Search This Blog

Friday, April 28, 2017

Back on the Road or in the Words of Willie - On the Road Again........

We headed back on the road on April 18th!  We left early to visit with Sportsmobile in Huntington, IN before continuing on to Florida. While tent camping is fun, we are looking to upgrade. I'm chuckling because we spoke with my daughter, Katie, to get her advice on tent camping (she has many 100s of nights tent camping under her belt). She replied with one word, "don't." She said that we would get tired of sleeping on the ground and should look into a trailer or something like that. She gets wiser as I get older - we agree.  We're now looking at a Mercedes Benz Sprinter Van.  Sportsmobile does conversions so we stopped by to see some of their vans, get ideas and understand the process.  When you search Google with the words "sprinter van conversion DIY" you get +570,000 hits.  We're just starting this process and have lots to learn. We'll keep you posted.

We then headed south to Titusville, FL nonstop. We had fun stopping in Nashville for some Hattie B's hot chicken. Lots of things happened over the next week with Laura's daughter graduating with her MBA from University of Florida (congratulations) and then helping her move to Atlanta to start a new job. Although Atlanta traffic was horrific; Google Maps was outstanding. While in Atlanta my gracious brother gave us a place to sleep before we headed back to Florida to start our east coast swing picking up national parks. Warning if you pass through Georgia on I-75 DO NOT stop at Ellis Brothers and sample their praline crunch pecans. It leads to bad things if you're lacking self control and discipline...(speaking from personal experience).

Breakfast with Dick at the Marietta Diner, it's a classic!

The Marietta Diner - can't miss it, all those lights make
you think you are in Vegas.  

A happy graduate!

With sections of I-85 closed, Atlanta traffic was a bear!
Google Maps saved the day by routing us
through many Atlanta neighborhoods. 

Monday, April 10, 2017

Camping Humor..... We can relate

A loaded van pulled in to the only remaining campsite. Four children leaped from the vehicle and began feverishly unloading gear and setting up the tents.

Two of them rushed to gather firewood, while the other two and their mother set up the camp stove and cooking utensils.

A nearby camper marveled to the youngsters' father, "That, sir, is some display of teamwork."

The father replied, "I have a system... no one goes to the bathroom until the camp is set up."

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Back in Michigan

Well we're back in Michigan. After stopping in St. Paul, MN, we headed north across Wisconsin to Houghton, MI. We stopped in Ironwood at Stormy Kromer, a Michigan institution that makes clothing and their iconic Stormy Kromer hat. I've heard others refer to it as the Elmer Fudd cap. What makes these special is that they are made in Michigan. Yes, I have a couple.

We had to stop at Krupp's in Twin Lakes, MI to pick up some pasties for my son, Mike. Krupp's has the best pasties I've had!

We spent the weekend with Mike cooking and watching the Final 4. It was nice spending time relaxing and making lasagna and meatloaves, four of them. As Mike joked "yes, I'm pretty well set for food through the end of the semester."

Sunday we headed back to Midland through Michigan's upper peninsula. A bright spring day, complete with beautiful views, busy logging trucks, and the Mighty Mac!

We'll hang out in Michigan to do taxes before heading out again in a couple of weeks to pick up more parks.
Homemade lasagna, that's hard to beat!
A fun time cooking with Mike.

The meatloaf is pretty yummy too!

Ice breaking up on lake Superior under beautiful blue
Michigan skies. Now if it only was 20 degrees warmer!

The "Mighty Mac," the Mackinaw Bridge
connecting upper and lower MI.

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Visiting my good buddy Cullen

We stopped and spent a couple days with my good buddy Cullen in St. Paul, MN. We had a blast. 

Cullen's been in this neck of the woods for 25+ years. We spent two days visiting, eating, touring the area, eating, learning about the areas history, eating, reminiscing, eating, telling stories that may have been exaggerated slightly, eating and did I mention eating. Today poor Laura passed out 😵 in the back seat of the car from a food coma (it certainly could not have been from the riveting conversation Cullen and I were having). Had a great time!!!!  Cullen is a good friend, an absolute gentleman and a gracious host!  

For those of you reading this that know Cullen - we had lunch with Cullen and his son. It was good to catch up with Cullen jr. I remember when he was in high school back in Illinois and now he's quiet the pro with his own family. Time flies. Anyhow.......he has started a list of Cullen's favorite sayings (and there are many). What a hoot. If you have some favorites you'd like to share send them to me and I'll pass them along to Cullen jr.  Also - "I'm not going to chew my cabbage twice on that decision"....


A better buddy you could not ask for!  A rose between two thorns holding apple fritters!

In Minnesota who else but Cullen could find a jerk chicken join that cooks its food on pimento wood.