We Loved It So Much…We Bought One

August 2, 2023 / marniesteve / Leave a comment

Our time in northern Michigan has been sublime. From the beaches to the wineries, from the views to the weather, we loved everything about our time here. In this blog post we’ll share with you where we’ve been and what we’ve been doing. However, let’s get the big news out up front: we are now Michigan land owners! Yes, we loved the place so much we bought a little piece of summer paradise. Read on to learn what, where, and how.

After our time in the Mackinaw area we traveled south just a bit to Petoskey to explore this famed resort area. We drove the nearby tunnel of trees, which is hard to believe more spectacular in the fall when the leaves are turning. Our scenic drive was awe-inspiring from end to end.

Nearby Charlevoix was especially pretty with boats cruising into and out of the lake through the draw bridge. Nice weather and spectacular views make for some fun afternoons. However, we had to move along…

Our next stop, where we spent over a week, was Traverse City. Another resort town, we’d been encouraged to visit it by our RV friends Kunio and Michelle. We weren’t able to book a spot in their super-booked RV resort but we scored a coveted spot at the Traverse Bay State Park which borders Lake Michigan and the town’s network of bike trails. It was also our first chance to hit up a Costco in over a month.

Nearby Traverse City is the Old Mission Peninsula where we visited numerous farm markets and wineries with incredible views of Grand Traverse Bay. The lighthouse at the tip is a fun stop too.

After almost a week being surrounded by the crystal clear blue water of the bay and all the other fun things around town, we decided to drive out to Kunio and Michelle’s place to “just take a look.” One thing led to another, and we are now owners of a lot at the Traverse Bay RV Resort!

Our lot is a deeded property that includes lush landscaping and an oak paneled carriage house used for storage. The covered patio will be a great place for entertaining. And, when we are not using the lot, we can rent it to other RVers.

Our plan is to spend summers in and around this area and hopefully share our time there with friends and family. There’s so much to do and see and now we have a home base from which to launch our continuing explorations. Next summer we plan to participate in the National Cherry Festival, which is a major event in this cherry-growing region. We also hope to ride more of the trails, drink wine at more of the wineries, and enjoy the near-perfect northern Michigan weather.

Unfortunately we didn’t have much time left in our schedule to use our new lot this time, as we have plans down the road. But we’ll be back next summer!

From Traverse City we moved out to Empire on the edge of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Known for its sweeping views and massive dunes, this park is famous for the Dune Climb. I am not a fan of walking in sand, let alone hiking in it for miles and miles, but Steve wanted to give it a try. We also enjoyed watching others slowly trudge up the steep sand dunes and descend in seconds.

The cute town of Empire has an award-winning beach on the shores of Lake Michigan, so a few hours sitting in the sand with a good book while enjoying the view was a must.

Of course, we never seem to have planned enough time to fully enjoy these breath-taking places before it’s time to move along. From Empire we began our journey southward with stops in Manistee for more beach time, and to watch the big Great Lakes freighters pass through the town’s narrow channel in order to deliver coal. What a sight to see a boat slowly making its way through the canal, towering over the buildings just yards away. We finished our time in Manistee with a lovely evening of music in the park.

In Grand Haven we camped right on the beach. We got lucky with a very warm, clear day that brought out everyone and their brother to the beach. Look at those crowds! It was fun to be right in the middle of the fun for a day, to watch the breathtaking sunset, and eat a famed Pronto Pup. We didn’t even know what they were but we got in line with the locals who informed us a Pronto Pup is the best corndog on a stick you could ever have. Since we don’t usually eat corndogs, this one probably was the best we’ll ever have!

We’re now making our way back west for a fun event in Colorado. On the way we’ll make stops to visit friends in Des Moines and family in Omaha. Always fun!

And can you believe it? We’re Michigan landowners!!!

A Season of Family and Friends – Midwest Style

October 25, 2021 / marniesteve / 3 Comments

We’re back out on the road with the RV and the dogs and we’ve got six months of travel ahead of us. We hope you’ll follow along and keep in touch. Hey, if you are going to be in our area, let’s connect!

Our itinerary will take us to the Midwest to spend time with family in Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas City. Then we’ll head south to Fayetteville, AR for a trail running event. From there we’ll hit Vickburg and Natchez on the Great River Road before settling down for awhile in Gulf Shores, AL and Pensacola, FL. After another marathon on Florida’s Space Coast we’ll hang out in the Keys for the months of December and January. Eventually we’ll head north with stops in Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Ocala, and St. Augustine before finishing our trip with the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah. After that, who knows?

Steve left home with the dogs and the trailer at the end of September, spending a few days in Colorado with Sam and Russ. When these three guys get together it’s always fun!

From there Steve headed to Nebraska and moochdocked for two weeks at his brother Brian’s house in Elkhorn, NE. In what’s become an annual event, Steve helped around the house, attended Lydia and Nathan’s games and practices, and attended two Cornhusker football games.

By the time I got there, Bob was a full-fledged Husker, well taken care of by our niece Lydia!

While we love hanging out with the Greens, it was time to move along, eastward to Des Moines. The Des Moines marathon was Steve’s 21st state and 30th marathon. What made it even more special was that he was joined by high school buddy Kent Ferris. These guys ran cross country together in high school, so it was like old times. I ran the 5K and then took care of the pups while the boys covered their 26.2 miles on a beautiful fall day.

Also while in the Des Moines area we connected with our friends and Prescott neighbors, Jackie and Dan (and Smeagol). They live in nearby Polk City and showed us the beauty of their midwest home. We explored the Saylorville Lake area, had yummy Mexican food, and finished up with pie back at their house. Thanks, Jack and Diane, for a fun day!

On an extra day in the Des Moines area we drove to the town of Winterset to check out the famed Bridges of Madison County. You probably know about these covered bridges from the 1995 movie of the same name starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. At one time this area had the largest collection of covered bridges west of the Mississippi. Now, the six bridges that are still standing are a draw to this pretty area, made even more beautiful in its fall colors.

From there we headed south to Maryville, MO to pay a visit to our niece Elise. She is a busy sophomore at Northwest Missouri State but found a little time to hang out with her aunt and uncle and introduce us to a few of her fun friends. Thanks Elise!

Our next stop was Kansas City for a few days with Gary, Kristy, Hudson, and Brynn (and the dogs Ruby and Nellie). We always enjoy our time with these guys and especially love the home-cooking offered by Kristy. Mia and Bob barely hit the ground and Brynn and Hudson took extra special care of them. We even got to help celebrate Hudson’s 11th birthday while there. Happy Birthday big guy!

Our final midwestern stop was for Steve’s aunt Sandy and uncle Jerry’s Celebration of Life in Prescott, IA. Sandy and Jerry passed just five days apart last month after 65 years of marriage. Their five girls and the large Freshour family are a testament to their love and commitment.

Attending the service was an honor and the celebration that followed would have made them proud. Steve’s entire family, including Mom, Dad, and brothers Brian and Gary were in attendance, along with Brynn, who was a great dog sitter. Connecting with the cousins from near and far was a great bonus. Thanks to cousin Linda for hosting us in our trailer on her property.

We’re heading south now, away from the impending winter and towards warmer weather (we hope)! We’ll have another update in a week or so. As always, we love reading your comments.

Branson, Bentonville, and a Tornado Warning

November 17, 2020November 17, 2020 / marniesteve / Leave a comment

We’re continuing our winter RV trip south by exploring some of the places we’ve always heard about but never thought we’d have the opportunity to explore. First stop: Branson, Missouri. From Gary and Kristy’s house in Kansas City we headed to the southern most part of the state and based ourselves at Table Rock State Park, just outside of Branson. We prefer to be a little removed from the cities at this point. We have more room and it gives us plenty of space to social distance. This campground was just the ticket.

While at Table Rock, Steve got in some long runs in preparation for his marathon in Nashville in a few weeks. He really enjoyed the fall colors along the trail. We had one day of wet and windy weather but otherwise it was cool and clear. Branson, we found, is a lot like Las Vegas for families with a central strip packed with big attractions and theaters.

While in Branson we took in two shows. First we got discount tickets to see Anthems of Rock. It’s not the typical country-western show you find here, but we knew the words to every song and sang along.

We also attended the Dolly Parton Stampede, a legendary show that features 32 horses as the stars. A little singing, a little comedy, and a lot of horsemanship made for a very entertaining evening. We kept saying that Dad would have enjoyed this one.

One day we took a little road trip to the south and drove through Berryville, Arkansas. Steve lived in this little town when he was around six years old. He couldn’t find his old house but we did drive by the plant where his Dad worked. It’s now a Tyson Foods processing facility and the entire area smelled like chicken nuggets.

From Berryville we headed to nearby Bentonville and the home of Walmart. We’d heard that this was a happening area and we weren’t disappointed. If I had been fit to ride, we would have hit the many, many mountain bike trails in the area. Since I’m still in the surgical shoe, we’ll have to save that for the next visit.

Instead we toured the Walmart Museum and learned about the founding and subsequent growth of the world’s largest retailer. The museum is in the location of the original Walton’s 5 and 10. Steve particularly liked Sam Walton’s old truck, which Sam drove until his death in 1992.

If you are ever in Bentonville we highly recommend you visit the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Established by Walmart heiress Alice Walton, the world-class collection of art and the stunning architecture rivaled most of the museums we visited in New York.

My favorite piece was the Georgia O’Keeffe Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1. which I later learned was acquired by Walton in 2014 for $44.4 million.

We left Branson and continued our trek south. As pitstop on our way to Memphis, Davidsonville Historic State Park in Arkansas was a fun choice. Again, there were very few people around and we could explore the adjacent historic park on our own.

Davidsonville was the site of Arkansas’s first post office and courthouse. The townsite was established in 1815 and abandoned within 15 years in favor of more readily accessible locations along the Black River. Today there are two “ghost structures” that indicate the location of the original post office and courthouse, along with an interesting interpretive walk through the historic site.

The real fun at Davidsonville occurred around midnight when we were awakened by our weather radio alerting us to a tornado warning in our area. We were invited by the ranger to wait out the warning in the visitor center and it only took about 30 minutes to be back in our beds, safe and warm. No tornados, no damage, just a false alarm, but it made for a little excitement!

Our next stop is now Memphis, so stay tuned for the next blog featuring the blues and a little Elvis.

Marnie and Steve Travel

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Midwest

We Loved It So Much…We Bought One

A Season of Family and Friends – Midwest Style

Branson, Bentonville, and a Tornado Warning