Texas Bound!

 

On the 25th of September we unhitched the Flying Scotsman from its final berth in Canada and headed south toward Texas via Michigan. This time we decided to do the west coast of Michigan from the top and then on southward.

Above is our view of the Mackinaw Bridge from our viewpoint on a bit of a cool and rainy day. I have pictures of my brothers and myself in 1957 viewing this bridge being completed which ended the fun ferry ride from the upper to lower peninsulas of this state.

And below is the pilot as we motored by Frankfort. The larger electronic device in front of me is the new Good Sam/Rand McNally GPS and it is more than wonderful ... a really useful and sophisticated device that takes GPS to an entirely new level, especially designed for the RV public.

After Frankfort and a really good Coney Dog at a roadside truck in Pellston we motored down the beautiful coast through Traverse City to Manistee. Manistee is a nice small coastal town that has been transformed through time really well.

We marveled at the abundance of petunias along all of the streets as there must have been millions of them on all major thoroughfares ... amazing and really pretty especially this late in the year.

With our day's journey ending at the Little River Casino in Manistee. This was a very nice park adjacent to the casino but fairly basic. Nice level concrete back in lots with easy access (valet bus to the slots) but no upscale landscaping ... just sand grass and burrs.

The upside was that in the RV park you are treated just as a hotel guest and have a card that allows you access to everything that a hotel guest would want including restaurants, pools, and other facilities.

Nice nite and quiet park for an enroute park and yet the pilot above is pointing to the next destination down the highway.

The Bear Facts

 

The above sign was on the dumpster at the KOA in Sault Sainte Marie ... I guess I'll let Jo-Anne take the trash over tonight, eh.

But then, if they can read ... they won't bother us ...

And lastly a neat shot of the International Bridge to Michigan with the marina right downtown Sault Sainte Marie.

Agawa Canyon Tour Train

 

We waited until Tuesday to get the train trip from Sault Ste. Marie to the Agawa Canyon as they hadn't run in a week or so.

We arrived at the main depot downtown at seven in the morning on Tuesday and then waited outdoors before dawn in a brisk 39 degree clear morning.

The train finally arrived an hour later and we were on our way 112 miles due north of Sault for a four hour ride. In the photo above you can see the front part of the train from our vantage point toward the rear ... long train.

We wound slowly through some pretty rough and very spectacular countryside with each corner being a "wow" view.

Around 10:30 we had brunch in the dining car which was pretty basic and not the white linen we had expected.

Around 12:30 we arrived at the Agawa Canyon Park which is accessible only by the train and were allowed about an hour and a half to wander about and see nature up close.

 

 

The Agawa River was truly beautiful this time of year and we hit the season fairly well. About two weeks later we would have seen the colors at their peak but the weather and mix of scenery we did experience was really neat.

 



We had box lunches in our seats on the four hour trip back. All in all it was a nice experience but for the total of 12 hours of noisy clacking down the rails we didn't think we saw much more of this spectacular area than we have previously from the leisure and comfort of the Flying Scotsman's picture window seats. And the $210 also seemed a bit much as well for this particular experience ... food and drinks were extra. Long day for the oldsters.

WOW Fall!!

 

 

We arrived in the Sault Ste. Marie KOA Sunday night to this view. Above is the Flying Scotsman surrounded by all the color that autumn can muster ... cool.

We also arrived to find out that the Agawa train trip for Monday had been cancelled due to the rail being washed out by heavy rains. We are sort of patient so called the rail folks and found that they could work us in on Tuesday ... so hey enjoy the color and have fun, eh. Let's see ... trains that run off tracks ...

 

We are now in Manistee Michigan on the coast of Lake Michigan and will edit and pick the best of the 200 pictures we took on the train trip to offer as it was a spectacular run to the north into some pretty remote country.

Rollin' rollin' rollin'

 

On Friday the 20th we said our final goodbyes to all friends and relatives in the Barrie area and completed the sort, trash, and fill the basement tasks to get all the stuff into the Flying Scotsman for the trip to Texas.

Here's Bruce with the obligatory flamingo loading pic as the newly repainted fowl get chucked into the basement compartment.

On Saturday morn we headed the 170 miles north to Sudbury as it is about the halfway point to Sault Saint Marie where we will catch the Agawa scenic train trip.

There are two camps in Sudbury, Carol's, which we have stayed at before and was a wet, muddy, sloped, mobile home park. We opted for the Mine Mill park next door this time which was at least open and level, even though still 30 amps and no sewer hookup ... yuk. While the pic below looks great we arrived in a misty 55 degree windy rain.

Sudbury has been a mining and forestry town for many years and has been the leading source of nickel in the world. Jo-Anne has talked about the giant nickel at the edge of town ever since we were married and we have yet to see the thing. One reason is that is was taken down from the old major highway and refurbished and installed in its new home at the Dynamic Earth science center at the largest mine in the town.

This is a really interesting science center and because we didn't have time to take the mine tour we have put that on the bucket list for the next trip.

After Sewer 101 at this less than ideal campground we were off on Sunday for the KOA in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Military History

 

Today we went over to Base Borden again which is a Canadian Forces Combined Base about 15 miles west of Barrie. While this was the birthplace of the Canadian Air Force it also has a strong Army history and Jo-Anne's dad was a part of that.

This was also the home of their armored roots and much tank training was conducted here for both world wars and beyond.

The park below is quite beautiful and a real tribute to those dedicated souls who would get into those iron machines.

Jo-Anne's dad was stationed here several times and as a result she did several school experiences here. Below is the Base Borden Collegiate Institute where she graduated high school ... unfortunately today it is sadly abandoned ... really quite a relatively modern structure which you think could be used for some purpose.

In June of '09 we took some pictures here of the base housing and of the house on Niagara Loop where Jo-Anne lived in the early 60's ... sadly it also is not only abandoned but entirely gone. When we were here four years ago it looked pretty good and worth housing someone but economic reality has made another hit on our history.

A really neat part of the base includes their WWI history of training trench warfare to the new soldiers of the time. Here Bruce is looking for that elusive "enemy" in the next trench.

Actually we have been in the trenches of Verdun and they are terribly sobering and this training one is pretty sterile ... but still a practical training device for those unfortunate ones who would join the hundreds of thousands who would die in these things in France.

Park Life

 

Above is the entrance to the KOA with the dark clouds highlighting the sign. Right now it is 55 degrees and an pretty steady drizzle ... you can see some of the color change in the trees in the background.

Speaking of fall, this is the most pronounced indication, other than the tree color we have seen. Below is the field at Brown's Farm where we get our corn.
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I'm not an animal counting specialist but in the field above there must be somewhere near 10,000 geese and gulls. I would have to pan to the left and right to see all of the critters ... awesome!

And a closeup of the flocks; obviously geese and gulls both are compatible and have the need for the left over corn field remnants. They are here about 8 in the morning and then rally for flight around 10 for parts unknown ... and then back again.

OK for those of you not interested in aviation stuff ... stop now. Here is a honker on approach to our pond. He or she is in a short landing configuration with a light head wind and a very small spot to hit. The bird is full flap and gear down (make it bigger if you can). It made three patterns before attempting the final approach and then committed ... and hit within 40 feet of the end of the pond ... wow ... probably relieved as much as I was!

And a really pretty evening as the rains clear once again from our front porch in Cedarwood near Barrie Ontario.

Lordy, Lordy, Everyone

Look Who's Been Married Forty-one

 

 

Hey, it's the poet in me, eh. This year we again went to Gio's in Barrie to celebrate and again it was nothing short of wonderful Italian indulgence.

The owner, John Remmo, remembered us from last year and was the ever present host as usual. He makes it almost like eating in his mother's house as it is a very small place and he is perfectly attentive and wants to ensure the food and service is at its absolute best.

Jo-Anne started with a taleggio formaggio, a creamy baked cheese wrapped in phyllo with apricot compote and crostini.

And I had a gamberetti frito misto which was a crispy prosciutto wrapped "huge" shrimp with plum chutney.

This was all served with an excellent bottle of volpolicella repasso which was excellent.

If you look at the top picture you will see the main course which was a chicken parmesan for Jo which was panko crusted with pasta. And I had the aragosta cannelloni which was lobster, basil, ricotta, and marscapone cheese.

And lastly here is the first bite of their specialty the zabaglione, a frothed egg desert with fresh fruit ... as she patiently (sort of) waits for the obnoxious photographer to capture the wonderful moment.

Perfect night with perfect table mate, perfect host, and perfect food ...

Getting Ready to Move

 

 

With the arrival of our friends above we are getting ready to hit the road toward the south with them, but first a bit about the weather this summer. Right now it is about 58 degrees and a steady rain. I haven't talked much about the weather because it has been a pretty steady summer of about 70 to 75 for the highs and around 50-60 at night with rain every few days ... 'bout as normal as you can get and wonderful for the farmers. Actually two nights ago we hit 37 so we were glad that our propane and furnaces are working as they should.

We have been really busy with Jo's dad and brother, making sure they are set as much as possible for the next 7 months or so while we are in the south. We've also been busy taking advantage of the weather to fix, paint, service, and clean the Flying Scotsman for the next run. Staying put for the bulk of this summer on a flat piece of concrete has been wonderful for a three-year update and cleaning of the bus and it is now in top shape at 30,000 miles to hit the road for parts known and unknown.

We have stayed at about 200 parks now and I have put together a list of those with some comments so that we can reference them in the future ... I'll try to pretty it up some more and get out copies of them via email.

And speaking of a lot of RV parks, we plan to hit the road on the 21st of September, heading northwest across to Sault Saint Marie, Ontario, for a couple of days. There, we have booked a trip on the Agawa Canyon train excursion which should be a colorful day-long fall adventure. From there we still are deciding the route as we meander toward Texas ... probably down through Michigan, but still haven't worked out the exact route.

We do want to hit as many new parks and locations as possible and that will guide our route so I'll close with a nice rear view shot of the Flying Scotsman on our excellent lot with the fall colors just beginning to show and the lush green grass ... wow!

Elora Gorge

 

On Sunday we took a road trip to the little town of Elora which is just northeast of the Kitchener-Guelph area and a pretty drive in the country. Elora is known for the gorge which powered the local mill and is on the Grand River famous for fly-fishing.

 

The drop in the river level is quite spectacular and you can hear the roar throughout the town.

 

The main street is lined with small shops and restaurants and is a popular tourist and art community. Within about five minutes of walking we stumbled upon our favorite place ... another pub.

The Shepherds Pub was a quaint little place with a couple hundred years of history and of course we remained true to the pub fare with an excellent Guinness draught flavored steak pie with lumpy mashers and peas ... Yes!

Just above the main street as we walked to the park we came across a unique city parking lot. As the local Amish community is a strong influence here the city has made provisions for parking their vehicles. The scene below probably hasn't changed much for a long stretch of history and is really cool.

I'm not sure if the Amish provide the hay for the horses or the city does but the sign below let us know that our modern gas-guzzler wasn't welcome in this particular parking spot.

A postscript on Elora is that the former pastor of the St. John's Anglican Church, the Rev. John Smithurst's true love was his first cousin, Florence Nightingale. The church wouldn't let them marry so she went off to the Crimean War and he to the church here; neither ever married. The communion set in the church arrived in 1852 anonymously and is assumed to be from Nurse Nightingale