Minnesota, Wisconson, Michigan and Ohio

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio 

We had a fairly long drive to our next stop and there was no time to waste. Getting back on I 94 we passed through Fargo and shortly thereafter into Minnesota. We passed through small towns, past some of the numerous lakes the state is known for and arrived at suppertime at Big Sandy Lake Recreation Area. This stop for the night was another Army Corps of Engineers project near the headwaters of the Mississippi River! Again a very nice place to hang out. Built on a site that at one time in the 1700's saw a fur trading post and native American tragedy.

site 2 - Big Sandy Recreation Area Minnesota

water heading for the beginning of the Mississippi!!

CJ enjoying the drive

Again we had a short stay, pulling in at supper time and we were on the road again shortly after 7AM the next day. We needed to cross Wisconsin and get to Bay Furnace National Forest Campground by the next night. To do so, we had 370 miles to get in. A fair drive in a car, but pushing the limits for a motorhome. We try to keep our daily drives to 300 miles or less and this was our last drive to exceed that limit.

crossing into Wisconsin at Duluth

Bay Furnace is a great place. Yes, it is dry camping, but you are right on the shores of Lake Superior at the site of a 1870's iron furnace with a beautiful beach and nice campsites. If you are lucky enough to book sites 8, 10 or 12, you'll be right along the water's edge. The small town of Munising is just 3 miles to the East. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore  is available for viewing by booking passage on the  tour boats. As we had seen the similar Flower Pots back in the Fall at Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, we choose to pass on boating to see the rocks. If you are in the area, and have a hankering, they were extremely popular.

remains of the blast furnace at Bay Furnace 

On our way back to the campground from Munising, we did a quick stop to get some Pasties. There are places all over the Upper Peninsula advertising Pasties (had to stop in to check out what they are). Turns out they are pastry pockets filled with meat, veggies or pie filling. I chose the apple filling. It was very tasty.   Cindy tried her hand at the Casino and in a short time was separated from her $20!

Munising Lighthouse on Lake Superior

downtown Munising

Indian Casino across from Bay Furnace, Christmas MI

We had only planned on the one day to be in this area and by 8 AM the next day we were once again packing up. We stopped at the dump station, then filled the water tanks and headed East. We were heading for the center of Michigan on our homeward trek. Along the way we passed Lake Michigan, crossed the Mackinac Bridge and pulled into a KOA near Flint.

Mackinac Bridge - Lakes Huron to the left, Michigan to the right 

regional offering - Pasties - we tried apple!

Lake  Michigan shore

There was not to be any sight seeing this night and we settled in at camp, grabbed some WiFi and called it a day. The next morning we didn't have to rush, but we did need to get past Detroit and then Toledo before suppertime. Along the way, we had a near miss on US 25 when a trailer lost its' fender and we had no choice but to run over it!! We pulled over at the next gas station and closely examined the tires. NO DAMAGE!! This was not a place to have to pull over with its' narrow shoulders and heavy traffic.

Lake Erie at Oregon , Ohio

Welcome to Ohio -thanks!

We made it to our last State Park - Maumee Bay. Very nice, quite large with almost a country club feel. Not a wilderness feel, but well maintained and right on Lake Erie. I traveled to the library in nearby by Oregon to catch up on this blog ( three locations needed completion) and we went for walks and over to see Lake Eric. I have now seen all 5 Great Lakes!

We stayed two days at Maumee Bay and off towards PA!. On the way we stopped at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, just below Cleveland. Centered on the days of canals in the 1830's, CVNP is a nice stop for a few hours and if you are so inclined, bring your bike and cruise the tow path!

Canal Boats and biking paths - CVNP

one of the original canal locks - 175 yrs old

what a welcome - traffic jam 

  We had 75 more miles to go and hit Pennsylvania. We did that with no problem on I 80.
Then, the traffic jam hit. It took us 1.5 hrs to go 12 miles!! But we did, and by 5PM we were pulled into the Mercer KOA. Our last night on the road after 11 months!!

our last campsite - Mercer KOA

The next morning, Friday, We were up, coffeed and on the road by 8AM and after some rainy spots on I 80 and 322, we arrived back home shortly after 2PM!!! Some of the family were there to greet us and Cooper and CJ were glad to get their yard and house back.

Welcoming committee

Thanks so much for following and for those of you thinking about making a trip like this...ENJOY!!

There will be one more post to this blog, a listing of our stats, observations and opinions.

take care

Cooper and CJ