Back on the Road

It has been a very long time since my last post. Wow. A lot has happened since then including job changes, traveling and different summer activities. I am sitting here in my hotel room (working) and thought, "Why have I not been posting?" I do have the time now so here it is.

In a nutshell, since my last posting, which was on that month-long camping trip with my son, I went on a cruise with the family to Alaska (fantastic time) in honor of my mom and dad's 50th anniversary, started a new job with an airline I have worked for before. Spent a year at that airline, as a pilot/manager, and now working for a newer airline, as a pilot flying passengers internationally.

In the summer of 2011 I bought a used 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and then bought a new 20' travel trailer. It is a KZ Sportsman Classic. Ever since tent camping with my boy, I vowed I would get an RV. I purchased it in Michigan last summer while visiting my family and drove it back to Florida with my son (he is now 12). The purpose of buying the trailer was to be able to spend more quality time with him. He and I have been out camping four times since its purchase. The first was on the way home from MI. The second was local, Jonathan Dickenson State Park, near Hobe Sound, FL. Labor Day Weekend was spend camping at Bahia Honda in the Florida Keys (best trip ever). And the last was Okeechobee, FL at a KOA. That was most recent.

Now it's back to work flying, waiting til January where I can get a couple of days off and do some more camping.

Day Twenty; D.C.

I have learned to listen to my son when it comes to the condition of campground bathrooms. We didn't bother showering at Raccoon Creek Park. We slept a little late and had plans on visiting, nearby, Zach's Great Uncle Bill. I have not seen Bill in over 8 years. We had a nice visit for an hour and had to get going if we were going to find a place to stay in the D.C. area. We rolled into town around 5:30 pm. Traffic was heavy around I-495. I was almost completely out of cash and had to go to the men's room in the worst way. I was driving on toll expressway and was completely lost. Even though I had the assistance of Ms. Garmin, I didn't have a clue where to go. I managed to find the Sheraton to hit the head. Panic was over with at that point. I found the Wingate Hotel, a place I had stayed a year and a half ago. THe rates had raised a little since then but the idea of a nice clean hotel was what was really needed. There is a Longhorn Steakhouse right out front. I got one of the last rooms available.

Day Ninteen; On the Road Again

Day 18 was spent packing and getting ready to start making our way back to Florida. At dinner, my bro-in-law, Bruce, suggested Zach and I go to Washington D.C. Great Idea, bro! We left Tuesday around noon and drove the extremely boring ride on the Ohio Turnpike to Raccoon Creek State Park in Pennsylvania, just west of Pittsburgh. I found a treasure of a campsite after driving around the park. I was getting pretty worried when I noticed that many of the sites where not exactly level. The staff at this park were very friendly and helpful. I called from the road to get some info and when I arrived, the ranger I met said they were expecting me. Nice folks. We managed to get some firewood at a nearby mom and pop convenience store. Since we were in PA, I learned that beer had to be purchased at a state store or a bar carry-out. I chose the latter since it was closer. Back at camp it was time for fire pit hot dogs, chips and marshmallows. That night it got pretty chilly.

Day Seventeen; Father's Day - Kayaking

It was a terrific Day! Today the family was all together and we had a barbecue on the back patio. My son Zachary, gave me a really nice Victornox Swiss Army knife. I love it. I have always wanted one of these. I have had several of the key chain versions of these knives but never a full size one. Later on Zach and I went to my sisters house to try out her and Bruce's new kayaks. It's done.. When I get back to Florida, I am going to dust off my old boat and buy one for Zach. This is something we will be able to enjoy all year 'round. Zach is the perfect age for this.

Day Sixteen; Family Time

Back home in Saline, I mowed Mom and Dad's lawn and then met my sister and bro-in- law at Millpond Park to check out some kayaks for a demo from the local kayak dealer. This is the first time I had paddled in over 10 years. What a blast! I forgot how much I enjoyed it. Ever since marriage and family life, my Scupper Pro has been hanging in my garage just sitting there and collecting dust. My son Zach got his first kayaking experience and he did great. It was me who spilled and tipped into the drink trying to keep him from being carried by the current into some submerged trees. I did, however manage to get myself back into the boat without too much trouble. I was a little embarrassed, though.

Day Fifteen: HarborSprings

Today, we woke up had a huge breakfast at the restaurant across the street from the hotel, checked out, then drove up to Harbor Springs. Not much to do there but it is a beautiful town with a very nice marina. A four hour drive back to Southeastern Michigan and I was whupped.

Day Fourteen: Mackinac Island

Today, we took a short drive up to Mackinaw City, MI to board Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry. Even though all of the different ferries charge the same price, we went with Shepler's because they were the nicest on the phone and willing to work with me to get an internet discount even though I did not have a printer. For three adults and one child, it came to $70 even. The wind was quite brisk on the upper deck. Grandpa and Zach couldn't hang tough with me and Grandma and ran down below to the lower enclosed deck. On the way over, you get a fabulous view the Great Mackinac Bridge and also a nice view of the famous Grand Hotel.

We poked in and out of a few shops and ate lunch at Millie's On Main. The food was great, service was wonderful and restaurant provided a terrific view of Main Street. The amazing thing about Mackinac Island is there are no motor vehicles of any kind; only horse drawn buggies and bicycles. Just be careful where you step. We spent the majority over our time on the island at Fort Mackinac. This fort was founded by the British in 1780 and has quite an interesting history. Some of the buildings still stand as they did 225 years ago and all of the other buildings have been restored to how they looked during the final years of the fort's occupation.

Don't forget to pick up some fudge when you are on Mackinac Island. I'm told that this is some of the finest fudge in the world. A few more shops and, hey, where did the day go? Back to the mainland to get some chow after all of that, we were all pretty exhausted. We then headed back to Petoskey, back to the hotel. I know we will all sleep pretty well.

Day Thirteen: Petoskey, Michigan

This Morning, I knew it was time to resume travel and continue on to see some more sites. The weather in Michigan was forecast to be rainy and cloudy in the lower portion of the state, however, it appeared to be a little nicer in the upper region of the lower peninsula. I figured Mackinac Island would be a great place to go. I have not been there since 1975 and I know my son would enjoy a place with no cars - just horse drawn carriages and bicycles. Since there was a chance of rain, and the weekday rates at the hotels aren't bad, we decided to leave the tent behind; besides, Grandma and Grandpa would be coming along and this would be better for everyone. We left a little after noon and arrived in Petoskey around 7 o'clock pm. Petoskey has always been a family favorite of places to visit in Michigan. In the morning, we will make our way to Mackinac City as long as the weather holds out.

Days 6-12; Michigan

After a nice free breakfast with waffles and hard boiled eggs at the La Quinta. We stopped across the street from the hotel and visited the Coleman Outlet store. I thought I might find a good deal on camping supplies. What I did find was a really nice deal on an inflatable 2-person kayak for $39. I only now wish I had bought it. We left Severeville, TN at around 11 am and headed right for Michigan. The trip was quite uneventful. We arrived just in time for Mom's home cooking. The trip was just over seven hours.. Not Bad. Since then, Zach and I have just been spending time with the family and visiting old friends.

Day Six: Laurel Falls

Last night Zach and I slept well. We did not hear or encounter any bears. Note to self: When tent camping, it is best to stay for a couple of days or more once you have set up. It is a pain in the butt having to set up and take down every day. Today is the first day we skipped making breakfast. I didn't want to deal with cleaning dishes with no running water. The campsite was clean but It would have been a lot better if there had been water and electric. My 12v cooler drained out my power pack sometime during the night. I was expecting to get 30 hours of use out of it, according to my calculations, but that didn't happen. Luckily,the eggs were still cool when we woke up. We decided we didn't need to spend another day at the National Park. Both of the restrooms near our site were nasty smelling. Those facilities need a good bleaching. On the way out of the park, we stopped at Laurel Falls. This was a 1.3 mile trek up a hill that leads to a beautiful set of falls. Parking was a little bit of a pain. If we had got there later than 10:30, I would imagine we would have had a lot more trouble finding a spot. The trail was fairly easy and worth the view. Once we got back into town, we ate at BK and took the Sky Lift. You get a great view of the valley and this doesn't cost an arm and a leg. After purchasing the picture and a couple of gifts at the top, I got out of there only about 38 dollars less than we arrived.
I realized it was time to move on and as we were leaving, it started raining. I gave up on the idea of a campground. If I had a trailer, that would have been another story. We made our way west to Severeville, TN. and checked into the La Quinta. Ahh.. Hot showers, clean bathrooms, fresh laundry and no setting up camp. Good choice, Mark! Zach was getting a bad case of the squirts. Good thing! Tomorrow we are going to head for the motherland; Michigan.