Biking

For the Love of Football and Family

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Our fall travel and marathon season is upon us. Over the next few months we’re heading east and have races and new adventures planned. 

We left Michigan and headed to Dayton, Ohio with our sights on the Air Force Marathon. 

While in the area we did a little biking and visited the Dayton Aviation Heritage Historical Park. Dayton was home to the Wright Brothers’ cycle shop, and their many accomplishments are celebrated across the town. At the National Museum of the Air Force, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, all forms of aviation are on display, including our nation’s space vehicles.

Biking in Dayton
Wright Bros Cycle Shop
US Space Program

The marathon events began with an expo where we picked up Steve’s packet and took some fun photos. Early the next morning we arrived to the start line on the Air Force base in very warm weather. It was in the 70s at the start. 

Getting ready!
Early morning at the start
Sunrise before the race

I took a free shuttle to see Steve at the 15 mile mark and by then the temperature was in the high 80s. The race had issued a red alert, indicating dangerous running conditions. Steve’s heart rate, normally around 130 beats per minute when he runs, was pushing 160. This, along with the prospect of even higher temperatures at the finish line, was enough for Steve to call it a day. Better to be safe than sorry. So, we’ll be back through Ohio next year to do another marathon so he can claim the state. 

Air Force took security on the course seriously
Still running at mile 15
Happy to fight another day

From Dayton we headed west a little to position ourselves for Steve’s next Nebraska Cornhusker game in Lafayette, Indiana. While waiting for Saturday’s game to arrive we visited a local Wolf Park to learn a little about these beautiful animals (trained foxes too!)

We also took advantage of the great facilities at Prophetstown State Park where we camped. A great bike/running path took us through the park and was decorated for the season with unique scarecrows presented by local organizations.

Biking in Prophetstown State Park
Statue of Liberty Scarecrow
Young Scarecrows
Checking out the Farm
One more “Scarecrow” on the trail

The Cornhuskers crushed the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, and Steve cheered them on as he always does.

The Huskers are in the house
Steve’s escorts into the stadium
Purdue’s World’s Largest Drum
GO BIG RED!

Ashland, Ohio, my birthplace and hometown, was our next stop. We had not been back since a family reunion over 15 years ago. This stop was brief, but we made the most of it by hanging out with my cousins, Red and Judy, who let us park our RV next to the old barn.

The Old Barn at Shoemaker Farms
Me and Cousin Cindy
Bob loved Kira

There are still a bunch of Finleys/Shoemakers/Zimmermans in Ashland, and it was super awesome to see everyone. We were especially grateful to see Uncle Shoey, who will celebrate his 95th birthday in January. We even got to join him and Tom at the Dairy Bar for breakfast before we pulled out of town.

Sharon with her girls: Kelly, Laney, Kira, Sharon, and Zoe
Laney loved Bob too!
Uncle Shoes with Red and Sharon
Breakfast at the Dairy Bar with Tom and Uncle Shoey

And before we left Ohio, we crossed one more National Park off the list. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is located just south of Cleveland. We stopped there to explore the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath via bike. Our 15 mile cruise took us along the canal that in the mid-1800s transported goods between East Coast cities and America’s rural heartland. 

One more National Park!
Farm market along the trail
Inside the lock over the river
A little green in this lock
Another old lock on the towpath
Riding into the lock built over the Cuyahoga River
Amazing that these were made in the mid-1800s

We’re now continuing our eastward path and have some pretty cool things ahead. 

Goodbye Summer, Hello Ford

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We’ve just finished our first summer as seasonal residents of the Traverse Bay RV Resort (TBRV) in beautiful Traverse City, Michigan. Where did the time go? We’ve been so busy having the time of our lives that we haven’t posted in quite awhile. Let’s try to get caught up!

Lunch at Peninsula Grill
Riding the Tour de Tart
Lunch at Eagle’s Tavern, Greenfield Village

After a busy June and early July with visits from Mitch and the Green family, my sister Mickie came all the way from Arizona to visit us in Michigan. We did our best to show her a good time. We went to the casino, visited lighthouses, and explored numerous wineries and distilleries. It was fun to share our new summer home with Mickie and find some new gems with her. Thanks for visiting, sis!

Steve and Mickie at the Casino
Mickie at Grand Traverse Lighthouse
On the shores of Lake Michigan
Mickie and Marnie at Leelanau State Park
Mickie at the Secret Garden

We were attracted to the Traverse City area partly because of the miles of bike trails. We can easily get out on the trail and ride or run for miles. As you can see, we explored as many miles as possible! 

Frankfort North Pier Lighthouse
Frankfort, MI
Suttons Bay, MI

In addition, the area around Traverse City is chocked full of wineries. We became members at Chateau Chantal and enjoyed a weekly visit to enjoy the views and the wine. 

One of the wineries on the Mission Peninsula
Peninsula Cellars

One of the best things about our summer was, of course, the wonderful friends we’ve made. It was Kunio and Michelle who first introduced us to their summer home, and they made our transition into the community quick and fun. Michelle coordinates the on-site breakfast four times throughout the season and recruited us to serve on the breakfast crew. Steve became an expert pancake maker by the last event!

Michelle and Marnie; Photo credit to Kunio
Breakfast crew with Steve on pancakes and Kunio on eggs
Serving line at the breakfast

Our RV friends Gail and Jeff stopped in Traverse City for a week and stayed in a site right behind us. Together with Michelle and Kunio we had a wine tasting afternoon, which was super fun. 

RV Friends! Gail, me & Michelle

Lots of time was spent on the patio with new and old friends. Happy hour is a regular activity at TBRV, and we hosted a gathering one evening. Our theme was the Olympics, and we watched the Opening Ceremonies while socializing.

Happy Hour at the Greens
Happy Hour to kick off the Olympics

We also spent time with our friends Steve and Dwight. We met Steve almost five years ago when he hosted us at his home in Florida as part of the Boondockers Welcome program. These guys had planned to stay at TBRV for a week this summer but ended up staying longer in the lot they bought while they were here! We’re looking forward to more happy hours with them next summer!

A day on the Mission Peninsula with Dwight and Steve

The resort offers a busy social calendar. I participated in the monthly book club and even led the discussion in August. The monthly ladies luncheon provided opportunities to meet more of our neighbors and make even more new friends. 

Ladies Lunch

After Labor Day, Steve flew to Omaha to join his brother Brian and nephew Nathan at the Nebraska – Colorado football game in Lincoln. Go Big Red! 

Steve, Nathan, and Brian – Go Big Red!

And since Steve was gone, Gail and Jeff joined me and the rest of the gang at Traverse City’s second annual International Fireworks Competition. While the weather all summer was warm and mild, we braved a little cold to view the choreographed fireworks spectacular. This is one event we’ll do again next summer.

Bundled up to watch fireworks – Jeff, Marnie, Gail, Michelle & Kunio

When the day finally arrived that we had to move along, we headed towards Detroit to check out the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and to take a tour of the Ford Rouge factory. No photos are allowed inside the factory, so you’ll have to believe us when we say it was really fascinating.

Ford Rouge Factory
Living rooftop of the factory

On our second day in Dearborn we visited Ford’s Greenfield Village, an 80-acre collection of artifacts and homes of famous Americans. Besides seeing Edison’s laboratory and Noah Webster’s (of Merriam-Webster fame) home, we rode the historic steam locomotive and a 1914 Model T. The 111-year-old Hershell-Spillman Carousel took us back to our childhoods.

Wright Brothers Original Cycle Store
Inside Wright Cycle Co.
Replica of Ford’s first factory building
On the steam train
Inside Noah Webster’s house
Learning to change tires on a race car at the museum
Beautiful old carousel
With some unique animals

Would we recommend a visit to The Henry Ford? The answer is a resounding YES! The factory tour gave us incredible insight into how our truck was made. The Village was filled with one surprise after another. We didn’t stay in the Detroit area for long, but the part that we saw was worth the detour.

Greenfield Village
Model T on the road
Steam engine locomotive
Riding a Model T

The fall marathon race schedule is about to begin. Watch for more blog posts from some super cool places!

Fun in Northern Idaho

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We’ve been to Idaho several times and each visit we fall more in love. This time we traveled from Grand Teton National Park in western Wyoming, through southern Idaho, with the goal of reaching Coeur d’Alene for a marathon in Steve’s 35th state.

First we met up with Steve’s cousin Tracy and her husband Mark, near Boise, for a lunch filled with catching up and reminiscing. We hadn’t seen Tracy in Y-E-A-R-S, so it was long overdue and super fun to see them. Traveling in the RV gives us these opportunities from time to time and for that we are grateful.

Marnie, Steve, Tracy, and Mark

From Boise we drove north another two hours to the resort town of McCall. This is a popular area for the city folk from Boise, and we quickly saw why. Surrounded by stunning mountains, roaring rivers, and sweeping views, McCall had us enthralled immediately. We explored the area on foot on the Goose Creek Falls trail, which took us down, down, down to the creek that roared below. It snowed a little bit along the way, but wasn’t enough to deter us.

Goose Creek bridge
Selfie at the Falls
Roaring Goose Creek

Even though it was still pretty chilly, we got out on the bikes a few times. First we rode on the awesome paved city trails to the nearby Ponderosa State Park. Filled with incredibly beautiful hiking and biking trails, the park is the jewel in McCall’s crown. It wraps around Payette Lake, which just adds to the beauty. The park was almost empty since it was still early in the season and the weather hadn’t yet warmed up. For us, that’s perfect!

Cold day at Ponderosa State Park
Biking in McCall
Biking along Payette Lake

On another day we rode the twenty miles around Payette Lake, which took us through enviable lakeside neighborhoods and then into the State Park again to travel just along the lake’s edge. My new e-bike allows me to keep up with Steve and makes these excursions so much fun!

Random waterfall near Lake Payette
At the northern section of Ponderosa State Park
Ponderosa State Park

In McCall we stayed at the McCall RV Resort and from there we could walk to the Broken Horn Brewery. This became our hangout, and one evening we even caught the weekly pickers circle, where local musicians gather and jam for the evenings.

Great local brewery in McCall
Weekly Jam Session at Broken Horn Brewing

After four nights in McCall, it was time to head north for a beautiful drive up Highway 95 to Coeur d’Alene (CDA). We were here a few years ago and happened upon the CDA marathon. That inspired us to return. Our site at Blackwell Island RV Park was very near the shores of the Spokane River and allowed us to easily get into town.

Ready to run #35

On a cold but clear morning, Steve finished his 26.2 mile run, mostly along the banks of Lake Coeur d’Alene, while I did the 10K. He has now completed a marathon in 35 states. 

Can you find Steve in the crowd at the start line?

We’re making our way to our new RV site in Traverse City, Michigan. On our first road day we stopped at one of the coolest National Park Service sites we’ve visited. Grant-Kohrs National Historic Site, about an hour southeast of Missoula, Montana, celebrates ranching in the west.

It took us about an hour to tour the 175 year old ranch, which was once the largest cattle operation in the country. It is still a working cattle operation, and we visited during calving season. I just kept thinking, “Dad would have loved this!”

Steve makes a friend
Belgian work horse at the ranch
Great setting for the chuckwagon
Cowboy and Park Ranger getting ready to feed
Feeding the heifers

We’re now settled in to our campground at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park. As you may remember from previous posts, Lewis and Clark are Steve’s favorite explorers.

That’s us! The Trailer Twins on the Lewis and Clark Trail
Who are your favorite explorers?

Tomorrow we’ll take a tour of the caverns and visit a few other historic sites nearby. We’ll keep you up to date on all the fun in our next post.