Wednesday 9-4 Lighthouse and Camping

Having fun camping

We woke up to temperatures in the high 50s and sunshine. There was no wind so Lake Michigan was pretty calm. We weren’t in any hurry to leave Wells State Park because we were only traveling about 60 miles.

I have been doing Microsoft Daily Solitaire Challenges, it is five different types of Solitaire each day. I also have been doing Special Event Solitaire, which happens every other day. You have to complete the special event within 24 hours, with the daily Solitaire you have all month. The Daily Challenges you compete with yourself, the Event Challenge you compete with a group of 100 people. The special events varies, it depends on the event. In order to do the Solitaire Challenges you need internet. We’re going to be without internet for a few days. Well, today was a Tri Peak Tour, it has 30 games. Before leaving Wells State Park I completed 27 of the challenges. That’s ok because the games are only something to do for fun.

We left Wells State Park about 10:00 to head towards our next destination. On the way there we stopped in Escanada to see the Sand Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse is run by the Delta County Historical Society. It closed for the season after Labor Day and wont open again until June 1. We couldn’t walk through the lighthouse but we walked around the grounds. Escanada has a big beautiful city park that has a marina, a walking trail, the lighthouse, a gazebo, it also has grass and a lot of trees. Escanada is was a very pretty town.

Sand Point Lighthouse

As we were going towards our destination we crossed into the Eastern Time Zone so we had to move our clocks ahead an hour. Our next destination was in the Michigan Upper Peninsula. We were headed for Haymeadow Creek Campground in the Hiawatha National Forest. We will be without internet and cell service for awhile. There are seven free campsites located in the campground. There are no services but there is an open hole bathroom. There are a lot of hiking trails. After we setup the Minnie we went for a short hike to the Haymeadow Falls. The falls were small but very nice. After seeing the falls we continued our hike. We hiked for about an hour for two miles. We walked through the forest and along Haymeadow creek. We had to cross Haymeadow Creek via a bridge. The bridge was closed due to damage but it didn’t look too bad so we took it one at a time. As we walked we came to where we had to cross Haymeadow Creek but the small bridge was destroyed. We had to find an alternative route. In the trees we went until we found a place to cross. We exited the trail at the main road which we followed back to the campground. We had a super hike through the Hiawatha National Forest. 

Camping in Hiawatha National Forest

Haymeadow Falls

Larry crossing a small bridge over Haymeadow Creek

Haymeadow Creek

When we got back to the site we relaxed. For dinner we barbecued sausage patties. We had a fantastic day.

Tuesday 9-3 Windy Day

Hold on tight

It started raining early in the morning, the rain hung around until about 11:00. It was very windy most of the day but it wasn't cold. It got up into the 70s.

We stayed around the Minnie most of the day. It was so windy that Lake Michigan was white capping and you could hear the wave crashing into the shore, it looked like the ocean. When the rain stopped most of the campers got ready to go and left. While we were hanging around the Minnie we decided to try a snack that Larry's ma (Shirley) had sent us called Hello Panda Chocolate Filled Cookies. They are pretty good, they also have a little game for you to play while you eat the cookies, you try to find the Hello Pandas Sports Characters on each cookie.

Hello Panda cookies in one bag

After lunch we went for a walk around the campground and down to the day use area. There are steps that lead you to the beach. Due to the wind it was a yellow flag day. We walked around for about an hour and a total of 2.25 miles. From the Minnie we had seen the wind knocking something out of a nearby tree. We stopped by and discovered it was an apple tree. While walking around we noticed that some of the trees were starting to change into their fall colors. During our walk we went by the Bay Lodge, which is a building you can rent out. We enjoy looking at the CCC structures that were built in the 30s and are still being used. Well, there was a sign about a CCC structure so we checked it out. It was very pretty. As we were walking around the campground we took a trail to a lean-to shelter. When we got back we read until dinner.

The apples from a tree in the campground

The apple tree

 

The Bay Lodge

The CCC Structure in Wells State Park

For dinner I made baked potatoes, it had been a long time since we had them. Larry has to pester me before I make any type of potatoes. When I buy them I buy a five pound bag and usually I end up throwing a few of them away. 

After dinner we went for another 2.25 mile walk. This time we walked a trail that took us to the rustic cabins you can rent out. They have five and each one had a name on it so you can find the cabin you rented. The cabins were set up with bunk beds that were two high, you can have eight people in the cabin. It had a stove and oven and heat but no bathroom you have to go outside and use the privy. As we walked the trail it went through pine trees and along the shores of Lake Michigan. The wind had gone down so the lake had calmed down, no white caps. The trail was very easy to walk and you walked on grass. As we walked we saw a few lean-to shelters. After looking at the cabins we took another trail back to the Minnie. We had a very nice walk. 

One of the Lean-To shelters

The hiking trail

Larry playing with the water pump by the primitive camping area

One of the cabins you can rent

After our walk I went over to the restroom and took a shower. Each shower is in its own private room. The showers were very nice. They had a knob to adjust the temperature and soap holder tray. You can take as long a shower as you like and you didn't have to continue pushing a knob in for the water.

When I got back I finished a book called Courting Mr. Lincoln by Louis Bayard. It was a very good book about Lincoln's two best friends Mary Todd (his wife) and Joshua Speed and how they felt about each other during the courting period. Then I started another book called O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King.     

Monday 9-2 Labor Day

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day!!! Labor Day is the first Monday in September. It's a public holiday in the United States to honor the labor force. 

Today we did a leisurely 100 mile drive that roughly followed along the coast of Lake Michigan. Along the way we stopped a few times. The first stop was in Green Bay at Lambeau Field. Lambeau Field is the home of the Green Bay Packers National Football team. The team was founded by Earl L. (Curly) Lambeau in 1919, not only did he start the team he was also their head coach for 31 seasons. Lambeau Field opened in 1957 as New City Stadium and was renamed in 1965 after Curly Lambeau. It's a hugh stadium and has a lot of parking. On the facility there are shops and statues. One statue was of Earl L. Lambeau, another one was fans cheering and of course they had a statue of Vince Lombardi. Vince Lombardi was the Green Bay Packers head coach in the 1960s, he led the team to three straight and five total NFL Championships in seven years and won two Super Bowls back to back 1966 and 1967. We had fun walking around the facility.

Lambeau Field entrance

Earl L. (Curly) Lambeau statue

Vincent T. (Vince) Lombardi

Statue of the fans

Our next stop was in Oconto City Park. It is located on the coast of Lake Michigan. It is very nice with a playground, civic building, a beach area, a campground with 9 sites is directly across the street, it cost $15 per night with no power. They have restrooms with running water but no showers. The park is very well maintained and the restrooms had soap and paper towels. Sometimes we find restrooms with no soap, sometimes they have no way to dry your hands, even worse sometimes they have neither. We always appreciate it when restrooms provide both.

Oconto City Park

 

Camping Area

Civic Center

One of the bars in the playground, it looks like a bug

The next stop was in Michigan at the Menominee Lighthouse. Before walking out to the lighthouse we had lunch. The Menominee Lighthouse is a small lighthouse, you can't walk in it but you can walk up to it and around it. It was first lit in 1877. The current structure and its light was lit in 1927 and was automated in 1972. They replaced the original light with LED in 1972. Over the years as the expanded the pier they would move the lighthouse, it has been moved three different times. In 2008 the city took over the lighthouse from the Coast Guard. Before walking on the pier there is a sign that tells you the history of the lighthouse. The original pier was a wooden pier, now it's concrete. The lighthouse is very nice. It was a little cool walking on the pier because the lighthouse is located on Lake Michigan and it was windy. While walking around we saw people sailing and boating, it was a little too rough for me. There was a gentleman playing the bongos and a lot of people fishing and walking around. 

Standing in front of the lighthouse 

Sailing on Lake Michigan

After checking out the lighthouse we continued north to J.W. Wells State Park. We decided on this park because tomorrow it's suppose to rain and have very strong winds. This park has power. The park was established in 1925 on land donated to the state by the children of John Walter Wells, he was a lumberman in the area. The park is 678 acres and runs three miles along the shores of Lake Michigan. Some of the sites are on the shores of Lake Michigan. Our site has a great view of the lake. After setting up for a couple of nights we walked around the park. The park has hiking trails, a beach, RV sites, tent sites, rustic cabins, horseshoe pits with horseshoes, a tether ball, basketball hoops, playground and restrooms with showers. The camp host sells ice cream for $1.00, Larry bought me a Klondike bar. We hadn't had a Klondike bar since we were in the Rio Grande Valley at Joe Saltel's Saturday night dances. We shared a Fudge Brownie Swirl Klondike and a Heath Bar Klondike. They were both delicious.

Camping at J.W. Wells State Park

Lake Michigan

Horseshoe Pits

A nice playground for the children in the park

Standing in front of a Totem Pole at a site in the group section

Klondikes for dessert

Sunday 9-1 Closing Day

Saying bye to friends and callers

Today was the closing day of WIPAC. The day started with the Siegmann family doing a Gospel Concert with a live band. The dancing resumed from about 10:00 until 1:00. We danced two hours of C1 to Tom Miller and Johnny Preston. Johnny made the dancing very challenging by having us do lots of lefty moves from positions we're not use to. We had a super morning of dancing. Afterwards we went to the plus hall for the closing hour. It started out by having two round dancing tips. Then all the callers Jerry Story, Johnny Preston, Tom Miller, Mike Hogan and Noah Siegmann called a couple of square dance tips. In between the tips they did a few drawings. One was for $100, another was for free entry for next years WIPAC Festival and another was for the 50/50 pot, which was over $200. Our friend Cyd won the free entry for next year. She was very excited because today was her birthday. Jerry got her up on the stage and the callers all sang happy birthday to her. Then they did the closing tip. Afterwards we formed a friendship ring and thanked everyone. The last thing we did was thank the callers.

Everyone singing happy birthday to Cyd

Noah doing announcements and thanking everyone

A group of dancers from Minnesota dancing hex during a plus tip

Once again Noah and Anna Siegmann did an excellent job with the festival. We danced every C1 tip, we got lots of floor time and we feel we are doing better. The dancers were very helpful. We had a super weekend dancing with friends and meeting new people. The callers did an excellent job.  

After the dance we went back to the Minnie and had lunch. Then we left Washington County Fair Park. Larry drove a little over 90 miles to the Oneida Casino in Green Bay. We stayed here a couple of nights last year so we knew the procedure. I was already a member of their club so there was promotional deal. After setting up the Minnie for the night Larry and I walked over to the casino to pay for the night. While there the lady at the desk updated my card. By the time we got back to the Minnie it was dinnertime. 

After dinner I walked over to the casino to catch the shuttle. They have two casinos, one is just a short walk from the RV, the other is further away and you can take the shuttle. I took the shuttle to the hotel casino because it has a non-smoking section. I walked through the casino and didn't find a slot machine that I liked, they all required more money than I wanted to gamble. When the shuttle showed back up I took it back to the smaller casino. I played the slots for a few hours and then walked back to the Minnie. I needed to give my eyes a rest from the smoke. After resting my eyes for about a half hour I walked back to the casino. I played the slots until midnight when the casino closed. While I was gambling Larry stayed in the Minnie and caught up on the YouTube videos he follows. I had fun gambling, I ended up giving the casino $9.00 in about five hours. 

Saturday 8-31 Super Day of Dancing

Washington County Fair Park 

The mission of the County Fair Park

Attendance at WIPAC is up this year. There are 38 squares of dancers spread across four halls.

Started dancing DBD Plus at 9:30. The C1 hall opened at 10:00, we had seven squares and danced for two hours. It was computer operated so we had opportunity to dance with a lot of different level of dancers. We know some of the dancers because we dance with them in the Rio Grande Valley. The callers this morning were Jerry Story and Johnny Preston. They made it challenging and fun. We had a two hour break for lunch.

The afternoon C1 session was from 2:00 to 3:00, we danced to Tom Miller. He is not as dynamic as Jerry but he he a really good caller and a lot of fun. At 3:00 we walked around and visited the Plus hall, it had twelve squares of dancers and a few sitting out. We watched the dancers and they were having fun. We saw three young ladies dancing with five phantoms. They were excellent. We were really impressed, in C1 we dance with phantoms and it is extremely difficult. These girls were way better than us. After watching the plus dancers we went to the A2 hall and danced for a half hour. We knew a few people there. They had six squares. We danced a couple of tips to Jerry Story. Then we had a three hour break for dinner.

Joyce and Sue enjoy a break in between tips

Our friends dancing A2 to Tom's calling

Tom Miller calling

Sue and Dwayne from South Dakota

Larry enjoy his break with a friend

The three young ladies dancing plus with five phantoms

 
We were back dancing from 7:00 to 10:00. The first two hours we danced C1, there were seven squares. We danced to Jerry Story, Johnny Preston and Tom Miller. We had a great time. When the C1 hall closed we went to the A2 hall and danced to Jerry Story and Mike Hogan.

Kathy and Scott from Grand Rapids all dressed up for the dance

Barry and Joy from St. Louis

Having fun dancing with friends

Dancing with Lanny

Tom Miller and Jerry Story

We had an outstanding day of dancing with friends and to four great callers. Tomorrow morning we'll be back dancing at 10:00 after the Gospel Concert.