Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Aug.10th-Aug.11, 2014-Another day of Waterfalls-Leaving Iron Mountain

Sunday August 10, 2014 Today we'll go out again & view some more waterfalls. We're even going to take Otis in spite of the fact so many of the Falls area were not Pet Friendly!?! We pack our lunch, grab the dog & away we go!!!Our first stop before we continue on the Waterfall tour is the Continental Cup ski jump!



It is also a Veterans Memorial Park.



You can park in the lower parking lot & walk up these 500 steps to the Ski jump & Memorial Park. A lot of people use these steps strictly as a cardio workout!

or....you can drive up the back road entrance which takes you right to the top! That was my choice!

I thought I wanted Lennie to take my picture on the chair lift....but I'm not sure they are still being used?? They looked pretty rickety!?!
I can just see me sitting out there & a cable                                                                                                                             give out!?!
We decided since it was so close to lunch time, to picnic first at a roadside picnic area, since most of the other picnic areas weren't dog friendly! Even at this roadside stop the sign still read: Please walk your dog outside the picnic area.I understand the rules, so many people don't clean up after their dogs, they ruin for the people who do.....

Otis decided to pout & didn't want any picnic!
I don't know why Otis was mad, I wasn't making him ride in the back!?! Let's see if he gets happy as we go to view our first waterfall!
Smalley Falls~ Notice RUGGED Trail!?!

Oh Boy!?!

You & Otis go.....I'll wait!

There's the falls!

Now we have to trudge back. Last year while hiking in this area, we saw a snake as big as my forearm slithering across the path....I'm still a little nervous walking in these wood!
                               Long Slide Falls......another Falls with quite the hike down!

Then when you reach the falls, you realize the                                                         best view is at the bottom, so we continue walking down.....

There, now we have a great view of the rocks                                                                                            & falls. Otis looks a little worn out!?!



I guess I'm glad we hiked down here except.....now we have to hike back up.......
Okay what's next?
seems like we've been on this road a long time                                                                                 & we haven't seen a waterfall yet????
Here it is, 18 ft Falls

The brochures says to keep a close tab on your                                                                                                  children! Otis stay close!!!

Beautiful

Beautiful

Beautiful waterfalls!

Keep a close tab on "Children".....Otis should                                                                             we wait for mom or just keep on going????

On to the next.....our last one too because....

these falls are visible from the parking lot so no                                                                                                     problem leaving Otis in the car!

soooooo nice1

after looking& listening to all the waterfalls                                                                                         today, this was a welcoming sign!!!!!

After 2 days of trekking through woods looking at waterfalls, I would have thought I might have lost a pound or 2, but no I didn't! Maybe this is the reason why!?!
Too much ice cream!?!

Let me tell you about this ice cream shop!?! See that gas station across the street? Yesterday we got gas at that station, mind you we'd already had our ice treat, but Lennie eyed the sign at the Ice Cream Station that said, BANANA YOGURT & I think he was jonesing about it ever since!?!

So he had his banana yogurt & I had a Turtle                                                                                                                                  sundae!

We are leaving Iron Mountain tomorrow. Since we are done touring the waterfalls, we're done with the gravel roads! Boy is our car a dusty mess! Let's go take care of that!!!
One of those Do It Yourself car washes....


but good enough to get the dust off!

I was afraid ice cream that late in the afternoon was going to ruin my dinner, & tonight of all nights I don't want my dinner ruined!
Pork chops on the grill!

After dinner Lennie starts putting the outside stuff away while I do up the dishes. We take Otis on an extra long walk tonight, last walk here, it's such a nice park!
Otis' bedtime walk brings us a bit of a surprise! With all the clouds that had rolled in I didn't think we were going to have a chance to view the SUPER MOON, but there it was, a bit hazy with some cloud coverage , but still worth a photo snap!

                                                                Until tomorrow......

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Aug.8th-Aug.9, 2014-It's a Date!-Day of Waterfalls!

Friday August 8, 2014 Today Lennie & I are "going out", therefore we take our time this morning because "WE" (yeah right we!!!) don't want to leave Otis too long by himself. I'm anxious for the time to come! Here we go.....Otis is left "on guard duty" while we go out to lunch! We're going out for a pasty, a tradition in this area!
Pasty were "invented" back in the mining days.Today one might call them a pot pie, the miners called them lunch or dinner whatever their work shift was.I just call them "YUUUMMMY"!



After lunch our date continues! We're going to the movies to see the James Brown story, GET ON UP!
Hey....where is everybody!There's 8 theaters in                                                                                                                                     there!?!
This is a first for Lennie & me....we were the ONLY ONES in our theater!!!! Lennie told me he rented it just for us!!!

When the movie was over (it was a good movie!) as we exited the theater, an usher with a broom & dustpan was standing in the doorway. I told him he didn't have to worry about cleaning up in there....we were the only ones in attendance!!!!
After the movie, we stopped at the grocery store to get some brats to put on the grill tonight.The grocery store's parking lot & McDonald's parking lot were connected, so......while I was paying for the brats, Lennie RUSHED over to McDonald's to get Mr McBrat a treat!
If you look close, you will see OUR car first in                                                                            line at the McDonald's drive through window!
On the way back to the RV to make a certain spoiled dog very happy!
First Lennie teases Otis with the bag!

Otis waiting patiently while I put the brats                                                                                                                                        away!!!!

Finally his patience pay off!!!!

Oh boy that was good! Thanks dad, Thanks                                                                                                                                    mom! 

Lennie & I had brats on the grill for dinner, but don't let Otis fool you....he had some brats too! Now he's ready for his nightly walk!


Sun is setting.....

& in the same sky, moon is rising!

the moon's reflection on the water....

Now we let go of Otis' leash & let him run                                                                                                                       wild, & wild he is!?!

That's enough....time to call it a a night!

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Aug.6th-Aug. 7, 2014Hello Wisconsin....oops Michigan!-Walk down Memory Lane

Wednesday August 6, 2014 This morning we take off. Since all the prep work was done the day before.....all we have to do is buckle up & leave! I said BUCKLE UP!!!!

Otis has "HIS" seat!

We have reservations at a Campground in Florence, Wisconsin called Camping in the Clouds!                                     Sounds nice, let's go to Wisconsin!

We made it to Wisconsin, yay!!!

Just a potty & brochure stop at this Wisconsin                                                                                                          Welcome Center!

                                                       Wisconsin rolling farm land.......

We stop for lunch at a travel picnic Wayside.                                                                  
                                                           as you see, we weren't the only RV pulled in for lunch!

Pretty nice lunch spot!!!

Then we arrive at Camping in the Clouds!!Florence, Wisconsin is pretty much on the Wisconsin/ Michigan state line. Good thing too cause when we pulled into the Campgrounds, well....we wished we weren't there! Lennie didn't like the dusty dirt road entry way....that I didn't mind, that can be typical of Campgrounds. When Len went in to register, I could see the entry road beyond the office & I could see bags of garbage up & down the road, geesh....where's the garbage dumpster??? Turns out the office overbooked our site! She was going to go find another site for us, but Lennie took advantage of the moment & told her we'd drive on! Just 14 miles further to Iron Mountain, Michigan & Rivers Bend Campground.. 
BIG DIFFERENCE in RV Parks!?!

We've been here before, it's a nice                                                                                                                                       campground!!

All set up!

Lots of space to walk Otis!


I feel some relaxation coming on!