Tag Archives: Indiana

U.P., Up, & Away!

Posted on by
Reply

We’d never been to the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan before, and July seemed like a good time to travel north. So, we hit the road. We thought maybe it’d be cooler than the heat wave at home. But not so much. Add in smokey air from the Canadian wildfires and it wasn’t that different from the weather back in New England.

We left home on a Sunday and headed north through Vermont. After an early dinner at Burlington Beer Company, we checked in with the host of our Harvest Hosts site at Tanneberger Veterinary Hospital in St. Albans, Vermont. We parked overnight up the hill in back of the hospital.

On Monday morning, after the first of many visits to the closest Walmart, we pulled up at the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail for a bike ride. It took a little sleuthing to find the parking area. Apparently you have to drive up the trail itself to find parking. Anyway, it was a nice quiet ride.

After the ride, on the recommendation of our previous night’s host, Mark stopped in at Trailside Bakery for some local dairy chocolate milk, a squash pastry, and a molasses-ginger cookie. All happily consumed. 🙂

Before lunch, we crossed the midpoint between the equator and the north pole. Then the Canadian border. After lunch, we visited the Ecomuseum Zoo just west of Montreal. A cramped little zoo on a very hot day. Hopefully, our admission fee will help pay for some upgrades. The best sighting there was possibly a Green Heron (no photo) perched free in the trees above the Gyrfalcons’ cage.

We arrived at our KOA (Kampgrounds of America) campsite in Horton, Ontario, in time for dinner.

In the morning, as we headed toward Parry Sound, Ontario, we entered Algonquin Provincial Park. At the Welcome Center we discovered a beautiful totem pole carved by Algonquin Elder Dan Bowers more than ten years ago.

A little farther down the road, we stopped at Spruce Bog Boardwalk. Mark ran and I walked the boardwalk loop. From that parking lot, we followed a path leading to a second trail. The Lookout Trail led up to a cliff with an expansive view of the surrounding area. I was very happy to catch a glimpse of a Golden-crowned Kinglet that morning.

By late afternoon, we arrived at our next KOA site in Seguin, Ontario, just outside of Parry Sound, the birthplace of Bobby Orr. A visit to his Hall of Fame was on our shortlist.

Smokey skies gave everything an eerie yellow glow the next day. But that didn’t put a damper on our plans in Parry Sound. We walked/ran along a waterfront trail while we waited for the Hall of Fame to open. One section was lined with colorful painted rocks, so I added our Birthday Rocks for a photo op.

Mark went farther down the path than I walked and enjoyed a surprise sighting of a deer and fawn. Meanwhile, on a side trail, I had a close encounter with a fox and had to clap my hands and yell to scare it away.

The Hall of Fame was worth the wait — lots of memorabilia and a hanging model of the flying Bobby Orr from the Stanley Cup Final goal in 1970.

Then we crossed over the river and had lunch at Trestle Brewing.

We left Parry Sound after lunch and headed northwest. The air was fairly smokey, but we found Fielding Memorial Park and Bird Sanctuary in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, and decided to stop. It was late afternoon, but we encountered several interesting creatures. A pair of pigeons that wanted to make friends with us, a chipmunk that probably would’ve climbed up my leg if I let it, a Black-crowned Night Heron with its back to us, fishing, many Mallards, and a Great Blue Heron in the distance. Not to mention a beautiful bug or two.

We went back to Fielding the next morning after a stay at Holiday Beach Campground in Whitefish, Ontario. The campground was not nearly as fancy as the name implies, but the owner had a good long story to tell us about the flooding that nearly wiped them out and the slow recovery efforts they’ve been making. At Fielding, we saw some of the same creatures again, plus a young American Redstart, a Cedar Waxwing, and a red squirrel.

That afternoon, we crossed back into the U.S.and learned something new in the process. There were only two lanes open at the border and we chose what ended up being the slower of the two lines, of course. When it was our turn, we learned what was slowing things down. Did you know that if you bring oranges and avocados from the U.S. into Canada, you can’t bring them back into the U.S.? We didn’t. There’s a whole list of foods you can’t bring over the border and this particular agent was determined to do her job. After throwing out some perfectly good food, we arrived back in the U.S. at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

The second place on our shortlist for this trip was Mackinac Island. So we pulled into our KOA site in St. Ignace, Michigan, that evening and settled in for a two-night stay. In the morning, we left before six a.m. to claim a parking spot at Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry lot. We took our bikes and caught the 7:30 a.m. ferry to the island. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the island. Only bikes and horse-drawn carriages and carts.

We spent the morning riding the 8.2 mile perimeter of the island. We stopped for birds , an overlook arch, historical markers, and a nature trail or two. A very nice ride! And the first time I’d seen, or at least identified, a Common Merganser duck.

We parked our bikes back where we’d started and then walked the downtown area, browsing the shops. One gallery had a collection of lovely painted rocks for sale. (Another photo op for our Birthday Rocks.) Lunch at Great Turtle Brewery & Distillery was very good and then, after a little more shopping and checking out the Fort Mackinac which is set back, uphill from the downtown area, we caught the 2:30 p.m. ferry back to St. Ignace. Just as it started to rain.

On Saturday morning, we chased down a decent place for a walk/run, rejecting our first two finds and driving a couple of hours west instead to Manistique Boardwalk in Manistique, Michigan. The paved path ran along the shore of Lake Michigan and US-2 (Top of the Lake Scenic Byway aka Lake Michigan Circle Tour). It was windy and so many swallows flew around among a group of blackbirds there, but never landed for a photo. Oh, well. I did catch a Common Yellowthroat and a Cedar Waxwing, each with a beak-ful!

I also passed a group of protesters across the road playing loud music to get attention and had to use my long lens to read their signs.

When Mark finished his run, he met a couple, Harry and Jolene, from Michigan, who recommended we stop at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, even if we weren’t Packers fans. So, we did. Huge pro-shop!

That night, we stayed in the parking lot of Kerrigan Brothers Winery in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, where we bought a superb bottle of Cabernet for my Dad. In the morning we set out for More Brewing in Villa Park, Illinois. We’ve stopped there before and were surprised to find the beginning of the Great Western Trail, which is right next to More Brewing, under some kind of construction. We walked/ran the trail anyway. Then, lunch at More Brewing and we were off to our reserved KOA site in Kanakee, Illinois.

Our destination the next day was Muncie, Indiana, to visit my cousin Jamie and her family. While checking the map for a good place to walk/run, I discovered an Artwalk in Rensselaer, Indiana. We had to see it. We picked up a Jasper County Mural Tour brochure at the welcome center in the quaint downtown area and walked around to view the more than fifty murals. The tour officially started in their Potawatomi Park.

So many beautiful, colorful expressions of creativity! Here are a few of our favorites…

After that, we found Fisher Oaks Savanna Nature Preserve in Walcott, Indiana, for a walk/run.

Apparently, the Indigo Bunting makes enough noise to be identified by the Merlin app on my phone, but it doesn’t like to show itself for the camera. This preserve was the first of three venues where I heard the Indigo Bunting, but never saw it. I’ve added it to my “elusive birds” list which previously only included the Red-eyed Vireo. At least there were some beautiful butterflies!

We had a great visit with Jamie, Andy, and Isabella. We missed Sam, who was away at camp. We parked in their driveway overnight, went out to dinner with them to Elm Street Brewing Company, and met several of their neighbors who enjoyed a guided tour inside our van.

In the morning, we headed east, toward home. Rain was in the forecast, so we stopped at Cardinal Greenway Rail Trail just after leaving their house. There, once again, I heard an Indigo Bunting, but never saw it.

After the Greenway, we aimed for Columbus, Ohio. The plan was to see The Odyssey movie and then visit Hoof Hearted Brewing for dinner, before heading to a KOA in Buckley Lake, Ohio, about a half hour outside of Columbus. The movie was fantastic! The brewery was closed. So, we tried out Knotty Pine Brewing instead. Apparently they’d had some technical difficulties recently and had only one of their own beers available. 😦

We never saw any rain in Columbus, but as we got closer to the KOA we could tell that it had rained hard there earlier. Soon after we parked at our campsite, I heard a hawk nearby. My phone app said Cooper’s Hawk. I was excited to find it in a nearby tree and after a brief photo session, I heard more hawks. Three of them approached the first one and they all flew off squawking together. What a sight!

Later on, as it was getting darker, I heard a Red-headed Woodpecker. When I finally found it, it didn’t have a red head. It was a juvenile. And it was certainly acting its age — making all kinds of peeping-cheeping noises and jumping from tree to tree to tree. I did manage to snap a few pictures of it.

That almost made up for missing the Indigo Bunting. Sort of.

At end the day, we finally encountered some rain. A downpour, in fact. Right after I finished folding clean, dry laundry in the laundry room while Mark took a shower in the KOA bathhouse. We ran back to the van together and were dripping wet by the time we got there. I managed to shield most of the dry laundry. Kind of.

Right down the street from the KOA, we’d seen a sign for Buckeye Lake State Park. A perfect spot for a walk/run the next morning. It was a beautiful day! And the Barn Swallows were a bonus!

We spent the morning there and then headed for a KOA campground in Emlenton, Pennsylvania. They were a new-ish KOA and it was quiet. The most activity we saw was when a Great Blue Heron took off from the little pond behind us as we opened the van door in the morning.

There was a chilly fog in the air that morning. As we drove to the main road, the fog formed a thick-walled tunnel around the road. We’d never seen fog do that before. It looked strange, but it didn’t last too long. About ninety minutes later, we stopped at the David S. Ammerman Trail in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. While Mark went for a run, I found a Northern Yellow Warbler and didn’t find the Indigo Bunting that I could clearly hear. Ah, well.

We got to our Harvest Hosts camping site, Jam Room Brewing Company, in Greentown, Pennsylvania, before dinner. They had a nice open area up a hill behind them where there was room for several campers to spread out. They were gracious hosts, but we didn’t like the food and beer options in their restaurant, so we ate in the van and relaxed for a while before bed.

In the morning, after visiting a nearby Walmart and having breakfast while parked in their lot, we continued to head toward home. But we made time to stop for a walk/run on the Heritage Trail near Goshen, New York. What an unexpected treasure trove of wildlife! As usual, I heard more types of birds than I actually saw. I managed to get photos of a few, including a Solitary Sandpiper (fuzzy, faraway pics), a Mute Swan family, and a Downy Woodpecker.

From there, we made our way to Albany, NY, and Fidens Brewing Company, where we enjoyed a late lunch. Marked ordered some cans to-go and we hit the road for home. About three hours later we pulled into our own driveway. Plenty of sunlight left for unloading the van before collapsing in our king-sized bed. Another adventure in the books.

Autumn Road Trip: Part I

Posted on by
4

It seemed odd to be driving away from New England at the end of September when the trees were hinting of changes to come. But that’s what we did. We’re heading to Albuquerque and planning to arrive in time for the annual Balloon Fiesta.

We aimed to leave home early on that first day and drive five hours or more toward Rochester, New York. But, of course, we needed to gas up. And stop for ice. And, oh, yeah, stop at the Weather Tech dealer for a cup phone holder or two. We actually found Topgo ones we like better. Anyway, it was closer to noon when we finally hit the open road.

Our first night away from home, we stayed at Twin Brook Camillus Farm in Camillus, New York. Owned by a lovely retired couple, Craig and Elaine, the farm is home to sheep, chickens, turkeys, dogs, and a pair of Talouse geese.

It was a quiet, cool night, and we barely heard the rooster crowing through the closed windows the next morning.

We bought farm fresh (still warm) eggs and frozen chicken from their self-serve barn-stand and, on our first official morning on the road, we, of course, stopped at Walmart for a few things. Then, on to Erie Canal Park in Camillus, where we took our morning walk/run.

We arrived at Niagara Falls State Park on Goat Island about mid-afternoon. Thirty-nine years ago, we stopped at the Falls on the Canadian side as we drove home from our honeymoon. This time, we got the American view and waved to Canada across the way.

After Niagara, we drove another hour and a half to Westfield, New York, where we stayed at a KOA campground overnight. The end of our first full day on the road.

In the morning, we popped over to Luensman Overview Park in Portland, New York, for a walk/run, then back to the KOA for showers. Passed an interesting sign, enjoyed some fall leaves along the way, and were disappointed at the ‘overview’ where a haze veiled the supposed view of Lake Erie and Canada, beyond.

We then set our sights on Hoof Hearted (yep, say that fast, out loud) Brewery and Kitchen in Columbus, Ohio. But first, we stopped beside Lake Erie for a few pics. It’s hard to look at such a ‘great’ lake and not think it’s an ocean.

After dinner at Hoof Hearted, where Mark drank one of his favorite beers, Permanent Marker Face Disguises, we drove a short distance to a small, but neat, Alton RV Park in Galloway, Ohio, for the night.

In the morning, we found Mudsock Trail, next to a large, beautiful, and very active dog park, in Columbus, Ohio. Saw a couple of egrets, a huge bees nest, and a great blue heron just hanging out in a tree.

We got back on the road, crossed the Indiana state line, and pulled into my cousin’s driveway in Muncie just after 3 p.m. It was good to see them again, as we’d stopped at their house over a year ago when we first drove our new Sprinter back from Boulder, Colorado. The kids were taller. And they’d just just bought a new house around the corner from their current house, so lots of catching up to do.

We shared some of the apples we’d brought from our trees back home, did some laundry, and waited for my cousin’s husband to get home from work. We used that time to pull out our new electric Weber grill and cook the chicken we’d bought in New York, and also bake some home-grown potatoes in our electric air fryer/oven. Then we went out to dinner in downtown Muncie. We followed dinner with a visit to The Guardian Brewing Company to meet some of their friends who were celebrating one friend’s birthday. The company was enjoyable, the beer, not as much.

In the morning, we said our good-byes, visited the local Walmart, and then stopped at Town Run Trail Park in Indianapolis for a morning hike/run. We didn’t realize initially that this was primarily a bike trail. It was Saturday, so many cyclists were pulling in, strapping on their helmets, and hitting the trail. We found a few visitors who were planning to run the trail and we all decided that it would be okay as long as we gave the bikes the right-of-way. Especially on the narrow sections of the very windy trail. As I hiked, I made sure to keep my ears open for birds in the trees around me and bikes speeding up behind me.

Visible from the Trail Park driveway was this impressive sculpture honoring the classic Studebaker automobile of Indiana.

We left Indianapolis and headed for St. Louis and its famous Gateway Arch. Mark had been up to the top of the arch before and I was hoping to make the ascent this time. The section of St. Louis near the Arch was confusing to navigate. On top of that, we passed crowds heading to a Cardinals game at every intersection. As we finally pulled up along the street beside the National Park, we realized that the parking area was closed and that a brick area, slanting away from the road toward the Mississippi River, was being used instead. We drove to an unoccupied section, away from the tight rows of cars, to make our own parking spot.

The Arch was visible from the highway as we approached the city and was huge up close! But, unfortunately, tickets for the ascent were sold out and we had to be content with the indoor museum and outdoor picture-taking in the ninety-degree heat.

At the end of the day, we drove to Point Labaddie Brewery in Labadie, Missouri, to spend the night in their parking lot, courtesy of the Harvest Hosts network. The owner was welcoming and the beer was good. We met a fellow traveler named Christian who was also staying the night in his rig on his way to Albuquerque.

All real living is meeting, said Martin Buber in I and Thou. I love this quote. When I heard it recently, I immediately attached it as an epigraph to a poem I was writing, as if to say: This. This is what I mean! And I’ve found myself meditating on it a lot during this trip. We’ve met people from New England and they’ve felt like home. We’ve met people from the towns we pass through and they’ve sometimes felt a bit foreign. And we learned of the death of a dear friend back home a few days ago. In this life, we meet so many different people (and animals, birds, insects, flowers, trees, mountains, prairies, rivers, and lakes). Each one expands our universe a little. I’ve come to understand on this trip, that we also meet ourselves along the way.

There’s a lot more I could say about that, but I won’t right now. I’ll leave you to meditate on it yourself. 🙂

Stay tuned for Part II of our adventures, yet to come…

A Few Birds, Brews, and Friendly Visits

Posted on by
1

In Mountain Views, I mentioned that one of our plans for this van trip was to do some birding. But the weather and our daily routine of driving to the next destination left us less time than anticipated. The day we left Pulpit Rock campground in Decorah, IA, we decided to remedy that.

First, breakfast at Magpie Coffeehouse in downtown Decorah. Apparently, penny mosaics is a thing out here.

We left Decorah and crossed the Mississippi River before noon.

A search for local birding sites brought us to Nahant Marsh Education Center. FYI, it’s pronounced Nay-hant (rhymes with ant), unlike the New England location of the same name.

I pulled my new camera with its new lens out of the travel bubblewrap to try it out. Unfortunately, much more practice and time to adjust the shooting menu are needed. But we saw many red-winged blackbirds there, as we’d already seen just about every day along our route. Plenty of other wildlife, as well. There was even a pair of baby screech owls being rehabbed inside the facility.

That night we camped at Rock Island/ Quad Cities KOA in Rock Island, Illinois. Nice waterfront site.

We got on the road by late morning the next day and stopped for lunch at The Lone Buffalo by Tangled Roots Brewing Company in Ottawa, IL. The food was good, but not much to say about the beer.

After lunch, we crossed into Indiana and headed to a friend’s house in Valpraiso. Chuck and Tiffany and their two boys were perfect hosts. (Thanks for the use of your laundry facilities, Chuck & Tiff.) The boys were coming and going with youth baseball, so we only managed a photo with one of them.

The next day, we landed in Muncie, IN, to visit more cousins. It was great to see Jamie and Andy again and to meet their kids who, by way of their natural curiosity, taught us a few new things about our van.

We brunched with Jamie and family the next morning. My Aunt Janet stopped by, too. Then, we were off again, heading toward Ohio and the next brewery. Hit a bit of traffic on the way.