Day 22 - OH Canada Part Deux - Rockwood to Niagara Falls 138 km.

We left our new friends, Ross and Sylvia at Twinholm Lane after a delightful morning. Janice made pancakes topped with strawberries with some turkey sausage on the side. We drank coffee and planned out the next 5 days. We took the Boys for 3 walks on the property and then proceeded to get Sexy Lexy and the Gray Toad ready to depart. Ross watched us attach the Honda to the motorhome. He gave us some Twinholm eggs and honey and gave us a big hug and said he will be in touch when he comes to Oregon in the Fall. We drove down the long driveway on our way out. During our 2-day stay we spent 3+ hours each night chatting with Ross and Sylvia about a lot of things, drinking their wine and enjoying their company. It all seems like a dream it was so perfect.

We have been on the road for three weeks now. While it seems longer because of worrying about the fires back home and missing our Comet kitty, home and friends part of me thinks it is going too fast because of just how well the trip has gone so far. I am proud that our planning and organization has helped and that we will be traveling no more than 2-3 hours a day for the next couple of weeks.

We are boondocking at Newark Brewery about 20 minutes from Niagara on the Lake. We got here about 2 pm, got the motorhome situated and the Gray Toad cleaned out and loaded the Boys into the car and headed to Niagara Falls.  We went to the cute but touristy town of Niagara on the Lake. We walked the parkway and then had some food and a beer at the oldest golf course in North America. We biked there from Niagara Falls back in 2016 and liked it. We sat outside by the lake overlooking Fort George. As we were eating a man passed by and had to stop and say hi to the Boys. We could tell he was recovering from a stroke and we invited him to sit and talk with us. Neil was a very good golfer before the stroke 18 months ago. He was the Senor Champ a few years ago. He said he sometimes has problems filtering things and sometimes gets kicked out of places becauseof saying inappropriate things. He was born in Chicago but came to Niagara on the Lake at an early age. He was very interested in our trip and adventures.  He said meeting us was the highlight of his day. We congratulated him on his rehab and encouraged him.  Our connection made us happy.

After we left Niagara on the Lake we took the beautiful parkway to the Falls. We took the whitewater walk and then went over to see the Falls. Although we saw it in 2016 it was still such an experience. There were a lot of people from all over the world there and while we don't care for big crowds and touristy things it was captivating to see so much diversity.

We returned to our Newark Brewery host site. They were extremely accomodating and laid back. We had nachos and beer and listened to the Trivia Night questions. We talked to our waiter Braeden and told him about our trip and he said he hopes to do something like it one day.

Tomorrow morning we will leave Canada 🇨🇦 full of fond memories with our great neighbors to the north. We look forward to our next visit!

Day 21: Oh, Canada!

First thing this morning Kasey had to work on some paperwork for Umpqua Watersheds AmeriCorps program. He didn't seem too happy about it. A bright spot occurred when our hosts at Twinholm Lane brought coffee. I am not sure what we did to please the gods but the coffee was heavenly. Tim Horton Coffee is a favorite in these parts and we can see why. The rain stopped a bit so we wondered around enjoying the views and our coffee. 

Then it was time for a walk with the dogs around the property. The trail leads through the woods behind the pond and around the soybean fields. It seemed as if we were deep in a forest. The dogs sure enjoyed it. 

The weather was cool and overcast; a perfect time to focus on indoor tasks. We then settled into the motorhome to take care of more UW business and we made great progress getting most of our tasks completed.

We then went into Rockwood to the Farmers Market and purchased some local food items. We may have overdone it. There was some really yummy items. Driving in Canada, one must realize that the speed limit signs are in km per hour. Our American cars have miles per hour in bigger numbers than the km per hour on the speedometer. Maybe the newer cars just automatically switch the digital speed when you enter Canada from mph to kph. I don't know. Maybe nephew Chris knows. The US has only been lukewarm about the metrics system. There are some things that we have in metric, but others are firmly entrenched in the Imperial System. In 1975, the United States passed the Metric Conversion Act. The legislation was meant to slowly transition its units of measurement from feet and pounds to meters and kilograms, bringing the US up to speed with the rest of the world. There was only one issue: the law was completely voluntary. Many businesses in the US have thwarted the conversion to the metric system. Some say that Americans wanted not to be perceived as a follower. Most Americans just don't want to change. For me, the metric system is simpler, all based on 10. What is a foot anyway. But, I digress.

We returned from the farmers market successfully with me doing the calculations in my head. Turn left in 1.6 km is about a mile. 

Back at Twinholm Lane, we finished up a few zoom meetings and went to join our hosts for conversation and sharing stories. Ross will be going to Oregon in the near future so we shared our secret Oregon camping and adventure spots.

Ross has a new telescope and that reminded us to go look at the super moon.

The clouds parted but the moisture in the air made the moon have a twin. We also caught Saturn in the upper right of the moon.

Tomorrow we will depart Twinholm Lane. We depart knowing we will see our friends again someday. Truly memorable.

Oh, and we found out that in Canada "hydro" means electricity and "dink" has nothing to do with racket sports and more to do with a male body part. 😀 

Day 20: Port Huron to Rockwood Ontario - 188 miles

One of the many things about our East Coast trip that has completely blown me away is our camping experience with Harvest Hosts/Boondockers Welcome. This is our sixth stay on the road and all have been wonderful. The last two have been absolutely spectacular. Today and tomorrow we are staying at Twinholm Lane in Rockport Ontario, Canada. Our hosts, Ross and Sylvia, could not be more welcoming and helpful. Ross has 25 acres and has hosted 87 guests between this location and his former location near Toronto. He is also an active Boondockers Welcome/Harvest Hosts guest and has traveled the country with his dog Barney.

When we drove down his 1/4 mile tree-lined driveway we knew it would be a special place but when it opened up and we met Ross and Sylvia we couldn't believe how fortunate we were to be their guests. The property is beautiful and the house, decks, and pond made it feel like we were stepping into a Better Homes and Garden magazine. 

After we got the motorhome set up and took the Boys for a couple of walks on the property Janice, the Boys, and I hopped into the Gray Toad and headed into the very cute town of Elora. We had a beer and a pretzel and then strolled around town.  Ross and Sylvia invited us for cocktails on their deck after dinner so we wanted to wash Lincoln because he got into some black mud and was a little smelly and didn't want our hosts to be offended. We found a do-it-yourself dog wash at a pet store in Fergus so we headed there.

When we got back we took the Boys for another great walk and then joined Ross and Sylvia on the back porch. Ross told us a little about the history of Twinholm Lane and how he came here from Toronto after selling his farm near Toronto that had been in his family for four generations. He showed us the pond and we watched as he fed the brown trout in the pond. We enjoyed wine, cheese, and crackers and talked for almost 3 hours about camping, boondocking, and past and future trips. It started to rain so we headed back to our motorhome and the sound of the rain was the perfect ending to a wonderful day. 

We're glad we have a couple days here as we need to catch up on a few things for Umpqua Watersheds and it will be good to not travel a couple of days. It will be a special treat to spend more time with Ross and Sylvia. It is both humbling and a little overwhelming how gracious they are as were Ron and Kim at the Lowe Lodge. They made us feel perfectly at home and we wish some day we can return their gifts of hospitality. Hopefully, they will visit us in Oregon! 

Day 19: Hartland to Port Huron, MI, 93 miles

The Reid kids had to go to school this morning and the parents, Chris and Gina needed to return to work. We made sure we could say our goodbyes and hope we will see them again before too long. Chris helped get the connection to the Invisibrake more secure and everything was working like it was supposed to when we left. It's nice to have a aitomotive electronic specialist for a nephew. Sorry if I got that wrong Chris. It was a fun visit and we have some great memories. I learned a lot about them that I did not know before. Chris and Gina are calm and loving parents and Lucas and Elizabeth are lucky to have them, and vice versa!

Off we went to Port Huron. MI just before entering Canada.

We took care of a few things before arriving at The Harvest Host, Lowe Lodge.  We had a very private spot. 

One that felt as if we had our own campground. There was a fire pit, picnic table, and large area to set up for ladder ball which Kasey proceeded to kick my butt. Ron was so kind and accommodating. There are some trails through his woods which the boys enjoyed. Tad could walk off leash but with chickens around, he was much restricted.

We went to see the Thomas Alva Edison Museum near the St Claire River where across the river is Canada.

The river had a nice color blue to it and it was such a beautiful day that we took a walk. We stopped for fish tacos and a beer at an establishment nearby to soak up the view.

We returned to our campsite to take the boys for a walk and resume ladder ball. I won that round but Kasey insisted on a tie breaker and he prevailed. He is very good. Mosquitoes were picking up and we decided to have a campfire. I recorded Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, indigo Bunting, and White-breasted Nuthatch while sitting at the campfire. We feel as if we are in a nature preserve. After spending a week in Michigan, and despite the little annoying insects that you can manage with spray or clothing, we are fond of Michigan. Even the coyotes.

Thinking about all our friends in Douglas County, OR where there are fires threatening the forest and homes of our home town. The air quality is not healthy. Stay safe friends in Roseburg. We are worried about you. 

We talked with several of our friends today. Mike Burke, Jerry Mires, Ken Carloni, Ray Bartram, Jeri Frank and it helped to hear from our friends.

Day 18: Hartland Michigan - Family Time

We had a very full day celebrating Family with Chris, Gina, Elizabeth, Lucas and their dog, Wendy. Once again, we are humbled by the hospitality and generosity of our hosts. 

We went out to a local restaurant for a delicious breakfast and had so much fun to start the day. We are blown away by the cutting edge work Chris and Gina are doing for General motors. Chris showed us how the trucks he and Gina drove and are testing for GM operate semi-autonomously, breaking and accelerating based on radar which  monitors nearby  traffic. It was really interesting to learn about their work as automotive engineers.

L

We came back to their house and visited before helping Chris take care of part of a tree that fell in a bad storm on Thursday. We played ladderball and sat outside and reminisced and laughed.

In the evening we went to an apple orchard and then had dinner at Kura Revolving Suchi Bar in Novi. Janice and I have never experienced anything like it. The sushi is delivered via a conveyor belt that winds around the restaurant. A large selection of sushi items are available. When  you are done with one sushi item you put your plate down a little opening and it tallies your items as you go. By the time we were done we had about 40 different items! Drinks are delivered by a robot. 

Elizabeth (12) and Lucas (9) are very bright and affable kids. We had so much fun with them and are glad they wanted to be with us. We are very proud they affectionately call us Aunt Janice and Uncle Kasey and want to give us hugs and hold our hands. They couldn't be sweeter. 

We made many special memories with the Reid Parodi Family and look forward to making more together in the future. Tomorrow morning we will leave to continue our trek to New York. 

Day 17: Mattawan to Hartland, MI, 138 miles

We said goodbye to our hosts Karen and Les in the morning and left Matawan, MI headed toward Hartland, MI and my nephew Chris's house, a little over 2 hours of driving.

We got the lights in the tow vehicle to work well, but still had trouble with the Invisibreak. Kasey has been saying for a few days now that Chris will be able to figure it out. At a rest stop on the way, I decided to check again to see if I could get it working. Under the front seat is where the compressor is tucked away. One of the plugs was not connected so and I plugged it in and voilà it worked. I can't imagine how long I would have to hear the story if Chris saw the unplugged cord first. Some family stories last forever and frequently get creative so I think I dodged a bullet.

Chris is my brother Alan's son. He and his wife Gina work for GM. Both have interesting jobs working on innovative and cutting edge technology and I am so proud of them. They have 2 children, Lucas is 9, and Elizabeth 12. And a big ol' Great Dane, Wyndy. Elizabeth loves dogs and was smitten by Tad and Lincoln. They have 2 plus acres and 4 chickens. Their little slice of heaven is really a peaceful and relaxing place. 

Kasey played games with Lucas while Gina and I talked. We were waiting for Chris to get home from Judo. He is a Sensei and had to teach today. Gina likes to bake and make thinks from scratch. She and I peeled lemons for lemonade.

When Chris got home, we spent time talking and reminiscing and catching up on life.

We went to dinner at a pizza place and sampled some local beer. Chris is in charge of road testing vehicles and we rode in a very large Sierra diesel. 

It had automatic folding mirrors, which are right about my head height. When the door is unlocked, the mirrors fold out. Gotta pay attention when nearing the vehicle. The on-board computers and accessories are amazing. Lots of bells and whistles. His vehicle records data as he drives so they can catch any issues before the problem surfaces post production. Retail price for the vehicle is $98000. 

After we got back to their place, and the chickens were secure, Tad was allowed to roam a bit.

 Elizabeth played chase with the dogs. As it got dark, we went in and called my oldest brother David, whom Chris is close to and chatted for a bit. 

Gina was up late finishing lemon cookies when we left the house for the motorhome.

Day 16 - Kalamazoo, Michigan 0 miles - Living the Dream

Other than Family, I have no Friends that I have known longer than Karen (Barstow) Freshwater. We became close friends in 1978 when we were at the University of Missouri and haven't seen each other since 1990. We have stayed in touch via Facebook and have hoped for some time to see each other again. It has been a dream to spend the last two days with her and her husband Les on their beautiful farm in Mannawan, Michigan. I am so happy to hear about their lives together, their boys, now grown men, Chris, Alex and Ian. It was great to introduce them to Janice and share with them the joys of our life together. We also met Sylvia, a soon-to-be 17 year-old exchange student from Italy who will be staying with them until January.

Les and I became fast friends. He, like me, has many books on Lincoln. One of Karen and Les' grandsons name is even Lincoln! Both Karen and Les have very interesting jobs. They met while working in the pharmaceutical industry. He is a statistician and does statistical analysis of new drugs. She moved from being a pharmecetical scientist to becoming a Physician Assistant specializing in and working with patients parkinsons disease patients with muscular sclerosis. Here I am, sitting with three scientists including, Janice who have done so much amazing work in their careers. I had nothing to add except my amazing ability to make funny faces and noises without meaning to. We all have our talentes, I guess.

We had marvelous meals, hiked the farm and fed the horses and donkey. The Boys had fun playing with their sweet dog, Guiness. We shared stories and reminisced. It was so wonderful to get to know Les and for them to get to know Janice. I am confident will we share more special times in the future and hope they wii visit us in Oregon so we can return their gracious hospitality by hosting them in our home.

It was a dream come to true and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to be here. I continue to be a.azed by how everything has worked out even better than planned!

Day 15: Indiana Dunes National Park to Mattawan, MI, 89 miles

We were made to sweat when we are hot and the sweat is supposed to cool us as it evaporates and when a nice breeze hits it. The trouble with high humidity is that evaporation is very much curtailed. So the sweat goes nowhere. Without air movement we would not be able to cool ourselves. It was still very hot in the motorhome, and humid. Our motorhome battery is not able to run 2 fans for over 8 hours. The battery died at about 2 am and we had to get up and connect the auxiliary battery to get the fans running. Kasey was on the couch to avoid disturbing my sleep, but Tad was panting so loud I could not sleep. Lincoln was fine, sleeping well. I took Tad for a little walk around the campground and then put him in the car with the windows down. It was cooler in the car and with one less body in the motorhome, it would cut down on the heat. Just about then, the couple across from our campsite drove off in their car, leaving their camper. I believe they were headed for a motel to find some A/C. I settled back into a light sleep reminiscent of the time I spent in the Philippines. High humidity makes for sticky clothes. It is like a workout to get your clothes on or off without them rolling along your sticky skin. 

Indiana Dunes is a very interesting place but we could not explore it in the high heat and humidity. We opted for another trip to the beach and a short stop at the visitor center. 

We enjoyed the movie about all the things we were missing by not coping with the weather. The mosquities and little black biting flies didn't thrill us either. Where was it I saw "More nature, less stress"? Hmm, maybe not in Northern Indiana during a excessive heat warning. We again retreated to our motorhome fortress. We can easily use the air conditioner when we are driving so our trip to see Kasey's college friend, and her husband was comfortable. 

We arrived at 1:30 pm and were welcomed by Karen and Les. They have a foreign exchange student from Italy, named Silvia. Guinness, the cattle dog was eager to play "retrieve the stick." They have goats and horses And a donkey. 

Their 20 acre property is beautiful. There is a small lake, some woods, and open green grass. 

The house sits on a flat area overlooking the sloped hill toward the lake. We sat on the patio talking for the afternoon. We moved inside when the heat increased outside. Luckily, they love animals and Tad and Lincoln could come inside with us. A coworker of Karen's came by with her 2 small children to use the pool to cool off.

They made dinner for us with ruby red trout, vegetables, and a caprese salad that Silvia prepared. A nice glass of Gewürztraminer was served along side. 

A thunderstorm rolled in and we scrambled to go roll the windows in the car up. A big clap of lightning followed immediately by thunder told me that that was close. It shook the ground. The motorhome battery, having not enough time to recharge on our short drive to Mattawan, was again dead from the constant fan use. At least we hope that is all that happened. After a few attempts to plug it in at the house for charging, we got it whirling away so we could return to our games. 

The rain cooled the air considerably so we could sleep comfortably.

Day 14, August 23 - Kohler-Andrea State Park to Indiana Dunes National Park 188 miles

I'm going in reverse chronology for today's post. We arrived at Indiana Dunes National Park around 4:30 pm. We were delayed at least an hour due to traffic because of road construction near Chicago. (More about that later.) The heat 🔥 finally caught up with us from the West Coast and added 80% humidity creating "feels like" temperatures of around 116°. Not sure how they come up with that number but am sure it has to do with math, mosquitos and horseflys because that is what we were greeted by when we arrived at our camping spot. We quickly assembled the team and loaded up in the Gray Toad to head to the beach a mile away. 

The four of us embraced the cool waters of Lake Michigan and found instant relief to the heat and humidity. We sat in our chairs and proceeded to watching the sunset while enjoying some cold libations. We took a walk with the Boys on the beach and collected some pretty rocks.

The trip here was longer than expected due to a "25-minute construction delay" according to Google that was closer to 60 minutes. It amazed despite the constant stops and goes and encountering several breakdowns along the way (presumably because of the high heat) Lexington (our motorhome) kept us cool and performed perfectly as she has over the trip.

 We have had her for 6 years and I affectionately call her our "rolling cabin" as we opted to choose this route so we can experience adventure and spend time with friends and family. This blog is a testimony to that spirit and an affirmation we did the right thing because we have been able to travel over 36,000 miles and see so many things and be with so many special people in the process.

The time we had with my Family is precious and will always be one of those times to look back on and reflect how it helped to create so much more. 

Last night we had so much fun with one friends Amy and Zach who were part of Janice's Northern Spotted Owl demography study crew a few years ago. It was wonderful to be with them and their dog Blue. We walked the beach last night and this morning and spent so.e quality time together beside the campfire talking about past experiences, telling ghost stories and talking about the future. 

Tomorrow we will travel Karen an Les Freshwater's house in Mattawan, Michigan. She was one of my closest friends in college and I haven't seen her since the early 1990's! But that is tomorrow's story.

The heat advisory goes through tomorrow afternoon! A cool shower and some ice cream will hopefully reduce the uncomfortable sleeping conditions we are facing tonight as our campsite has no electricity and therefore no AC. 

Much Love, K&J

Day 13: Green Bay to Kohler-Andrae State Park, 72 miles.

Our day began with a nice walk around the Bay Beach area. There are lots of opportunities for activities including rides, a pee wee golf, bumper cars and bumper boats, and a wildlife sanctuary. But it was very empty at 8am. 

We walked to the edge of the Bay and remarked how few homeless people we have seen. Winters in Green Bay are not kind to anyone without shelter. We returned to the motorhome just as Bay Beach Mini Golf was opening. That was our Harvest Host for the night. Tad was so enthralled by the bunnies, he almost went through the window. Bad dog. We headed for breakfast with my cousin Gretchen and her husband Michael. Gretchen is my mom's brother's daughter. A Mattingly.

 Unlike last night, Kasey was able to be there since he was feeling much better. We shared stories of our family history. We then went to their beautiful home. It was a house Michael's grandmother owned. It was built in 1929. Gretchen and Michael bought it when it came on the market. They have made improvements but keeping with the character of homes in that era. Their flower garden is so beautiful. Michael has worked on it since Gretchen is recovering from ankle surgery.

They presented us with a six pack of local beer "Green19." An IPA. Yum.

The houses in Green Bay all seem to have different designs. Each house seemed unique. Lambeau Field is just a few miles from their house where the Packers Football Team plays. We had to go take a peak at the place while it was quiet. 

One of the nice additions we have for our trip is a holder the the cell phone so Kasey can see and hear directions from Google maps. It frees me up from navigating most of the time. I am not sure what it was about Green Bay, but Google Maps unnecessarily directed us to a few side streets and back to the main route. I think she is okay now though.

We went back to the motorhome to prepare for departure. Our tow system was not sending a signal to the left turn signal so we determined the connection was not being completed. We had to bungee the cord in a certain way to maintain connection. I have a new appreciation and empathy for all those people towing vehicles that are oblivious that their lights don't work. 

Having thanked our hosts at the Bay Beach Mini Golf, we headed south to Kohler-Andrae State Park, less than 2hrs drive. 

Our site is on the edge of the campground away from the multitudes. A nice trail is nearby and we are all set for the night.

A few years back, when I was working, I had the fortune to work with a nice couple, Amy Munes and Zach Farrand. They left Oregon in 2019 when Zach was accepted to Graduate School in up state Michigan. We has plans to visit them in 2020. (We all know what happened to plans in 2020.) We weren't quite sure where they were when we started planning this trip. It turns out that they are currently residing in Madison, WI.

We had made plans to meet them further north near where we were going to catch the ferry and cross Lake Michigan, but a few weeks ago we heard that all ferry service was canceled due to ramp damage that could not be repaired this year. Amy had suggested Kohler-Andrae State Park where her childhood friend, Molly, works. They met us at the park for a walk along Lake Michigan and then we decided to visit a local brewery and then return to camp to eat. 

Wow does the time go fast. We had dinner late. Molly came by and we all sat by the fire talking and catching up on the past few years. It was midnight before we knew it.