Minneapolis, MN

Monday-Thursday, August 8-11

I love Minneapolis, City of Lakes!

This is a great city. Green. Lots of lakes. People out everywhere – walking, running, biking. Liz told me it’s the highest percentage of the population in the U.S. that bike-commutes (even in the snow!). They recycle a high percentage of their waste/trash, so they are highly environmentally focused, as well. It’s awesome.

(And now I know you all have one word for me: Winter!  J) 

On Tuesday morning, I had a 10.00 appointment at the CampingWorld in a Minneapolis suburb. Finally time to get the wastewater pipe fixed. Auggie and I got to the store and ended up spending close to five (5!) hours waiting for the van to be ready. Aaarrrggghhh. When the tech finally came to check in with me 45 mins after we got there, he told me he’d only just gotten the van on the lift. Ugh. This was gonna be a long process! And when I asked them to do an oil change, since I was there, it added another 90 minutes to the wait. Since when does it take 90 minutes to do an oil change???

Ended up that the tech was able to reconnect the pipe that had separated, so I won’t be leaking dishwater onto the ground anymore. But the open/close valve for the wastewater system is Roadtrek-specific. That means that the part has to be ordered and CampingWorld would have taken a week to receive it. POOP!

In the end, I’m partially fixed, but not 100%. The CampingWorld guy showed me how to climb under the van and open/close the valve with a pair of pliers. I will still need to locate a Roadtrek dealer as we move forward and see if we can figure out a day when we will be someplace that has the part and can fit us in for the valve replacement. Maybe Billings? Gotta research it.

On Wednesday morning, I used Liz & Bryan’s super-fast WiFi connection (what a luxury!) to do some research into South Dakota national parks (Badlands, Mount Rushmore) and camping sites. I got arrangements made forward till Billings.

Auggie and I then took off into the city to see Minnehaha Falls. Wow! Another reason to love Minneapolis – they were right in the middle of the city and so pretty. Here are some photos of the loveliness.

 Wednesday evening I made my way to a sister dojo, the Feminist Eclectic/Five Element Martial Arts and Shifu Koré Grate, whom I had just had the pleasure of seeing at camp back in Brockport. I threw on my gi and was honored to take an Iaido sword class with Shifu Koré, and then a self-defense class. What a fun night! Thank you, Shifu Koré and FEMA, for welcoming me to your lovely dojo. 

Chippewa Falls, WI / Drive to Minneapolis, MN

Monday, August 8

We took our time getting started in the morning and wanted to do another hike around the Chippewa Falls/Eau Claire area. We left the campsite late morning/early afternoon. We quickly stumbled upon an awesome little treat, though – Leinenkugel’s!

Leinenkugel’s is a nice little Midwest brewery – I know them for their wheat beer (Hefeweizen), and I honestly don’t know how I know them. But we had to stop and poke.

No dogs allowed on the brewery tour, so Auggie and I just got a few samples. The Amber is on the left here, the Red is on the right. Mmmmmmm, tasty. (No, Auggie did not drive after his taste. And neither did I. We sat for a bit, relaxed and looked at the map.)

We finally found the Chippewa River State Trail – but it turned out to be a loser hike! The “hike” was a boring flat, paved bike trail, and it was infested with mosquitos to boot. You couldn’t get us out of there fast enough.

Back to the van and the two-hour drive to Minneapolis to see Liz, her husband Bryan and her little girl, Kathryn.

It has been close to 10 years since I last saw Liz live and in-person. It was fantastic to see her, meet her husband and her new baby. We had a fantastic visit to Minneapolis!

Door County, WI / Drive to Chippewa Falls, WI

Sunday, August 7

We checked out of our campsite and drove back to Fish Creek, just a few miles up the road. We wanted to go to Peninsula State Park for another hike before we left Door County. Had a nice two-hour hike with just a bit of rain. Then we found some quick lunch and piled back in the van to head west across Wisconsin.

We found our way to Lake Wissota State Park and a great campsite. We loved it there – peaceful lake, big campsites not right on top of each other, and not too many people.  Another one where I said to myself, "Shame we're only staying one night." 

Door County, WI

Saturday, August 6

Good news - no more mice. Looks like there was only one stowaway. I feel better now that I can once again stow my food in the pantry without having to worry about it being nibbled on by nasty rodents. Whew!

We made a quiet morning of it, did our stretching and a workout, and then did some much-needed laundry while puttering around, fixing a bunch of stuff in the van and cleaning some, too. We finally decided to get out and go see what was out there in Door County. And it turned out to be very pretty, indeed.

We headed north to the tip of the peninsula, driving through some very quaint and small hamlets nestled along the shores of Green Bay (a real body of water, not just a city). It was the height of cherry season in Door County, just as it was in Michigan.  I stopped at a roadside market to check out the yummy things there and found the most delicious pie – cherry, raspberry, blueberry, all in one pie. Yum! Sorry folks – that pie was so delicious that I forgot to take a photo of it!

When I said hello to a woman on the street in Fish Creek (just up the road from Egg Harbor), she replied with a friendly, “HellOH”. Wow – that’s some “OH” at the end. It's clear I’m in the Midwest now! We don't talk like that on the east coast. 

We took a quick hike in the Newport State Park – a pretty park with nice, green forest and well-kept paths – and then drove back to camp, just in time for an evening rain. I made a light dinner and then sat, sipping wine and finished Harry Potter/Book 2 at midnight. John & Ellen – the "Chamber of Secrets" will be coming back to you next!

Sail across Lake Michigan / Door County, WI

Friday, August 5

I Won!

Because there may be children reading this blog, I have not posted the photo of the deceased rodent. Suffice it to say that the score is now:

Mouse 0 : Chris 10

(When you die, you lose all your points.)

I will still set the traps tonight, though, to see if there are any additional “stowaways” on board. I am no longer messing around.

Not being a morning person, I overslept and we got a bit of a late start to our morning. But we were not far from the ferry and were there in five minutes. We pulled off to the section with other pets going on board and met Annie, the cute black lab puppy and Eli, the adorable German Shepherd puppy. Awwwwwww.

And off we sailed on the S.S Badger across Lake Michigan. Good-bye, Michigan.

Hello, Wisconsin.

As we were getting off the ferry, there were a few guys on Harleys getting off right in front of us. They were headed out to South Dakota for the yearly biker rally in Sturgis, SD.  If we’re not careful, we might get caught right in the middle of that. Part of me thinks it would be fun to see and experience. The other part of me wants nothing to do with it. We’ll see how our itinerary shapes up …

I also noticed that my phone reset itself to central time zone. Bye bye, east coast! 

We disembarked the ferry at Manitowoc, Wisconsin. We were heading to Door County. But as I took a look at the map, I couldn’t help but notice that Green Bay was a quick jaunt up to the northwest – so we went. I wanted to visit the Superbowl Champion Green Bay Packers’ city!

You know you are in Packers’ country when ten minutes into the drive there was a huge sign on a farm bordering the highway that said “Honk 4 Packers”. They like their football champs here.

There were also lots of beautiful green fields, red barns and billowy clouds in a blue, blue sky. And with names like Kellnerville, you can tell there is a lot of German heritage, too. (Kellner = “waiter” in German) 

Green Bay is a cute small city, smaller than I expected, with no skyline to speak of. And then I found Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. What a surprise – I thought for sure there would be huge signs on the stadium proclaiming it the home of the Superbowl Champions – there wasn’t. How modest of the Packers.

 

I got a cheesehead while I was there!

I love my cheesehead!

(Sorry, Mitchell, I know the Packers beat your beloved Steelers for the championship, but I just couldn’t help it …)

Then it was off to Door County (I took my cheesehead off to drive) and our campsite just outside of lovely little Egg Harbor. 

We set up camp, cooked dinner, read some more of Potter and then drifted off to sleep.

Sleeping Bear Dunes / Leland Fishtown

Thursday, August 4

The mouse is still here!

That vile little creature actually traveled with us from the Ann Arbor area. I then realized that the paper towels and toilet paper he has been shredding were not for his nest someplace back in Ann Arbor, but were instead so he could build a nest in our van. Not OK, you little creep. This means war.

Mouse: 3 / Chris: -0.5

I am no longer being kind. No more botanical-so-you-don’t-kill-the-animal solutions. I am looking for TRAPS today. To kill you, you little vile little persistent bugger. You want a war, you got it. And it’s one I intend to win!

(N.B. – for those of you who have noticed, yes, I am keeping score. I am acknowledging my competitive self. And I am down. The mouse has been winning, ekeing out more points day by day. I will not let him win. I am bigger (for once in my life). And I have learned a lot about mouse psychology over the past few days – I am now smarter, too. Look out, rodent, here I come.)

(N.B.2 – Please tell me you are all laughing by now. I am personally cracking up as I type this …)

As I plotted my strategy against the mouse, we packed up the campsite, said good-bye to lovely Indigo Bluffs (one site even had entertainment last night - karaoke!) and drove back to the Dunes to enjoy some more. Auggie and I were looking for a hike.

We found one, but it ended up being really sunny that day, which made for a very hot and exposed hike on the dunes. One early section of the hike had some forest, which was our only respite. About 25 minutes into the hike, we got to a high point and a beautiful view. Pretty blue sky today, too.

And then I decided to turn us back. Auggie was too hot and not having any fun. And I didn’t bring enough water for us both for this amount of sun and sand. Enough of the hike for today.

Instead, we climbed back in the van and headed up to Leland, Michigan, following a tip from the campground guy back in Ann Arbor. What a cute little place!  

We quickly found Fishtown there, an historic commercial fishing district that used to support the livelihood of the region. The shacks are still in business, though many of them now offering jewelry, souvenirs and sandwiches.  

But some people still fish – those are some 20-pounders there!

And then we found what we had been recommended to find: Carlson’s smoked fish. Yummmmmm.

I made another quick stop at a wine-tasting room for some of Michigan’s vintage. I bought a very dry Pinot Blanc, which is so light/pale it’s almost see-through! Great sipping wine for hot weather. (My wine chest is very full now. J)

Auggie and I had a snack of smoked fish sausage, smoked whitefish and some bread. Or I should say that I had the smoked whitefish. Auggz ate the sausage just fine. But he dropped his taste of whitefish on the ground and proceeded to roll in it!!!

Once a dog, always a dog.

We jumped back in the car, found our route to Ludington, MI, and left the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We had a nice time here. 

On our route south, we found some local sweet cherries at a roadside market. They were delicious – I ate almost the whole quart on our drive!

I made a quick stop at a drug store to pick up my mouse traps, we found our campsite and then made a quiet evening of it. We have an early morning tomorrow.

Ludington, MI, is the port city for the Lake Michigan car ferry, which we will take tomorrow morning. The four-hour ferry ride will save us two-three days of driving and drop us off at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, just south of Green Bay. Yes, we will be in Green Bay Packers country!!! Maybe we’ll just have to go and see the Superbowl champions’ city …

Our destination when we land is Door County, Wisconsin, a recommendation from my friend, Liz in Minneapolis. We will visit Liz for a few days early next week. But first, we will explore Door County, what the web site calls the “Cape Cod of Wisconsin.”

Almost time for sleep. Have to set up my mouse traps … 

Travel to Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI / More Mouse

Wednesday, August 3

I woke up to find that the blasted mouse had been back!!!!! So much for the mouse-chasing, smell-disorienting sachets. Grrrrrrr. More paper towel mess, but only two pistachios this time. 

I thought that maybe he had gotten some food and then decided that he didn’t like the smell and left quickly. I checked the bathroom storage compartment – no activity.

Mouse 1.5 : Chris 0.5

We packed up and headed out of our peaceful campsite, heading northwest to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, on the west coast of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

Before we hit Saganaw, we saw signs for Frankenmuth – Michigan’s “Bavaria” and the home of Bronner’s, the “World’s Largest Christmas Store.” I decided to stop and poke.

First, we made it to the Christmas store. I was scared before I even entered. 

Huge. Acres of Christmas schlock on display in wings. A snack area (because god-forbid you shop without a snack). And what must have been millions of Christmas ornaments. 

The blue section, with blue monkeys. 

The Nutcracker section. 

The Halloween section (?!?). 

The sports section (I was happy to see there were martial-arts Santas J). 

The country section. But look - here’s Germany with not a single wooden, hand-carved ornament that they are known so well for. 

And then there’s this pickle ornament in the Germany section, that’ll cost you $9.99 even though it’s made in Poland. The tag notes that it is German tradition to hang the pickle ornament last on the tree and whoever finds it first in the morning gets an extra present.

To all my German friends and family – is this true??? I’d never heard this before.

When I made it to the Japan section, I saw that the Chinese lanterns and the Chinese panda ornaments were hung there. Oh jeez - it wasn’t even properly researched Christmas schlock!

I needed to leave then. Fast. Too much abject consumerism – I just couldn’t take it any more.

Back in the van with some fresh air, we headed downtown to “Bavaria.” There were some very beautiful spots that did make you feel as if you were no longer in Michigan. 

And the flowers were lovely.

But perhaps still in the wrong frame of mind from my visit to the Christmas-schlock orgasmatron, I was feeling a little overwhelmed by it all.

In the end, I found the village more than a bit “cheezy.”

Auggie and I had some quick lunch in the van and got back on the road.

Mileage note – the van hit 20,000 miles on this drive.

We finally made it to the Sleeping Bear Dunes toward late afternoon. First we stopped at the Dune Climb – 110 feet of sand dune for climbing. No dogs allowed, though. Wow – being a dog on vacation is sometimes not so much fun!

I climbed it, leaving Auggie howling at me indignantly from behind. The view from up top was spectacular. Glen Lake behind me here looks very, very pretty.

Then I bounced/jumped/bounded back down the dune, gave Auggie a rub behind the ears for being patient and we drove another two miles to Glen Haven where dogs are allowed on the beach. Lake Michigan, in its blue-green splendor, was beautiful.

For those of you who don’t know him, Auggie is not a water dog, so bounding into the lake was not his thing. He didn’t even like the (little) waves that were crashing in. We took a nice walk, picked up some rocks and then found our way over to the Stocking Scenic Drive. Another beautiful view.

After that, we were pooped. We found our way to Indigo Bluffs campground, which is a great campground! Wooded, shady, well-maintained, lots of pine trees on our site to give it character. And we were on a corner lot, so had a bit more privacy. Wished we were here for longer than just one night.

We made our dinner and then started what turned out to be an awesome campfire. (More small wood available on this campground.) 

I had my first toasted marshmallows of the trip. Wow – they were yummy! I actually fell asleep for a bit by the fire, it was that relaxing.

Before bed, I moved the front-of-the-house mouse sachet into the pantry so that there was double strength now in the pantry. Surely this will keep him out. Right?