We've been here in the Centuria, WI area on and off since May 21, 2005. May 27 was Granddaughters graduation from HS, then her graduation party on June 12. We left on the 13th and drove to Winter, WI to visit some friends, Dick and Mert. Left there on the 17th and boogied over to St. Cloud, MN to spend a few days with our friends Linus and Cecila, then down to the Winnebago factory in Forest City, IA for repairs on the MH. A few days in Clear Lake, IA, (the site of the plane crash that killed The Big Bopper, Buddy Holly, and Richie Valens on February 3, 1959), and on the 2nd of July back to our daughters driveway until the 16th of July, the day our Grandson, Tony got married. A few images from this 6 week layover.

When planning the trip I had to make a decision on the route to the other side of Lake Michigan, there were 3 options. Going South meant that I'd go through, or near Chicago. I don't like driving through big cities if I can avoid it. The other option would be the Ludington-Manitowoc Ferry, an option I rejected because of cost, and I didn't seem as interesting as the third option. The best route seemed to be North, around the Upper Peninsula. It turned out this was the very best route. We got to see interesting country, took a boat ride on Lake Heron, and stayed off the freeways.

July 17, 2005
Centuria, WI to Harris, MI
US 8 from Centuria to Norway, WI. then US 2 to Harris, MI. 285 miles, 6 hrs 15 min.

We left Centuria, WI headed for Maine. The destination for this leg of your 2005 travels was a friends place in Lincolnville, ME. We met Don and his wife Jean at an Escapees get together in Quartzsite, AZ in January of 2005. They had invited us to stop by, and we decided to put their place on the travel map. So, off we go heading East. We drove from Centuria to points East. We weren't sure what the destination was for that day, but found a Casino with an RV park located in Harris, MI, the Island Casino. $15.00 per night for FHU (Full Hook Ups). Not much to take pictures of on this leg of the trip.

July 18, 2005
Harris, MI to St. Ignace, MI
US 2 all the way. 155 miles, 3 hrs 40 min.

We left the Island Casino at 9:50 AM with St. Ignace, MI as the destination. We pulled into the Tiki RV Park at about 1:30. The Tiki was, OK, not great. The sewer hookup was located above the level of the bottom of the MH. Had to build a kind of ramp from the connection to the hookup and leave the water compartment door open, but it worked so we had FHU. We were there for 3 nights. We took time to drive around the area, take pictures of the bridge, and take a trip to Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island. What a neat little place to visit. Full of history, and no cars. Bikes, foot and horse traffic only, and fudge stores everywhere. The lakes are an awesome site, no matter where you view them from. Big, and blue. Lots of pictures taken in this area. It was a fun stay, and we enjoyed our time in St. Ignace.

July 20, 2005
St. Ignace, MI to Manistee, MI
I-75 across the Mackinaw Bridge, then US 31 down the East side of Lake Michigan to the Little River Casino and Resort. 167 miles, 5 hrs. 10 min.

This was a nice drive. This part of Michigan is filled with unique little towns, and cherry orchards. We stopped a couple of times and bought fresh cherries at roadside stands. Crisp, almost black, Bing Cherries, interesting thing is they called them Black Cherries. I asked at one of the stands what the difference was between a black and a Bing, the lady said nothing, we just call them Black Cherries here. We got to the Casino at 4:20 pm and checked in at the front desk, then drove back to the RV Park. This place has one really nice, full service park. Large flat sites and big concrete slabs and picnic tables. A van comes around every few minutes and provides transportation to the Casino. They have a good restaurant and buffet. Well worth the stay at $22.00 a night.

July 21, 2005
Manistee, MI to Coopersville, MI
US 31 to I-96 to the Conestoga Grand River Campground. 114 miles. 2 hrs. 35 mins.

We had to stop in this area to spend some time with our Son, Tim and his family. Our Granddaughter, Emily, had been to a music camp, and the final concert was over this weekend. Not too many RV parks in this area, so I choose one based on the Trailer Life Ratings. TL was not accurate, at all, on this park. They rate it a 6, 7, 7, which is a pretty good rating. Mary's comments in the trip diary are, "Uch, Yuch, Pooey......Green Beans......Never again." We had made reservations and had been assured we would have full hookups, and a clear view to the SW for satellite reception. Bah, so deep in the trees we couldn't see the SW sky, the sewer drains were plugged up, water pressure was extremely low, sites were not level and it was sand everywhere, and for this we paid $30.00 per night. We did get to spend some great time with the kids, and that made the whole thing worth while. We were parked along the North Bank of the Grand River, and the view, when we walked along the road on the other side of the trees was pretty good. I was able to set up the DirecWay by setting the dish some 40 feet behind the MH.

July 24, 2005
Coopersville, MI to Ypsilanti, MI
I-69 East to US 23 South, then I-94 East to Exit 187 to the Detroit Greenfield KOA . 114 miles. 3 hrs. 30 mins.

OK, what can I say, it's a KOA. Keep on adding. By the time we paid extra for the full hookups, then extra for the 50 amp service, then extra for the site "not under the trees", then extra for the pets, we were at $38.00 per day. It was an OK place, but sure not worth $38.00 per night. We wanted the kids to come out to the park and visit, the KOA wanted an additional charge for each person that visited the rig. I don't stay in KOA's often, and this is why. We came to Ypsilanti because this is where my Son, his Wife and our Granddaughter live. We had a great visit, and enjoyed the time with them. A great place to see in this area is the Ford Museum. Lots of pictures on the Image Pages.

July 28, 2005.
Ypsilanti, MI to Kingsville, OH.
I-94 East to I-275 South, then connect with I-75 South to I-80 East, to the Village Green Park. 270 miles. 7 hrs. 45 mins.

We stopped here in a city park. Village Green Park. A nice little place not too many miles from the shore of Lake Erie. A reporter showed up from the local paper and did an interview about us, fulltiming and the DirecWay dish. Don't know if he ever got it in print, but hey, the process was fun. We got some great pictures of the lake while we were here. It was a nice one night stay.

July 29, 2005
Kignsville, OH to Niagra Falls, NY.
I-80 East to I-90 East, then I-290 North to US 62 to the Niagra Falls Campground. 146 miles. 3 hrs. 10 mins.

Cost for three nights was $105.30, expensive, but everything in the area is expensive. More trees than I like in any RV park. No way to get either dish set up for TV or Internet. Gacck, but, it was worth it. Niagara Falls is mind boggling, awesome, wondrous, beautiful, magnificent, stunning, well, you get the idea. Folks have asked what have been your favorite places so far, and our answer is, Niagara Falls, with Carlsbad Caverns as a close second. There are several pictures on the Image Pages. When I downloaded them to the computer I had to ask, "How many pictures can you take of falling water?", apparently, a lot. We took the easy way out for seeing Niagara Falls, we bought 2 tour packages. Canadian side, and US side. It cost about $69.00 each for both tours, but it was money well spent. The tour bus picked us up at the RV park, took us to every site and had tickets for the key things at Niagara. We got to see the Behind the Falls Tunnels, Horseshoe Falls at Night, fireworks over the falls, Niagara Museum and the IMAX show, ride on the Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds at American Falls and several other sites. No parking problems, and we were shuffled to the front of the line at every ticketed event. We took some time to tour on our own on the last afternoon in Niagara. We went up to Fort Niagara State Park. An old fort that changed hands several times, with the French, British, and America all holding title at various times. If you've never been to Niagara, take the time to go. Wonderful.

August 1, 2005
Niagara Falls, NY to Seneca Falls, NY
I-90 East to Exit 41. South on SR 414 to SR 318, then North on SR 89 to Oak Orchard RV Park. 133 miles. 3 hrs.

On this part of the route we took a side trip through Batavia, NY, the city where my Grandfather was born. Didn't stop, just drove through, then came back for a closer look a couple of days later. The reason for stopping in this area was to meet some friends I'd never met. Hummm, just how does that work you ask, and I answer: One of my hobbies is newsgroups. They're not chat rooms, but news net, and I hang out in a few of them, getting and giving ideas and information. Hugh, who lives in Marcellus, NY is one of the participants of the group, and one of the people I've wanted to meet from one of the RV groups I participate in. So, we stopped here so we could meet, Hugh and his wife Vi, and have dinner with them. Great folks, and a couple we now admire. The Oak Orchard RV Park sits right on the bank of the Erie Canal. We had a great view out the front window of the MH, but, the park was, as we found more and more often in this part of the country, below standard. Electric was 105 volts and we could not run AC or use the Microwave without starting the generator. Water pressure was so low we gave up, filled the water tank and used the onboard pump, and there were no sewer hookups. $30.00 per night.