Day 146 – August 24, 2000

Peterborough, Ontario:

We are on the road by 7 a.m., eager to get to our next destination. The morning is gorgeous, and before long the A/C is on.

We have to fill up twice, the first is a little West of Peterborough. We pay 68.9 cents a litre, and calculate we have gotten 12.5 miles per gallon. The second fill is west of Kitchener; we pay 71.3 cents a litre, giving us 11.89 mpg.

Today we will visit our neighbour (from the time we lived in Ottawa). Our friend was in the Army Dental branch, and he and his wife have retired to London, Ontario. We pick a campground out of the Trailer Life Directory called the Oriole Park Resort, about 15 km west of London. With our Good Sam discount we pay $20.23.

We don’t linger around the campground after getting set up, as we are only stopped here for one day. After having a quick bite for lunch we head into London to visit our friends,. We have a great chit-chat, and I get the chance to download and receive e-mail. Then we all go to an incredible Chinese buffet. We wrap up the visit fairly early, as we have to find our way back to the campground, and are tucked in by 11:15 p.m.

The day had been wonderful weather-wise, reaching a high of 27 C. While watching the evening news on TV, an increase in gasoline prices is announced. It was 68.9 when we arrived in London, and by early evening it is up to 71.9. Oh well, I guess we should have filled up earlier.

Day 147:

We have slightly over 200 miles to drive today, so we are up and on the road by 7 a.m. I make a note in our camping diary to never go to this RV park again. I always shower in the washrooms, while my wife showers in the trailer. I swear that the water in the campground washrooms must be coming from a nearby swamp, as it sure doesn’t smell very nice. The water in the individual sites is marginally better, but it also smells.

We cross into the US again at Sarnia/Port Huron at 8 a.m. By 9:30 a.m. it is break time. We find our first Pacific Pride cardlock gas outlet, so we fill up. Local prices are $1.42 US, and we got 12.9 mpg.

Our destination today is a Coast to Coast Park at Saginaw Bay in Michigan. This campground is in the Outdoor Adventure’s chain, and being a Friday, they are only taking their own members. The security staff is very courteous, and with the aid of a simple map, direct us to another Outdoor Adventure’s campground about 15 miles further up the road. We have no trouble getting in with a $6 US Coast to Coast coupon. We are in a nice shady spot with 30-amp outlet and water, and we are set up by noon. There aren’t any sites in this park with sewer connections, but they offer "honey wagon" services for those who are staying for longer periods, and there are several dump stations located in the park.

Today is another one of those gorgeous days, and it is warm enough to warrant the A/C on for a while in the trailer. We are very thankful for the shade trees. We are near to the shores of Lake Huron so it is quite humid. I tell myself to enjoy it, as I know what weather we are heading towards as we go north and then west.

Day 148:

Our trip today will be 251 miles. I guess the extra 50 miles is in the back of my mind, so I am up at 5:50 a.m. After a quick stop at the sani-dump on the way out, we are on the road by 6:50 a.m.

It sprinkled a bit during the night, and by the time we get back out onto the interstate it starts to pour. The weatherman lied to us again!

We have to make three gas stops this morning, as I didn’t fill up last night. Prices in the Upper Peninsula region are $1.43 to $1.47 US and our mileage is 11.75 to 11.90 mpg. We did some hill-climbing this morning and the wind blew quite strongly.

We cross over to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on the Mackinac Bridge; all two-axle trailers pay a toll of $3.50 US. On a clear day, there is a beautiful view going across this bridge, we went this way in 1994. On the west side you can see Lake Michigan, and on the east side, Lake Huron. Today we aren’t seeing too much of anything. Because of the high winds, the overhead electronic bulletin board is advising all trucks and trailers to proceed at a maximum speed of 20 miles per hour.

As we come off the bridge, we head west on Highway 2 towards our designated stop near Thompson, Michigan. We had planned on going into a Coast to Coast Good Neighbour Park, however, they are full (the weekend of course), and so we try the place next door. It is called the Woodstar Beach Campground and their rates are $15 US for 30-amp sites, no discounts. Our back wheels are about 50 feet from Lake Michigan, and from the back window we can see the beautiful sand dunes. Earlier, there were some kids in the water, but it is a little too cold for us "old kids". We are all set up and ready do our own thing by 1:15 p.m. The rain seems to have ceased for the time being, and the forecast is for clouds for the afternoon, and clearing tomorrow.

Day 148:

Today we are out by 7:10 a.m. after going to the sani-dump. There are two wonderful things everyone should see before they leave this earth. One is a sunset anywhere along the Pacific coast, and the second is a sunrise across one of the Great Lakes. We actually take a few minutes to watch the huge red ball come up across Lake Michigan and it is gorgeous.

Our run today is 192 miles. When we enter Wisconsin at 8:30 a.m., we both laugh when we see the sign saying we are now in the Central Time zone. We forgot about the time change, and I guess we could have spent another hour in bed. We are now just two time zones away from home.

This morning we witness a very rare sight. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a hunter, but imagine our excitement when we see two different flocks of wild turkeys right alongside the highway. The number of deer spotted is beyond counting.

We stop for gas in Pembine, WI, paying $1.47 US a gallon. Our mileage was 11.33 mpg. Today’s terrain is flat with a large amount of gently rolling hills. With the sunshine the scenery is beautiful.

At 11 a.m. we are settled into the West Bay Campground on Faust Lake in Rhinelander, WI. This is a Coast to Coast campground, and at this time of the year it is nearly empty. The lady in the office gives us directions to the Wal-Mart down the road, so we head into Rhinelander to do some shopping and get the mud off the truck from yesterday’s rain.

Day 149:

Today’s trip will be 257 miles, which is long for us. As I said earlier in my writings, our normal rate of progress is a maximum of 200 miles per day. We like the idea of being at our destination by noon or not much later. This was playing on mind, and along with the acorns that fell all night from the oak trees onto our trailer, I can’t sleep and am up and on my way to the showers at 5:30 a.m. I always tell my wife that she can sleep longer if she wants, but she is up at the same time. At 6:15 we decide that as we are up, we might as well get on the road. So we pack up and head out at 6:30 a.m.

We have two gas stops this morning, $1.57 US and $1.59 US, both fills gave us 12.7 miles per gallon. The terrain is relatively level, and we drive in cruise-control all the way except for a 9% downgrade heading into St. Croix Fall, Minnesota.

Both Wisconsin and Minnesota have wayside rest areas, most with chemical toilets, drinking water and picnic tables. It is a real pleasure to have a safe place to park for a break off the road.

We check into a Coast to Coast campground called Great American Adventures - Mille Lacs Resort in Wahkon, MN. There are lots of empty sites, and we are set up by 1:15 p.m. We are a little disappointed that the computer modem that was mentioned in the directory is not actually available. I will have to wait a little longer to send and receive e-mail.

The weather this morning is warm and humid, and quite windy, so we do not put the awning up today. When we registered I commented to the security guard that it was very windy. He said if we didn’t have the wind, it would be extremely hot and humid. I got the message.

For trivia buffs, Mille Lacs Lake is the second largest lake in Minnesota, and is the walleye capital of the world. The lake covers 132,520 acres and has 86 miles of shoreline.

Day 150:

We sleep in until 6:30 this morning! Our run today will be a mere 134 miles. We leave the campground at 7:25 a.m., heading into what appears to be a great day.

We stop for gas twice, paying $1.59 US and $1.54 US. Our mileage was 11.42 and 11.30 mpg. The frequent speed zones contribute to the lower mileages, I think.

The weather today is sunny, although it gets quite cool during the evening, and it does feel like fall.

The area we traverse today is definitely fishing, resort and camping country. The roadsides are almost a continual display of places for lodging, camping, marinas and lake-tours. The only downside is that every three to five miles the speed limit drops to between 30 to 45 mph.

At 9 a.m. we stop in a service station parking lot in Brainerd, Minnesota for a thirty-minute break, as we have loads of time before we get to our destination.

Today’s final stop is at a Coast to Coast campground in Cass Lake, Minnesota. It is called The Trees Resort, and we are registered and set up by 11:30 a.m.

There is an Ojibway Nations casino about three miles back down the road. So after we get set up, we go down to try our luck. We each make $20 last for about 1-1/2 hours, and by that time the cigarette smoke is choking us.

For the second time this trip we get a tornado warning on the TV. Fortunately, this one was further south in Wisconsin, but we are still feeling tense about the situation. Around 6:30 p.m. the sky starts to darken and the wind comes up a bit, and then five minutes later the wind picks up so rapidly the trailer starts shaking. My wife and I probably set a new record for bringing in the awning. The wind blows fairly briskly until around 11 p.m. and then it all ends. Thank goodness.

Day 151:

We leave at 7:20 a.m. today to a nice sunrise and great weather. Our destination is 137 miles away.

Just one gas stop this morning, at McIntosh, Minnesota, and gas is $1.52 US a gallon. We got 11.93 mpg. This fuel has ethanol in it, which is distilled from corn. The octane rating is 89. Normally, regular unleaded is 87. I check our owner’s manual to be sure that it is okay. The manual states not to use methanol, but says nothing about the ethanol.

We stop for the day in Grand Forks, North Dakota. and we are set up by 11:15 a.m.

Fields of soybeans and sugar beets in the Grand Forks Campground, about three miles south of town on Route 29, surround us. I think right now this place would qualify as the dust bowl of the Midwest. The air outside is full of those nasty little black flies that take a big bite out of you, so we are staying inside.

We had some pretty stiff winds this morning, fortunately they were behind us.

While watching TV early in the evening, we get another one of those emergency broadcasts. This one is alerting viewers of the possibility of severe thunderstorms and tornados. Fortunately, all the counties that are affected are further south of us. We do have rain and a light-show, and some winds which really shake the trailer.

Day 152:

I think we both sleep with one eye and one ear open, waiting for the emergency siren that might send us off to the storm shelter.

Today’s destination, Minot, North Dakota, is 211 miles. We leave at 7:30 a.m., heading west into some real nasty winds from the northeast. Our first fill-up results in the worst mileage to date, just 9.5 miles per gallon.

About 10:30 a.m. the sun comes out, the wind abates, and according to the local radio, the temperature is a whopping 51° F. No A/C is needed today, instead we have the heater on. We keep telling ourselves it is not fall.

This morning we go through a little place called Rugby, North Dakota. In the centre of the town there is a big sign and a marker that states Rugby is the exact geographical center of the United States.

We stop at a really nice RV Park about four miles west of Minot, right off Route 2, called Rough Riders Campground. With our Good Sam Discount card, we pay $18.50 US for a fully serviced site with 30 amps. We are set up at 12:35 p.m., and today we unhook the truck to go shopping.

After lunch we go to Wal-Mart for a few things, some groceries and stop at the gas pumps. Our second fill is a bit better than the last one at 11.95 miles per gallon.

The day turns out to be really great, sunny and clear. I think the temperature actually gets up to 61° F.

In the afternoon I am outside cleaning the trailer when a gentleman stops to chat with me. He spotted our BC license plates, and mentions that he just came from Vancouver Island. I ask him where, and he says Sidney. I say, "Isn’t that a coincidence, that’s where we are from." He mentions some places in Sidney, and that he stayed with some friends who lived in a townhouse development with a guest-room in the clubhouse, a hot tub and pool. I think, gee, this sounds familiar, so I ask whom he was visiting. Turns out he was visiting our neighbours, two doors away. What a small world we live in.

Day 153:

We are up at 6 o’clock this morning and on the road by 6:50 a.m. It rains all the way from Minot, ND right up to 20 miles south of Regina. We breeze through Canadian Customs after answering a few basic questions. It is obvious that their computer is clearly showing the fact that we have been in and out of the US twice within the past two weeks. I think they suspect we may have visited the duty free shop twice, but we didn’t, and we are admitted with no further questions.

We stop in Estevan, Saskatchewan to get some money at the Royal Bank. It is then I discover we got caught in the time change trap again, and instead of being 9:30 a.m., as my watch showed, it is only 8:30. So now I have it etched in my mind: during the summer months Saskatchewan is on the same time as Alberta (Mountain), and in the fall they are on the same time as Manitoba (Central).

We arrive in Regina at 11 a.m. and find my wife’s aunt’s place. She had said the parking spots in her parking lot were big enough for our trailer, and that we could plug in. But the spot is too small, we will be sticking out into the driveway and blocking traffic. We check with the mall manager across the road, and are told we can park for the rest of the day and evening, but must be out tomorrow morning. (Just goes to show you that all malls are not RV friendly.) Tomorrow we will move the trailer to my cousin’s place, about three miles away, where we can plug in.

While my wife spends time with her aunt, I do some more banking, and then go to the GM dealership to get an oil change. It is reassuring to find dealerships that will take your vehicle in for servicing at short notice. To Wheaton’s GM in Regina, thank you very much.

Conclusion next issue.