Author Archives: Mike

Nebraska – Go Big Red! 9/24/14 – 9/29/14

Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska – Go Big Red!

We left South Dakota, after extending our stay a few times, and headed to the nation’s heartland, Nebraska. We looked at the map and talked to a few folks, and the west side did not have a lot for us to see from our research, so we made our way towards the eastern side of the state. The western side did have some nice rolling hills and geological outcroppings that made the first couple of hours drive very pleasant. We eventually made our way to the small town of North Platte. We had made this a one-night stop over, just to break up the long drive across the state. Not a lot to look at here, except for the world’s largest rail yard, certified by Guinness Book of World Records. We were both a little drained, and once we got set up in the Holiday RV Park, we decided to just stay in and make dinner and relax. (As we have mentioned before, sometimes it is difficult to see everything there is along the way, and we have come to accept that there are times we are just not going to see every little, or big, attraction.)

The next morning we were up early and on the road to Greenwood, NE. We arrived at the Pine Grove RV park, right off I-80, and were given a site near the back away from the freeway, and right up close to the corn fields. I did mention they grow some corn here, right? As it was nearing the end of Sept., it still was surprising to see all the corn still standing in the fields, but it makes for some very nice scenery for us for sure. The park was well maintained, with long and open sites, although the roadways through the park could use some TLC. This was to be our home base for the next 4 days, a nice in-between spot for us to visit Lincoln 20 miles to the west, and Omaha 30 miles to the east.

Our site with view of the cornfields

We spent the first couple days exploring the two cities, getting a lay of the land for both. My big reason for coming here was the Univ. of Nebraska, and hoping to catch a home football game. As luck would have it, the Huskers were hosting Illinois that Saturday. The game was scheduled for 8:00PM local time, so we decided to take the local shuttle service down and not hassle with parking. Lincoln is a college town of about 75,000 people. But on game day, the place explodes with fans all clad in red. The stadium holds over 87,000, and I am sure another 20,000 people just come for the party. Lots of tailgating, bars, and parties all over the area, very impressive compared to many of the other venues we have been to. With the game a sell out, I anticipated it might be tough to find tickets for the Homecoming game, so decided to step up and buy them on Stub Hub, and found some on what looked like the 15-yard line on the visitor’s sideline. We entered the stadium and found our way to the concourse to our seats, a super narrow, basically one-way cat walk under the west side luxury boxes. Both of us were shocked at how this could be safe, especially if there was a weather evacuation or some other type of emergency. We got to the seats, and were again surprised, the overhang above us created the smallest of views of the field, we were looking around a post, and there was no view of the scoreboard whatsoever. I was really upset, and to top it off, the heat that resided up in that area was unbearable. We returned to the concourse and decided to try to find somewhere else to watch from, and ended up in the south end zone, in the student’s section. The late arriving students (the rest of the entire stadium was completely filled 20 minutes before kickoff) made their way to this section, and as was tradition, they all stood on the bleachers to watch and cheer for their team. Traci and I struggled through the first quarter, both of us tired from walking all around the area for several hours, and with no seats to be found, decided to head home and watch the rest on the TV. It was great to have finally made it to a game there, one of those places that had always been a goal of mine, just wish we could have had some place to sit and enjoy the game. (I do have to thank Stub Hub, we contacted them the next day and they gave us a refund and credit, as it should have indicated that the seats we purchased were obstructed view, great customer service on their part.)

The scene at the Railyard pre-game

Memorial Stadium

The horrible view from our seats

Sunday brought the final day of the baseball season, and we chose to stay in and see if the Mariners could pull off the miracle and make the playoffs. Unfortunately the A’s did not get the memo, winning their game and knocking the M’s out of the wild card spot. But, it was great to be rooting for them on game 162; it has been a long time since they were in contention beyond May or June. We stayed in that evening, watched the amazing sunset over the cornfields and made pizza’s, a quiet and relaxing day in the MoHo.

Lunch in the Old Market area, Omaha

Monday we returned to Omaha, and did some more exploring. A much larger town than we had seen in awhile, with a good mix of industry and medium sized high-rise buildings. The Missouri River runs down the eastern side of town, separating Omaha from Iowa. We found our way to the Old Market area, several blocks of restaurants and shops, with cobble stone streets, and huge flower baskets everywhere. We stopped into a little brewery for lunch and enjoyed our meal at the open air, street side patio. We have really noticed how many of the towns we have visited have similar areas to this, open sidewalks with outdoor seating and a nice vibe for locals and visitors; I guess it is easier to create this type of atmosphere in a smaller town, unlike it would be in a major city. We returned to the MoHo, and started to get ready for our departure the next day, on to Kansas City!

Return to the homeland…North Dakota – 9/9/14 – 9/12/14

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The Miller Family Farm in Knox, ND (notice the mailbox still says M. Miller)

We headed west out of Duluth, our next destination would be Fargo, ND. The drive started out nice, a bit windy, but then a huge rain squall hit right before we arrived in Casselton, about 20 miles west of Fargo. We stayed at the Days Inn and Governors Conference Center and the park was nothing to get excited about, basic dirt and grass parking lot, just off the I-94. Lots of transient workers here, with pickup trucks coming and going all the time. As you may be aware of, North Dakota has a booming economy with the oil drilling going on, mostly in the northern half of the state. The boom trickles down to the rest of the state providing infrastructure and jobs for everyone. As it was a Tuesday, it was Taco night in the MoHo, and we hunkered down inside and tried to relax with the wind howling all night long.

The original Wood Chipper from the movie Fargo

Wednesday the weather was not much better, still very cold, temps in the mid 40’s, and still quite windy. A definite shock to the system, as we just left the mid-70’s in Duluth. We bundled up for a day in Fargo, jeans and heavy vests to ward off the coolness. The first stop was the Visitor Center; Traci was really looking forward to seeing “The Wood Chipper” from the movie Fargo. The movie prop is in the Visitors Center, there for all to see. The staff admitted that about 50% of the people coming in are just looking for the prop. After getting our pictures, we headed into the downtown area, specifically Broadway Street, looking for some lunch. The day was drying out, but the wind was still there and temps had risen to about 50, still darn cold. We stopped at a bike shop for some parts, and they recommended a great place for lunch, Rhombus Guys Pizza. On our way back to the car after eating, we had finally clued in that Fargo was going to host ESPN’s College Football Gameday the upcoming weekend, and we could possibly attend if we stayed a few extra days. (We chose not to stay, we felt like the extra couple days may affect us getting through the rest of the Plains states with the weather quickly changing – The Black Hills just got 20” of snow, a destination just a few days away!) We returned to the MoHo, after stopping for some supplies, and again hunkered down, wind still blowing and the temps back down to the low 40’s. We actually had to turn on the heat for the first time since I don’t know when!

Broadway Street, Downtown Fargo (spot where ESPN Gameday)

Broadway Street, Downtown Fargo (location of ESPN Gameday)

Thursday we left Fargo, and made the 190-mile drive west to Bismarck, staying at the Bismarck KOA on the NE side of town. We got set up and decided to head into town, as this was to be a two day stop so we wanted to take advantage of the short time we had here. After driving around for about an hour, and not really finding a whole lot of excitement, we returned to the MoHo and had leftovers and got an early nights rest.

Geographic Center of North America, Rugby, ND

Typical landscape in ND, long straight roads, farmland and hay rolls

Typical landscape in ND – long, straight roads, farmland and rolls of hay

North Dakota is the leading state for sunflower oil production. There were fields upon fields of yellow.

Friday we were up and out early, leaving the MoHo by about 9:30AM. We filled up the car, and started our drive North. Our big reason for this stop was to make our way to Knox, ND. Knox was the town that my father’s side of the family settled in back in the early 1900’s and the family still has the farm there. I had visited it once, back in the mid 1970’s with my brother and grandparents on one of those epic road trips when you are a kid. I have talked fondly of that trip and it was on the top of my list of destinations on our journey. The drive was about 160 miles up from Bismarck, and it took us through a lot of long straight roads, with lots of little ponds and lakes everywhere with fields and farming mixed in. Very peaceful part of our country and not a lot of people, just a lot of wide-open spaces. We first stopped in Rugby, and found a little greasy spoon for a good old-fashioned roadside lunch. The food was good, and it was clear we were not from around there, everyone seemed to know each other, small town America. We then headed east for the last 13 miles to Knox. I had done some research on the town, and it was now featured on a local website of Ghost Towns of North Dakota, as most everyone had left. At one time there were over 300 people living there, now it is down to 12. I drove straight to the farmhouse I had visited some 35+ years ago, and it looked just as I remembered! My Great Aunt Maggie was the last member of the family to reside here, and she had moved out about 3 years prior. The farmhouse and property have been maintained by some of the distant cousins, there were originally 15 children raised here by my great grandparents, what a feat! I knocked on the door, and soon realized the place was vacant. Peering in through the windows, it still had the same charm I remembered, just no furniture or people living there anymore. Traci and I walked all around the yard, taking pictures and exploring the property I had fond memories of. We then drove the empty streets of Knox, stopping for pictures here and there, but it was very quiet. We were looking for the cemetery, but could not find it. We turned down another street and I noticed a car was now parked that had not been there a few moments prior, and there was a man working in a garden. We stopped and I introduced myself, and he finally realized I was not there to try and buy some cheap housing, I guess everyone is trying to buy up properties hoping the oil boom will make for some quick bucks in the real estate market. He took us into a cabin he had across the street and gave us a lot of interesting opinions on the area and the world, quite a talker. We left after an hour or so, with a full bag of fresh tomatoes, and headed in the correct direction of the cemetery. Buried there are my great grandparents Michael and Katherine Miller, grandparents Michael and Hazel Miler, and Aunt Maggie. A special little town, one that I will never forget, even if it has all but been abandoned. We made our way back to Bismarck, returning on a different set of roads, but still the same peaceful ponds, lakes and fields, a very good day to say the least! Next we head to Rapid City, SD, a long 325-mile drive.

The Miller Family Farm

The big Red Barn at the Miller Farm

Miller Farm with downtown Knox in the background

Hard to believe 15 kids were raised in this house

Loved the “M” on the screen door

Click HERE for more pictures of the Miller Family Farm

If you build it, they will come – and we did! 8/27/14 – 8/30/14

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We left Milwaukee and made our way west to Iowa City. We arrived at Sugar Bottom Campground to find the office closed, only open a few hours in the AM and a few hours in the late afternoon. We did not have a reservation here, and as many of you who know Traci, this can make her a bit uneasy not having a plan. We had spoken with the office weeks back, trying to make a reservation at one of the full hook-up sites, but nothing was available. But, they did have lots of first come, first serve sites that we could choose from when we arrived. So based on that conversation, we decided to just go for it and see what we could find when we arrived. We headed into the park, and it was big, tons of sites to choose from, but most of them already had a reservation tag on the numbering post. (It was Labor Day and a Hawkeye Football weekend so a bit busy). I did know that certain sites were 50 AMP, so I headed to that area of the park, and after circling a bit, found a site that we could fit into and get satellite, along with a little view of the lake. (I had loaded up the water tank prior to leaving Milwaukee, so we could make it for several days without any additional water, or a sewer.) We got set up, including the flagpole, and were really glad we had the 50 AMP service to run both the air conditioners; it was hot and humid. We then headed to downtown and the Taste of Iowa City. We had read that they were having a food festival to introduce all the students to the local restaurants and you could get some great samples of the cuisine for only a few bucks. Again, one of those lucky timing things and we were able to hit several different places and it was very good food. Along with the festival, this was to be our meeting place with one of Traci’s former co-workers, Steve Bird and his wife and family. We found Steve as we were walking around, small city, and met up a bit later for a beverage and some conversation at a market/wine bar in the city center. We eventually headed home to the MoHo, a long days drive and full bellies finally caught up to us.

Our spot at Sugar Bottom Campground. Had to get the flags out for opening college football weekend!

Our second day brought some poor weather, and it turned into an errands day. We had a lazy morning and finally ventured out to the local mall, I needed a new wallet and both needed a few other items. In our driving around, we were very impressed with the community, they had everything you need in a town of 75,000 or so; the mall, a Costco, home improvement stores, etc. We had planned on making a drive to see some local attractions, but with the rain we decided to put it off a day and just made our way back to the MoHo. It was Thursday night and the first real day of the college football season! We did have plans to meet up with Steve at a local bar just northeast of town in Solon at the Big Grove Brewery. We sat in the bar, Traci and Steve caught up and we enjoyed a nice evening. The highlight of the night for me was the food. I ordered my usual wings, which were very good. But I also ordered the Tater-Tot casserole. This is something that my mom used to make all the time, so I was curious to give it a try and it was awesome! Very simple; ground beef, mushroom soup, cheese and Tater-Tots on top, so good! We finished our meals and Traci and I headed to the MoHo, the Cougs were on TV at 9:00PM and she was excited to watch. I made it through the first half and then headed to bed, Traci stayed up and watched to the bitter end.

Steve and Traci at Big Grove Brewery

Friday brought some much better weather, but another late start. We finally headed out about noon, wanting to take in some of the local sites we had heard so much about. We headed northeast, our first destination, The Field of Dreams in Dyersville. Along the way, through the rolling hills of Iowa, we both were amazed with just how much corn is grown here. Again this is one of those things you just have to drive and see, but everywhere we could see were hundreds of acres of cornfields, and a few soybean patches intermixed. Every plat of land that could be farmed was, truly amazing to see it all in person. We made our way to the movie setting, and there it was, The Field of Dreams, just as it was 25 years ago! Everyone has probably seen the movie, but to actually see the exact place was very special. The family that owns the farm that the field was built on has kept it open, not without difficulties, and actually has to pay Universal for the rights to sell merchandise. There were about 15 others there, some having picnics, others tossing a ball around, and a group even taking infield practice on the diamond. We walked to the outfield, headed into the cornfields, just as in the movie, and took it all in. I was a bit hesitant about the 90-minute drive, but it was so worth it, so glad we made the trip! After about 30 minutes and dozens of pictures, we headed out; our next stop was Le Claire, Iowa about 80 miles southeast. Again, corn and soybeans everywhere, but nice weather for a drive. We arrived in Le Claire, and made our way to the original location of Antique Archaeology, and the home of one of my favorite shows, American Pickers. The place was packed; tons of people also had the same idea, even a huge group of bikers, with some 20 motorcycles or so in the driveway. We were hoping to see Mike, Frank or Danni, but they were not around. We took some pictures, bought a hat, and wandered around the store for awhile, seeing some items we had recently seen them find in their travels on the show. (We also visited their other store in Nashville.) Time to head back to Iowa City, we had dinner plans with the Bird family. We made our way to their home, and had a great meal out on the deck and good conversation. We have said it before, but it is so nice to be welcomed into someone’s house for a home cooked meal, we really appreciated it!

Field of Dreams movie set – Dyersville, IA

Traci running the bases

Up to bat

So cool to visit this place

Click here for my Shoeless Joe Jackson imitation: MAH01646

Antique Archaeology Store – Le Claire, Iowa

Saturday had arrived and it was game day in Iowa City, home of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Steve and Nancy had season tickets, but Traci and I decided to just find some off the street. It was not a sellout as they were playing a smaller school, Northern Iowa Univ. We got to town and parked in a huge garage, having to spend the $1 per hour, after the first hour free, bargain! Traci and I walked into the central square area we had been a few nights before, looking for a beverage to start our morning; kickoff was set for 11:00AM local time. We bellied up to a bar for a beer and bloody mary, and just as we were about to leave, Traci ran into Steve and Nancy at the other end of the place, total coincidence. We all walked to the stadium together, and Traci and I found a guy with extra tickets and made our purchase. We said our goodbyes to the Bird’s and made our way to the seats, 50-yard line, halfway up on the visitor’s side of the field, awesome! Kinnick Stadium holds about 70,000, but feels much smaller. It is very tight to the field and it quickly became one of my favorite college football venues I have been fortunate to witness a game. The weather was partly cloudy, but when the sun came out, it was a cooker. The game was a lot closer than the home team expected, but eventually they pulled it out. We made our way back to town for a meal, the center of town was packed with college students, and we stopped in at Quinton’s, thanks for the recommendation Nik Pflu. We found a booth and ordered our beers, looked up and there were Steve and Nancy, again a total coincidence! We had some great food and drinks, said our final goodbye, then it was time to head back to the MoHo. It was a nice night; we enjoyed a campfire before the Huskies game, set to start at 9:30PM, live from Hawaii. Traci watched a little, but not her team, so headed to bed early. I stayed up to watch them hang on for a lackluster win, and went to bed late.

Steve & Nancy ready for the game

Our great seats at the game. Loved this stadium!

Another great stop and we have to thank Steve and Nancy for all of their hospitality. It was great for Traci to spend time with someone she worked with for years. On to the Twin Cities and Minnesota next, only about 7 more states to visit!

With Steve on their back deck

Trolls and Yoopers! 8/9/14 – 8/18/14

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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Lake Michigan

We headed out of our park in Detroit around noon, filling our propane tank on our departure. We decided to take the MoHo to the nearby rest stop, as the Pflu’s were arriving around 2:30PM from Seattle, and this was a very easy on/off spot for us to wait for their plane to land and us to head over and pick them up. This seemed to be a popular rest stop, not for the obvious reasons. There was the previously mentioned air show in Detroit this weekend. This rest stop was right in the flight path of the show so several other people had chairs out and were picnicking at the rest stop, watching the show. We just lucked onto it and it made the time go by much quicker. The text came in and Traci headed to the airport to pick up our guests, and returned to the MoHo with Marc and Shelly. Let the fun begin! We quickly hooked up the car, and headed toward Traverse City in the NW area of the lower peninsula of Michigan. The 6-hour trip went quickly, with Marc navigating and Shelly and Traci hanging out in the back chatting. We pulled into the Traverse Bay RV Resort and were immediately impressed with the park. I think our coach actually brought down the average price of the rigs in there; there were some impressive RV’s in this place! We bbq’d some brats and had some beverages and just caught up on life, a nice start to our 9-day visit.

We slept in the next morning and had a nice breakfast before heading out for the day. Our destination was the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, on the east side of Lake Michigan. We stopped at the visitor’s center and got a map of the area. It was a quick drive to the dunes area, along with hundreds of others that day. When we finally got parked, it was sort of odd, a massive wall of sand in Michigan? We watched all the people running down, and climbing around and decided to head up ourselves. Now sand is great on the beach, but hiking up it, not so simple. We all were shocked how difficult it was to move, especially up hill. We finally reached the crest of the hill we could see from the parking lot, only to realize it was just the first of several hills in this massive dune complex. We trudged around for an hour or so, and took several photos, before returning to the car, quite tired and ready for a beverage. Next stop was a little beach up the road and a dip in Lake Michigan. This was the third Great Lake for Traci and I, and it felt great to cool off after our hike in the Dunes. Hungry, we found a little place for linner (late lunch, early dinner), and then down to another beach just at the top end of the National Lakeshore area. We had this place to ourselves, just relaxing on the “ocean” of Lake Michigan, enjoying a beverage, and watching the waves, a pretty awesome day all around!

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Our toe dip in Lake Michigan (3 Great Lakes down!)

Our next day in the Traverse City area, we headed north up the Old Mission Peninsula, all the way to the top and the lighthouse at the northern tip. A quiet sanctuary, with a small beach area and very shallow bay out front of the lighthouse. There were several rock cairns in the bay, and it felt very secluded. We then made our way back down the peninsula, and started our wine tasting in the region. There were about a dozen or so winery’s here, and we stopped at 2-3, although not finding a lot of keepers. We have that Washington wine pallet and it is hard to locate something that we really like. We did find a little restaurant for our lunch, right on the western shoreline, and had a great time looking out at the marina and enjoying a heavy appetizer meal. Having finished our wine tasting, we headed back to the town of Traverse City, and the afternoon turned into a pub-crawl. There were three narrow bars right next to each other, and we made our way to each, chatting with the bartenders and the locals, getting advice for dinner and our upcoming travels. We all wanted pizza, and everyone told us to head to the Filling Station. We sat at the outdoor bar, ordered the pies and it took about 45 minutes, but finally we had our food and headed back to the confines of the MoHo to eat. Another great day there, tomorrow we head to the Upper Peninsula, leaving the land of the Trolls (under the Mackinaw Bridge) and turning into ourselves into Yoopers (Upper Peninsula or U.P.).

Wine Tasting at Chateau Chantal

Shelly & Marc enjoying the marina at the Boathouse Restaurant

We woke to some rain and after getting absolutely soaked packing up the rig and hooking up the car, (worst rain we have ever had to pack up in over 15 months on the road) we started towards the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The trip was to be about 5 hours, 250 miles. As the drive went, it was a bit more challenging than I have had in a while, intermittent rain, with some strong winds, it kept my full attention for sure. The highlight of this drive was the crossing of the Mackinaw Bridge, connecting the two portions of Michigan, and separating Lake Michigan from Lake Huron. After paying the toll to cross the span, we pulled over to the visitor’s center right next to the tollbooth, and parked the MoHo. Knowing our next destination was on Lake Superior, this was the only chance Traci and I would have to step foot in Lake Huron. Windy and cold, we walked the 150 yards down through a maintenance center, to the edge of the lake and dipped our feet in the icy cold Lake Huron, 4 down and one more Great Lake to go! We returned to the MoHo, and made our way to our destination, Munising Tourist Park, on the edge of Lake Superior. We had a great site, backed up to the waters edge. Traci and I had worked tirelessly to get this specific site at this park, as we wanted the Pflu’s to be able to enjoy the lake views we knew it would provide. Exiting the MoHo, and bam, right in our face was the same wind I had battled on the drive. We guessed it was at least an 18-20MPH breeze, right off the lake. Add to it that it was about 60 degrees out, and you can imagine what a shock to all of us how cold it really was. We weren’t expecting this type of weather. We got set up and headed out to the town of Munising and had another linner at a little bar in town. Needing some groceries, we hit the local market, loaded up and returned to the MoHo. The wind had eased a bit, and we did our best to make a fire and stay warm outside for the evening, but the wind did not cooperate.

Lake Huron toe dip (4 of 5 down!); Mackinaw Bridge in the background

Smores at our spot in Munising – Happy Campers!

The next day we tried to reserve a pontoon boat for the afternoon to see the bay and cruise the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The colorful sandstone cliffs are best viewed from the water, so we tried to line up a ride to explore ourselves. There are a couple tour boats that have 250 people on them, not the way we wanted to see the sites, and unfortunately everyone else had not gotten the memo we were in town and all pontoon boats were rented. Plan B. We picked up Pasties, the local specialty of a meat and veggie filled pastry, and drove out to the National Lakeshore. The Pasties were just OK, nothing we needed to try again. The lakeshore was much better. We walked down to the overlook at Miners Castle, and had a nice view of the Pictured Rocks. It would have been better from the waterside, but this view was still pretty spectacular. We drove down the road, stopping at a waterfall area, and then along the northern shoreline of the park. We stopped at a viewpoint along the lake and headed down the beach area. There were tons of smooth little rocks along the shoreline all with great colors from the minerals of the area. Traci and I decided this was the spot for us to set foot into Lake Superior, and with our toes in the water, we had completed the fifth and final Great Lake challenge, something we both had never expected we could do in our lifetime. The water was a chilly 53 degrees at surface and 37 degrees 3 feet below surface! Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake in the world and is just mammoth! We continued up the road, and our next stop was the Log Slide overlook. Shelly had found this place during some research. On our walk out to the shoreline area, someone said it was worth the journey, but stay up high, it was a long way down. Again, not knowing what we were in for here, we crested the little dune, and wow, what a view! We were probably about 175-200 feet above Lake Superior, and the huge sand dune lead straight down to the waters edge. There were a few brave souls that had run down to the water, only to have to spend the next 20-30 minutes climbing back up the steep dune. We opted to stay on top, took several pictures and enjoyed the view, knowing we did not want to put ourselves through a grueling hike up a dune again. We were now about 10-12 miles from Grand Marais, so we continued east, and found the “little gem” of the Upper Peninsula. A tiny town, with only a couple options for dinner and we landed at the Lake Superior Brewing Company. Tired and hungry, the beer and food was great, just what we needed. We made our way back to the MoHo, about a 75-minute drive, taking the less direct route, staying away from the 198 curves we encountered on our way up. Marc and I made a fire in the windy night while Traci and Shelly watched a movie, and we hit the hay a bit earlier than the previous nights.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Miners Castle

Miners Castle, Lake Superior

Log Slide Overlook, Lake Superior

Log Slide Overlook to Lake Superior. Notice how steep it is!

Log Slide Overlook. Notice how steep it is!

Group shot!

We woke the next morning, hoping our pontoon boat reservation might hold, but again the wind won out. We decided to head to the beach, just northeast of Munising, and hopefully somewhat protected from the wind by a local island. We set up our chairs, opened up the cooler, and relaxed on the breezy, but beautiful beach. We watched the tour boats and kayakers battle the wind, and were thankful we did not head out on the water that day. The views were great, and it was a very quiet relaxing day as the beach wasn’t too crowded. We returned to the MoHo, and the wind was really settling down. Marc and I grilled out on the open fire, Shelly made her artichoke and Parmesan crusted bread appetizer, and we all enjoyed a great meal outside at the picnic table watching a wonderful sunset. A spectacular ending to our time in Munising, so wishing the weather had been better the first two days. This is an amazing part of the U.S. that few people probably get to, but one I would highly recommend.

Group toe dip in Lake Superior! (not warm)

Beautiful sunset on our last night in Munising

Gorgeous sunset over Lake Superior!

Our next destination was Michigamme Shores Campground, about a 90-minute drive west to the town of Champion on Lake Michigamme. We arrived and the day was beautiful. Finally the weather had turned for us! Our site was across the huge sand beach area here, and we set up our chairs and looked out over the lake. Traci, Marc and I headed to the beach for some relaxation, while Shelly stayed back as she was feeling under the weather and napped for a few hours. The lake is a huge reservoir, and was so shallow I walked about 100 yards out into the lake, with the water only coming up to my waist. We tried to get a boat rental here, but everything was already reserved. So we just stayed at the park for the day and relaxed and had leftovers for dinner. It was one of those days we have come to enjoy, as it can be difficult to be “on the go” every day, sometimes we just need a day to chill.

The weather finally cleared on the day we left Munising.

With limited time here, and the weather starting to change again, we decided to drive up the Keweenaw Peninsula area. Along the way, we stopped outside L’Anse and took a little hike to the Canyon Waterfall. It was a small slot canyon, out of some very impressive rock formations, quite peaceful. We kept on going and found our way to the town of Houghton. Upon entering the town, we noticed a little a-frame stand on the side of the road pointing to the right for the “brew fest.” We turned down the road, and on the river below were tons of pop-up tents and people, we had stumbled upon a brewery festival! We parked, and immediately were hit up by a guy for tickets, a local sponsor who gave us a $10 discount, and we headed in. We were given wooden tokens for samples and a little souvenir glass, and it was neat to see this little festival in the middle of nowhere. After a couple hours of sampling the different beers and ciders, we needed some food. We left a little bit before the event ended, and beat the crowds to a local restaurant, and enjoyed a nice meal overlooking the river. We returned to the MoHo and continued our Jeopardy tournament (we watched one episode every night) and got ready to head to our next destination in the morning.

Canyon Waterfall Hike, Keenawa Peninsula

Canyon Waterfall Hike, Keweenaw Peninsula

Shelly and Traci taking a load off

Enjoying the Houghton Brewfest!

Travel day took us down out of Michigan and into Wisconsin, to the Village Inn on the Lake in Two Rivers, about 30 miles SE of Green Bay on Lake Michigan. Along the way, we decided to stop at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. Hoping to get in for a 1:30PM tour, we just missed it so had to wait till the 3:00PM. This gave us some time to look at the brand new pro-shop and pick up a few t-shirts. We then wandered around the outside before heading back in to Curley’s for an appy and beverage before the tour started. Bob and Patti, our tour guides, gave us a very thorough 2-hour tour, lots of insight to the history of the Packers, and seeing the stadium from all angles: roof top views, luxury box’s, press box, visitor’s locker room, and of course on the field. We had a great time and were very glad we stopped along the way to take in this great venue. We continued the drive down to Two Rivers, and got the MoHo settled. It was getting late, so we headed into town to find some dinner, and forgot that small town America closes down on Sundays, especially at 8:00PM. Fortunately we found a little joint on the beach in a hotel that was still open and had a decent meal. Back to the MoHo to finish our night, the Pflu’s were leaving us tomorrow for home, sad. It had been a great 9 nights with Marc and Shelly, and we are so glad they made the effort to come out and join us on our journey and experience the MoHo lifestyle. It takes a special group of friends to share 340 square feet for 9 days and nights; it could not have been any better!!

The MoHo at Lambeau Field

Shelly and Marc in the Atrium area

Cheeseheads!

View from the rooftop

Notice the Seahwawks gear!

We walked through the tunnel and onto the field!

For many more pics of our time in Michigan and Green Bay, click HERE

Boston and July 4th celebration! 6/29/14 – 7/5/14

Wealth and Water of Newport, RI 6/21/14 – 6/24/14

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Newport, RI

We made our way through back roads and over two huge bridges from Connecticut to Newport, Rhode Island and arrived at the Paradise RV Park in Middleton. The park was well kept, level, but its best asset was that it was only 3 miles from downtown Newport. No frills though, we were basically camping in someone’s backyard. We got set up, after a delay from the long-winded manager, and headed to town for the afternoon. Town was busy in the middle of tourist season, a Saturday afternoon that had everyone in the area out and enjoying the 75-degree day. We made our way up and down the main street and around the marina, finally ending up at a local restaurant/bar to watch some late afternoon World Cup games. Afterwards, we walked down the road and found a nice little semi-outdoor bar, and bellied up for some vino. We chatted with two other couples in the bar, and had a lot of fun with them and the staff. We decided to head home for some sleep, not before a quick slice of pizza at a small little joint before the 3-mile drive home.

Gorgeous sunset on our first night in Newport

Sunday we relaxed early and then headed back to town, this time we were headed for the Cliff Walk. The southeastern shoreline of Newport is famous for its mansions. These places are massive private homes built along the coastline, some of which are open to tour. Along the waterline, is a 4-5 mile long walkway that gives you great views of the backside of these mansions, as well as the dramatic coastline. We started out on the southern portion, making our way south to the tip. Then retraced our steps back to the middle portion of the walk, before returning to the car after some 6 miles along the trail. Many areas along the walk were being repaired, again hurricane Sandy had done her damage here as well, so there were some areas that needed a little more technical attention, walking across exposed ocean worn rockery. We headed back to the MoHo and started to get ready for the U.S. soccer match vs. Portugal. What a letdown, allowing the late goal to tie, but at least we got a point and still have a good chance to move on to the second round, but that win would have put the U.S. through, darn it!

The Breakers, built by the Vanderbilt in 1895

The Breakers, built by the Vanderbilt family in 1895

The Cliff Walk

Another HUMONGOUS mansion

Monday we decided to take a harbor tour via boat, choosing the former lobster boat turned tour boat, Gansett. The captain made his way through the harbor, with another crewmember giving us details and info about the area, the boats that were moored, and a wonderful history of Newport. Again there were a ton of the massive mansions along the coast, and with all the yacht’s and mega yacht’s, it is a very wealthy place to see. It was a perfect day to be out on the water and what better way to see the area that is so heavily influenced by boating than from the water?! The America’s Cup used to be hosted in Newport, so we learned a lot about that too. We grabbed some dinner on the way home and made it an early night.

A private residence

The Castle Hill Inn & Lighthouse, a cool $750/night (minimum 3 night stay)

A house on a private island right in Newport Bay

Hammerstein Farms, site of JFK and Jackie O's wedding reception

Hammersmith Farms, site of JFK and Jackie O’s wedding reception

Traci relaxing on the back of the Gansett

Our last full day in Newport, we got some errands completed. We headed about 35 miles north to hit the local Camping World, needing to get some bike covers (when we drive the bikes collect a ton of road dust off the back of the MoHo, not good). We then made a couple more stops while out, and returned to the MoHo for some itinerary planning and dinner.

Loving Newport

This was a great stop for us. Traci had been here before while on a cruise with her mom and I remember her telling me how much I would have loved it (she was right!) She was only here for a day, but being here longer, we were able to settle into the lifestyle a bit more and just take in the atmosphere of this small coastal town. We are off to Cape Cod tomorrow.

New York, NY! 6/6/14 – 6/15/14

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The souther tip of Manhattan – the new Freedom Tower is the tallest building on left side

We arrived in the Big Apple for our 10-day stay on a Friday afternoon. Factually we parked the MoHo in Jersey City, NJ at the Liberty Harbor Marina and Campground, a perfect location, literally just across the Hudson River from the southern tip of Manhattan. It was only about a 6-block walk to the local subway for easy access to the city, so we were able to leave the car parked most of our stay. The campground was no frills, just water and electricity, no sewer. They did have a mobile service to clean out our tanks for a $20 fee, or we could use their on site dump station (we chose for the service, much easier.) We got set up and immediately headed to the city to explore. We had a dinner/drinks meeting set up with a couple of great friends from Seattle, who are now New Yorkers, Amy and Michelle. The PATH subway system dropped us in midtown, and we walked to the most recognizable area, Times Square. Everyone has seen pictures and video of this iconic place, and it was just as anticipated, tons of huge video boards and advertising everywhere you looked. (Traci had been to NY before, but it was my first trip.) We gawked at all the tourists and huge crowds; there was so much going on it was mind overload. Eventually we made it to Rockefeller Center to walk around and then on to Koi, the restaurant across from Bryant Park for our evening with the ladies. We sort of honed in on a work dinner with some of Amy’s current and past co-workers, and had a blast getting to know everyone. What a first night in the big city!

Hello Empire State Building!

The next day we got in the car (one of the only times we drove anywhere) and headed to Tarrytown, north of the city about 25 miles, where Amy, her husband Andrew and their daughters Lauren and Gabby live. They invited us and Auntie Meeshie (Michelle) out on their boat for a day on the Hudson River. We got there and loaded the boat and off we went, towards the city. It was a perfect day, not too hot, little breezy and I could not take enough pictures along the way. Truly one of the best days of our NY stay, being able to view the city from the water and then just passing by the Statue of Liberty, awe inspiring for sure! Andrew grew up in Manhattan so he was a perfect tour guide giving us great info as we drove by the shoreline. I even took a swim in the Hudson, which as locals, they all found disgusting. I found it rather refreshing! We slowly made our way back to the marina, and then had a bite at their yacht club, before returning to their house and crashing for the night.

Out in the boat on the Hudson River (Mike, Lauren, Gabby, Traci, Amy and Michelle – Andrew is taking picture)

Statue of Liberty from the boat

Sunday brought us another great day. We all headed out to breakfast, then Traci and I decided to head to Central Park. Being it was a Sunday, we figured we could find some parking and not too much traffic. Once we got parked, we headed into the park, and again the maps and pictures do not do this place justice. Some 60 blocks long and about 8-9 blocks wide, right in the middle of Manhattan, truly awesome that it has stayed here without the city allowing it to be turned into another high-rise. The park was busy, but not bad and we walked around the southern half for a couple hours, just people watching and hearing the echo’s of the Puerto Rican parade that was taking place near the east side of the park. We saw the Boat House, Great Lawn, Fountain, The Mall, Baseball Fields, Tavern on the Green and Strawberry Fields, a tribute to John Lennon. We headed back to the MoHo and grabbed a bite at the Surf City restaurant right in our parking lot at the marina, super fun day for sure.

The Mall in Central Park

A crowded day on the Great Lawn in Central Park

Hot Dog in Central Park (About Last Night movie location)

Monday brought some torrential rains, but by late morning we returned to the city, to tour the 9/11 museum and memorial. The memorial pools that are in about the same footprints as the two towers were very moving, with all the names of those who perished engraved around the edges. We purchased tickets to the museum, and had about 45 minutes to wait, so we headed to Wall St, the NY Stock Exchange and the famous Bull. Very popular place, and we got our chance for a few pictures, but then had to hustle back to the museum. We walked into the museum, and down the stairs, taking in everything along the way. In our opinion, and just coming from Wash. DC, this was a perfectly laid out facility and was very well done. We ended up staying inside for more than three hours re-living that tragic day. We both felt tired afterwards, but also proud to see what lengths the first responders went to, to save as many people as they did and how the community came together.

One of the Reflecting Pools at the 9/11 Memorial

The symbolic last column that was left standing throughout the cleanup process, now in the 9/11 Museum

The famous Bull in the Financial District

Tuesday we just wandered around the city, taking in the sights of Canal Street and the vendors there trying to sell you watches, purses, scarves (Traci bought 2), and everything else. We wandered up through Little Italy, with a stop for the largest Caprese Salad ever, complement by vino, for lunch. Then our walking took us to the neighborhoods of East Village, Greenwich Village, and then back down through SoHo. A ton of walking and our feet were telling us it was time to go home, so we headed to our Path station for our trip home to the MoHo.

Enjoying wine in Little Italy

Wednesday we rose early, getting out of bed at 5:45AM! Traci really wanted to see the Today Show in person, so we got out early and arrived at the outdoor set about 7:40AM. The weather was drizzling, but not cold, and we hung out around the area for about an hour, taking in all the goings on of watching a live TV broadcast and all the folks it takes to pull it off. We were lucky in that one of the features of the day was the promotion of the movie “Dumb and Dumber To,” one of my all time favorites is finally coming out with a sequel. There was a prop in the courtyard, the Mutt Cutts van that is used in the movie; it was so funny to see it up close. During the end of the show, they handed out souvenirs; masks of the two lead actors, Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, and I even got a T-shirt. (We taped the broadcast, and saw ourselves three times on the show that day, sort of funny to see it on TV after watching the live broadcast in person.) We then headed to Times Square to get in line for discounted Broadway show tickets at the TKTS booth. We purchased tickets to see Jersey Boys later that afternoon at 2:00PM. Next we headed back to Rockefeller Center. Our friend Michelle hooked us up with tickets to go to the Top of the Rock (Thanks Meeshie!). This is probably the best place in all NY to view the city. Perched atop the building, you can see some 40 miles on a clear day, unfortunately it was a bit misty, but we could still see a long ways out. From there you really get an idea on the scope of Manhattan and how large an area it truly is with the massive buildings and also a great aerial view of Central Park. After our trip to the top, we wandered back to Broadway for our show, with a stop at a food truck or two for lunch. The show was great, so amazingly choreographed and performed. I kept trying to catch them making a mistake, but this was Broadway, and these people are good! We made our way back down through Times Square and down to Madison Square Gardens, the Rangers were playing the Kings that night in game four of the Stanley Cup Finals. It was a lot quieter around the stadium, we both were surprised how little was going on. Yes, the home team was down 3-0 in the series, but it was just odd how little excitement was in the air. We headed to the subway and returned to the MoHo, tired from our early morning.

The Today Show - Savannah, Matt, Al & Tamryn

The Today Show – Savannah, Matt, Al & Tamron

Mike in front of the Dumb & Dumber Mutt Cutts Mobile

Top of the Rock, Empire State Building behind us

Central Park from Top of the Rock. Really gives you a feel for how big it is right in the middle of the city

Thursday was a bit slower morning, then a bike ride to Liberty State Park for great views of Lady Liberty and Ellis Island. The big event for this day was Michelle’s birthday! She and Amy, and several of their friends had a boat cruise planned for the evening, and we were invited. Traci and I headed into town early, I really wanted to watch the opening game of the World Cup, so we found a bar and landed it there about 3:00PM to watch Brazil in the first game of the competition. We then met up with everyone at a bar near the port that we were departing from, several friends had gathered there and we all got introduced, and started to celebrate Michelle’s birthday. After a few beverages, we walked the 3 blocks to the pier and boarded the boat for the night’s tour. This was super cool to see the city from the water again, only at night and from the East River side, despite the rainy evening. We hit another bar after the cruise, and then it was time to find our way home; only challenge here is that the trains run less frequently, and that sucks when you really want to get some sleep. We had a blast, almost too much fun for some of us, and eventually made it home sometime after midnight. Happy B-day Michelle!

East River Cruise for Michelle’s Bday

Friday we chilled at home, recovering from the night before, and trying to stay dry. It poured rain all day long and we really just hung out in the MoHo, watching World Cup soccer and doing a whole lot of nothing. We did venture out for dinner at a place 2 blocks away, the Tilted Kilt, only to be ushered out right at 7:00PM for a private New York Jets function that we didn’t have tickets to.

Saturday we met up with Michelle, this time in Little Italy for a late lunch/early dinner. I really wanted to watch the England vs. Italy soccer game in Little Italy. We had a great meal, then wandered to a bar and found some seats right before kickoff. It was a blast, and the bar customers were really into it, and it made for a super fun night. We then wandered back to Times Square to see the lights at night before touring through Grand Central Station and our final goodbye’s to Michelle.

Michelle, Traci & Mike in Times Square

Grand Central Station

Sunday, our last full day in New York, we decided to take a bike ride and picnic back to the Liberty St. Park area, about 2 miles south of the MoHo park. We rode around and took it all in, tons of people out celebrating Fathers Day. We played some Bocce, had a nice relaxing afternoon and returned to the MoHo to catch up on the final round of the US Open Golf tourney and more World Cup soccer matches. Monday we headed to the New Haven area in CT, our next stop.

Biking in Liberty State Park. Great views of Manattan, Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty for NJ

Biking in Liberty State Park. Great views of Manhattan, Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty from NJ

We really wanted to say a huge thank you to both Michelle and Amy, and her family. We were so fortunate to have friends here, and it made our stay so much more memorable to hang out with people who know the town. We would not have had as much fun without them, thanks ladies!

Check out more pics HERE!

PS – as I may have discussed in an earlier post, we are paying some serious tolls here in the East. Just taking the MoHo across the G.W. Bridge from NJ to NY cost us $68! The bad thing about it though is the roads out here are the worst in the country. I have no idea what they are doing with all the cash they are collecting, but it is not going back into the roads in any way.

Our Nation’s Capital – Washington, DC! 5/19/14 – 5/26/14

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As you may have noticed, I usually get a bit long penned writing my blog posts, and this could certainly be one of those. But with there being so much we were able to do here in DC, I am going to just try and hit the highlights.

The White House (it was smaller than we imagined)

We were able to enjoy 8 days here and I think that was just perfect. Our days were full and long, but so worth it! Our RV Park, Cherry Hill Campground was the perfect base camp from which to explore and close to a Metro Station, which we used a lot. Easy to figure out, safe and fairly clean, but more expensive than we thought. Certainly there is always more to see and do, but we feel like we hit the big items that were on our list. Let me start with the things we did not get to. The Washington Monument just re-opened after being repaired from an earthquake a couple years ago. Thus, if we did not have an advanced ticket or get in line at 6:00AM to get a daily ticket, we weren’t able to go up in the monument, so that one we just were able to view from the outside. Still massively impressive in its size and so iconic, it was surreal to be standing outside of that monument. The other venue we could not get into that we wanted was the White House tour. This is one you have to request through your Senator 4-6 months in advance, and we obviously did not do that. But, we did get Capitol Tour tickets through Patty Murray’s office, with two interns leading the way, allowing us to get access to some areas that most people do not see. I would have to say the highlight of this was sitting in the House of Representatives balcony at the opening of a session and standing with the reps and gallery for an opening Pledge of Allegiance and prayer, pretty cool. Also sitting in the Senate listening to Senators from TX, LA and CA strongly discuss environmental issues.

The Capitol Building

Our first couple days we spent touring the Mall area, basically the heart of DC from the Capitol building stretching past the Washington Monument down to the Lincoln Memorial and over to the Jefferson Memorial. Lining the Mall area are many of the Smithsonian Museums (all free!), with other gardens and lesser recognizable structures. The Mall is a huge grassy area that is used by everyone for relaxing and taking in all the sights, and grabbing a beverage or snack from one of the dozens of food truck vendors. It is almost two miles long from end to end, so there is a ton of walking, and most of DC is very pedestrian friendly. We did A LOT of walking, between 5 and 9 miles everyday (according to Traci’s fitbit).

Washington Monument and Reflecting Pond

Some of the other highlights in this area:

Lincoln Memorial – awesome to stand at the base of him sitting in the chair we have all seen so many times.

Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pond

Jefferson Memorial – not as impressive, we thought the view was better from across the Tidal Basin to look back at the structure.

National Air and Space Museum – Many iconic flying vehicles, one of my favorites.
Museum of American History – So many items to see; Dorothy’s slippers from the Wizard of Oz, Julia Child’s kitchen, the original star-spangled banner, etc. This was Traci’s favorite.
Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial – super powerful here with many people laying flowers and other gifts, and taking a piece of paper and tracing a name of a loved one or friend listed on the wall.

Reflection of Mike & I and Wash. Monument

Notice the reflection of Traci & I and Wash. Monument

Korean War Memorial – awesome display of troops walking through the rice fields.

Museum of Natural History – this one was so packed with school groups that we didn’t stay as long as we would have liked. Great exhibits on mammals, bones and gems (the 45 ½ caret Hope Diamond).
National Archives Museum – the Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence and Constitution are housed here.
Other Memorials we visited in the Mall area were World War II, MLK, FDR and the Navy.

During our visit, we were lucky to be in town for a few other events as it was Memorial Day week. First was the official visit to the White House by our Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks! We found their buses on the backside of the White House and stood outside with about 75 other fans hoping for a glimpse of the players before they got on the buses to leave (we missed them arriving). After waiting around for almost two hours, they finally emerged and many were very gracious in signing autographs and engaging a bit with the group. Pete Carroll came right out and shook my hand first and then signed for everyone for several minutes, it was great to see the team!

Coach Pete Carroll giving the crowd some love

Wilson & Sherman

Back of the White House - notice the security on the roof

Back of the White House – notice the security guards on the roof

Another day, we took the Metro out to Arlington National Cemetery. This is one of those hallowed grounds that we have all seen dozens of pictures of over the years, but it is much larger that I had anticipated. Here lay the remains of over 400,000 people, all with some affiliation to the military. Our first stop was to the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy and his family; with the eternal flame burning. We then continued up the hill to the house of General Robert E. Lee. This was his homestead back in the 1800’s and the story we learned was that during the Civil War, they began to lay to rest the Union soldiers just below his homestead, so that the General would not want to reside here following the war. Well as it turns out, he was killed in battle, but the family did not want to remain here after the war, and thus sold it to the US Gov’t and it has evolved into one of the most significant burial sites in America today. We then made our way across the ridge of the cemetery to witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; a memorial to all those who have served our country, and not returned or been identified. Every 30 minutes there is a ceremony as this memorial is guarded day and night by the Marines Corps; a precisely executed transition, from one Sentinel to the next, to maintain watch over their fallen comrade that is enshrined in the memorial. As our visit here ended, we were fortunate enough to witness the dozens of army personnel placing flags in front of each and every head stone. As it was Memorial Day Weekend, and a ceremony was to be held on Monday, they were getting the grounds ready for thousands of visitors. 400,000 small US flags precisely placed the exact same distance from each headstone made for a very powerful ending to our visit.

Arlington National Cemetery

We took one day to make a side trip up to Baltimore, only about 30 miles from our MoHo park. We arrived in the early afternoon to a beautiful 75-degree day, and stopped in the visitor’s center to get our local maps. We were greeted by a nice little old man who gave us the lay of the land and mentioned a couple places we needed to see while we were there. The Inner Harbor area of Baltimore is beautiful, we both were very surprised by how much was going on, and how much there was to do. Tons of restaurant’s, shops, water taxi’s and a variety of historic boats lining the docks. We walked to another area on the harbor, Fell Point, a neat little neighborhood just a mile or so out of the main harbor area and had a beverage at one of the local watering holes recommended by our visitor center gentleman, then returned via water taxi to the main part of the harbor. This was a very vibrant area with lots of people walking around, many getting ready for the Orioles baseball game that night. Traci and I also were headed that way (thanks again Matt for the tickets!) and we eventually arrived outside the stadium and took in the atmosphere. The home team won easily, a nice 8-4 victory over Cleveland. A perfect day and visit to an area we both really enjoyed, a return trip to this area is a must at some point.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore

We also visited Annapolis, a tiny little town known for the US Naval Academy that is there. The grounds of the Naval facility are beautiful, with a very significant sports presence, lot of fields, tracks, and all sports related types of areas. It is also where many of the students come to learn how to sail, and there are dozens of training boats on property to use in and around the area. After walking the grounds, we headed into the harbor area of town. Wow, what a neat little place! There were several little restaurants, shops, bars and tons of people out enjoying the day. It was graduation weekend, so it was pretty crowded. It was like this little place was just dropped in here some 200 years ago, and had not changed that much. Narrow streets, with beautiful architectural buildings, and we just loved the vibe here, again a pleasant surprise.

Another event that I had heard of but did not know much about was the Rolling Thunder motorcycle parade held on the Sunday prior to Memorial Day Monday. The bikers congregated at the Pentagon parking lots at 7:00AM, and at about noon they started their ride around the main road of the Mall area and past the Capitol. This ride started back in 1988 to bring to light the POW/MIA movement that was still getting very little traction in the media and public opinion. That first year, there were about 2,500 bikers, with their loud pipes cruising through the area and heard from blocks away. This year there were an anticipated 500,000 bikers, half a million! We were able to find a spot on Constitution Ave. and take in the bikers as they drove by; we stood there for 90 minutes watching and waving at them all. Their message was clear, do not forget those that are missing or lost serving their country, and it was very powerful to see. We finally got hot and hungry, and left the street, but the parade continued for at least 3-4 more hours, and no they were not doing laps, it just takes that long for them all to drive to route, 4 or 5 wide down the street.

Rolling Thunder Parade, 500,000+ bikers

Our last day in DC, we went down to Mt Vernon and toured General/ President George Washington’s home and estate. A huge area of some 200 acres (originally over 8,000 acres). It is now maintained by a group originally founded back in the mid 1800’s that raised $200,000 back then to purchase and preserve the property. With beautiful gardens, and an amazing view overlooking the Potomac River, Washington had a pretty awesome home, some 250+ years ago. After this we decided to head to the Iwo Jima US Marine Corps Memorial, located across the Potomac from DC, and right next to Arlington National Cemetery. It was Monday, Memorial Day, and it was a perfect ending to our visit to DC. Everyone knows this massive statue, depicting the Marines erecting a flag on top of a hill at Iwo Jima. We were both struck by how large it was, standing some 32 feet off the base of the monument, with a huge American flag waving, it was an amazing site to end our trip on!

George Washington’s Estate, Mt. Vernon

Iwo Jima Memorial

A few of our favorite food/drink stops were:

Rooftop bar in the Washington W Hotel – a great view of the city and looking down on the White House.
The Tombs in Georgetown – a fun college bar with ice cold beers
Founding Farmers – close to the White House. We had breakfast here one morning and it was fantastic! Traci had Stuffed Banana’s Foster French Toast and she said it was her best breakfast ever.
Mama Lucia’s – a strip mall Italian joint in College Park right by our MoHo campground. Awesome lasagna and inexpensive!
Dock Street Bar & Grill in Annapolis – excellent food and great atmosphere right in the main part of town.

This stop will go down as one of our favorites, and we were so lucky to have great weather, get some great recommendations from friends (Thanks Dave Albrecht), hook up for dinner with a childhood classmate and her family one night (Thanks for hosting us Liz and Steve!), and taking in all that we could have imagined in DC! I would highly recommend a visit to our Nation’s capital if you have never been. It is a MUST!

Click HERE to see more pics from our time in the DC area

Bears and Wine in Virginia, who knew? 5/6/14 – 5/10/14

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Wine Tasting

We left Louisville and started to head east once again, crossing through West Virginia along our way. We stayed one quick night in a nice campground just about 20 miles west of Charleston, WV, the Huntington Fire Fox KOA; nice stop after driving about 230 miles. We decided to eat in and did not even unhook the car. I think it was only the second time on our trip we did so. We had a lot of little chores and laundry to do, so this was a good time to get some stuff checked off our lists. Later in the afternoon, I headed over to one of the private lakes on property for a little evening fishing, and they were hungry for my hot dogs. Large mouth bass, two different types of catfish, and a sunfish of some sort, lots of fun on the catch and release only lake.

The next morning we headed towards Charlottesville, VA. After our 270-mile drive we arrived to the Misty Mountain Campground 10 miles west of town. We checked in and headed to our site, a water and electric only location (no sewer connections). After about an hour of fighting with the soft ground, the maintenance guy bringing in a truck load of gravel, and all sorts of other ideas, we finally went up to the office and amazingly they found us a full hook up site. We moved over to that site, and had similar issues with the soft ground, but found a way to make it work. Tired and soaked with sweat, it was time to cool off with several cold beverages and get some dinner. We ran to the local grocery store in Crozet for taco fixings and as a bonus found what I would call the best cookie in the world! A little bakery nearby had this perfect dessert, a “monster cookie,” that I should have bought more of, but did not know how good they were till we got them home and had one, opportunity missed there!

Hiking in Shenandoah National Park

The next day we headed out for Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive, which runs along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We grabbed a couple maps from the entrance ranger, and decided to take a couple short hikes through the park. We drove along the ridgeline, stopped at several of the pullouts and took in the views. Unfortunately for us, there were some forest fires burning on some neighboring ridges across the valley, and it made for a very smokey and hazy day. We got to the trailhead, and headed out on a short little 1.3-mile loop hike. A fairly simple little walk, until Traci rolled her ankle, and then it was a bit more of a challenge for her. We got back to the car, and that was the end of our hiking for the day. We decided there was no need to push it and take a chance her weakened ankle could not perform on another trail. So we continued to drive, and just about 3 miles from where we were planning on exiting the park, we came upon several cars parked on/off the roadway, and we immediately knew this sign; there had to be some sort of wildlife worth stopping and viewing. (We saw this in Yellowstone a lot.) Sure enough, we got out and walked over to the edge of the roadway, and there were two mother bears with cubs; one set looked like they must have been about a year old, the other set could not have been more than 2-3 months old. We stayed there and watched the little ones climb the trees and hide, and their mother just chilling at the bottom of the tree. The other mother was knapping with one cub on the ground next to her, and one up a tree above her. Our vantage point was up a ridge, probably about 75 yards away, close enough to keep your attention in case something spooked them and they wanted us all out of there. Several cars stopped, and eventually the park maintenance staff came by and it was time to move on, but what a surprise! We headed back to the MoHo, on a high, and got cleaned up for a night out in Crozet for dinner. I found a local place called Fardowners, featuring local food, beverages, and vibe. We ate a nice pub style meal and then returned to the MoHo and relaxed.

Before ankle incident

Made it to the top!

Mama Bear guarding the babies in the tree

This little guy was about 40 feet up in the tree.

This one stopped about 20 feet up. He was so small, maybe only 10 lbs.

The next morning, we headed into town for a meeting at 10:00AM. We had decided a while ago it was probably time to sell the kayaks, we just weren’t using them and they cause a lot of drag on the MDX when we are out on side trips. We had been advertising on the local Craigslist sites in each town, and finally found a buyer in Charlottesville. We now want to get bikes as we think we’ll use those a bit more. After making the transaction, we walked around the corner into the outdoor mall area of downtown. This is one of the coolest little market/restaurant/bar areas we have come across on our travels. It is about 8 blocks long and ends up with a huge covered stage for concerts right in the heart of town. We would have loved to spend more time here, but we had other plans for the day. (We did have a quick late morning beer at “Miller’s”, a local bar that Dave Matthews used to bartend at back in the early 90’s when the DMB band was formed.) We then took a drive to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and it was super busy, and a bit pricey so we skipped the tour, and returned to town and drove all through the Univ. of Virginia campus. After a quick lunch, we then headed north into wine country. Virginia now has over 250 wineries, and we just happened to be right in the middle of the Monticello AVA. We hit 4 different places, the last one featuring a guitarist Dave Tewksbury. We sat out and had a glass of vino on the deck overlooking the lake, and left just minutes before the clouds opened up.

The outdoor mall in downtown Charlottesville. Traci enjoying gelato.

Our spot at Glass House Winery listening to live music

Pollack Winery was our favorite, can you tell?

Pollak Winery was our favorite, can you tell?

The next day, Saturday, we planned on more vino tasting south of our park. We got a late start, and found out how popular this area is with the locals. Our first stop we stood in line for 15 minutes before we could get a spot at a tasting table. It was still a bit showery, so I think everyone else in the area had the same idea, lets go taste some wine. We hit three wineries, a cider place (actually bought a case of local hard cider) and returned to the MoHo that evening and stayed in for dinner. This area has a very fast growing wine region, and we got to sample some of it, but there is a lot more to see, only if we had more time. Sunday we head to Lanexa, VA – right between Richmond and Williamsburg.

Back in the Central Time Zone – 4/26/14 – 4/29/14

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The St. Louis Arch, Gateway to the West

We left Nashville and made the 300-mile (crossing 3 states) trip to St. Louis, a bit longer drive than we like, but that is how things work out sometimes. This wasn’t originally part of our plan, but we decided to make the trek, as we didn’t want to miss the “Gateway to the West.” This was the furthest west we have been since December. We arrived at the Casino Queen RV Park in East St. Louis, a newer park right on the Mississippi River, across from the city with perfect views of downtown and the iconic Arch. As usual, we were surrounded by train lines and major highways, but the location just couldn’t be beat. After analyzing our next few days stay, we decided to head over to the casino for dinner, as we probably were going to eat out a lot and it did not make a lot of sense to head out and try to find a grocery store. We found a nice little deli/bar and ate a decent meal, played a few slots (the table limits were too high), then returned to the MoHo, a bit tired and looking forward to our adventures in the St. Louis the next couple days.

Great view from the MoHo park

Sunday we got up and headed out to the light rail station across the parking lot from the casino and took it across the river to the city. Our fist stop was the Gateway Arch, officially called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. We entered into the underground bunker that housed the exhibit, a gift shop, and ticket sales. The tickets were reasonable, only $7 each, with our National Parks pass discount. About an hour later we were in line to head up to the top of the Arch. The capsule to take visitors up to the top was something else. A tiny little bubble that stuffs 5 people in, and it is very close quarters to say the least. (They asked us when we bought our tickets if anyone was prone to motion sickness, which I am, or claustrophobic.) The four minute ride up to the top and a short walk up to the observation windows and we were suddenly 630 feet up in the air looking out small porthole sized windows for 30 miles in both directions. A very amazing view, well worth the trip in itself! I also immediately noticed the movement of the Arch, as it was a windy day, and I could certainly feel it. We descended to the bottom to finish the visit with a few more pictures. On the ground outside, I really started to feel that my equilibrium was not good, and almost felt dizzy for a about the next 3-4 hours; should have taken some of the Dramamine that was sold in the gift shop.

View from on top of the Arch, Busch field to the left

We could see the MoHo! Across river, behind red building.

This was the hallway at the top. About 100 feet long and 17 ft wide. A pretty closed in space.

We walked SW out of the park, our next stop was Busch Stadium, and an afternoon Cardinals game vs. the Pirates. We picked up a couple tickets off a guy who had extras and then grabbed a beer in the street and just took in the atmosphere, a much more lively vibe than what you would see outside of a Mariner’s game. The streets were filled with Red Birds fans and there was a really well developed area to get in the mood for a baseball game. We finally entered the stadium, and wandered around and took it all in. The place seemed huge, with 5-6 levels of seats in all sorts of different configurations, with several specialty venues that had different themes and offerings. We also noticed how all the seats were red, and it made it look like the place was packed, yet maybe only ¾ full for most of the game. The game was great and the Cardinals won 7-0, a perfect day all around. We found our way to the light rail station and returned to the MoHo, and cooked in for the night.

The scene before the game. Notice at left, these are bleacher seats OUTSIDE of the stadium (like at Wrigley Field).

Notice the Arch in the grass which mirrors the real Arch behind

We texted in our name and got on the big screen!

Monday we headed out back across the river, first stop was to Mecca: the Anheuser-Busch Brewery! Many of you that know me, Bud Light is one of my favorite beers, so we had to go to the home of one of the most popular adult beverage makers in the world. The brewery offered a free tour, and it was very well done. We got to see the Clydesdales in their stables, see how they make the beer, watch some of the production lines and packaging, and finish with a sampling in their outdoor beer garden. The grounds were enormous, and when you get inside to see the operations and learn how much this facility produces, it starts to blow ones mind. They have 360 huge tanks for making beer. Each of these tanks holds about 3,600 gallons of beer. The tour guide said that if you wanted to try and drink enough beer to empty one tank it would require you drinking one beer an hour, for 127 years. The storage facility below one of the packaging buildings holds 10 acres of product, that is a lot of beer! After we finished we headed NW of town to find another of Triple D’s recommended stops, Dressel Public House. I started off with a great shrimp appetizer, with the best cocktail sauce I have ever had. Traci had the Grilled Cheese with truffle oil and a cup of Tomato soup, and I tried the Porchetta sandwich; hers was out of this world, mine just all right. We finished dinner and headed back to the RV Park, hoping the MoHo was still in one piece. During our drive up to the restaurant, I got a call from the RV Park that they were under a Tornado Warning, and if the sirens went off we must immediately make our way to the brick bath houses on property. I had been watching the weather all day, and felt safe where we were, and thought the storms would miss our home on wheels, but it was still a bit unsettling to get a call from the park none the less. We arrived to the Park, and all was fine, and the clouds broke to give us a nice quiet evening before we headed out the next morning.

Clydsedale at Anheuser Busch

Paying my respect

Love this place!

Best Grilled Cheese!

Tuesday we headed east, leaving St. Louis behind for a quick one-night stop in south-central Indiana. We were having dinner at some friend’s home, Emi, Mark, their 2 yr old twins KC and Dillon and family dog, a sweet German Shepherd named Wrigley. They live in the town of Ferdinand, a cute little place of about 2,200 people, small town America at its best. We had a wonderful stop, great home cooked meal and nice visit, so glad we could meet up and enjoy an evening together. The next morning we were off to Louisville and the Kentucky Derby!

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