Lesson Learned

September 8, 2026

When Terry and I plan our trips, we usually have a few places we definitely intend on seeing. For example, this trip we knew we wanted to visit several of Lake Michigan’s lighthouses. And we did.

But it seems like when we allow ourselves to veer off our plotted course, we are usually delightfully surprised at what we encounter. Like the Field of Dreams.

And then occasionally, there are the duds. The places that really weren’t worth our time and attention. But we thought we needed to experience them just because.

The Iowa 80 Truckstop was a dud for us.

Perhaps it was because it was our last day of the trip, and we just had our sights on getting home that afternoon. Or maybe it was that we were tired or hungry.

But it just didn’t seem that big and exciting to us.

We walked around a bit. Bought a couple of snacks that disappointed us. Bought the sticker to document we experienced it.

And when we got back into the van, we both agreed that after all we had experienced on that trip, from the lighthouse views, the lake Michigan beaches, the hills and valleys of Wisconsin and Michigan, the farms with the cornfields to the baseball fields, the largest truck stop in the world just did not impress us.

And now we know.

We made one more important stop that day at Overland Sheepskin in Fairfield, Iowa, to pick up an upgrade for BART.

Can you guess what we bought there? I’ll share in my next post!

 Field of Dreams

September 7, 2026

Yes. . . they built it and we came. And enjoyed every moment of our visit to the Field of Dreams movie site!

This experience has been on my list since we started traveling last fall. But at that time the weather and the timing kept us from doing it.

This trip, due to a couple of pivots we made along the way, lined it up perfectly! And the weather could not have been better for a day on the baseball field!

But first, because it was so close, we stopped by the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Burr Oak, Iowa. And I got my passport stamped again!

This museum stop was definitely worth it, having an actual tour guide who shared stories of Laura’s life during the time she lived in that actual building and made the experience much more interesting.

And then we drove past several corn fields and there it was. . . the magical Field of Dreams!

We got to walk out of the cornfield and into the outfield with a real “Ghost Player” wearing a vintage 1919 Chicago White Sox uniform! He chatted with us for a bit and then asked if we wanted to play ball with him!

Terry became a young boy again as he batted and pitched with that “professional” player on that iconic baseball field surrounded by corn stalks.

All I could do was watch in awe as Terry pitched fastball after fastball. And hit every ball that was pitched within his reach—all into the outfield! I was blown away by his talent!!

And his face was beaming the whole time 😊

After a while, he handed the ball off to another visitor, and he walked hand-in-hand with me still beaming to the gift shop where I bought him a tee shirt and sticker to commemorate the experience.

We drove into Dyersville to see the If You Build It Exhibit which has memorabilia, artifacts, and behind-the-scenes information about the movie. It was worth the $5 fee. And they have less expensive souvenirs!

After all the activity we were ready to head to our Harvest Host location for the night, O So Good Winery, and enjoy a nice meal and beverage. We were warmly welcomed by the owner, and he even restarted the movie (can you guess which one?) for us so we could watch while we ate and relaxed before heading to bed. I enjoyed the pulled pork mac & cheese while Terry scarfed down a Chicago Dog!

We settled down for our last night on the road and had a wonderful night’s sleep. Which was good because the adventure wasn’t over just yet!

You’ll never guess where we went before we got home the next day. . .it was pretty big!

Back to Nature

September 6, 2026

Day 17 of our trip was filled with several wildlife experiences starting with seeing 2 momma deer and a fawn when we left our campsite that morning. Unfortunately, I was too slow to capture them in a photo.

After stopping briefly to catch a picture of Sugar Loaf Bluff, a natural rock-climbing area near Winona, Minnesota, we enjoyed one of the most scenic drives yet. Just west of the Mississippi River, there were beautiful hills and valleys, with lots of corn fields scattered in between. It truly felt like God’s Country.

And then we turned down a gravel road for a bit (per Lola’s instructions!) and found a beautiful campground tucked neatly into a valley with a large creek running through it! There were leafy shade trees, lots of green grass, and a lovely breeze. What a relaxing place!

After a shower in the clean shower house (yay!), Terry brought out our new camp chairs, and we just sat and enjoyed the view. And then I spotted a blue heron flying over and then Terry pointed out a bald eagle!

Later when we took a stroll beside the creek, we spotted a fawn on the other side. She shyly leaped away when we tried to get close enough for a photo.

We may not have had internet or cell service, but we certainly enjoyed being back in nature!

That night, we kept the back doors open and were lulled to sleep by the sound of the creek. . . priceless!

Just when we thought the trip couldn’t get any better, the next day hit it out of the park!

 

History and Eagles

September 5, 2026

Ever since I was a little girl, I have enjoyed reading. I can lose myself in a good book so easily. And one of my favorite authors since childhood has been Laura Ingalls Wilder. In fact, my mom and I both reread her Little House books many times.

And on Day 16 of our latest journey, I got my Laura Ingalls Wilder passport stamped at the museum of her birthplace in Pepin, Wisconsin. I was a little disappointed that the museum seemed to have more artifacts that were not about the author than those that were, but you don’t know until you know.

We also drove 7 miles up the road to visit the Wayside Cabin, which is a replica of the Little House in the Big Woods, the title of the first book in the series she wrote about her pioneering life.

Since seeing these two sites didn’t take long, we decided to pop into Minnesota for lunch at Herb+Arrow in Wabasha, known as the Eagle Capital of America. We sat outside near the Mississippi River bridge and were delighted when 3 bald eagles soared over us as we waited for our food!

After I enjoyed the chicken alfredo and Terry a panini, we took a lovely walk along the river. Then we drove to Perrot State Park to camp for a couple of nights before we headed back to the cabin.

Unfortunately, the shower/restroom facilities did not quite meet our expectations. I guess I was wrong in assuming all Wisconsin State Parks would be as nice as Peninsula SP. It was quite disappointing.

And so, the next morning we pivoted yet again! Stay tuned to find out where we went next!

To Get to the View

September 2, 2026

As you can see by the look on my face in the photo above, I suffer from acrophobia (fear of heights).

So why on Day 15 of this trip did I climb the 60-foot tower at the top of Rib Mountain in Wisconsin? I thought the view would be worth it. The jury is still out on that one.

This tower is nine years older than me and didn’t seem nearly as stable as Eagle Tower in Peninsula State Park which was built just five years ago. That tower was built solid. And that view of Green Bay was stunning!

Rib Mountain is impressive as it is one of the oldest geological formations on earth. At almost 2,000 feet above sea level, it is the third highest point in Wisconsin. But those stairs and minimal railings going up the tower? I’m glad I made it up there and back down. . . once. And once is enough for me.

We did have an enjoyable lunch on the way back down the mountain. We pulled off the road at a ski lift that was closed for the season and had chicken salad sandwiches in the van.

We then made our way to Eau Claire for the night, stopping at a sporting goods store to upgrade our camping chairs. More on that in another post.

The next day I got my passport stamped! Keep following to find out which passport!

 

The Lord’s Day

September 1, 2026

On Day 14 of our latest journey, we had the privilege to worship with the congregation of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Forestville, Wisconsin, where we raised our voice in song with an authentic Baroque style acoustic pipe organ. What a delight!

We then headed to another scenic coastal town that happens to be the salmon and trout capital of the Midwest. . . beautiful Algoma. Lunch at Millie’s Pub & Grill consisted of loaded tots for me and a tasty fish sandwich for Terry.

We then strolled along Algoma’s Crescent Beach, which is a lovely mix of a variety of smooth rocks and sand. I was in rock heaven!

If you look closely in the photo of the boardwalk sign, in the distance you can see their pier which is missing its 125-year-old lighthouse.

You’ll never guess where the lighthouse is!!

It’s undergoing a multi-year restoration. . . in Sturgeon Bay! Right next door to where we were spending the weekend! It seems they loaded the lighthouse on a barge and brought it to the Roen Salvage Company for the makeover.

While that’s going on, the US Army Corps of Engineers is repairing the North Pier foundation for the 150-ton lighthouse. In the meantime, there are temporary navigation markers in place to guide boaters safely in and out of the harbor.

Terry and I are so thankful that God is guiding us on our travels. We had thought about returning home at this point but then felt like there was a little more of America we were supposed to see first.

And so, we pivoted yet again. And we were blessed again with more beautiful sights!

Keep following to find out where we were led next.

 

You Have to See This for Yourself!

August 31, 2026

On Day 13, we saw one of the Top 5 Most Scenic Places I have ever seen!

We started out early as it was a Saturday and I knew it was going to get busy, especially with the sunny weather forecast for that morning. We arrived at Cave Point County Park just before 8am and there were only 2 other cars in the parking lot—perfect!

And the half-mile trail along the rocky Lake Michigan shore was absolutely amazing!! The photos do not do it justice. . . you really have to experience it yourself!

At the half-mile point is where the County Park ends and Whitefish Dunes State Park begins. We walked a little further down the trail and took even more pictures but then went back to the van and drove to the official entrance to that park which is where the dunes/sand beach area is located.

We were the only ones on the beach at first, which was cool but then families started to arrive with all their beach gear. We sat on a bench and watched for a while, but the solitude was broken.

They have a nature center at the state park that shows a video called “People of the Dunes” which is interesting. There are also nice restrooms inside with a limited assortment of souvenirs.

We went back to our Harvest Host site and enjoyed having the heated pool all to ourselves until the wind got a little too cool for us. Then we enjoyed some loaded nachos right before a storm blew in.

Terry rested his eyes and I got to see a rainbow over the marina. What a perfect ending to a wonderful day!

But the adventure didn’t end there. . . wait till you see where we went the next day!

 

Another Favorite Wisconsin Town

August 30, 2026

After a wonderful night’s sleep at a Boondocker’s Welcome (part of Harvest Host) just north of Milwaukee, we woke to a storm front coming in. So, we headed north back towards Door County.

But first, coffee and breakfast at Java Dock in beautiful Port Washington. And since we were in no hurry, we stopped by the harbor and got some photos of the Art Deco style PW Breakwater Lighthouse built in 1935.

It’s so sad that just north of such a beautiful town, a very UGLY data center is being built on nearly 700 acres along Interstate 43. Local citizens tried to recall the mayor Ted Neitzke due to accusations of city leadership being secretive and ignoring environmental and energy concerns. The petition fell short by just a few hundred signatures.

We then checked back in at the Marina in Sturgeon Bay, showered, and took a nap.

We enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner at Gloria’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant along with a few laughs (see photo).

The next day we explored some of God’s handiwork. . . it was breathtaking! Stay tuned!

 

Unexpected Pleasure

August 28, 2026

Sometimes when we’re traveling, we get a wild hair to do something different. Like when we were in South Dakota and decided to pivot through Wyoming and see the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. What fun that was! And on Day 11 of this trip, we did it again!

Neither of us had been to Milwaukee’s American Family Field so we went to see the Brewers play the Mariners. It was too bad they weren’t playing the Cardinals, but it was still a baseball game at a cool stadium.

After a little frustration figuring out the parking app and then at the gate trying to negotiate the online ticket system, we finally made it to our seats. And they were very nice seats indeed! Right above the announcer’s booth!

Terry was in baseball heaven!

And I was pretty happy as well because my favorite Cardinal player from last year is now a Mariner. Too bad he cut his hair. He just didn’t look the same, wearing a different color and having lost his beautiful locks. But I silently cheered for him anyway (I was sitting next to a true Brewer’s fan that I didn’t want to upset) and he had three hits!

During the last Cards game we attended, several foul balls came fairly close to us so of course I googled the seats we were going to be in to see if we needed to be as alert. I found out it would be rare, so I relaxed about that.

Don’t believe everything google says. The guy sitting right behind Terry ended up with a ball that my favorite Mariner player fouled back! Oh, how I wanted that ball!

I settled for a ballpark hotdog and a lemonade. Not quite the same.

The Brewers won the game, and we hung out for a while waiting for the traffic to settle down as it was rush hour at that point.

The photo above was the only one I took that day. Don’t worry, Terry took a few more which he will share with you on Instagram!

The next few days we mostly relaxed and explored one really cool place we already want to revisit. Check it out in my next post!

 

A Day of Rest

August 26, 2026

Even though Day 10 was a Wednesday, we used it as a day of rest. Since we didn’t have far to drive to our next overnight, one of our absolute favorite locations—Door County, Wisconsin, we decided to have breakfast there.

We headed to Scaturo’s in Sturgeon Bay and had the big room in the back almost to ourselves. It was nice and quiet! We ordered electronically from our table, and the food was promptly delivered. . . I had the delicious quiche with a side of fruit while Terry enjoyed a huge plate of biscuits with gravy, eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Then we visited the bakery side of the establishment, and I grabbed a huge piece of cherry pie (which I had been craving since we visited Door County LAST month!).

Our bellies full, we then checked in with our favorite Harvest Host Selina at Bay Marine, just up the street. It almost felt like coming home to be back at that wonderful location!

It was a bit too cool this time to get into the pool, so we did our laundry and took a delightful nap.

We then walked up the street to Kitty O’Reilly’s Irish Pub for dinner.

After a wonderful night’s sleep, it was time for another adventure! You’ll never guess where we went the next day, but I’ll give you a hint: we didn’t wear Cardinal Red!

 

Crossing the Bridge

August 25, 2026

Day 9 of our journey unfortunately dawned cloudy with rain moving in. Terry had wanted to get good photos of us crossing the Mighty Mac, the 5-mile-long suspension bridge that connects Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The forecast said there would be heavy rain for several hours. The photo opportunity was not looking good.

But we had to get to the other side and continue to our next destination, so we set out anyway. We stopped to get gas, and I wondered why the price was so high, $4.69/gallon, when a little man appeared with his step ladder. He proceeded to clean our huge windshield for us with his little scrubbie sponge and paper towels! I can’t remember the last time a gas station provided that service.

As we paid the $4 toll and headed onto the bridge, the sun came out! And the pictures didn’t turn out so bad after all.

We stopped for a late breakfast at the Beary Patch near Engadine. I had the veggie skillet (it even had broccoli!) with homemade bread. It was so tasty!

And the drive along Lake Michigan in the Upper Peninsula was absolutely stunning!

We stopped several times along the way to walk the shoreline including at Lakeview Park in Manistique where the beach was sandy with large rocks, with the East Breakwater Lighthouse in the distance. Even the McDonalds in Manistique had a lake view!

We stopped again at the Menominee North Pier Lighthouse. Terry got some great photos!

Before we knew it, we were at our Harvest Host spot for the night at Ahnapee Brewery in Suamico, just north of Green Bay. We grabbed dinner at the 888 Cheese & Co next door and Terry got some beer and we settled in for a rest.

The next day we spent some time in one of our favorite places. . . stay tuned!

 

Why Do I Do This to Myself?

August 22, 2026

Michigan’s Mackinac Island sees 1 million visitors each year. And on Day 8 of our latest journey, we were two of those million.

Our excursion to the motor-vehicle-free resort island had some truly enjoyable moments. From the stunning scenery we saw while tricycling the island’s 8.2 mile perimeter to the free tasting available in 13 fudge shops (no, we didn’t try them all!) to the amazing views of Mighty Mac (the 5-mile-long suspension bridge that connects Michigan’s Lower Peninsula to its Upper Peninsula).

And we could not have asked for better weather. . . mostly sunny with a bit of breeze and a high temperature in the mid-70s.

And to hear clip clop clip clop of horses’ hooves instead of cars, trucks and motorcycles. . . priceless!

But it could have been better. If only my anxiety hadn’t gotten in the way.

You see, being an older female, my body sometimes doesn’t function as well as it used to. And anxiety tends to make certain situations worse. It was over 8 miles around the island with only 1 bathroom stop at the half-way point. No problem, right?

I thought I had it all planned out. I did my research. I studied the facts. With a destination as popular as this one I knew we would need to get up early, take the first ferry of the day to the island, be the first in line to rent a bicycle, and bike around the island before we did our shopping and before it got so crowded. It was going to be a “perfect day” because I knew what I was doing.

Some of you may remember Terry’s post from February of this year about how our plans are not necessarily God’s plans. Check out that post if you’re new here or don’t remember it. . . it’s a real eye-opener.

We did get up early that day. We were on that first ferry to the island (which I still highly recommend). But because of the undue stress I put on myself, the ride around the island was pretty miserable for me. All I could really think about was if I was going to make it to the pit stop.

And I did. Thank you, God.

But I missed out on the joy of the day.

Has this ever happened to any of you?

I went through the motions of checking things off my game plan. We biked around the island. We sampled the fudge. We bought souvenirs. But an unsettled feeling lingered and then guilt crept in because I felt like I had spoiled the “perfect” day for Terry.

In the several discussions about this trip we’ve had since then, Terry continues to say it was still a good day. We came away with lots of unique memories and wonderful photos. And it was a learning experience for both of us. He’s becoming better at understanding what it’s like to have anxiety and I’m learning to communicate how it feels when it tries to control me.

It certainly wasn’t the easy going, enjoy the day as it happens kind of pleasure Terry and I prefer. Maybe next time I will remember:

Isaiah 56:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”

And hopefully next time, I’ll leave my anxiety behind.

 Off to the Races

August 21, 2026

Day 7 began with a rooster crowing at 6am. . . I thought this was a horse farm!

While Terry enjoyed his pot of coffee, I enjoyed the company of one of the vineyard’s resident horses. For those of you who don’t know, horses and cats (domestic and wild) are my favorite animals!

Then we packed up and headed up to Petosky, home of Michigan’s official state stone which is a 350-million-year-old fossilized coral famous for its distinct six-sided, star-like pattern.

While we didn’t find a Petosky Stone, we did find a delightful healthy food cooperative where we enjoyed a couple of very tasty blueberry muffins. And Terry had another cup of coffee!

As we were heading out of town, I asked how about we check out that little park across the street?

At first, it just looked like a parking lot with an overlook to Little Traverse Bay. But then we saw the staircase going down. . . 65 steps. . . to the most wonderful park with a waterfall, flower gardens, and an amazing view of the bay!

We waited our turn to get some photos of the waterfall, but we were in no hurry. Then we headed off to our next campsite in Mackinaw City.

Can you guess where we went the next day?

A Challenging Day

August 21, 2026

Six days into our journey and I wasn’t feeling quite myself.

Terry enjoyed a pot of coffee and then we hit the road, heading on up the Michigan coastline. We attempted to eat a decent breakfast at a couple of cafes in Ludington, but the wait time was longer than we wanted. We should have known as it was a Saturday. McD’s to the rescue!

We then stopped at Traverse City as there was an item I was interested in purchasing but wanted to check it out in person before I committed to the item. More on that later.

There were so many people in town walking around, enjoying the beautiful late summer day. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t feeling it.

So, we made our way to Charlevoix, a charming town on an isthmus between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix where we stopped for a midafternoon snack of beer (Terry) and wings.

Then we set up camp for the night at our Harvest Host, the Blu Dot Vinyard, which used to be home to a horse farm. In fact, we parked on the oval that used to be a racetrack. A couple of horses grazed in the pasture nearby and there was a lovely breeze blowing that seemed to rejuvenate me. I worked on writing several posts and finished my second book of this trip.

The vineyard came alive that evening with a crowd of wine/beer and music lovers when a live band began playing. Terry and I grabbed our lawn chairs and parked ourselves in the shade with the others and enjoyed music by the Jelly Roll Blues Band.

We met another traveling couple parked next to us, the Bufkin’s, and swapped scenic travel recommendations. Then we munched on a huge pretzel with cheese and watched the clouds roll in.

The next day held several delightful surprises!

 

Another Day, Another Lighthouse

August 19, 2026

The 5^th day of our latest trip began quite and healthy. My sweet Hubbie made my favorite avocado toast for breakfast.

We then headed to Grand Haven South Pierhead Lights. The Outer Light was just extensively renovated and is currently open for public tours from 10am-5pm, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. We showed up on a Friday. But we still enjoyed the walk out to the lights even though it was quite warm that day.

If you also wish to visit this lighthouse, note that it sits in Grand Haven State Park which is in Grand Haven city limits. This park has right-on-the-beach camping available. The campground was packed tightly with rigs of all sizes stacked right next to each other. Not our kind of campground. But it was just a short walk to the beach and the lighthouse.

We were fortunate to find a parking spot on the street just outside the park. It was a longer walk but we didn’t have to pay for a Michigan State Park sticker.

To refresh, we lunched at Lucy’s where I enjoyed their flatbread pizza and Terry had the Lakeshore Special (a fancy turkey sandwich).

We went back to our campsite on a much smaller lake and did a couple loads of laundry, enjoying the peace and relative quiet.

And then. . . a large multi-family group checked in to the four sites next to ours. And they had several children. . . two boys of which decided to play King of the Mountain on top of one of their cars that was right next to our van. . . for a couple of hours.

One of the little girls wanted to join them but her mom wouldn’t let her.

But this was our last night at this campground.

You won’t believe what awaited us at our next stop!

 

We Rode the Dunes!

August 19, 2026

Day Four of our latest adventure started way too early. . .with a 7am alarm. And since we were in the Eastern time zone now, it felt like 6am to us. Ugh!

But we had a destination in mind that gets crowded quickly during the summer and we wanted to do it before it got too busy.

But first, breakfast! We stopped at Colbys Café in Whitehall where Terry enjoyed a huge cup of coffee (I forgot to take a photo, sorry!) and good ole biscuits and gravy. Breakfast of champions, right?

And then it was time to get a little sandy! We took a ride on the sand dunes with Mac Woods near Mears, a family attraction since 1930! They know how to do it right too. It was an amazing experience!

I admit I was a little bit hesitant, thinking it was going to be faster and wilder than it was. But we were buckled in tightly and held on (well, I did) and it was actually like a gentle roller coaster, zooming around curves and up and down the dunes.

Halfway through the ride, we stopped on the bank of the mighty Lake Michigan. Even though it was hazy/foggy that morning, it was still wild to look out and see nothing but water.

Then we ventured up the road and checked out another Michigan lighthouse, the Little Sable built in 1874. Since it had 130 steps and the same narrow staircase as the Cana Island Lighthouse, I decided to wait at the bottom and let Terry climb it. He got some fantastic photos!

For those of you who wish to check out Little Sable, note that it sits in Silver Lake State Park. And in Michigan to enter a state park, you need a sticker which we decided not to get for now. So, we parked a half mile down the road and walked in.

And after all that exercise, we treated ourselves to Whippy Dip, a seasonal family-owned ice cream, coffee, and burger spot next door to Mac Woods. I enjoyed a brownie sundae while Terry demolished a banana split. We called it lunch!

We finished the fabulous day by enjoying several games of Rummy.

We were certainly not prepared for what happened the next day. . . it was pretty crazy!

 

Another Amazing Island

August 15, 2026

The third day of our latest trek started slowly. Terry made coffee for himself while I had green tea and oatmeal. We sat beside the lake, and I tearfully finished my first book. Yes, even though it had a good ending, I was sorry to see the story end.

But our story for the day was just beginning!

We flew (Terry drives fast!) to HOLLAND! Holland, Michigan, that is.

Our first destination was a fabulous lunch at Salt & Pepper Savory Grill where Terry chose the You Gouda Be Kidding Me burger and I had the Naughty Prime Rib Dip. Terry’s choice even came with a Jalapeño on a Steeck!

Then we spent the next several hours thoroughly enjoying 36-acre Windmill Island Gardens! Although we were a few months late for the well-known tulip bloom, the rest of the flowers were blooming in all their glory! Some of them were even taller than Terry!

After a very informative video at the entrance which detailed the history of the island and the iconic windmill, we were amazed at every turn. From the Four Column hand-crafted Dutch Street Organ to the Dutch Carousel to the Amstel Drawbridge, the island just kept impressing us!

The flowers were so very colorful and well taken care of. I kept thinking as we walked among them how my mom would have loved to have seen them.

My only disappointment for the day (besides the fact that we had to leave the flowers) was that only children could ride the Carousel. Not fair!

It was such a wonderful day!

But even more adventure awaited the following day.

 

 

Here We Go Again

August 13, 2026

Weather geek that I am, last week I noticed there was another heat wave headed our way. I asked Terry if he was ready to hit the road again. He replied, “Let’s do it!”

But we’ll have to wait a day to leave as there are storms headed toward our first night’s stay, I told him.

“That’s fine, let’s do it!”

And so, we did.

We packed some food, drinks, clean clothes and I packed a couple new to me books and we headed north again. This time towards Pure Michigan.

It was a hot travel day with the temperature peaking at 95 outside Chicago. I got a little anxious wondering if it was going to get cool enough in the van to sleep that night. And the forecast was calling for storms in the night which I had thought we were going to miss.

But by the time we arrived at our Harvest Host in Michigan City, Indiana, the temperature had cooled to 83. We had a lovely dinner at our Host site, The Brewery Lodge & Supper Club and then took a walk around the property before tucking in for the night.

Around midnight it started storming with heavy rain and intense lightning. But we felt fairly protected tucked into the trees surrounding the parking lot.

We awoke the next morning to a small lake next to the van but that was nothing compared to the 2” hail and tornados that had occurred nearby. God was certainly looking out for us.

Stay tuned to find out what happened when we arrived in Michigan!

Unexpected Photos

August 6, 2026

Here are three interesting things I didn’t expect to photograph on our trip:

1.      Goats eating grass on a roof (Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant, Sister Bay)

2.      Terry with a Woolly Mammoth (Bayview Park, Sturgeon Bay)

3.      Snowmobiler on a highway sign (several places north of Sturgeon Bay).

Life on the road is certainly an adventure!

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

August 5, 2026

We unintentionally picked up a little hitch hiker as we left the campground for the last time (this trip). I’d never seen a spider that color before. I was so glad he was on the outside of the window!

We climbed Eagle Tower for the last time (this trip) and I took one more photo of the view and BART far below us.

Our leaving was bittersweet. . . we had such a wonderful time in northern Door County we didn’t want to leave but we know we will return some day. But there were still some things we wanted to see and do before the day was over.

So, we headed south to Fish Creek and had a wonderful, relaxing breakfast at Bayside Coffee, which overlooked the harbor. Then we walked and shopped the town!

From fudge at The Confectionery, souvenir sweatshirts at On Deck Clothing Company, a wind spinner from a garden décor store to a jar of cherry jam, we came home with some wonderful treasures!

We thoroughly enjoyed Fish Creek’s walkability and the three public restrooms scattered around downtown were very much appreciated.

We then headed to Sturgeon Bay where we had booked a Harvest Host stay at the Marina. But first we stopped at Sonny’s Italian Kitchen & Pizzeria and attempted to eat a 12” Gourmet Veggie Stuffed Pizza. Let’s just say we had leftovers for several days!

The restaurant sits at the south end of the Historic Sturgeon Bay Bridge which was built in 1931 and is on both the State and National Register of Historic Places. This draw bridge is the only overhead truss, Scherzer-type, double-leaf, rolling-lift Bascule Bridge that remains in Wisconsin.

While we were waiting for our pizza, the horn blew to announce that the bridge was being raised. As we were seated outside on the raised patio, the sound was very close and loud. I shuddered and grabbed the table, at first not understanding what was going on. When Terry laughed, I assumed he was laughing at me as I startle easily. Nope, he was laughing at his own reaction!

Life on the road is certainly an adventure!