Finally a cool day!

We spent yesterday getting acclimated to the Munising area. Looks like the bad heat wave has broke here, when Jo was talking with her brother just before lunch it was 64 degrees here but already 94 in Kansas City.

After lunch we went to the Interagency Welcome Center which covers Hiawatha National Forest, Pictured Rocks and Grand Island. There was a short film about the area that was neat. We then went to a City Park right on Lake Superior and we know we will get no sympathy but it was too cold with the breeze coming in off of the lake so we sat in the truck and just watched the water.

We parked near a very nice Veterans Memorial. We did not have our act together so Bob took these pictures with his new Droid 3. Other pictures are in the Munising set on Flickr.com

We also realized there was some photos on an old phone from a trip to Marquette and the scenic overlook at a City Park there. A few other photos of this overlook have been added to the Ishpeming set on Flickr.com














Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We are now in Munising Michigan

We left this morning from Ishpeming and headed to Munising, some day we may visit Manistique, didn't know that we would be on a pronunciation tour this summer. This was a very short trip of 60 miles or so which allowed us to get a slightly later start of 10:30a. We went through some small towns and there was the obligatory road construction so the trip ended up taking about 90 minutes.

This is one trip where the GPS caused us some fits. We have the truckers model from Garmin so we were pleased when the route taken was bypassing Marquette and other cities including our destination of Munising. That being said we always are comforted when we see a big Semi on the same road, especially when it is a back road. But when we were about 10 miles from our location we get the following eerie message, 'PREPARE TO GO OFF ROAD". Well you can believe we did not go off road but we should have known there were bigger problems when Jill, that is what we call our GPS, really didn't object to our route and not going off road. But when we got further down the road our next right turn would have been straight into the forest. By this time we decided to pull over and call the campground. By then Jill had another option and that was to turn left at the upcoming intersection. Luckily we got a hold of the campground and we were told to take a right and guided the rest of the way to the park.

We got here and setup and then went out to lunch. The motto of Munising is that it is the UP's best kept secret and we have to say we like this town. After lunch we drove around and saw a city park right on Lake Superior, a marina where we can take a cruise and tour the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. On the drive here we actually saw signs indicating where the waterfalls are, unlike Marquette County where you rarely if ever saw a sign. We have a jam packed week with lighthouses, waterfalls, Pictured Rocks, and just relaxing by the lake.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Waterfalls, Lighthouse and scenic view

We went with our friends Jim and Sharon on a whirlwind sightseeing tour. Ishpeming is in Marquette County and there are a dozen waterfalls in the area. There may be a dozen but they sure don't make it easy to find them. The map that we got had horrible directions and there was rarely any road signs to help. To top it off the very first one we tried to find the access road to it was closed. So our tally for the day was 1 closed, 2 we found and 4 we could not find. Of the two we found though the Yellow Dog River 510 Falls was the best. There was a group there in helmets that were riding the falls down. We took our shoes off and walked into the water and it sure was cold.

















Luckily we had more to see than waterfalls that day. We climbed to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain which was an adventure in itself. We took the 'moderate' trail and it still involved numerous, too many to count, wooden stairways. Although it is supposed to be about 1/2 mile it seems that it is all uphill. There were benches along the way which helped but this is one of those been there, done that, no desire to repeat it kind of deals. Well we all made it and the view was tremendous from the decks built up there. From the summit looking north and east is Lake Superior, looking south is the city of Marquette with its steeples and the green forests beyond.
















It just wouldn't be a sightseeing day in Michigan if you did not see a Lighthouse since Michigan has more Lighthouses than any other state. We drove to Big Bay and saw the Big Bay Lighthouse which is now a B&B with tours only a couple of days a week and of course it was not one of those days. We were still able to walk on the grounds and get some great photos.



















Although the difficulty in finding the waterfalls was disappointing all in all it was still a great day in the UP.

Photos have been added to the Ishpeming set on Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We are now in Ishpeming Michigan

Our next leg of our Upper Peninsula tour was a short 90 miles from Houghton to Ishpeming which is just west of Marquette. Our friends Jim and Sharon arrived the day before we did and are parked right next to us. They will be here for a few days before they head back to the heat of the Kansas City area. We plan to tour this part of Michigan from waterfalls to lighthouses to places in Marquette.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Keweenaw Peninsula scenic drive

The Keweenaw Peninsula is the northernmost part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and therefore of all of Michigan. Houghton is about half way up the Peninsula and where we started our tour northward. The hosts at the City of Houghton RV Park have a sheet with a suggested tour and we used that with great success. There is so much to see and once is just not enough to see it all. We will be back to this area and we will do this tour again.

We stopped in Lake Linden for some ice cream and then continued on to the Keweenaw Peninsula snow gauge which has documented snowfall for the last 50+ years. The record low is 161.1 inches in one winter, the average is 240.8 inches per winter and the record high is 390.4 inches in the winter of 1978-1979. Here we are in front of the gauge and the snowfall totals per month for that record.
































We arrived in Copper Harbor about lunch time so we tried to find the Harbor Haus which Bob had read great things about. Our GPS was useless and we drove around a little, stopped at the Marina for directions and finally found it only to find out it was closed. The Harbor Haus used to be open all day and then Michigan passed a minimum wage law and now is only open for supper. Nearby was the Tamarick Inn where we had the best whitefish we have had since we hit Lake Superior.

Leaving Copper Harbor we took Brockway Mountain Drive towards Eagle Harbor. This is a must for scenic views of Lake Superior and the mountains nearby.















In Eagle Harbor we visited the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse which was built in 1871 replacing the old lighthouse. The Fresnel lens has been replaced by an aviation beacon that rotates so the tower was closed to visitors. The lighthouse grounds, maritime museum and keeper quarters were well worth the visit.















After the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse we drove through a sand dune area. The sand dunes here are not as large as the dunes near Pictured Rock National Lakeshore which we will be visiting in a couple of weeks but it was cool to see a beach similar to what you might see in California.















Just after the sand dunes was Eagle River and the Jampot, a bakery run by the Monks of the Society of St. John. Best known for their many jams and jellies they also have bread, fruitcake, muffins and candy. Right next door to Jampot is Jacob Falls.

Another great day in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Many more photos of this scenic drive have been added to the Houghton set on Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Houghton Waterfront Trail

The City of Houghton RV Park sits at one end of the Houghton Waterfront Trail, a 4 and 1/2 mile paved trail which runs along the waterfront. The trail, which is paved and barrier free, accommodates walkers, joggers and bikers. Along with the RV Park at our end of the trail lies the Waterfront Recreation area that includes a beach and "chutes and ladders", a climbing and sliding playground. At the other end you will find the Nara Nature Park. In between you will find the smaller Princess Point Beach area, as well as numerous picnic areas, a dock and boat launch, and seating areas throughout the trail. Downtown Houghton is also accessible from the trail.

Along the way you cannot miss the Portage Lake Lift Bridge, officially the Houghton-Hancock Bridge, which connects the two cities across the Portage River. As its name states, the bridge is a lift bridge with the middle section capable of being lifted from its low point of four feet clearance over the water to a clearance of 100 feet to allow the Great Lakes freighters to pass underneath. The Bridge is the world's heaviest and widest double-decked vertical lift bridge. Big ships can travel across the Keweenaw Peninsula saving 100 miles if the peninsula was circumnavigated.

We spent the day walking the trail and just watching the boats in the river from the many seating areas. We walked to downtown Houghton and got lunch to go and walked back and had it on our picnic table at our camp site. We then spent the afternoon reading and if truth be told a little nap too. A great day full-timing with a temperature of 68 degrees!

Photos of the trail along with a trip we took to Calumet for pasties have been uploaded to the Houghton folder on Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We finally made it to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

A year in the making we arrived in the Upper Peninsula (UP) yesterday. We originally planned on arriving last year but medical issues delayed us a year. The wait was worth it, we have a great site right on the Portage River that runs from Lake Superior to Portage Lake. We have a permanent grin on our face right now and Jo said now that she has seen this site she understands why people like RV'ng  : - )














Here is the view from our back window.

Here is our outdoor area which is the nicest that we have had to date.

Bob already has a big list to see while here so we will not lack for things to do. While in the UP we are temporary "Yoopers" which is what residents of the UP are called. We plan to be Yoopers for a month or so until we cross the Mackinac Bridge (Da Bridge per the Yoopers) to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

It was a relatively short trip of 168 miles so we got up and left a little later than usual. We were a little shocked when the GPS arrival time was an hour later than we thought it would be. Turns out we crossed over into the Eastern Time Zone. We knew we would eventually it was just a little sooner than we thought.

Except for three work areas where we had to stop for a one lane road the drive was nice. After spending all of our towing time on Interstates driving through small towns has been kinda neat. With a posted speed limit of 55 mph and going through towns it certainly is a slower pace than the interstate. We had cell reception all the way but don't ever recall seeing a cell tower. How is that possible?

We have updated our 'Current Location', 'States Visited' and 'Current Trip' gadgets on the blog.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Bayfield Wisconsin

We have to say that we love this little town, it is what we imagine the smaller towns of Maine will look like when we get there. We were surprised when we saw that Bayfield has a population of only 611 but we are really liking the small town feel. Ashland is the big town in the area since it has a Super Wal-Mart but at a little over 8000 it is still real small in comparison to some of the places we have been.

What really gets us about this town though is just driving through offers great scenic views of Lake Superior.
















Here is a picture of the Church with the lake in the background we went to and the view we get when leaving Mass.















When you drive anywhere it does not take long and you are on a two lane road with forest on both sides. We took a drive to Cornucopia which is the northernmost community in Wisconsin and hardly saw anybody else on the road and there was an occasional really small town like Finnsville population 2 but usually just a scenic drive through the trees with a glance now and then at Lake Superior.

For such a small town you would not expect the high quality eating establishments but the Egg Toss Cafe for breakfast and Maggies for lunch and the Portside at the Port Superior Marina for supper are all good. We had our first Whitefish Livers and we were very pleasantly surprised at how good they were so give them a try if in the area. Also give the Gourmet Garage a try as they make incredible pie and the best pasties we have had to date.

Walking around downtown and all the neat shops is also a treat. Be sure and get some ice cream at the Candy Shoppe and smell what they are baking. We are getting a Croatian Wine Bread before we leave because it smells so good. Being in a place where there are no chain stores or restaurants and everything is locally owned was kind of refreshing. We have already blogged about how we liked just walking by the Pier, Marina and East Dock Park.

We highly recommend the Bayfield area to anybody that wants to come here in an RV or a car.We are already talking about how long we will stay the next time.

Photos have been uploaded to Flickr.com and added to the Bayfield 2011 set.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Ashland Waterfront Trail at Bayview Park

We had a great day in Ashland Wisconsin which is near Bayfield where we are staying. In these parts Ashland is the big city with slightly over 8,000 in population. But big enough for a Wal-Mart Supercenter which was the reason for our trip.

It may be only 20 miles to Ashland but we decided to make a day of it since we had seen a couple of really nice parks by the lake when we were here earlier in our stay. We first had lunch at the Breakwater which is a really good place to eat and the prices are very reasonable. Their bread pudding is very good.

Right across the street from the Breakwater is Bayview Park so we headed there after lunch with our books. One thing we really like to do is just sit and look at the water and read our books. When our backsides got sore we went for a walk, then we read some more. We did not realize it but there is a trail that goes for a 10 mile loop along Lake Superior called the Waterfront Trail that runs through Bayview Park and through about 6 more parks and beaches in Ashland. We spent a few hours just relaxing reading our books and walking the trail.

Here is the Ashland Breakwater Lighthouse which you can see from Bayview Park.















After Bayview Park we headed to Wal-Mart for some shopping and then headed back to Bayfield. We really enjoyed our time in Ashland and would visit there even if there wasn't a Wal-Mart.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

4th at Bayfield East Dock Park

July 4th was the hottest day we have seen while in Bayfield at 86 degrees in the park. There have been a couple of warmer 'official' days for Bayfield but the closeness to the lake helped moderate our temperatures. We are really roughing it here in the park as this is our first stay with 30 amp electrical service which means we can only run one air conditioner at a time. Our site is situated where the morning sun to afternoon sun just beats down on us so eventually the one air conditioner has trouble keeping up.

So we went to have lunch, actually breakfast, at the Egg Toss Cafe in Bayfield, which is a great place to eat. After our meal we decided to walk down to the water to see if it was cooler there and yes it was. We spent the afternoon near the marina and in the East Dock Park. We found a great place to sit which was benches in a gazebo but the entire base of the gazebo was a swing. Two benches on a 8' by 8' platform opposite each other and the whole thing swung back and forth, one of the weirdest things we have seen and definitely interesting when you stood up to walk off the swing. The gazebo was in the shade and the cool lake breeze kept us quite comfortable.















We can sit and look at water and hear it lapping against the rocks all day but we were in for a treat today. There were sailboats everywhere and some of them were involved in a race. It was so relaxing to just sit there and enjoy the great scenery.















 We headed back to the park because we had some Brats to grill. We watched the Capitol 4th and the Boston Pops until it was time to head back to the park for fireworks. We took our Strongback Chairs and found a nice spot in the East Town Park in time to see the fireworks at Madeline Island which is about 2.5 miles away. We waited a few minutes after the fireworks at Madeline Island was done and to be honest we were thinking about leaving when the fireworks started. It was a good show and with the exception of a Kansas City Royals game where the fireworks are exploding right above you it was the closest we have been to a professional fireworks show.















It was a great 4th celebrating the 235th anniversary of the reading of the Declaration of Independence to the troops.

Photos have been added to our Bayfield set and uploaded to Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Madeline Island, Wisconsin

With the potential for rain in the next couple of days we decided to do a couple of things that we really like to do, in addition to eating that is. Ever since our first ride on a ferry in Washington we have enjoyed them.  Bayfield is near the tip of the Bayfield Peninsula and right next to the Apostle Islands archipelago. We took the ferry from Bayfield to La Pointe on Madeline Island.

Madeline Island has a rich history, and is the largest of the twenty-two islands making up the Apostle Islands, and the only island accessible by ferry. The Island is named after Madeleine Cadotte, daughter of Chief White Crane and wife of fur trader Michael Cadotte. Madeline Island has flown the flags of three nations and has been the site of some civilization for about 400 years. The first European contact.was Etienne Brule, a French explorer, who visited Madeline Island about the same time as the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Ferries have run from Bayfield to La Pointe for nearly a century and a half.

After breakfast we boarded the ferry and then took a driving tour of Madeline Island. We could not have asked for a better day, starting out a little cloudy but clearing up and a temperature of 70 degrees, although about half way there and back it got real chilly on the ferry. There are paved roads and dirt road that were in pretty good shape. Driving we were able to walk on the beach at the end of the paved Big Bay Road and visit Big Bay Town Park and Big Bay State Park, but for the most part the drive was a two lane road through a forest with just a glimpse here and there of the water. If you ever wanted a cabin in the woods right on the water of a nice clear lake this is the place. We saw waterfront lots for sale along with spots with cabins.

Big Bay Town Park is about 7 miles from the ferry and features a nice sandy beach and rustic camping.















Big Bay State Park is about 5 miles from the ferry and is a 2,350-acre park that has a 1.5-mile beach and more than seven miles of hiking and nature trails with incredible views of Lake Superior. If you have followed our journey so far this year you may have noticed that we have encountered a lot of rain and this area is no different. We walked along the trails about as far as we could until we reached a spot that was water and mud as far as you could walk either to the left or right so we turned back. We still got some incredible photos of the scenery.

By now it is time for lunch so we drove to La Pointe. We stopped at the Chamber and the gal there recommended The Pub. So we walked down to The Pub and got a table with a nice water view. Jo got the Garden Brie Sandwich which is marinated tomatoes & peppers, garlic aioli, brie cheese and fresh basil. Bob got the fresh Whitefish Sandwich which was lightly breaded & sautéed. For side dishes we both got their version of a pasta salad which added broccoli and bacon and diced tomatoes with a cole slaw like dressing. Everything was wonderful.

We then walked around downtown La Pointe until we took the ferry back to Bayfield. This is such a great place to visit we will probably go again but this time just walk on, visit the Museum which is supposed to be real cool and see more of downtown La Pointe and of course get a good meal. 

Photos have been uploaded to Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

 

Minnesota Zoo

As promised here is our entry on our visit to the Minnesota Zoo in the Twin Cities in Apple Valley. Founded in 1978 the locals still call the Minnesota Zoo the "new" Zoo. The Como Park Zoo is the "old" Zoo but unlike the Minnesota Zoo which charges for admission the Como Park Zoo is free. Luckily we were able to use our Kansas City Zoo card for a reduced price on the admission since the Minnesota Zoo is reciprocal with the KC Zoo.

 

The Minnesota Zoo cares for 504 different species of animals on six trails. Most of the animals are in large open spaces with room for them to roam which sometimes makes the viewing difficult but it is better for the animals. Our favorite, besides the big cats which are always our favorites, had to be Wolf Woods on the Minnesota Trail. The Zoo is home to northern gray wolves, viewed in their native woodland setting from a variety of perspectives, including a rustic log cabin set right in the center of the exhibit. The red panda was also neat lounging on a tree branch.

We liked this Zoo and the weather we had was gorgeous, one of the few days that it did not rain or threaten to rain while we were in the Twin Cities. The temperature was in the low 70's and mostly sunny with a nice gentle breeze. The only downside had to be that every child under 5 years old within 100 miles was there. We made a point to avoid the Family Farm and to watch where we were walking and it was alright.

Photos have been uploaded to Flickr.com.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We had our first Pasty today

Although we are not yet in the Upper Peninsula where the Pasty is better known we are on the Bayfield Peninsula in Wisconsin just a stones throw from the UP. We were talking with another couple about food of course and they said be sure to try a Pasty here because they are good here but even better in the UP.

Surprisingly they told us that the best Pasties in the area are in the frozen food section of a grocery store or Wal-Mart. They are made by a gal in Florence WI and since we were at our home away from home today shopping, Wal-Mart that is, we bought a couple to try.

Just what is a pasty you ask? A pasty is a roll of pastry filled with meat and potatoes and then rolled over so it could be carried into the mines and ate for lunch. The one we tried tonight had beef, pork and rutabaga and we have to say it was quite good. The convection oven did a good job and the pastry was really good. If the pasties are better in the UP then we are in for a treat!

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Jensen's Cafe in Burnsville Minnesota

We have stumbled across another great place to eat, Jensen's Cafe in Burnsville Minnesota. We were going to the Minnesota Zoo (which we will blog on shortly) and were looking for a place for breakfast nearby. Bob didn't have any breakfast places close by so we took a chance on Jensen's.

Two items have been added to 'Our Favorite Things (Food)' list, the lemon ricotta pancakes and their pancake syrup. We have had lemon pancakes before but adding the ricotta kicks them up a couple of notches. They are huge, thick and fluffy. The pancake syrup is also unique and wonderful. They start out with their homemade maple syrup and add caramel and brown sugar.

Jensen's Cafe has more than pancakes, Bob had a great spinach and mushroom and goat cheese omelet but they bake them and call them Ome-Alots. Either the breakfast potatoes or the cheesy hashbrowns are also good along with the french toast and swedish pancakes. The breakfast sausage is also very good.

If you are looking for a great breakfast place in the Twin Cities area you cannot go wrong with Jensen's Cafe.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Now in Bayfield Wisconsin

We made it to the Apostle Islands Area Campground in Bayfield Wisconsin today. But it was not easy, there was about a dozen "Road Work Ahead" areas on I-35 that slowed us down, a couple of times to a dead stop.

Then we drove through Duluth to get to I-535 and this was the worst. There was construction everywhere and a couple of places we were just inside Jersey Barriers on both sides. Then we had a nice highway in Wisconsin that ran through some small towns where we reduced to 25 mph a couple of times. So it was a longer day than we are normally used to but we got here safe and sound. Bob just updated the blog gadgets for 'Current Location', 'Current Trip' and 'States Visited'.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Going old school (not by choice) and an old Church

Forgot the gps so we went a little old school using an Atlas that was given to Bob as a gift as we undertook this full-timing adventure. It worked ok from breakfast to JC Penneys, but from Penneys to our intended destination of the James J Hill House, not so good.

Since we knew the general area we headed off to Hill House and soon discovered that Hill House is the only historical place that we know of that does not have some sort of sign. So we drove past it of course and called them on the phone for directions. We would have been late for the 1p tour so we went to the Cathedral of St. Paul which is set dramatically on Summit Hill a short walking distance from the Hill House.

We are so glad that we did. The Cathedral, the fourth largest in the USA and the fourth Cathedral of Saint Paul in the area was impressive. One of the finest examples of Beaux Arts architecture, the Cathedral was designed by Emmanuel Louis Masqueray. The cornerstone was laid on June 2, 1907 and they made sure the Cathedral was higher than the nearby Capitol Building which was completed in 1905. It was placed on the National Register of Historical Buildings in 1974. The Cathedral is also designated as the National Shrine to St. Paul, the patron Saint of the Diocese.

The tour of the Cathedral was just starting so we joined the group. An energetic tour guide described the history of the Cathedral and the interior with all the statues, stained glass, chapels, etc. We really enjoy touring the old churches and this one now tops our list. The pictures do not do justice, you just have to see it yourself.


Photos of the Cathedral have been added to Flickr.com



Till next time,


Bob and Jo

Old Spaghetti Factory and Minnehaha Falls

While waiting for our food we discussed how much we like the Old Spaghetti Factory and kidded that we might have full-timed just so we could drive around the country to all the locations. It certainly is an advantage of full-timing to be able to eat at your favorite places no matter where they are located.

We both like the Mizithra cheese which you can get "ala Homer", simply browned butter and the Mizithra cheese. This is what Jo got this time and Bob got the Manager's Favorite which is 1/2 Mizithra and 1/2 meat sauce. They also have a creamy pesto salad dressing that is really good. The Old Spaghetti Factory is one of our favorite places to eat and if there is one in the area where we are staying you know we will eat there at least once.

After lunch we went to Minnehaha Falls immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Song of Hiawatha" where Hiawatha and Minnehaha, the characters from the poem:

Over wide and rushing rivers 

In his arms he bore the maiden.

Minnehaha Falls is in Minnehaha Park which is a city park in Minneapolis Minnesota. There has been a lot of rain recently so the 53-foot waterfall looked really impressive and the creek was roaring. We were talking with some friends who tried to lessen our expectations because during droughts the flow can slow to a trickle to nothing at all. But this was no drought time and to hear the water crashing down and to get hit with the spray on the walkway left both of us glad that we drove to this park.

There are walking trails in this 193 acre park along with the Stevens House, the Minnehaha Depot, and the Longfellow House where you can get a history of the park. A neat city park and a very nice waterfall.

Photos from this visit have been uploaded to Flickr.com

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Slight change of plans

We had planned to leave yesterday for the Duluth area but when we called our first couple of choices for RV Parks we found they were both full. Turns out there is a huge event in Duluth this weekend, the 35th running of Grandma's Marathon. So we decided to stay another week at the Dakotah Meadows RV Park.

This will delay our first exposure "to the big lake they call Gitche Gumee" or better known as Lake Superior a week as our next stop is Bayfield Wisconsin near the Apostle Islands and then in July we will head to Houghton Michigan on the Keweenaw Peninsula. We will work our way across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the remainder of July and most of August.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

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Catching up

We left the Des Moines area last Friday and now are in the Twin Cities area. While in Des Moines we experienced extremes of weather; for two days we had record heat and you know how we like the heat, and for two days we had record rainfall. The heavy amount of rain turned our site into a muddy mess which made our departure more of an adventure than it should have been. We really like the park, Cutty's Camping Club, but if we stay there again we just have to get a better site.

While in Des Moines we ate at a great place, so great in fact that it added a new item to 'Our Favorite Things (Food)' list and that is the pumpkin pancakes. So we know have two items under best specialty pancakes; the sweet potato pancakes at eggtc in Kansas City and the pumpkin pancakes at the Drake Diner in Des Moines. Everything else we had there was great also so this is a highly recommended place even if you do not like pumpkin pancakes.

As mentioned previously we are in the Twin Cities area and plan to be in the area for a week with our next stop at Duluth. We are at the Dakotah Meadows RV Park near the Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake in the SW corner of the metro area. After the less than level gravel site that did not have much gravel we are on a concrete level pad. This is a nice park we would not hesitate to stay at again. We plan to relax, do some sightseeing, see some old friends and of course eat at some of the places that Bob has on his list for the area.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Bosnian Food

How do you eat where the locals eat? Well you ask the locals. Luckily while in Des Moines an old friend of ours Sam now lives there and he recommended the Saraj Restaurant and Bakery in West Des Moines Iowa. So we went there with Bob's sister and our friend Sam.

When he described Bosnian food it just sounded so good and we were not disappointed. Similar to Greek cuisine but different of course. The meat in the Bosnian gyro is all beef while in the United States it is usually a combination of beef and lamb. Instead of the normal pita bread this gyro is served like a big sandwich with Bosnian bread on the bottom and top. Served along with lettuce, tomatoes and onions and of course tzatziki which is a cucumber based sauce. The Bosnian tzatziki was different than the Greek version we are used to but very good. Bob and Sam both got the Bosnian gyro which was excellent. The gyro meat was superb. The portions are also huge and there is some gyro in our refrigerator right now.

Pita in Bosnian food is also different. It is stuffed filo dough made into a roll. Jo got the Zeljanica Pita which was stuffed with spinach and cheese, a Bosnian spinach pie, which is good but Jo agreed the gyro was better. The Pita comes with a Bosnian mixed salad which is tomatoes, cucumber slices and onions with a sour cream sauce. This salad was also very good. The picture is of a gyro and mixed salad.

Bob's sister got the traditional Greek gyro with chicken which she said was one of the best she has ever had.

We just had to sample a Bosnian dessert so we shared a Sampita, sponge cake with a meringue topping. In this case it was a chocolate sponge cake and a raspberry meringue but it traditionally is a yellow sponge cake with lemon meringue. Saraj offers both types of Sampita. The meringue is also something different, it is more of a marshmallow texture instead of the meringue you may be used to but the dessert was very good.

Sometimes the locals eat at places you may never have tried but give them a chance, like we did at Saraj Restaurant and Bakery. We really liked it and would definitely eat there again.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Full-timing with Cats; Cat Feeder

As promised another edition of full-timing in our Fifth Wheel with three cats. We have an automatic cat feeder that dispenses dry food to two of our three cats, JJ and Sandra. Tiger, the third cat, eats when she wants so she has her own bowl in the bedroom.




Shortly after we got the feeders we noticed that we had a scientist and an engineer. Sandra the scientist figured out how to get the food still in the chute by sticking her paw in palm side down.








 JJ the engineer watched Sandra for awhile and then improved on her method by getting on his side and reaching way up palm side up achieving much greater distance up the chute.

This just proves that scientists are only needed to occasionally point engineers in the right direction in the rare instances that they need it.

If you cannot tell or did not know Bob is an Engineer, Mechanical Engineer!

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Visiting family and friends on our way to the Upper Peninsula

We left the Kansas City area last Friday and journeyed to Cutty's Des Moines Camping Club in Grimes Iowa in the Greater Des Moines area. Bob is from Iowa so we will be seeing family and friends which we have not seen since September of last year and some even longer. So far the get togethers have involved food (shocking we know) and a tour of our new home. We have found a great place we plan to hit again and if it is as good as it was the first couple of times we plan to blog on it later.

After our sprint from the Phoenix area to the Kansas City area we are staying at least one week at a time on our way to the Upper Peninsula.  We plan to leave this Friday to our next stop in the Minneapolis area.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Tip - Perfect Trash Bag for RVs

With the full-timing RV lifestyle of being on the go a lot and eating out a lot we certainly generate a lot less trash than we used to in our old sticks and bricks. But with cleaning the litter boxes for three cats that join us on our adventure one thing you do not want is a trash bag that breaks or leaks.

We have found the perfect trash bag that fits the small trash container found in most RVs. A bag that is thick and stretchable, the Glad ForceFlex Medium Garbage Bags (8 Gallon). The unique diamond structure in the bag stretches around objects to prevent rips and tears. This is good because some days are just big trash days, usually the day the mail arrives. We have jammed things into these bags and been amazed that they never rip.

We occasionally have found these bags at a Wal-Mart but have consistently found them at Target. This is one of the rare items that we have a small stockpile in storage in case we are in areas that we might not be able to get them so you know how much we like them. We ran out once and used a different brand and you guessed it we had a rip but thankfully it was outside. So now we keep a few in storage just in case.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Tip - We have new portable chairs

When we were in Arizona our friends, Paws and Friends, showed us their new chairs, the Strongback Chair. The timing was pretty good as one of the rockers that we bought from Camping World the fabric had started to rip. The problem with most Camping World chairs is that the fabric is sewn around the frame so you need to find a good reupholstering place, or do as we did for a short term fix, duct tape. Or should I say Gorilla Tape, which is duct tape on steroids and our new favorite tape.

The timing on seeing these chairs was not so good as we were about to leave Arizona so we couldn't order them right away like we wanted to. We waited until we got to the KC area and ordered them and they recently arrived.

These chairs fold up nicely and fit into a canvas bag for easy storage when traveling. But the best part of these chairs are that they are SOOOOO comfortable. A great day for us is to just sit outside and read. While the Camping World chairs are nice you got a little sore after a while and had to get up and stretch. With these chairs the back is supported, hence the name strongback, and we don't get the stiffness and soreness that we did with the old chairs, which are now our guest chairs, so sorry guests :-)

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

eggtc in Kansas City

We have a new favorite breakfast place in the Kansas City area, eggtc.

We discovered eggtc during our last visit to the KC area and were very impressed. We made a point to visit there again when we came back into town. Everything that we have had has been of very high quality, the eggs taste farm fresh and the sausage patties may be the best we have ever had, but there is one thing there that is so good it has bumped an item from 'Our Favorite Things! (Food)' list for the first time ever. Our new favorite specialty pancake is the sweet potato pancakes from eggtc. We like everything else there we usually just get a regular menu item and then upgrade the bread to a single sweet potato pancake.

There are two locations in the greater KC area; 51st and Main (original) in KCMO and 71st and Renner Road in Shawnee KS. If you live in the area or are visiting you owe it to yourself to try eggtc, you will not be disappointed.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Tidbits from our trip from Phoenix area to KC area - Wichita KS

We confess that we are creatures of habit and if you travel the same roads from one place to another you are likely to stop at the same places. So we stopped in Amarillo again this time. There is not too much to blog about here as we just ate at places we have before, Rudy's Country BBQ, Famous Dave's, and Red Lobster. The weather cleared so we were able to stay three nights and take advantage of the free night offer at Oasis RV Resort where you stay two nights and the third night is free. We like this park as has been mentioned before.

While in Wichita KS we at at the Egg Crate Cafe. While researching a place to eat breakfast Bob found this tidbit that the owners of the Egg Crate Cafe were looking for a good place to eat breakfast in Wichita and could not find one so they started one.  Bob had the ham steak, eggs, hashbrowns and a side of gravy while Jo had pancakes and eggs. This is a good, but not great place, for breakfast.

We then went to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita which we were surprised to find out is the 18th largest Zoo in the Country that is looking to expand and their plans look great. They have recently added the tiger trek and penguin areas and of course we had to see the gorillas and lions. It is also the state's most popular tourist attraction.

We were able to use our Zoo membership to get a discount since this is a reciprocal zoo which is always nice. The weather was perfect in the low 70's although there were about a dozen bus loads of kids to deal with but for the most part it was OK. We did not take either one of these but there is a free Tram Tour and a Boat Tour that you have to pay for but it was reasonably priced at $3 per person.

It was a great day at the Zoo after which we headed back to the park to do our departure tasks for our early morning departure the next morning.

Photos from the Zoo are located here.

Till next time

Bob and Jo

Tidbits from our trip from Phoenix area to KC area - New Mexico

Here are some tidbits from our recent trip from Goodyear AZ to Peculiar MO that we did not blog about. We blogged on our stay in Winslow and then we headed to Grants NM which turned out to just be a stopover for us. We got out of Winslow before the winds got too bad, rode out the winds in Grants, and then left before the winds got to bad again staying two nights. We visited the Kiva Cafe which was pretty good, filled our tanks with diesel and went to Mass which was the extent of our time in Grants. If we ever go there again we will visit the mining museum and the ice caves and volcano caldera nearby so there are things to see there we just did not have the time this trip.

Our next stop was Santa Rosa NM and we got some really good food at the Silver Moon Cafe and the Santa Fe Grill. The breakfast burrito and green chile at the Silver Moon Cafe are as good as any we have had. The Silver Moon Cafe also had pina colada coconut cake that has the potential to be our favorite cake it was so good. We were able to get in some sightseeing as we stopped at the Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa. It is a small museum but it is jammed with neat stuff from a cash register made from the front of a car to a 1957 Chevy that you could buy for $150,000. We also liked the Route 66 map that they had. Frank and Mike from 'American Pickers' would love this place with pedal cars, antique visible gas pumps, signs and oil cans. We enjoyed this museum. Photos from Santa Rosa are located here

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Moving Day (sorta)

When we called Peculiar Park Place RV Park in Peculiar Missouri a couple of weeks ago we were surprised to be put on a waiting list. Turns out there was a lot of hail damage in the area thankfully before we got in the area and the park was loaded with insurance adjusters and contractors, at one time there were 18 rigs in line for check-in. Since we were 7th on the waiting list we began to make other arrangements. So we were surprised when a couple of days later we got a call from the Park saying they would make room for us since we are regular customers.

We ended up in a pull thru site close to 71 Highway and it was a lot of road noise but when a back-in site became available we would be first in line. Well a back-in site became available today so we changed sites. Funny thing is that you have pretty much the same routine for 200 miles or for 1/10th of a mile. We are all settled in now and will be here for at least 3 more weeks. We are on a cul-de-sac shaped area with some open ground behind us right up to the edge of some woods. It already has been great for the bird feeders with chickadees, cardinals, titmouse, red headed woodpecker and a hummingbird already visiting. The cats love this spot, the girls are all tuckered out from bird watching and are taking naps so JJ has the birds all to himself right now.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Dubious Milestone Reached (Diesel)

On our trip from the Phoenix area to the Kansas City area we reached a dubious milestone as we paid over $4 for Diesel for the first time. Our last fill up before we left was $3.95 in Goodyear AZ. We knew it was coming but it was still a shock to pay $4.17 in Winslow AZ and then $4.09 in Grants NM and $4.23 in Santa Rosa NM. But as we journeyed further the prices came down a bit to $3.95 in TX and OK and $3.99 in Wichita KS. We just got our first fill up in the KC area and paid $3.92.

High diesel prices won't scare us, we figure as long as we are having fun we will continue to full-time.We may stay longer at places but we were starting to feel this way before the recent price hikes. But as big government becomes more and more communistic we may reach a time where we are told how much we can drive but until then we will live our lives as we see fit.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We made it to the KC area

We got to Peculiar Missouri on Friday April 29th. It was a windy day forecast so we left earlier by getting up earlier and by having breakfast in the rig along with our usual lunch. There was a wide variety of the forecasts for the wind gusts all the way up to 70 mph but they all agreed that it would not start until about 11:00 a.m. With our early start we were on the road two hours before the high winds hit Wichita.

It was one of our better travel days again with 216 miles per Google Maps. We were at the tail end of rush hour in Wichita and it was not bad at all. I-435 in Kansas and Missouri had more traffic than we have seen for awhile but we moved at a good pace. As we travel more we find we want to have shorter travel days and stay longer once we get there. We plan to be in the KC area about a month seeing friends, family, Doctors, and of course eating at some of our favorite places.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo