FACTORY SERVICE IN DECATUR
BERNE, INDIANA
VISITING PARENTS
THE THUMB AND THEN SOME
CELL PHONE IS WORKING AGAIN
RON'S POTPOURRI
BARB'S THIS N THAT

Except for all the construction on US Route 27 through Decatur, Indiana, we enjoyed our five days at the American Coach service facility. Several months prior to our arrival, we had talked with the service department detailing the work we needed done and the appointment was made. They had estimated that the work would take four days so we planned for that.

There is a large parking lot at the service facility which is sectioned into camping spots. They have electricity, and a dump station, but does not resemble a campground in any shape or form. Every morning we all wake up early so that we can leave our coaches at 7 a.m., eastern daylight time or 6 a.m., Indiana time. Most wander into the lounge to enjoy a cup of freshly brewed coffee. The crews move the coaches inside and begin work right away. There are 35 hook up spots in the parking lot and they can work on 25 coaches inside. The week we were there was a light week because 18 service technicians (9 teams) were in Seattle at the American Coach rally. This is something that they do to service coaches on the road. We are allowed to go into our coach at any time, but don't stay there. We visited, did laundry and a little sightseeing while there. By 2:30 their time, the coaches were moved back to our "camping spot" and we were all set until the next morning. Except for being booted out of our homes so early it was very comfortable there.

The body work turned out to be minor and in fact, all the scheduled items on our list were finished by the end of the first day. We hadn't mentioned the chips in the windshield when we first arrived, because we didn't know about them when we first made the appointment and they have a policy of not adding on any repairs other than what was originally scheduled. But when we were finished so early we approached them about adding the windshield which they thought they could handle easily.

The little chip on the passenger side was fixed easily. The huge chip on the driver's side was not repairable; the windshield had to be replaced and their only concern was whether there was an extra windshield at the factory. We weren't the only ones having them replaced. The day before they did six. By the end of our second day, we were all set, but they suggested that we not use the jacks or drive for 48 hours. That was okay with us since we had planned to be there that long anyway and we had 50 amp electricity. We had also met some neat new friends who were also there for service.

Another benefit was that in the large customer lounge they had a dedicated phone jack for email. Only three of us had lap tops and were using the jack, so it wasn't busy.

We only had to get up early two mornings because they were through working on us, but we were still camping there. It was kind of nice to wander in for our coffee well after everyone was up.

Every Wednesday during the summer, the crew at the facility cooks dinner for all who are there for service. For our cook out we had BBQ pork chops, potatoes, corn, rolls, drinks and desserts (pies and cookies). They sure do a good job of making the customer feel welcome and important.

Several at the service facility were taking delivery of new coaches and I think that is a great place to move in. Who better to make adjustments than those who build the coaches? We saw two Heritages (the newest American Coach) being delivered. It is 45 feet long and is real pretty. If you have an extra $500,000 laying around you might want to look at that jewel.

Ron and I both feel that the work done at the factory was better than any we have had done at an RV dealer. Except for minor things that may need fixing, if we have any major problems we will go back to the factory. In fact, I talked with them about unbolting my dinette chairs and replacing them with the newer kind. They told me that they reserve the slow months for that kind of work. I am not real excited about going to Indiana in January or February, but it if is important enough, it is nice knowing that it can be done. I posted pictures of the facility and our windshield on the What's New Old News page.

One of the days while we were just sitting still there in Decatur, we took the short drive south on U. S.  Route 27 to Berne. Berne was settled in the 1800s by a small group of Swiss Mennonites. The town retains the Swiss style of architecture and surrounding the town are many Amish and Mennonite farms. We first walked the length of the two block business district on both sides of the street. The stores were neat and attractive. I can never pass a hardware store and found a good one there. I am always surprised at the things I find in some of these old stores. How many years has it been since you saw old fashioned fly paper for sale? Remember those sticky strips that hung from the ceiling? They had them there. Perhaps the amish use them.

We ate lunch at the Palmer House and enjoyed a delicious meal. I enjoyed a cup of home made beef barley soup and we both had bratwurst sandwiches. Their freshly baked pies looked "down home" so se splurged. Ron had cherry which he said was excellent and I had baked coconut (like a coconut custard) which was decadent.

After lunch we drove some of the back roads to look at the neat Amish Farms. We discovered Amishville which we thought was very commercial, but they did have a nice campground there. Basically Amishville is an old Amish farm which has been turned into a commercial venture. Surrounding the farm are other Amish farms. They are easy to distinguish from other farms in the area because they don't have electrical  lines running to the house and a windmill will be turning near the back of the house. The buildings on the farm are nearly always white, and the farms are neat. Often freshly laundered clothing will be hanging from the clothes lines and you will see big draft horses and old fashioned farm equipment in the fields. Of course the other give away is the little black buggy that will be parked in the driveway or it may be on the road with you.

We went searching for the Schwartz Amish Bakery and found it to be an Amish Farm out in the country. I thought it would be neat to talk to these folks and to have some old fashioned goodies. We went into the bakery and found two young Amish girls baking cookies. Shelves in the back were full of home canned goodies in Ball or Mason jars. Other shelves contained baked goods which looked good. We purchased some cookies and coffee cake. I tried to engage the girls in a little conversation, but they were so shy they would barely answer. Later, back at the motorhome, we opened the cookies and I couldn't eat them. They tasted a little like kerosene. Ron said they were good, but he has also said that he liked Army food.

I posted some pictures of Berne and the farms on our What's New (June) page.

After we left Decatur, Indiana, we drove to Toledo, Ohio, and camped in the parking lot at Ron's Mom's nursing home. We arrived on Friday afternoon and didn't leave until after chapel service on Sunday. We spoke with one of the important people there and were given permission to park the motorhome for that length of time. Being able to be in the parking lot made the visit wonderful. First of all we were at home and not miles away in crowded campground and we were able to visit with her in little spurts rather than long visits. Each evening, we purchased some take out food and took it into the nursing home. We found a table at the end of the hall where we could eat with her. It would have been nice to have her eat with us in the motorhome, but she is in a wheel chair and there is no way we could have gotten her in. I would also have enjoyed cooking for her, but it was very hot and humid and I didn't feel like running the generator to cool the motorhome down enough for cooking. We had a nice visit.

When we left on Sunday, we headed straight to Clarkston, Michigan, where my niece's open house was being held. It was good to see my parents again even though they don't know who I am. They are 85 and both in assisted living homes (one mile apart). After being married for 25 years they divorced and Dad married Frankie. They were married for over 30 years when my Dad's wife died and he came back to Michigan. By then both of their minds started going and they really don't know that they used to fight like cats and dogs. They don't even know that they used to be married and are even nice to each other.  I think that is funny.

All of my sisters and my brother were there too, so for the short visit, we covered as much ground as we could.

We left the open house at 4 p.m. and drove north on M 15 until we reached I-69. We headed east on that for a few miles jumping off on M-53 which took us to Port Austin and our next stopping point.

For those of you not familiar with the shape of Michigan, the lower peninsula looks like a mitten with the thumb on the east. So everyone in Michigan refers to that part of the state as "The Thumb." Michigan is a peninsula and is surrounded by Great Lakes on three sides. Actually the upper peninsula is surrounded by Great Lakes too, but we are only talking about the lower peninsula.  We would guess that western Michigan (Lake Michigan)  is probably the most popular. Even though we used to live right in the middle of the state (Lansing) and could go to either side, we always played on the western side. So this time through Michigan, we purposely planned to travel the eastern shore line (Lake Huron) starting at Port Austin.

On our way north from Clarkston, we couldn't help but notice how rich the flat farmland in the thumb is. New crops were growing nicely and it was easy to see how black the dirt was. From what we could see Celery is a major crop in the Imlay City area, and sugar beets are a big crop through out the Thumb. We were told that 18 varieties of beans, potatoes and corn are the other major crops in the area.

We are always learning and this trip was no exception. Did you know that Lake Huron is the second largest of the Great Lakes? I know that Lake Superior is the largest, but always thought that Lake Michigan was number two. I also didn't know that the Thumb area was a thick pine forest until the loggers clear cut it in the early 1800s. After they had raped the land they left leaving behind a sea of stumps. It appeared to be useless land. The sugar beet was introduced to the area in 1839, but the manufacturing process left a lot to be desired. In 1884 when a Bay City man was visiting Germany and saw how well the sugar beet was doing for the people there, his enthusiasm motivated the farmers in the Thumb to remove the stumps and grow the sugar beet. Sugar beets are grown in 14 states with Michigan the fifth largest producer of beet sugar in the United States.

The delightful port town of Port Austin is at the tip of the thumb. It is a small neat tourist community. I loved the big old victorian mansions in town which were built by the lumber barons. All along the shoreline on either side of town are small summer cottages which are a haven for many from the Detroit suburbs. Sail boats and motorboats filled the harbor and the little shops sold the typical tourist fare.

We camped in the very pleasant Port Crescent State Park which has been built on the exact town site of Port Crescent. It disappeared shortly after the lumber did. The park has a big sandy beach and many of the sites were right on the lake. We were glad that we found a site on grass because the soft sand would not have held this big ole motorhome. I have some pictures of the houses in What's New Old News.

We visited old and dear friends, Brenda and Lee Thompson, who moved to Port Austin several years ago and learned that perch fishing is good here even in the dead of winter. Ice fishing is a very popular sport especially in near by Caseville.

We packed a lot in our one day-two night visit. As a young boy, Ron used to visit his uncle's sugar beet farm in the tiny town of Bach. It was on the map and about 35 miles from Port Austin so we took a little drive on narrow gravel roads. Ron assured me that there would be nothing there and he was right. St. Peter's Lutheran church was there and one or two houses near what would have been the center of town, but all around were the big sugar beet farms. We tried to find the one that would have been his uncles, but none fit the bill. It was fun to look in the church's cemetery for names he might remember. Although it had been fifty plus years since Ron was in Bach, it stirred up a lot of wonderful memories which he shared with me on the way there and back.

For lunch we followed my brother-in-law's recommendation to find the little bar in Grindstone City. There is no city but there was a bar and all around the grounds were huge grindstones (some broken) so that must have been the town's claim to fame. The were a lot of charter fishing boats around and they had just finished cleaning a mess of fish as we arrived. Ron had a perch sandwich which he said was something to die for. After being in Arizona for so long, the poor guy needed his fresh fish fix (don't try to say that out loud).

We woke up the day we were leaving to the sound of an angry lake. Although we were a half a block away, we could hear the waves pounding on the shore. From our window and looking down to the beach, we could see the big white caps. If you have never seen one of the Great Lakes, it is hard to imagine that it is not an ocean.

We followed Michigan Route 25 around the lake to Bay City where we turned north on Michigan Route 13. At Standish we continued north on US Route 23. It was fun to drive through the little towns. Signs in several proclaimed their summer festivals: Bay Port has the "fish sandwich festival" in early August; Sebewaing has the "sugar festival" in June; Linwood has the "national pickle festival" and boasts being the Walleye capitol of the world.

Our drive through Bay City was exciting to me because I love the huge old mansions and there were many. I was glad to get a glimpse, but would have rather been riding a bicycle so I could linger here and there.

Even though there was some construction the roads were good. In fact US 23 (so far) is the best road in Michigan. It is new, smooth and has great shoulders. We made a little stop on the way to Tawas to pick up some cheese in Pinconning. That town used to be famous for their cheese, but it looked like business was going down hill. We were the only ones in the store and the man behind the counter was not at all helpful. I wanted to ask if we were interrupting his morning and if he wanted us to leave. Maybe that is why they are not doing well.

We checked into Tawas Point State Park on Tuesday and will be here until Monday, July 4. It is a zoo and Ron wrote about it for his View from the Driver's Seat column. But if you can't get to our web page, I will say that this park is wall to wall campers with many children and all have their roller blades, bicycles, skateboards and each family has at least one barking dog. The have smoky campfires from morning to night and we have to keep our windows closed or everything would smell of smoke from now to eternity. These summer holidays are one negative about full-timing. We try to hide inside and just read or sleep. Yesterday morning we walked all around the point and we were alone. That was nice. Here in the campground everyone has their play toys and they don't seem to be into walking. From our campsite we see the bay and that is pleasant. Soon this holiday will be past and we will be up in the wilderness of Canada.

We can sum up that here on the eastern side of Michigan the terrain is flatter and the beaches are better than on Lake Michigan. Lake Huron is warmer than Lake Michigan because it is a shallower lake. You can wade out for a long ways before the water reaches your waste. The western side of the state is hilly and there are many sand dunes along the water's edge. Both are fun places to visit.

http://www.movinon.net/Driver/driversindex.htm
http://www.movinon.net/Whatsnew/whatsnew.htm

Our 8 year old towed pick-up looks much better than most of the late model cars we see here in the rust belt state. It seems that if the salt doesn't get to them, the chuck holes will.

So far I have had two perch meals in this Lake Huron area and love that sweet tasting pan fish that is plentiful here. Next stop is Michigan's Upper Peninsula where I'm sure that I will enjoy some white fish.

For those who are interested in such things, our campground expenditures for the month of June amounted to $213. The campground agenda included lots of state parks, some boondocking, factory parking, one KOA (ugh!), two Coast to Coast parks and daughter Susie's back yard. The best campground of all was Susie's back yard. It was level, convenient, peaceful and best of all, we had great family visits. Located in the middle of quaint DeWitt, Michigan, I enjoyed taking my newest granddaughter, Cassidy and her sister Taylor, for a daily stroll.

One morning Barb, Susie and I played golf at the Lake of the Hills par 3 course where we used to live. It was a beautiful morning and it brought back memories---of how bad a golfer I really am. One bright note was that I didn't bounce a ball off the nearby condo's that border the course. I have been known to do that with regularity.

We saw a unique RV in the campground. It was a medium sized travel trailer with sleeping fold-outs front and back (similar to a pop-up camper). Seems like a good idea.

People are excited about the new baseball stadium being built in down-town Detroit, but no one is excited about the current baseball team.

We were surprised that big time gambling casinos are being planned for Detroit. I'll still take Las Vegas.

I hope this newsletter goes over the wires better than the last one. I still don't know for sure what happened. Some got their newsletter just like normal (in fact mine looked fine too) others had attachments. This time I am writing this entirely in email format on the lap top.

I mentioned that we met some neat folks in Decatur, but one couple stands out. Bob and A.J. ( mid 50's I would guess) have been on the road one and one half years and are from California. He was a little hoarse and when I asked more about that, I learned that he is constantly hoarse because of some testing that he gets done frequently. Never satisfied, I asked what kind of testing. It turns out that Bob had a heart transplant 10 years ago. Wow!!!! Since the transplant was done in San Francisco, he jokes that he "left his heart in San Francisco." Previously we had met two different full-timers who had had liver transplants. Isn't it exciting that these folks can still enjoy this wonderful lifestyle?

Last month I mentioned that the cell phone wasn't working in the Lansing area, but as soon as we were back in the AT& T area I had them send me whatever signal they said I needed and it has been okay. I just can't tell you how great it is not to have to bother with pay phones.

Email has not really been a problem since we left Mesa. While we were at Ron's Mom's nursing home, I thought I could use her phone to get email. It wouldn't work; I got a busy signal no matter what I did. I finally gave up and we went to the local strip mall where I found a small computer store. When I told them what I wanted to do, they offered me their fax line. How nice!!!!! Most are congenial when I tell them that I have a local number (or 800 number when I can't get a local number). Here at Tawas Point State Park the supervisor would not let me use the FAX line. He said he had to check with his boss and I wanted to ask is he was not allowed to make such simple decisions. I did say." What's the big deal? I have an 800 number and by using the FAX line for five minutes, would not tie up the phone line?" He said he would get back to me and never did. Luckily Tim and Carol (the full-timer campground hosts) let me use their phone line. They were very understanding.

By Wednesday we will be in Ontario, Canada, heading west from Soo Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay. This is an area we have not been in before and we are excited. We plan to take our time and do some hiking and exploring. While in Canada I will not even be trying to check for email. I wanted to get this out and update the web before we start that leg of our trip. When you get this Coffee Break, Letters, and Ron's article has been updated. Happy trails!