August 1997

<<< Saturday, 2 August 1997

Wisconsin is famous for cheese, lakes, and badgers and is characterised by its numerous farm buildings all of which are in an attractive deep brown/red earth colour. It is very noticeable that everything is clean, tidy and well-maintained. Most of the houses are large wood-clad detached buildings painted in light pastel colours all of which have very large well-kept lawns, many of which were being mowed by bikini-clad ladies on sit-on mowers. 18% of the US dairy produce comes from Wisconsin but after passing what seemed like mile after mile of fields filled with corn we formed the view that much of the States corn on the cob must be grown here. Individual farms do not appear to be that large, judging by the numerous farm buildings, but when one sees so many large aluminium silos mile after mile one can understand why agriculture is so important to the State. From what we have seen most of Wisconsin and much of Michigan are almost flat, not very populated, with farming or forestry as the main activity.

Sunday, 3 August 1997

While we were having our evening meal the sky blackened and with little warning the wind suddenly got up, blowing leaves and branches from the surrounding trees and then we were hammered by very large hail stones, which dented the car roof. The power supply to the campground was cut off when the thunder and lightning hit us. We learnt the following morning as we drove into Green Lake, the local village, which is about a mile from the campground, that a twister had gone through at tree-top height closing some roads with uprooted trees and downed power lines, many of the roads were covered by fallen leaves and branches.

Monday, 4 August 1997

We struck lucky as it was the week of the EAA air show at Oshkosh, which is a vast display of experimental and enthusiastic aircraft. We cannot claim to be knowledgeable about private aircraft but we watched with amazement when a Chevy pickup truck raced an aircraft along the runway going from 0 to 300 miles an hour in 10 seconds. It was a spectacular display as the two jet engines on the back of Chevy exploded into life and flames hundreds of feet long shot out of the rear.

Valerie phoned Bev. and arrange for us to stay with them for a few days next week. We have spent some time with the Coons (their surname) in Mexico and Quartzsite. George's day was made when he managed to fix a computer problem which had been bugging him for some months

Tuesday, 5 - Wednesday, 6 August 1997

Before the bridge at Mackinac was built in l957, the upper peninsula part of Michigan was pretty well cut off from its state and even now has a sense of remoteness. It is a peninsular 150 miles long and is squeezed between three of the Great Lakes - Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. We travelled along route 2 which follows the northern shoreline of Lake Michigan for most of its length. It is impossible to exaggerate the immensity of the lakes - there are five in total and they stretch 700 miles from top to bottom and 900 miles from east to west. They cover 94,500 square miles making them almost the precise size of the United Kingdom. Together they form the largest expanse of fresh water on earth and are so large that you think that you are looking out to sea. The lakes are served by many large rivers and countless creeks.

Numerous log cabin summer houses as well as a few all-year-round homes are hidden along the tree-line shore, which occasionally gives way to narrow sandy beaches on which a few people sunbathe. The water temperature was too cold for us but some were brave enough to swim in the very clear water. The area normally has about 200 inches of snow a year except when it gets so cold that the lakes freeze, which pleases the locals since they do not have to spend so much time clearing the snow. To us, it is strange to see signs warning of snowmobiles and special parking areas for them, which gives some idea of what it must be like in the winter.

One of the nicer campgrounds we stayed at was the J W Wells State Park which was a very attractive area on the lakeside and which for some reason appeared to attract several large orange butterflies (may have been Monarchs)

Thursday, 7 - Friday, 8 August 1997

Travelling further east we saw several signs advertising pasties and eventually decided to stop to sample one between us. The pasties turned out to be the real thing brought to this isolated corner of Michigan by nineteenth-century Cornishmen who came to work in the local mines. As with most things over here they were extra large so one was more than enough between us for lunch!

Saturday, 9 August 1997

We took the ferry from St. Ignace to Mackinac (MACK-i-naw) Island which lies in the Strait between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The hydrofoil ferry was highly manoeuvrable and extremely fast, blowing out a jet of water some fifty feet into the air, the crossing in beautiful sunshine took about fifteen minutes.

The limestone outcrop island became a frontier outpost in 1780 when the English moved the old French garrison from the mainland to the more strategic island. It remained the stronghold of the Straits of Mackinac for 115 years. The island is 3 miles long and 2 miles wide with high cliffs fronting the shore and has ravines, natural bridges and caves.

The only transportation on the island is by horse-drawn carriage, bicycle or saddle horse; no motorised vehicles are permitted, except for a public utility truck, a fire truck and an ambulance. For this reason, SR 185, which rims the island, claims to be the only state highway in the nation on which a motor vehicle accident has never occurred. The flat SR 185 around the island perimeter makes a cyclists paradise with literally thousands of rental bikes all over the place, pedestrians need to take care of.

The major historical building is Fort Mackinac which is on a bluff overlooking the harbour, a restored 18th and 19th-century British and American military outpost preserved as a museum. During our visit, we watched several presentations by actors in historical costumes including a re-enactment of a court martial.

For a while, Mackinac was the biggest fur trading post in the New World but its real glory dates from the late nineteenth century when wealthy people from Chicago and Detroit came to escape the city heat and enjoy the pollen-free air. The Grand Hotel, the biggest and oldest resort hotel in America was built and the country's wealthiest industrialists constructed an ornate summer house on the bluffs overlooking the village and Lake Huron. The houses are some of the grandest most elaborate ever built of wood - twenty-bedroom places with every embellishment known to the Victorians including towers, domes, gables turrets and large front porches. All in all, visiting the island was an enjoyable and unique experience.

Monday, 11 - Saturday, 16 August 1997

Bill & Bev. who we originally met in Mexico had invited us to stay with them for a few days if we passed through Michigan, so Monday found us yet again thankful for the satellite navigation system as we drove to their place via narrow and winding roads around the lakes near Gaylord.

Their place is no more than a plot in the woods where they stay in their motorhome for the summer and then like so many other snowbirds flee the harsh winter of the north and relocate to their other home in Florida. They have electricity and phone hook-up but need to go to the local campground about once a week for fresh water and dump dirty water.

We stayed with them for five days during which they took us on extensive tours of the lower Michigan peninsular, where we learned much about the area's history, geography, wildlife and lifestyle. Michigan's prosperity has always been driven by the lumber trade which is not surprising since over half the land area is covered by forest. This was made clearer when we visited the Hartwick Pines State Park where we learned that during the second half of the 1800s Michigan produced more lumber than any other state. Vast quantities of white pine were used to build houses, barns and fences on the treeless great plains, while millions of board feet were also consumed by the nation's rapidly expanding railroad system. The dollar value was more than all the gold mined in California during the same period.

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The park forest contains now rare examples of the original magnificent old-growth giant pines which used to cover so much of the state. We enjoyed walking through the silent forest and seeing numerous branchless white and red pines growing straight up some 150 feet or so. It is easy to understand why they were cut down in such vast numbers since they produced knot-less boards up to thirty feet long by 18 inches wide. One particular pine had been stuck by lighting which had left a deep scar in the bark down the trunk. It seems that logging took place during the winter since the snow and ice made it easier to haul the logs out of the forest to the riverside where they were stacked to await being floated down the river when the spring thaw arrived. Conditions for the lumberjacks must have been terrible with many being killed or injured or dying from illness as most camps were far from medical assistance.

We also visited a restored sawmill which was used extensively to supply board for the settlement on Mackinac in the 1790s. During this period water driven power sawing was introduced which could cut up to 200 boards a day compared to the 12 or so a day by two men in a saw pit. It was interesting to see how ingenious the early settlers were, an example being that 10-foot logs were sawn into boards except for about the last two inches, in this way the boards could be more easily handled and floated over to the island as one unit, once on the island the boards were separated by cutting off the end of the log.

One evening after dinner at an old railroad depot, Bill took us on a tour of the local countryside which is fairly flat and mainly wooded terrain where we were surprised to see several herds of elk and numerous deer in the fields. The bull elk were huge, and spend most of the time eating in readiness for the winter to come. The area is a major source of Christmas trees which somewhat disappointingly we learned, are helped to obtain the classic conical shape by being machine trimmed when the tree is about two feet high. The time with Bill & Bev. flew by and with Bill doing all the driving George broke a many years old record by not driving for five days.

Saturday, 16 - Monday, 18 August 1997

As we needed to go to the Newmar factory to collect a dinette chair to replace one damaged some months ago, we decided to go directly to South Bend, Indiana, which has a campground with a modem-friendly adult lounge. So as Valerie expected, George made the most of the opportunity to surf the net for several hours. On the way to the campground, we had the heaviest rain we had experienced anywhere in the US, which was followed later that evening by a tremendous storm which included, according to the local TV, 20,000 lightning strikes as well as a tornado warning. During the past week or so we have experienced more rain than during our previous year of touring. Upon arriving at the factory we were pleased to find that on this occasion Newmar appeared to have ordered the correct chair, it was only when we got back to the RV did we find that it was about one inch higher than the others, so George had to put the saw to good use.

Tuesday, 19 August 1997

With about a month before we need to be in West Virginia for a rally, we decided to travel east to see Niagara Falls and a little of the northeastern states. The I80/90 turnpike to Geneva, OH was being repaired in several places including the addition of about 10 new bridges crossing the road, which was about the only item of note on the 290-mile journey. For the large part, the Interstate follows Lake Erie which appeared to be fairly plain and uninteresting. We must remember however that we did not stop and spend time staring, so the area may have more to offer but in the main, the coastline did not have any beach as such, nor was there anything facilities to temp a visitor. At the junction of the I80 and I90, lies the large town of Cleveland which in its day must have been a thriving industrial area, but today most of the facilities that we saw were empty and run down.

Wednesday, 20 August 1997

The Kenisee campground at Geneva is located in a wood overlooking several lakes mainly full of static trailers used as summer homes. It's beginning to appear that a lot of the campgrounds in the northeast states are older and less well-equipped than those in the south which is probably partly due to the shorter season.

Ohio claims to have more covered bridges than any other state most of which were built around 1850. One of the best examples is the 150-foot-long bridge near Geneva which like most was largely built of wood, so roofs were added to prevent the roadway of the bridge from getting wet and rotting. We met a fascinating local fisherman who also runs a cafe at the side of the bridge just for the fun of it. He told us about the trout runs which take place in April and October and little of the history of the covered bridge. The whole area is very quiet so for the most part, it is possible to fish all day long and not see a soul, (or sole)!

Thursday, 21 August 1997

The journey along the I90 to Niagara Falls took us through the northern edge of Pennsylvania, into New York State and then on to the town of Niagara Falls, which lies at the eastern end of Lake Erie and close to the Canadian border. There are two Niagara Falls cities only a few miles apart, one in Ontario, Canada and the other in Niagara Falls, New York, being connected by a bridge across the Niagara River. The river is a 37-mile strait that acts as a spillway, carrying drainage from the four upper Great Lakes into Lake Ontario. Among the shortest rivers in the world at 36 miles, Niagara is also one of the wildest, reaching speeds of 30 mph.

Niagara Falls were created by the recession and melting of a mammoth ice sheet. As the ice retreated some 50,000 years ago the land rose behind it, forming such ridges as the Niagara Escarpment. The melting ice formed a vast lake in what is now Lake Erie and its surrounding lowlands; the lake overflowed about 12,000 years ago, creating Niagara Falls. The falls were originally formed 7 miles north in what is now Lewiston and are still eroding towards Lake Erie at the rate of one inch per year.

In the afternoon we visited the American side of the falls which are higher than the Canadian at 184 feet but have a shorter, fairly straight crest of about 1,075 feet.

The Canadian, or Horseshoe Falls are 176 feet high with a deeply curving crest of about 2,200 feet. We were amazed by the vast flow of water over the falls and this was at the time of the year when water flow is below the peak. The spray was rising several hundred feet into the air and with the light wind, most of us got at least a little wet.

Untouched, the combined flow of the water over the falls would be about 1.5 million gallons per second; however, one-half to three-quarters of the river is diverted for the generation of electricity before it reaches the falls.

We watched the Maid of the Mist boats full of tourists all donned in dark blue plastic coveralls floating to the front of the falls, the boats looked somewhat puny against the size of the falls. In the past it was the done thing to dive over the falls, the first stuntster was Sam Patch. He survived two dives into the waters below the falls. The first person to go over the falls in a barrel was Annie Taylor in 1901. William Fitzgerald took the plunge in 1961 and was arrested as soon as she surfaced because stunts on the river and falls had by then been outlawed.

Friday, 22 August 1997

We crossed into Canada through the customs check on the bridge and then in the pouring rain we explore the falls from the Canadian side. The falls are impressive from the American side but without any doubt the falls seen from the Canadian side are more impressive, being wider in the shape of a vast horseshoe.

After absorbing the falls from the edge in the falling rain for some time we went to have a coffee in a tastefully designed restaurant overlooking the falls, where we were able to continue watching the falls, since no matter how long one looked one could continue to enjoy the vastness. Lots of birds were circling the edge of the drop looking for insects.

One of the many tourist attractions is to take an elevator to the base of the falls and then walk through man-made tunnels under the falls, so George donned his Mae West and down he went. The tunnel traverses several hundred feet through the rock parallel to the edge of the falls, the noise of the water flowing down the face gives another reminder of the power of the falls. At several points, openings have been made revealing vast swirling sheets of water roaring down and yet another opportunity to get soaked. The falls can freeze in the winter to around fifty feet thick, so ice booms are constructed upstream to prevent damage downstream during the thaw. We were informed that more than 12 million people visit the Canadian side annually, and more film is sold at the falls than anywhere else in the world, we can now understand why.

In heavy rain, we drove further into Canada intending to explore parts of Toronto, as it turned out we spent much of the afternoon visiting the CN Tower which is considered the tallest building and free-standing structure in the world. It is 1815 feet to the tip of the transmitter mast, and the revolving restaurant at 1150 feet is even higher than the tip of the Eiffel tower at 1049 feet. It took the elevator only 58 breath-taking seconds to whisk us up to the observation deck, which affords a panoramic view of Toronto.

A section of the floor of the observation deck is made of glass, it was fascinating to watch most of the women very carefully walking around the glass section and then peering over the edge, whereas children were happy to lie on the glass and look down and then there were of course, the teenage men who showed their bravery by jumping up and down.

It seemed strange to be looking down onto what is normally considered sky-scraping office blocks, but even the tallest is dwarfed by the CN Tower.

Saturday, 23 August 1997

Yesterday, as we were returning from Toronto the car's front brakes developed the typical noise indicative of worn brake pads, so we were waiting outside the local brake repair specialist when they opened at 07.30 as we wanted to move on today. However even though we had been previously assured they had the pads in stock, it was not so and the best they could offer, after ringing the local stockists, was to order the pads on Monday and fit them when they arrived which might be Tuesday or later!

This challenge got George going who started ringing up all the Suzuki dealers within a two-hundred-mile radius, however, it turned out most were closed (Saturday - can this be America?) or the parts department was closed, or they would need a week to obtain replacement pads as they were a special item. However a call to the local Napa Auto Parts (similar to Halfords) revealed that whilst they did not have any stock, they could obtain a set from Buffalo, a town some 60 miles to the south within three hours - what service. So after catching up on the Email during the morning we went to the Napa store where the pads were waiting and then on to the fitters who confirmed to our relief that they were the correct parts which were fitted within 15 minutes.

Sunday, 24 - Tuesday, 26 August 1997

After finishing washing the RV we travelled east 130 miles along the I90 toll road to Cayuga Lake which is one of 11 Finger Lakes, many of which are lakes about fifty miles long and about a quarter of a mile wide lying mainly north/south. American Indian folklore holds that the Finger Lakes were formed when God placed his handprint on some of the most beautiful lands ever created. We drove the 100 miles or so around Cayuga Lake which had several wineries on the western side but found little else.

Our campground turned out to be along a very long, narrow wooded track, which eventually opened into a sunny sloping field with a pleasant walk to the lake. Most of our fellow campers seem to be in trailers which they use as summer homes or weekend retreats. While having a cup of tea Valerie noticed that water was dripping out of a trailer next to us, which seemed to be odd since it had not been raining and nobody was using it. We asked the campground owner, who calls himself The Mayor of Twin Oaks, to investigate who found that the trailer was flooded which would have ruined most things including dissolving the chipboard floor.

Wednesday, 27 August 1997

Overnight stop at the Turning Stone campground near Verona, VT which was an almost new campground with phone hook-ups which meant George could get a fix of net surfing.

Thursday, 28 - Sunday, 31 August 1997

For the first time since we started travelling the 1,500 miles or so east from Chicago the flat terrain has given way to hills which we both prefer. We decided to move in the direction of Boston, MA intending to stay at Lake George on the route, however, we had forgotten that this was the Labour Day weekend and after trying half a dozen campgrounds we ended up booking into a campground at Lake Bomoseen, VT. As we half expected the local area was not very interesting and the campground could only be described as acceptable. Labour Day is the last national holiday in the summer period so everybody heads for the beach, parks or a long weekend camping and boating. In no time the campground was full of groups eating masses of food, including large steaks for breakfast and idling the time away chatting around a campfire. Many of the northeastern states have countless lakes and rivers so boating and fishing are major attractions, but without a boat, it is difficult to see the lakes at their best since being heavily wooded countryside with trees extending to the water's edge, most lakes are hidden from the road.

The car tag for Vermont is the Green Mountain State with good reason since every hill is covered in a wide variety of trees but the Maple dominates. Along the roadside and in most built-up areas maple syrup is sold in a wide variety of colours and flavours. It is produced by tapping the tree in early spring and then the sap is boiled to remove about 70% of the water, the colour and sugar content is determined by the amount of water removed during the boiling process. Real maple syrup is delicious, it's difficult to say no to just one more smothered pancake.

The local town of Rutland was holding a state fair over the weekend, so we went to investigate. The fair was a mixture of a traditional farming fair complete with cattle, chickens, equipment etc. a country fair with prizes for the best vegetables (the prize-winning pumpkin weighed 256lbs!) and flowers as well as a large fun fair. In addition, a lot of excitement was being generated by the trotting races which took place throughout the afternoon and then in the evening there was a demolition stock car derby. It never ceases to amaze us but as always the major activity was eating followed by more eating.  >>>