A Daisy of a Summer

September 7, 2026September 7, 2026 / marniesteve / 1 Comment

We still have a few more weeks here in Traverse City, Michigan at our version of “summer camp.” Our home at Traverse Bay RV Resort is truly our favorite place to spend the summer.

Outdoor seating area with a grey sofa, coffee table, and a red umbrella, surrounded by green trees and an RV in the background.

A sunny garden scene featuring a pot of vibrant yellow marigolds in the foreground, with a hanging basket of light yellow flowers nearby, and a wicker chair to the right. Lush green bushes and trees are in the background, along with a glimpse of a driveway.

This season was punctuated with the usual TBRV activities. We coordinated and served breakfast four times for 100+, rode many miles on the bike, won at trivia, and spent many, many evenings enjoying happy hours with friends.

A group of four women smiling and working in a kitchen, wearing aprons and gloves, standing behind a table with several pots and cooking utensils. — Our incredible breakfast servers

Two women working in a kitchen; one is smiling and wearing a red apron, while the other is preparing food at a counter. — Our incredible breakfast servers

Our buddies Michelle and Kunio along with Norb and Linda, Kari and Paul, and many others make our time in Michigan extra special. Together we celebrated birthdays, holidays, and just being in this beautiful place together.

A woman and a man enjoying wine tasting at a vineyard, seated at a table with various wine glasses, overlooking a lush green vineyard landscape. — Michelle & Kunio wine tasting at Brys

A picturesque vineyard landscape featuring rows of grapevines, lush green trees, and a distant view of a lake and rolling hills under a blue sky. — Michelle & Kunio wine tasting at Brys

We were lucky to have visits this summer from some of our favorite Arizona peeps. Sister Mickie came to visit for the third summer in a row and our dear friends Dave and Peggy visited again as well. It’s always fun to have visitors to share our paradise with.

Two women smiling together outdoors on a sunny day, with green grass and trees in the background. — Dave and Peggy at Moomers

Every week around Traverse City there are festivals, events, and live music. Catching our favorite band, TC Knuckleheads, is a regular activity.

A woman in a red shirt with a heart design is smiling and holding two cans of beer at an outdoor gathering, with people socializing in the background. — At TC Knucklehead Dave’s block party

A group of people gathered around a table at an outdoor venue, enjoying drinks and snacks, with live music in the background. The setting features colorful chairs and a blue building adorned with flowers. — At TC Knucklehead Dave’s block party

This summer we made sure to hit the National Cherry Festival, the Cedar Polkafest and the Elk Rapids Wine and Food Festival. And the crew we hang with always makes it fun!

A couple poses together in a red decorative frame that reads 'NATIONAL CHERRY FESTIVAL', with a festive background of people enjoying the event. — National Cherry Festival

A group of people enjoying a gathering outdoors by the water, sitting in folding chairs, toasting with drinks, and smiling. A musician is playing a guitar in the background. — National Cherry Festival

Mostly, this summer will be remembered as the summer of Daisy. After our trip to Alaska with Nate, we stopped in Butler, MO to pick up our newest family member.

A man in a red shirt holds a small brown puppy, gently touching its face as the puppy licks him. The background features a wooden wall with a calendar and a framed photo. — First kiss

A person holding a small, fluffy, brown puppy with curly fur, wearing a smartwatch on their wrist. — First kiss

Daisy Norberta Verde (named after our friend and neighbor Norb) joined us at eight weeks and just under two pounds! Eventually she’ll grow to around five pounds, about the same size as our beloved Bob.

A woman sitting on a chair outdoors, smiling and resting her chin on her hand, with a small sleeping dog on her lap. The background features green trees and an outdoor grill. — First happy hour

A smiling man wearing sunglasses holds a small, fluffy brown puppy in his arms while sitting on a wicker bench outdoors on a sunny day. — First happy hour

Daisy joined her sister Poppy for a fun Michigan summer filled with treats, cuddles, kisses, and some wrestling. The two of them are thick as thieves and very popular around the RV resort. We are so in love with our new baby.

A small, fluffy dog peeking out from between two cushions on a couch. — Peekaboo

A small brown poodle puppy lying comfortably on a soft bed, holding a playful toy drink with a straw and a lime slice. — Peekaboo

And as our summer comes to a close we are planning additional travels and adventures this fall before returning to Arizona for the winter. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you up-to-date on Steve’s quest to run a marathon in all 50 states!

Baja’s Grey Whales

March 7, 2026 / marniesteve / 1 Comment

About 10,000 people each year make the pilgrimage to Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico to experience what is known as the “world’s largest whale nursery.” Seeing the whales was the highlight of our 15-day Fantasy RV tour, but it was only part of this grand adventure.

We joined our group of 22 RVs in Ensenada and after one more visit to the wine country, we headed south. The day we departed Ensenada, cartel kingpin El Mencho was killed in mainland Mexico, setting off a wave of attacks centered in Puerto Vallarta and spreading across the country. While driving south we were temporarily stalled by a tomato truck that had been set on fire, creating a blockade. Here’s a photo taken from social media of the explosion.

We just saw the aftermath (no photos), and that was enough to caused some concern in our group. In fact, three RVs turned back the next day. We, however, decided to continue on since the violence in Baja was centered around the border and Tijuana. Our decision to proceed southward turned out to be sound, as it was peaceful for the rest of the trip.

Passing through Baja’s majestic desert topography, we saw wild horses and unique landscapes. Camping amidst the cardònes and cirios was like being in a western movie.

After three days of driving we arrived in Guerrero Negro. For the next two mornings we visited Ojo de Liebre lagoon and one of the largest concentrations of grey whales on the planet.

After feeding all spring and summer in Alaska, the entire grey whale population heads south to three Mexican lagoons to give birth and nurse their calves. While in the calm waters of the lagoon, the whales show great curiosity and playfulness toward the boats.

We were approached by numerous 35-40 foot specimens who seemed to be just as interested in us as we were in them. They allowed us to pet them and even sneak a kiss!

One even used its nose to push our boat in circles for over a minute. And there’s nothing like getting a whale blowhole shower.

We also spent time with a mama whale who was teaching her baby to approach us. The experience was definitely one-of-a-kind!

Guerrero Negro is also the site of one of the world’s largest salt production plants and it’s the high salinity of the lagoons that makes them attractive to the whales. One afternoon Steve joined the group for a tour of the massive salt facility and was amazed by the operation.

After our time in Guerrero Negro, we traveled across the peninsula to the sleepy village of Bahia de Los Ángeles (BLA), set on the Sea of Cortez. Our beachfront campsites were the perfect setting for kayaking and beach barbecues.

Beachfront camping in Bahia de los Angeles

Steve and his buddies went fishing and caught large, yellowfin tuna that was delicious on the Blackstone.

Fantasy RV tours fed us extremely well, and we are now in detox mode! Fresh seafood and Mexican dishes, along with plenty of margaritas were on our menu most days.

While this was a spectacular trip, our new friends made it even more special. Jay & June and Jim & Yujing were on both of the back-to-back tours, and the six of us became a formidable team. We shared meals, hikes, happy hours, laundry trips, and plenty of laughs.

Travel is always enriching, but it’s the friends you make along the way that truly make it exceptional. We are grateful to have made four, great new friends on this Mexican adventure.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Ford

September 21, 2024 / marniesteve / Leave a comment

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

Marnie and Steve Travel

We're retired! Let's go!

adventure

A Daisy of a Summer

Baja’s Grey Whales

Goodbye Summer, Hello Ford