May 26 thru June 1, 2024, Magnus Park, Petoskey, MI

Rather than push through from Munising to Petoskey we chose to boondock at the Kewadin Casino in St Ignace, a trip of only 125 miles. We ran into thick fog along the Michigan Lake shoreline slowing our progress. The roads Joani mapped out for our trip were beautifully paved with very little traffic. The fog made the trip a bit more interesting.

We had stayed at this casino before, so it was all familiar. We found a level spot in the lot and set up to boondock for the night. We hit the buffet in the casino and returned to find the refrigerator choosing this time to stop cooling. After a couple restarts, to no avail, we pulled up the leveling jacks and circled the parking lot a few times (jostling the fridge has worked in the past). It never did behave, but it was a cold night and the temperature only slowly increased but never to the point of concern for our groceries.

Early the next morning (Sunday) we were practically alone as we crossed the Mackinac Bridge. Apparently, we timed it perfectly to avoid traffic. We continued to Magnus Park in Petoskey, MI. It was a very short and uneventful 48-mile drive.

Where is everybody?

Some confusion over our site led to setting up twice, but we landed on a very nice site and had plenty of time to address the fridge. We loaded 2 bags of ice inside and started it again. This time it cooled as it should.

Of course, Joani immediately hit the shoreline in search of Petoskey stones. She found some interesting specimens that will be heading back to the lapidary in Mesa for processing.

The next day we drove west to Charlevoix. We hiked a few of the trails in the North Point Nature Preserve. Some kind of plant on the beach spread with little tentacles. I do not know what it was but it seemed like a good time for a shadow wave.

Heading into downtown Charlevoix, we passed a house with a most interesting fireplace chimney and had to stop for a few pictures. A woman walking her dog filled us in on the history of the house. It was built for the daughter of Earl Young, the architect of the famous "Mushroom Houses" in Charlevoix. The whimsy was easily seen in the brickwork and the roofing. I'm sure this would be one interesting house to tour.

Applecore Cottage

In town, we headed straight for the Cherry Republic. They still had plenty of samples available for tasting. We left with two bottles of cherry wine, some cherry habanero summer sausage, and some cherry BBQ sauce (see the bags I'm holding below).

We drove by a few more of the Mushroom houses before returning to Petoskey.

The "Thatch House" is available to rent (sleeps 12) for a mere $1720 a night.

This little jewel next door to the Thatch House is more my style. It's called "Half House."

On the 30th, I was given the "royal" treatment for my birthday breakfast. This fine dining was just a short walk from our campsite (although it included a very steep uphill grade).

On our last full day, we got in more than 12,000 steps. We hiked several miles along the Bear River. The wealth and variety of wildflowers was a pleasant surprise. The weather was perfect and I don't remember any insects harassing us so I know just how lucky we were.

I was surprised to find a few Petoskey stones on the ridge high above the Bear river.

This was a first for me - a black squirrel. When I asked about them, I learned they are pretty common.

The squirrel is hard to see, he blends so well with the log.

We saw several deer along the trail but they were usually shy. This one posed for me before slowly wandering into the woods.

Downtown Petoskey was filled with charm. We walked along a few major streets and visited an art gallery. We left knowing there was much more to explore and we certainly will be visiting again.

Crooked Tree Arts Center was housed in a beautiful old church.

Almost every storefront included a flower box adding to the overall appeal of the downtown area.

Saturday, March 2, 2019 Move to Congress, AZ

Today we made an early start to complete our trip to the North Ranch Escapee park in Congress, AZ. At 212.7 miles (92,385.2 total) the drive was considerably shorter than the day before and we had a nice break midway for fuel.

There are two casinos in Indio that are just a mile apart, but Spotlight 29 is by far our favorite for overnighting. It is such an easy off and on from and to interstate 10. It is also very level (on blacktop) and safe.

As it turned out the diesel in AZ was exactly one dollar less per gallon than the fuel we bought in CA yesterday. My mental gymnastics concerning range and capacity paid off for us. 

When we filled up and only had a little more than a hundred miles to go Joani realized we had not yet made reservations at North Ranch. We were lucky to find one site available for three nights so she booked it.

The mountains that provide a backdrop for Quartzsite have such an interesting profile.

After we settled in Joani tried the office again and we scored another week so we don't have to think about dry camping or leaving before we intended.

As it happened, today was the second day of the parks 15th annual La Fiesta celebration so we joined our friends Sharon and Loren at the huge bonfire.

 The hills to the east turn pink from the setting sun.

I guess I was up too early in anticipation of today's drive or I was wiped out from the previous day's drive because I don't think I quite made it to 9:00 before hitting the pillow for a sound night's sleep. 

Friday, March 1, 2019, Move to Indio, CA

Sadly, it was time to leave Pismo Beach. Since February is a winter month, even in California, we checked the weather forecast. It said with a little luck we would not be driving in rain but more importantly, the passes were clear of snow and ice. (Several times this month the passes were reported closed due to snow.)

Since we were simply retracing our route everything was familiar. I believe I have finally figured out how to drive the steep grades without overheating the engine. Today we never exceeded an engine temp of 190 degrees.

The almond trees Bakersfield were in full bloom.

Terrible picture, but the only one where I managed to capture the tracks my grandfather used as an engineer in the 1940s.

When we reached Tehachapi we pulled into the truck plaza we had earlier found would provide easy off/on access to our route. We needed diesel before we could reach AZ but how little could we pump was my concern. Of course, the only reason it was even a question was the ridiculous CA fuel taxes. I did some figuring and crossed my fingers that we had enough to exit the state. 

After we had a light lunch I decided it was far too early to stop for the night (it was only 1:00) so we pushed on towards Indio. It would have been a better plan if I had not forgotten about the Friday night exodus from LA. That meant we had the opportunity to spend about an hour in stop and go traffic on I-10.

We finally reached the Spotlight 29 Casino in Indio just as it was getting dark. Our driving total for the day was 367.5 miles (92,172.5 total). We both felt the need for a little reward after such a long day on the road so we treated ourselves to the prime rib buffet. Once again our timing could have been better as the extremely long line delayed our dinner by another 45 minutes. Still, well worth every minute of the wait.

Sunday, September 2, 2018, Move to Twin Arrows Casino

We hopped from the Dancing Eagle Casino to the Twin Arrows Casino today - 248.7 miles (90,782.3 total). It was a straight shot west on I-40 that was more downhill than up. I found myself hitting nearly 80 mph a couple of times. The pavement was so smooth and it was just effortless. I really have to pay attention - if nothing else, I cannot be getting very good mileage at that speed. It has been getting easier to drive about four hours non-stop in a day but I still prefer the 150 miles trips.

Twin Arrows had a great parking arrangement - easy in/easy out. Joani planned on two nights here so I could visit the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff again. On our last trip, I missed the opportunity to observe through the 24-inch refractor. I was hoping to get the chance this time.

I believe Twin Arrows had the most liberal free play money offer we have encountered. After signing up for their player's card, we had the chance to spin for up to $500 in free play money. Of course, I landed on $20 (the minimum amount) but Joani hit $25.

The skies were so cloudy near sunset that I thought there was no hope of seeing anything at the observatory so I did not even try. Around 10:30 or so, I looked outside and found the skies to be beautifully clear (the observatory closed at 10:00). I stood outside and identified a few old favorite summer constellations before turning in for the night - that was more astronomy than I have been able to enjoy in a long time.

On Monday we spent a few hours driving around Flagstaff. Sadly, the Lowell Observatory was not pet-friendly so we skipped hiking around their campus.

Our second day saw even more clouds and distant rain. I was able to capture some beautiful cloud scenes that I now use as background on my laptops.

While I was walking Sam around the Casino grounds, we spied a little robot sentry wheeling its way through the parking area. It was rocking out to some Pink Floyd as it slowly made its rounds. It tended to run right down the center of the parking aisles and I wanted to see it confront some traffic but it was too cool and windy to wait. I'm sure real security guards would quickly respond to anyone messing with their little R2D2.

Saturday, September 1, 2018, Move to Dancing Eagle Casino

Today's drive took us about 40 miles west of Albuquerque, NM to the Dancing Eagle Casino, another 239.0 miles (90,533.6 total). At this point, we were just making our way to Mesa as quickly as we could without wearing out the driver. Yes, maybe I have gotten a little soft but then we are retired.

Long stretches of laser straight highway and gently rolling hills made staying awake a challenge - no not really, but that was part of the rationale for limiting our driving to around four hours each traveling day.

Joani snapped a few pictures of the more interesting bluffs and buttes along I-40 through New Mexico. The cloud drama was a bonus. It appeared to be raining in several directions around us but we stayed dry.

Our accommodations at the Dancing Eagle were pretty basic but more than adequate for a quick overnight stop.  Joani and I headed into the casino for some people watching and maybe a chance to gamble with some house money. Unfortunately, their policy would only give us free play after we spent more of our own money than we were willing to lose so - no slots for us at this stop. We headed back to the coach while it was still daylight in anticipation of an early start in the morning.

Friday, July 6, 2018, New Driver's License, Sioux Falls, SD

I started the day resolved to get my hands on a fresh, new driver's license. I tried to renew online but was unaware renewal required a receipt for at least one overnight stay in the state within the past year. I found that out in January when we were in Florida and we had not been in South Dakota for several years. The DMV said I would need to take the written exam since it was expired for more than 30 days (36 days to be exact) so I studied the manual and took a few sample tests last night. I was ready.

We went to the DMV in Sioux Falls five years ago and spent many, many hours waiting before we received our original licenses. Afterward, a fellow camper suggested I should have gone to the DMV in Brookings, SD where there was very little wait time. Somehow I had retained that nugget of information for the past five years, so we headed to Brookings.

All I can say is WOW! We arrived around 10 am and found no line at all. The staff was extremely helpful and went out of their way to get me a new license. When they entered my name in the computer they said it looked like I had already applied for renewal. I said I tried to do it through the mail but it was not completed because of the lack of an overnight stay receipt. They said since I had tried before my birthday I didn't have to take the test.

Mine went so smoothly we asked if Joani could get her renewal as well (hers would expire at the end of August). No problem - she even passed the eye test without her glasses, so she has no more restrictions on her shiny new license.

We were almost giddy - the whole experience could not have been smoother. We finished in less than an hour, so we thought maybe we could drive to Sioux Falls and renew our vehicle tags as well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? On the way, we were able to check in at DakotaPost and get our mail that had been accumulating for a while. It was the first time we had seen the new building on Potsdam Ave.

Our route to the tag office took us by Falls Park and since it was around 12:30 I thought we should look around a bit and let the tag office folks finish up lunch. An observation tower provided a panoramic view of the falls that gave Sioux Falls its name. Eighty-two steps up we were treated to the beautiful view below.

This is a dog-friendly park and we were a little sad Sam missed the opportunity to romp in the lush lawn, but he would have been miserable waiting for us in the car at all of our other stops.

We only spent 20 minutes or so in the park and then continued to the tag office. Here in the big city, we were confronted with a pretty long line. We were told the line would move quickly (8 out of 12 windows were open) so we stayed. Probably 45 minutes later, it was our turn. Joani had everything we needed, including enough cash for our registrations. We left with new stickers for our plates. With so much progress it was time for us to have some lunch.

David and our clerk were having a serious discussion about ghost peppers. He recommended Paqui Carolina Reaper and Da Bomb Ghost Pepper Nuts. I think they are both crazy!

We found a Panera Bread Company and split a Fuji Apple Salad. Panera was just a short distance from a Costco, so we indulged in some "store d'oeuvres" and somehow managed to leave with more than $70 worth of stuff. I guess that's why I bought Costco stock and its doing so well.

We headed back to the coach much earlier than I would have ever imagined after achieving everything we needed to do for the day. I wasn't sure how the day could have been any better until we noticed all of the campers with kids and fireworks had packed up and left. The quiet was nice. Sam was happy to see us even though I suspect he was probably pretty content to lounge around the house all day in air conditioned comfort too.

Thursday, July 5, 2018, Move to Royal River Casino, Flandreau, SD

As much as I hated to leave Ho-Chunk, it was time to continue our trek west. Joani gave me the option of driving straight through from Wisconsin to South Dakota or splitting the drive up with an overnight in a Walmart parking lot. I thought it was too hot to boondock in a Walmart, so we drove all the way to the Royal River Casino in Flandreau, SD - a whopping 402.8 miles (88,334.7 total) not quite a record for us, but the longest driving day in recent memory.

Below, the welcome to Minnesota sign carved out of a slab of granite greeted us as we crossed the border from Wisconsin and below that the welcome to South Dakota sign signaled we had left Minnesota. I don't remember much else in between except a really long stretch of Interstate 90.

We settled in somewhat late for us after the long drive and cranked up the air conditioning. After just staying in an amazing casino campground, Royal River Casino was a significant step down, but still quite nice considering it was only $10/night (30 amp/no water).

Inside the casino, we registered, signed up for our Player's Cards (with free play money) and took advantage of the dinner buffet special. At $5 each, we didn't even feel the need to overeat. Of course, I smuggled a few samples out of the dining room for Sam. We turned our combined $10 of free play into $6.55 of our money.

When we returned to our coach we realized we were surrounded by a large family with firecracker crazy kids (3 or 4 campsites seemed to be related, all from Minnesota). They lit fireworks of all kinds for the next several hours. Around 11 pm, I started to wonder if there were any quiet hour restrictions. They finally ran out of energy (or ammo) and fell asleep. At least that's what I assumed - I was out like a light myself.