ferry ride across the Straits of Mackinac in Lake Huron to a pretty island that has been a tourist destination since the late 1800's. John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company was located on Mackinac Island after the War of 1812.  Then, in late 1800's, sport fishing became popular and the island was already a center for commercial whitefish and lake trout fishing.  Large fancy homes as well as the beautiful Grand Hotel were built to accommodate the summer visitors.

Grand Hotel shuttle

    Mackinac Island was the National Park after Yellowstone, but eventually was turned over to Michigan and now 80% of the island is a Michigan State Park.  No motorized transportation is allowed on the island except for a couple fire trucks and an ambulance.  Horses are used to pull wagons to move all the constructions materials, restaurant and hotel supplies, and tourist luggage.  Tourists are picked up at the docks and brought to hotels in horse drawn taxis.  The only Michigan State Highway that does not allow motorized traffic runs around the island.  It is used by carriages, bicycles and folks on horseback.
    Many travelers on the ferry brought their own bicycles.  We saw lots of workers using large baskets and small trailers on their bicycles to make deliveries.  Horses have the right of way.  Every road has at least one worker with a broom, shovel and wheeled cart cleaning up the horse manure.  We took a tour of some of the major sightseeing spots on a carriage pulled by several sturdy horses.  Most of the horses used are huge Belgian Draft and Percheron breeds.  They are huge, strong and very well mannered horses.  Speeding bicycles, screaming children, boat horns: nothing bothered them.  Most of the horses are bred and trained by Amish farmers and then purchased for use on the island.  Many of the horses are taken off the island during the winter and brought to farms.  I liked the information that they are brought across on the ferry in groups of 20 or so because they are calmer when they hang out together.
   The largest hotel on the island is the Grand Hotel with about 350 rooms - each one with a different decor.  The 650 foot porch is the longest in the world.  It overlooks beautiful gardens and a swimming pool designed by Esther Williams.  Non-guests are charged $10 to tour the hotel.  We passed on the tour and just took some pictures and went for lunch at an outdoor restaurant across the street.  We watched four workers meticulously remove dead blossoms from a large garden during our extended lunch.  It looked like they had hours of work ahead of them, but the gardens were amazing.  There are many other more modestly priced hotels, resorts, and B & B's for visitors.
    It was another day with just beautiful weather - a little cooler - but with lots of sun, light breeze and calm seas.  We have now been on Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

St. Ignace, Michigan

     Today we were supposed to cross the Mackinac Bridge and stay in Mackinaw City.  Instead, we are on the north side of the Mackinac Bridge in St. Ignace.  There are KOA Campgrounds on both the north and south sides of the bridge.  I had it in my mind that we were staying at the north side, but when we went to check in I was told that we were at the wrong one.  We could have just driven to the other, BUT the back up to get on the bridge was very long.  There were gusts of wind which had slowed traffic on the bridge down to 20 MPH.  I must say that I am already not a fan of tall bridges and going across with gusts of wind buffeting the camper was not my idea of a good time.
    Our KOA host called the other campground, got our reservation cancelled, and found us a spot in St. Ignace.  It's not nearly as nice a campground, but it's fine and I didn't have to sit in a long line waiting to do something I don't want to do.  Now I've got two more days to think about the crossing. Blah.
   This warm weather has messed with my packing and I had to do laundry today because we are running out of shorts and t-shirts.  I hate doing laundry on the road, but today wasn't bad at all.  Now we are prepared for more warm and sunny days - a blessing really.

Mackinac Bridge in the haze

    We took a drive along the lake shore to get to a point where we could see the bridge - Bridge Park.  Somehow I thought we would be driving along a cliff looking down, but the road was right along Lake Michigan.  It appears that the lake is very high and at times was getting pretty close to the road.  I don't know how much the level is up, but based on the road and the homes right on the edge of the lake, it is much higher than usual.  There were a lot of places for sale if you want a lake shore home on Lake Michigan.
    We drove to the little downtown to see where we will catch a ferry to get to Mackinac Island tomorrow.  It's a pretty little town with many well preserved old buildings and a lot of tourist industry.  It was quiet on this nice Sunday evening and the bridge traffic was considerably diminished.  I am hoping that the calm weather will remain until we get across that bridge (and, unfortunately for me, back across it two days later).

The Soo Locks

     The last time we were in this area we were in a hurry to drive east.  Today we had the time to take a boat tour of the Soo Locks.  The first lock was built 160 years ago to help move boat traffic between Lake Huron and Lake Superior.  We have been on a boat tour of the St. Lawrence Seaway which is at the beginning of the journey ships take from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Superior.  It was interesting to see the last part of the journey.
    Before these locks were built boats had to be portaged around the 21 foot drop on St. Mary's River.  It could take up to three months to make the portage.  In 1855 Michigan opened a set of two locks on the St. Mary River.  They were each 350 feet long.  Today the largest lock is 1200 feet long.  There are four operating locks  - three on the American side and one on the Canadian side.  The Canadian lock is used only for pleasure boats.  Our tour boat used the Canadian lock going up river and an American lock on the way back.  A couple older American locks are being dismantled and a new, still larger lock will open in a few years.  The locks are now operated by the Federal Government.  They are free to everyone.
     About 7,000 ships go through the Locks, hauling 86 million tons of cargo each year. This makes these locks the heaviest used in the world. I thought it would be the Panama locks or the Suez Canal locks, but it is a set of locks in my own back yard.     It was a perfect day to be out on the water - about 80*, sunny and with a slight breeze.  We found seats on the top deck of the tour boat under a sun shade.  It was our amazing luck that just as we got situated a demonstration of forest fire planes began.  Across the river from the tour is a Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center.  This weekend is the annual BushPlane days.  Pilots from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry flew the CL-415 water bomber and a EC-130 Helicopter with a water tank.  We watched as the plane flew close by us, landed on the river scooping up water, and then dropped the water as though it was putting out a forest fire.  The helicopter lowered its big bucket into the river and filled it, then dropped that water as well.  This demo lasted for about a half hour as the tour boat was loading.  We had absolutely front row seats.  It was just awesome.
     On our way back a
couple large boats got to the locks before our tour boat so we were delayed for about thirty minutes while they went through.  It was fairly warm on the boat as we circled around waiting for our turn and some of the kids on the tour really lost interest in the whole trip.  We found it really interesting.  As we went through the pleasure boat side we saw that each small fishing boat was documented and contacted.  On the American side a "Security" car drove along the locks.      
     Nevertheless, it wouldn't be any challenge to take a fishing boat from one shore and unload passengers on the other shore.  There are miles and miles and miles of unpatrolled coastline.  Do you think we need to build a wall to keep Americans from moving to Canada?

Sault Ste Marie

     I'm proud of myself that I typed the name of this town without looking it up again. The spelling just doesn't stick with me. Eight years ago we were in this same campground when we were on our way to Maine across Canada.  Although the campground is located right in town it is surrounded by hardwood forest and very quiet.  The maples are at their peak in this campground and it was glorious to set outside in the sun this afternoon and just enjoy the rich colors.
    It was a short drive from Tahquamenon to the bridge between the U.S. and Canada.  However, once we got to an area where there was cell coverage, I finally was able to log into my Verizon account and setup cell phone access in Canada for $5 a day.  I am totally dependent on my phone these days to find groceries, restaurants and gas while we are on the road.

    There was about a ten minute wait in line to go through Canadian customs.  The border building is being totally remodeled and there were only two open lines.  We had our passports ready and zipped through without any problems.  It would have made more sense to just stay on the U.S. side, but I remembered this nice KOA campground on the Ontario side and couldn't find anything of equal quality in the Michigan Sault Ste Marie. So here we are for a couple days, eh?
    We had a lazy afternoon catching up on emails, Facebook, and blogging.  There's a lot going on at our cabin as we replace the septic system so we have to stay in close touch with the family.  We went out for dinner - a rare occasion for us - and did a little grocery shopping.  Then we did one of our favorite things while we are on the road - watching folks back their campers into their sites.  Some folks are real experts.  Other folks are pure entertainment.  Tonight we saw the longest combination of Class A camper pulling a huge trailer.  I am guessing the whole thing was between 65' and 70' long.  Whew.  Not too many campgrounds with sites big enough to park that one.

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

     The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is very logically located at Whitefish Point. This point of land is at the extreme southeastern end of Lake Superior. It is a critical turning point for ship traffic entering and leaving Lake Superior. The Whitefish Point Light Station is the oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Superior. The present light tower was built in 1861. 

Whitefish Point is the end of an 80-mile stretch of shoreline stretching west to Munising, Michigan, which is known as Lake Superior’s Shipwreck Coast. Of the 550 known major shipwrecks lying on the bottom of Lake Superior, at least 200 of them are in the vicinity of Whitefish Point.  the Light Statio is now a museum which documents the incredible history of the Coast Guard rescue team stationed at this hazardous point.  One of the many amazing facts that we learned today as we toured the museum was that a large number of the shipwrecks were due to collisions with other vessels rather than due to storms or running into the rocks.  The heavy storms, dark nights, and poor navigation tools created situations where boats simply were not aware of another boat nearby until it was too late.

I was very impressed with the 95% successful rescue rate of the station over the many years it has been in service.   We saw replica of the “light” weight wooden boats that were rowed out into the cold Lake Superior waters and bring stranded sailors back to shore.  Old fashioned life vests had sections of cork for buoyancy rather than the current kaypoch.  The cork is much bulkier, but as the guide pointed out, a cork vest will keep you afloat for a week, the new ones only work for a couple days.  It doesn’t matter in Lake Superior because you will die from the cold water long before you sink.

The museum participated in recovering the ship’s bell from the sunken Edmund Fitzgerald.  We watched a video that reinacted the sinking of the largest ship on Lake Superior.  I remember very well the news stories at the time of the sinking and thinking how terrible the storms on the big lake could be.

"The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down, Of the big lake they called 'gitche gumee'
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead, When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more, Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed, When the gales of November came early"  Gordon Lightfoot

We have virtually no cell phone service at this campground.  We are trying to plan our route to our next stop at Sault Ste. Marie in Canada.  This creates a number of problems.  I can’t look at the route on my smartphone – no phone service.  I won’t be able to use the smartphone in Canada until I agree to additional charges on my Verizon account, but I can’t get to the account with no WIFI and no cell service.  We stopped and had lunch in a little town, Paradise, that had some cell phone service.   We could see the route, but I couldn’t get the route to download so I can see it when we are in Canada.

At the end of the day we hiked out to the top of the Upper Falls on Tequamanon River which is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi.  We really

enjoyed the perfect weather.   Once we returned to the camper we dug through cabinets and found paper maps.  We may have to do our navigating the “old” way tomorrow.  The campground is pretty full tonight as the weekend nears.  The fall colors and the perfect weather are drawing everyone outside.

Tahquamenon Falls State Park

I love the sounds of a campground settling down for the night.  We are near the Lower Falls on the Tahquamenon River and I can hear the rumble of the falls.  Although it was warm earlier, this is September and the air is cool so we built a campfire.  I like the snap and crackle of good dry wood.  Most of our fellow campers are grey haired folks like us, but I can hear a few tired kids laughing and playing.  There’s a little breeze rustling high in the tops of the pines.  Our fellow campers are talking quietly.  This is September camping.  The sun sets earlier and everyone gathers around their camp for the warmth and light of a fire.

It has been a quiet day.  We continued our drive across the UP (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) on State Highway 28.  It’s pretty much the main East / West route.  We have been blessed with another beautiful fall day with temperatures in the upper 70’s.  Each day we see more color in the trees.  Parts of our drive was through forests of hardwoods that were about 25% cloaked in their fall garb.

The campground is in a State Park with no WIFI, no TV reception or much cell phone service.  It’s a place for quiet conversation, good books, long walks, and relaxation.  The Tahquamenon River winds its way through much of the park.  The upper falls are huge in both volume of water and overall size.  The lower falls (near our campsite) consist of five smaller falls formed as the river winds its way around an island.  I thought that it was clever of the park folks to put walking paths on the island and have rowboats available to row across to the island so it’s possible to see all five of the waterfalls.

This park and the falls was on almost every “must see” list of places to go in Michigan.  Despite the fact that it is mid-week in September, the campground is pretty full.  As we walked around the lower falls area a bus load of tourists from another country (speaking a Slavic language I think) arrived to tour the falls.  Another large group of non-English speakers were setting up for a big picnic dinner.  This is a popular place that I never heard of before.  Who knew??

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

      Lake Superior has always been one of our favorite playgrounds.  I can remember many camping trips to the "North Shore" with my parents, then with my friends, husband, children and grandchildren.  So how have I missed visiting Pictured Rocks?
      The southeast shore of Lake Superior is very different from the frigid, rocky shores of the north.  There are miles of beautiful, soft sand beaches and clear blue bays.   All along Highway 28 there are public Wayside parks which give access to these beaches.  On this sunny 75* day we saw dozens of swimmers and kayakers enjoying the water.
      As we stopped at a couple wayside beaches the clear green water really called my name, but this IS Lake Superior.  I've been lured into thinking a swim would be nice before and waded in only to have my feet go numb almost immediately.   I'm sure my boys remember swimming in the frigid waters at Temperance River and at Big Bay State Park on Madeline Island. Today I admired it from a distance.

Lighthouse on Grand Island

     Over forty miles of this lakeshore is protected by the National Park Service - Pictured Rocks.  Along the shoreline are about 15 miles of colorful sandstone cliffs, 12 miles of  beaches, and nearly five miles of enormous sand dunes. There are also multiple waterfalls, lighthouses, lakes, and campgrounds.
     The feature that gives the park its name are the colorful sandstone cliffs which can mostly be seen from the water.  The National Park Service runs tour boats - which we enjoyed today.  But we saw folks on kayaks, canoes, pontoons, paddle boards, and a glass bottom boat.  The colors on the sandstone are created by minerals leaching out into the soft cliffs and drying: Iron (red),  manganese (black-white),  limonite (yellow-brown), copper (pink-green), and other minerals.
    It was a perfect calm and sunny day for a boat ride.  Lots of other folks thought so too and the boat was fairly full for a weekday in September.  We left from the harbor at Munising past Grand Island and headed east along the shoreline. The cliffs are up to 200 feet high over the water.  Our shallow draft catamaran took us quite close to caves, waterfalls, and colorful rock formations.  The sun wasn't on the cliffs enough for great pictures, but the view from the boat was spectacular.  You should put this on your bucket list.  It's not really very far away.
   

Marquette, Michigan

     I'm tired. We started our day by driving through downtown Marquette.  It is a really pretty town with some well maintained, big, old homes. In the late 19th century, during the height of iron mining, Marquette was nationally known as a summer haven. Great Lakes Steamships brought visitors who filled the city's hotels and resorts.  Downtown Marquette still has many of these beautiful old buildings.  I especially liked a whole series of homes that had fancy scalloped siding on the gables - just perfectly preserved.
   In looking for things to do in Michigan, I read about an overlook called Sugarloaf Mountain just outside Marquette.  It is 470 feet above Lake Superior with a 350* view.  There were two routes to the top  - Easy and Difficult.  Ha.  For an old lady with a bad knee there was no "easy" way up.  The path was actually pretty smooth for the first third - gravel with a gentle up slope.  Then the path became steeper, rougher sections interspersed with flights of stairs.  The final section was stairs, stairs, and.... more stairs.  But I made it.  Wow, the view was just spectacular and I have a picture to prove I was there.
     We sat for a while and chatted with folks who were also enjoying the view.  Folks with toddlers strapped to their backs, a guy recovering from a triple bypass, a a little kid who kept running away from his grandparents.  Yikes - we were high and this kid is just running around.
    After we staggered back to the car - going past a group of 20ish folks at the half-way point who wondered if they should keep going because they were tired.  I looked for a place for lunch and found a nearby spot called Jean Kay's Pasties which turned out to be one of the "don't miss" sites in Upper Michigan.  We had a traditional pastie which was a wonderful mix of beef, potato and onion baked into a flaky crust.  Delicious.
     After lunch we drove around Presque Isle Park which is on a peninsula in Lake Superior.  Lots of pretty beaches and overlooks.  We could see the ore docks with train cars unloading ore.  Our drive back took us along the Marquette lakefront where lots of new condos have been built.  The city has really taken advantage of this scenic area with many small parks and beaches.
    We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the sunshine and icing my knee.  It is just perfect weather for spending the day outdoors.
 

By the Shores of Gitche Gumee

"By the shores of Gitche Gumee,  By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis, Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.

Dark behind it rose the forest, Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them; Bright before it beat the water,
Beat the clear and sunny water, Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water."  

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - "Song of Hiawatha"

Nokomis is the grandmother of Hiawatha.  Gitche Gumee is Lake Superior.  So here I am, Grandma Nokomis, staying at the Gitche Gumee Campground just outside Marquette, Michigan on the south shore of Lake Superior.

We drove two lane state highways across northern Wisconsin and Michigan.  The roads were good, but hilly and winding and went through dozens of small towns.  We didn't try to hurry and just lollygagged along.  As we drove out of pine forests into the hardwood covered bluffs near Lake Superior, fall colors just jumped out at us.  I have never seen the maples so brilliantly red.  I have been using a fall color tracking map at smokeymountains.com to see where the best of the color will be.  This area is between 25 and 50% towards peak color.  Usually this time of year the sky is deep blue against the colors, but I think we are seeing some forest fire haze.

Our campground is odd.  The owner? calls himself Ranger Jeffrey.  He has made the entrance look like an entry to a national park.  There are unfinished projects everywhere - a fudge shop. a theater, and a clubhouse.  For the most part there are just some decent campsites on very sandy soil with a lot of nice pines providing shade.  Jeffrey is an older gentleman who is quite eager to chat and be helpful. I think he has many good ideas and not enough time or energy to complete the work.  The photo is the "office."

The campground is conveniently located between Marquette and Munising - just across the highway from a beautiful Wayside Park with a beach on Lake Superior.  We won't be swimming, but it is very pretty.  We found a lot of nice little Wayside parks along Highway 2 which is great for us as we like to stop and have lunch at a picnic table.

Tonight we are able to get a couple channels on our TV so that we can catch up on the news of hurricane Irma.  I'm so happy not to have to deal with that sort of wind and water and major damage. Although Minnesota blizzards are annoying, now that we are retired we just stay home and wait for the plow to come.  I'm a Minnesotan to the core, I guess.

 

Iron Lake, WI

     Here we are, just the two of us, at Top O' the Morn campground on Iron Lake, just outside Iron River, Wisconsin.  It has been a beautiful day for traveling with perfectly blue skies.  I have thought all day about all the Floridians on the road escaping Hurricane Irma.  Our traveling was much more fun.
   This was the first time this summer that we have traveled in the RV without one or two kids joining us.  I kept looking back to the bench seats to see how they were doing, but no one was there.  We really enjoyed our time with our grandchildren this summer.  However, it was easier to stock up with food for our two week trip when I am just planning for the two of us.
    Our campground has many seasonal campers.  It has lots of big pines and overlooks a pretty lake.  When we stopped at the office to check in I remembered being here before in the winter on a snowmobile.  The office is also a small bar and grill.  I remember stopping to warm up with some hot coffee during a long day of snowmobiling.  We also remembered staying at a nearby motel with such saggy old beds that I had to hook my leg over the side to keep from sliding to the canyon in the middle.  We were young and more able to sleep in terrible beds, I guess.  My camper bed is much more comfortable.
    We had a leisurely drive - just three and a half hours.  This let us have a slow start in the morning and plenty of time to sit in the sun and read this afternoon.  It has been a busy month of working on the cabin, so this is our "vacation" from our vacation cabin.  I have been plagued with a flare up of knee pain since working at the cabin.  Today my knee is fine, yeah!
   I want to treasure this experience of traveling together in our camper.  We both enjoy it so much and have so much fun exploring new places.  Two neighbors  - one at home and one at the cabin - unexpectedly lost their long time partners in August.  We never know which trip will be the last, so I want to savor each one and be thankful.
     One of our favorite Minnesota authors, William Kent Krueger, uses a town called "Iron Lake" in many of his books.  His Iron Lake is on the Minnesota Iron Range, however.  Or not - maybe there will be a mystery happening tonight!!!!

Autumn Leaving

It has been a very busy summer.  I can hardly believe that the kids are back in school and we are back to our quieter schedule.  We have a lot going on at our lake cabins - some maintenance projects, new sewer systems, and work on rehabbing the "Road's End" cabin. We haven't taken a longer RV trip in two years so we decided to cram in a short one to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

We drove across the huge Mackinac Bridge eight years ago when coming back from Maine.  The scenery was amazing and I added the Upper Michigan area to my very long list of places to visit.  It just happens that a shorter trip this year will work out well, so Michigan is calling to us.

There is much to see along the south shore of Lake Superior and the west shore of Lake Michigan.  The leaves are turning early this year and it looks like we will be lucky enough to hit the area at near peak of color.  I made reservations for all our nights of camping to be sure that we have a place to stay if the campgrounds become full of leaf peepers.  The weather looks like it will be perfect.  My only worry is my arthritic knee which seems to have flared up more than usual with the cooler weather.  I may be doing less sightseeing on foot than I would like.

Our last camping trip in the RV was to Kamp Dells in Waterville, MN.  The campsite was very muddy and our last day was all rain.  We have cleaned all the rugs and linens.  Today we need to work on scrubbing the RV floors to finally get rid of all the mud.  It is always nice to start out with a clean rig.

I look forward to sharing this beautiful part of our country with you all.

Home again

     It was a relatively easy plane ride home.  The plane had many empty seats so there were only two folks in each row of three, giving us a lot more room.  But it was hot on the plane and I was happy to get off.  Going through Customs was quick and easy for Americans.  Much more thorough than I remember for foreigners including fingerprints and palm prints.  We didn't buy much and weren't carrying any produce, rocks, or valuables so there was no search of our luggage, just a check of our passports.  We found our suitcases undamaged and were very happy to see Arik and Kellen waiting for us.

     We had a great time and this style of vacation was perfect for us. The Nordic Visitor travel agent made it easy.  She set up the route so we had plenty time to drive and to sight see.  We stayed in places that were both interesting and comfortable.  Our little SUV worked out perfectly and we spent about $200 for diesel gas.  

    We saw a couple cruise ships in the harbor.  The Iceland line takes you around the island in ten days.  You don't have to drive and you get to stay in the same room every night so you don't have to move luggage around.  Lots of other folks took tours on big buses and stopped at all the interesting sites.  I'm sure the bus travelers heard a lot of interesting details about the sites and didn't have to spend each evening looking stuff up on the Internet.  We also talked to folks who made all the reservations on their own.  Different methods for different types of travelers.

    We didn't do all the usual Iceland stuff.  We didn't walk on the glacier (my knees can hardly manage the rocky trails).  We didn't swim in the Blue Lagoon or any of the thermal baths.  It was in the 40's and windy much of the time and the sulphur smell really was overwhelming to me.  We didn't try the national liquor which is called the Black Death, nor eat pickled shark, dried cod, or whale meat. 

     We saw some amazing scenery and lots of tall waterfalls.  I added quite a few new birds to my birdwatching list.  We learned a lot about the Vikings and their travels.  We gained a huge respect for the Icelandic people and their history.  

    We didn't get sick or have bad days.  We slept well in most of the many beds.  We saw light in the sky at 11:30 pm and 1 am.  Our cheapest dinner was a 12" pizza, eaten off paper plates, with water in paper cups.  It cost $21.  Our most expensive dinner was soup, cod and vegetables, with brownies and whipped cream for dessert.  It cost $150.  We must say that we just about had a personal chef as there were only two couples at dinner that night.
     It felt wonderful to have a whirlpool bath and climb in my own bed.  I miss the fresh tasting Icelandic water, strong coffee, and a full buffet for breakfast.  I look forward to seeing my other three grandchildren today.  We carried them in our hearts all through Iceland.  If you think you want to go to Iceland we have lots of materials and advice.  Give us a call!

Heading Home

    We are checked out of our hotel waiting in a very nice lounge facing the harbor.  So many folks get here before check-in or won't be picked up until after check-out, so the hotel has large, comfortable sofas for us to spread out on until our pre-paid airport shuttle picks us up in an hour.  It seems like just a few days ago that we sat here dazed and tired waiting to check in and nap.

    We will get home at 11:00 pm Iceland time and try to readjust to the time zone change once again.  It was never easy, but gets harder as I get older.  We made a point to go outdoors and walk for a bit this morning.  The fresh air is great when we knowwe will be breathing airplane air later.  We walked around inside the Harpa Convention and Concert building just across the streetfrom us.  Its a beautiful glass building that reflects the sun, sky and ocean surrounding it.  Very Icelandic.

    As we had breakfast I thought about all the very friendly and helpful wait staff who have served us these couple weeks.  There's no tipping in Iceland.  Food and drink is expensive here in restaurants and bars, but not bad in the grocery stores.  I think that service staff are paid better and don't rely on tips.  It didn't seem to affect good service at all.  I don't know how the U.S. Got into the tipped thing, but I could be happy without it.  Everywhere we went our bill came to the table with a card reader.  We just stuck in our credit card and paid.  Chipped credit cards are used for everything but access to the toilets and rides on the bus.

    Rick and I talked a lot about our early travels.  He served in Germany and traveled around Europe on his leave time.  I did my student teaching at an American school in Mexico City, and then traveled in Europe for three months with my friend JoEllen on $10 a day.  We both think that we learned a lot on how to deal with unfamiliar food, currency, transportation, language, lodging and bathrooms.  We learned to be flexible, polite, interested, and how to figure stuff out.  Smartphones are a great tool with all the maps, language apps, currency converters, and online schedules.

    I look forward to downloading my photos and looking back at this trip.  In my younger years I always thought about what I would do when I returned.  At almost 70 I don't think about returning here, I just think about all the amazing places I haven't been yet.

Reykjavik Second Tour

     We returned our car yesterday.  Parking is almost nonexistent in the downtown streets and limited to two hours at a time.  Our hotel is located very conveniently to the harbor and a lot of restaurants, but fairly far from most museums.  I spent last night trying to work out the city bus system and the maps and finally gave it up.  We looked at taking a taxi, but they are really expensive and we don't see many.  Rick suggested that we just get another hop on/hop off bus ticket and ride places on that, so we did!

     Our initial destination was the Maritime Museum.  It is located in a building that used to be a fish processing plant down on the fishing wharf.  The focus of the museum is on cod fishing and how Iceland's early economy was built by the export of dried and salted cod.  Volcanic eruptions and subsequent years of extremely cold weather killed much of the vegetation and livestock on Iceland.  The seas surrounding the island were full of cod, however, and the Icelandic fishermen were skilled at catching cod.  The cod became a reliable source of food and income.  The picture below is a cod fishing boat.

    A very good film reinacted a day in the life of 19th century cod fishermen as they went out in a wooden boat to catch cod, bring it to shore to the fishing hut where they cleaned and salted the fish.  The film and the artifacts at the museum gave us a good look at the history.  A section of the museum told the story of the "cod wars" between Britain and Iceland as the nations disagreed on how close to Iceland the British are allowed to fish.  There have been four sets of "cod wars" since around 1400.  Each time Britain has lost and each time Iceland has extended the boundaries further out until currently only Icelandic fishermen can fish within 200 miles of Iceland.

     We hopped back on the bus and jumped off near the long main street of Reykjavik, Laugavegur.  This is a very active area with lots of shops and cafes.  Some blocks are closed to traffic during the day and folks ride bikes, push baby strollers, sit outside the cafes, and wander from shop to shop.  The sun was out for a while and we really enjoyed just watching the action.  I found a sandwich shop that was NOT a Subway, so we stopped for lunch.  We are totally spoiled by the delicious bread served everywhere.  Some is very dark and dense, some is light and crusty, but all delicious!

    As we ate we remembered a few other interesting items:  we can get good, fast WiFi everywhere - hotels, restaurants, in our car, but we never see utility poles except for the main power lines going cross country.  While crowd watching we must note that everyone wears really skinny black pants - men and women.  Finally, we have noticed that American jazz and Country/western music is played everywhere. We were eating breakfast at an Icelandair hotel and enjoying the morning jazz.  We had to laugh when one of the waiters, thinking that everyone was gone from the breakfast room, turned off jazz and began to play a very old version of Volaré.

     We have one more buffet breakfast tomorrow, a walk along the harbor, a long ride to the airport, and and even longer flight home.  I will be happy to sleep in my own bed tomorrow.

    

Borgarnes

     We completed the full circle of Iceland today.  The "Ring" road or Highway 1, also named   Hringvegur, is just over 1300 miles.  We spent some time on adventures off this road when we drove the "Golden Circle" and our tour yesterday of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.  We didn't keep track of the miles, but we covered a lot of territory.

    On our return to Reykjavik we stopped in the town of Borgarnes to visit the "Settlement Center."  This Museum tells the story of the arrival of the Vikings to Iceland.  The man who built a replica of a Viking ship estimated that it took about three days to sail from Norway to Iceland.  The ships held about a hundred settlers and some livestock.  The early settlers wrote "Sagas" which told the story of individual families and their descendants from the earliest days of coming to Iceland.  The sagas recorded the many disagreements between the Icelandic settlers and the Danes and Norwegians. The sagas were compiled and transcribed around 1400 and have become an amazing history of the people of Iceland.  Families can trace their roots back to individual farmsteads.  We really enjoyed learning this history.

    I researched a lot before we came on this trip and read that one good, cheap meal was gas station hot dogs.  I was skeptical and we didn't have one until today when our picnic supplies were gone.  In many areas the gas station is also the local grocery store, drug store and fast food cafe.  Hot dogs are available at many of these stations.  I enjoyed my iconic Icelandic hotdog with some sort of sweet mustard.  Rick had the somewhat tangy ketchup on his.  Now we can say we had one and they were good.

    We drove through another six km tunnel today to get to Reykjavik.  I'm not a fan of these really long tunnels.  I've learned that I won't ever move to an island for a permanent home.  Just like when we are in Hawaii, I don't like the idea that I can only drive in a big circle. 

    I read about all the earthquakes rumbling often in Iceland.  We both agree that we haven't noticed and quaking, but that may be because we are bouncing around in the wind.  So, no quakes, lava flows, or eruptions that we know of.  

     A couple more unrelated observations:  there are a fair number of golf courses in Iceland (surprised me); there's very little littering so the streets and roadsides are really clean (maybe it all just blows away in the horrendous wind); most showers have no doors or curtains;  Icelanders are as obsessed with their smartphones as Americans and aren't supposed to use them while driving,but cheat as much as Americans do.  We are staying in the same hotel as when we arrived in Iceland.  It feels like we are neighborhood regulars.  The streets are full of folks enjoying a nice Sunday evening.  We are going to join them and go back to a favorite cafe for dinner.

Snaefellsjökull National Park

     The Snaefellsjökull National Park encompasses a large portion of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.  It's Iceland's oldest park.  Much of the center of the park is another huge volcano and glacier which is less active than some of the other Island volcanoes. It was the setting for Jules Verne's novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth.  Since we didn't go to the West Fjords we had the whole day to explore this beautiful area.  

     We have a Visitor Guide from Nordic Visitor tour company which highlights places worth visiting along the way.  There were a dozen sights to see along this three hour drive.  There were so many perfect photo opportunities!  Fortunately this area has a lot of places to pull off the road and grab a picture and MOST folks use the pulloffs rather than stopping right on the road.  

    There used to be lots of little fishing villages along the coast here and there are shipwrecks on the beaches and ruins of buildings where folks would stay when working for the fisheries.  A few towns have rebounded with the tourism and have small cafes and guesthouses in the old buildings.   My favorite spot was the oldest wooden chruch in Iceland - Búdakirkja.  Unlike the white churches with red roofs that are seen everywhere, this church is black like the lava fields surrounding it.

    The wind was quieter today and we had a lot of sun, but still ate our lunch sandwiches in the car rather then at a picnic table.  We stopped for lunch at a spot that had rocks of different sizes that were supposed to be lifted by prospective fishermen to see how strong they were and how well they would work on a boat.  It was a pretty spot with a set of outhouses - making it perfect for our lunch break.  Alas they were all locked.  I am so often impressed by Iceland's infrastructure, but I just don't get the lack of access to toilets when there are so many tourists everywhere.

     We had some rain for a while, and got blown about on some windy spots, but by the time we  returned to the fishing harbor by our hotel, the sun was shining and the wind was calm.  We had delicious lamb stew for dinner and then walked around this ancient town.  I love the many paned windows with lace curtains and the bright colors of the buildings.  I like the white picket fences and the way the street winds around some of the houses.  There were kids riding their bicycles around the harbor yelling hello to the tourists and folks out walking their dogs.  The chapel in our hotel had Saturday evening Mass and the neighborhood kids came for choir practice.  I love being part of this pretty little town.

Stykkisholmur

M     Iceland is a place of sweeping landscapes that can't really be captured in a photograph.  I've taken lots of pictures and they will help me remember places, but it's so far from actually standing on a cliff, swaying in the wind and looking out over a plain of volcanic rocks that drop down into a blue green sea.  On the other side of the water are glacier topped volcanoes.  Every day that we drive to a new spot on the island we see new beauty.

      Much of our drive today was on a narrow, gravel road.  Most folks drive near the middle of the road.  There are lots of hills where you can't see if anyone is coming from the other direction which is obviously a problem when you're both near the middle.   Iceland has stuck a pole with a warning sign at the top of the hills in the middle of the road.  You drive on your side and folks coming from the other direction have to drive on theirs.  This works great when there's a sign and is scary when there's not!  One lane bridges are everywhere and they are okay when you can see the other side and when folks are polite.  We saw someone backing off a bridge for about a block when two cars met.  Yikes!

     We've seen so many herds of horses, sheep and goats here and I was speculating on whether herding dogs were used.  Yes!  The Icelandic dog is a breed unique to Iceland and is a partner to the farmers helping them with their animals.  We saw a dog herd a bunch of horses into their corral in just a minute.  When I was looking up Icelandic dogs I noticed that the breed comes in a huge range of colors.  So do the horses, cows, sheep and goats.  One of the guidebooks says it is because the breeds are so pure and one color is not preferred over any others.  At any rate it's interesting to see so many variations of color in a single breed.

     Our stay tonight is in a hotel which overlooks the ferry harbor.  Ferries run between the West Fjords and Stykkisholmur, as well as between Iceland, Denmark, and the Faroe Islands.   We had planned to take the West Fjords ferry trip, but the ferry is not in service yet this year.  It would have been a harrowing ride today with the fierce winds.   We could hardly get our car door open at one stop and quickly learned to have only one open at a time or everything in the car started flying around and out the door.

     So back to the Fransiskus Hotel.  It's attached to the local hospital.  The hotel used to be residence for the nuns who run the hospital.  Now they have another place to live and we're staying in the remodeled nunnery.  It's nice.  The rooms are decent size, have views of the harbor and a comfortable bed.  Sort of chilly on this cold and windy day, though.  We have two nights here and then head back to Reykjavik.   Well I just got off the cozy bed where I've been blogging and found that the hot water heat in the room was turned off.  I turned it on and already the room is warming up.  Raining outside and the wind is finally quieter.  We will see what tomorrow brings.   My picture today is of a sod shack room at the Hoffell guest house.

Vogur Country Hotel

     We are so in the middle of nowhere that I couldn't find a town nearby to use as a title.  We are on the edge of the West Fjords area of Iceland, looking across Breidafördur to the Snæfellsjökull glacier and volcano.  We drove 26 miles of "improved" gravel road to get here.  Most of the roads we've been on are relatively narrow, paved roads with fairly narrow shoulders.  They are in good condition and have bright yellow markers along the sides so you can find the road in a snowstorm - helpful while driving yesterday.  The road signs are in Icelandic and we have figured out some of them.  My favorites are the electronic ones that tell you your speed as you enter a town.  If you aren't speeding you get a smiley face, going too fast and you get frowns.  The gravel road was even narrower, but almost no traffic. 

    Several of the places we're spending the night are so far off the beaten path that dinner is offered as well as breakfast.  Last night we had Atlantic Char for dinner - it's similar to salmon and was delicious. However, horse tenderloin was another choice for dinner and was also served sliced with the cold breakfast meats this morning.  Rick tried it and said that it was sort of stringy.   When we returned to our room last night I saw a herd of Icelandic horses just ten steps from the little patio outside our room.  I really enjoyed watching them and was happy not to have eaten one for dinner.

    We have been driving through farm country today and had to stop for mama sheep and her lambs.  This was a day of interesting everyday things to see: lots of lambs, calves, and kids; hundreds of nesting swans and geese, small white churches with red roofs, rushing streams, green fields of new grass, little farms tucked into the hills.  The wind is ferocious today.  It feels like it can blow you off your feet.  My Nordic Visitor Travel Advisor called me on the phone they provide for our use in Iceland to tell me that some roads were closing due to winds and storms in the West Fjord peninsula.  She was worried that we might either not get to our hotel out there tomorrow or get there and be stuck for a few days.   She cancelled our reservations and changed them to an area more inland where roads won't be closed.  I consider this really excellent service!

    So tonight we're at the end of nowhere overlooking snowcapped mountains and a fjord.  We can lay on our King size bed and see the wind blowing the tops off the waves.  We had an excellent, but expensive dinner at the hotel.  (The nearest alternative is back over 26 miles of gravel at a luncheonette which serves hamburgers and hotdogs).  I really loved the cream of celery soup and homemade bread that was our starter.  The slab of butter was served on a flat rock!  (our pitcher of water yesterday had rocks in the bottom that were supposed to have healing powers so we should be real healthy when we get home).  We then had a baked cod type fish with squash puree, and finished with brownies and whipped cream.  It would be nice to walk it off, but even after a dinner like this we would be blown away.  

Skagafjördur

     Spring has left Iceland and today it is stormy and cold.  Iceland has a very good road conditions web site - road.is - which has solar powered stations all over the island to measure temperature, wind speed and direction, as well as cameras to show current road conditions.  Our travel company encouraged us to look at this each day to be sure that the roads we wanted to travel were open and safe.  This storm hit the east coast the hardest and two sections of the road that we traveled a couple days ago are closed today.  We had two choices of routes to take to our guesthouse for the night.  One was very scenic and went along the northern coast through several tunnels.  The other was along a broad valley and over a pass.  We had planned to take the scenic route, but road.is said that there were 50 mph gusts and some of the road was borderline travelable.  So we decided on the road over the pass.

     A short way into our trip we came to Godafoss (Waterfall of the Gods).  Once again it is beautiful and just thundering with spring melt.  This waterfall has a mythical story (a saga) that Porgeir Ljósvetningagodi threw his pagan statues into falls and proclaimed that Iceland would convert to  Christianity in the year 1000.

     We stopped in Akureyri which is the second largest town in Iceland.  We drove through the Old Town which has many buildings from the early 1800's.  I really like the older architecture, most of the newer houses are very rectangular with steel roofs.  We stopped to stock up on some more lunch supplies and saw our very first drive-through fast food restaurant.  A Canadian woman we talked with at breakfast was complaining about the lack of quick, cheap lunch food.  I am happy that we brought a little soft side cooler for roadside picnic lunches.   In fact today we found our first real wayside rest with trees, picnic tables, and restrooms.  Unfortunately the wind and rain kept us from eating outside and the toilets were locked, but it was a pretty place to stop.

     The drive over the pass was through a snowstorm with poor visibility and snow collecting on the road.  Luckily that section was only about ten miles long and then we were back down in the valley where it's just raining.  I am thankful for all the experience we have in driving in Minnesota storms, but also all the experience we have in navigating roads in unfamiliar places.  We have learned to make the best of whatever weather we get and whatever road conditions we find.  We are a good team in these out of the way travels.  

     We got to our guesthouse early and are tucked into a big, bright, warm room looking out to the fjord.  I am playing some music on my Ipad while we drink apple cinnamon tea and listen to the wind.  

     

Húsavík Whale Watching

     We are booked to stay two nights at Lake Myvatn so that we could relax a little and also do some fun activity.   We decided to go to Húsavík which is a fishing village an hour north of Lake Myvatn.  Húsavík has become a center of whale watching in Iceland due to whales of different species that frequently enter the bay.   We have gone on whale watching tours in Alaska and Hawaii and really enjoyed them so it seemed like fun activity for today.  However, after days of sunny weather we woke to an overcast and much cooler day.  We were not deterred and drove north.

     After getting tickets for the whale tour we visited the Húsavík Whale Museum.  It's a good museum for a small town and has skeletons of thirteen different types of whales.  This gave us a good idea of the variations in size.  There is evidence that as early as the 12 century Icelandic fishermen worked in teams to fish for whales which could provide food for a whole village.  Despite current international agreements regarding whale fishing, Iceland still does some whale fishing.

     We were just going to take pictures of whales so we had a quick bowl of soup and then headed to the car to pile on all our warm clothes.  We both have waterproof hiking boots and good raincoats and pants.  We added fleece jackets, stocking caps, and gloves.  Once on the boat we had the option of also wearing an insulated jumpsuit.  Rick added that layer, but I could hardly bend my arms already and passed.  The converted wooden fishing boat took us out of the harbor and into the arctic sea just a few miles south of the Arctic Circle.  As the waves rolled the boat and wind blew spray over the bow I channeled my inner Deadliest Catch crab fisherman spirit and thought warm thoughts.  

     We saw several Harbor Porpoises, lots of little Puffins, and a Minke whale while we bounced over the waves.  As we approached a bay near a small island, I was sure I saw a whale spout.  Sure  enough, there was a Humpback whale.  We slowed down and followed this whale and several others.  They seemed much smaller than the Humpbacks off Maui.  We were surprised that our tour boat and the two others that showed up when the whales did, followed the whales pretty closely.  In Hawaii and Alaska the rules about staying a fair distance from the whales are strictly enforced.  

     There was plenty of action and everyone got to see a whale.  We were all fairly wet and chilled so the cup of hot chocolate and cinnamon buns that were offered were very welcome.  I took off my wet gloves and wrapped my hands around the warm cup.  I enjoyed seeing the whales and really was happy to have made it so close to the Arctic Circle.  

     On the way back to the hotel we stopped for one of Iceland's favorite foods, pizza.  It's a less cheesy and less saucy pizza than what I'm used to, but was good and a cheap dinner.  We are tucked into our room early tonight watching BBC TV.  The wind, cold and waves have worn us out.  

North East Sky High

     Seyõisfjördur is a little town at the base of a fjord.  It's off the main road by 20 miles, but it was the center of the Norwegian fishing and hering processing plants.  When I read about the old Norwegian houses there I knew we had to go.  What we didn't expect was the beautiful drive over the mountains to get there.  The road took us straight up to where there was still lots of snow and rushing streams.  The view from the top down into the picturesque down was beautiful.  We also saw one of the ski areas in Iceland which was a fun sight for Rick.  it seems like the road would be closed fairly often.  We could see a lot of snowmobile tracks as well.   Down in the town a beautiful blue, old church and many colorful houses surrounded a small bay.  My Norwegian heart was thrilled.

    We had to backtrack over the pass again and head west to our next stop.  It was a drive with many interesting sites.  The first section was along a wide valley with big cliffs on each side.  Water spilled over the cliffs in dozens of waterfalls - some endlessly long and thin, some very wide and powerful.  So many that we didn't stop for pictures for most of them.   Some of the farms in this valley had huge greenhouses that are heated by geothermal energy.  Produce including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and strawberries are grown in these greenhouses to provide the island with fresh food.   The geothermal heating is also used to heat the soill to start the growing season earlier for root vegetables.

     We left the farms and rivers and drove high up onto the escarpment.  This huge, barren, windswept area used to have trees and was farmed.  However, several volcanic eruptions and some long periods of cold weather killed off most of the vegetation and left it a rocky wasteland.  Driving through this area we could see what looked like clouds of smoke ahead.  However, when we got closer we discovered that it was puffs of steam escaping from thermal vents.  One area was a mini-Yellowstone with bubbling mud holes and whistling steam.  The sulphur smell was really overwhelming, though.  Whew!!!

     There had been no towns, gas stations, or restrooms for 132 km so I was relieved (literally) to stop at the edge of Lake Myvatn where there's a Visitor Center, gas station and small grocery store.  We loaded up on information about the area and had a picnic lunch.  Our hotel for the night, Hotel Laxa, sits high on a hill overlooking the lake and the lava fields.  The only sound here is the sweep of the wind across the open fields.