We  have been having a lot of fun, yesterday went RV shopping, we were kicking some tires on the way to Lake Huron.  

  Then it was on to see Lake Huron, each great lake is unique, the sand, shore line and activities all differ.  It has been very interesting exploring them.  Had we known that we would enjoy Michigan so much we would have planned on staying longer so we could explore the Canadian border.    

Today we took it easy and went for the 2 for 1 buffet at the casino.   

Ate way too much

Afterwards took a little siesta on the patio

Our view

On our way to Mt. Pleasant Resort MI

Rest stop in Grand Rapids Mi.

They have some great berries, found these at a roadside stand.

Arrived to a surprisingly nice RV park, place is brand new,  still construction going on .

Interesting town, everything from a casino to shopping and phone service.   A break from the wilderness. 

Great Bike riding outside the resort

Country Road Take Me Home.....Oops. I am home !!

We had a wild day yesterday.  Went to Lake Michigan, Warren Dunes State Park.  We expected to see dunes like the Jersey Shore, were we surprised, they are like small mountains.

Notice the size of the cars from the top.

Hiking up was quite a challenge.

She gets 10 points.

The Dunes

Then off to the beach 

Lake Michigan looks like the Caribbean

It was a beautiful day 72 degree water but like the Caribbean the weather can change fast

Beach sirens were going off, the squall was coming in, everyone was directed to seek shelter

The truck was our shelter

Driving back to Bear Cave Campground, trees were down, roads were blocked all over by fallen trees.  Citizens stepped in to pull trees out of the roads.

We were afraid to see what we would find at the campground.

We were told a small tornado hit,thank goodness we only had a small tear in the awning, and no one was hurt. 

This is the second day with no electric or water, glad we have our generators. 

Buchanan Michigan is a quite little town.  Approximately 30 miles from Lake Michigan.  We have found in our travel that phone and internet is very sparse as you move out of the suburbs.  Moving around the back roads of  Michigan, it doesn't matter what carrier they all have issues.  We are doing our best to keep contact and keep the blog up to date, but at times there will be a lapse.  What we have found is that libraries in these small towns are quite impressive.  With Tom having worked at a library in a college town, 40 miles out of New York, these libraries are on the same caliber if not better.  So if you are traveling remember that libraries are a good resource for town information and unsecured internet access.  We have a few more days in the area, and are planning a trip to Lake Michigan tomorrow. 

Well we have been in Buchanan Michigan at Bear Cave Resort, arrived June 9th.  Internet and phone do not work so we will keep it simple.

The  Campground 

It's our last day in Howe Indiana.   Had a really nice stay not sure if we will be back this way again,  but you never know.   We  went over to Sturgis MI to do some food shopping, it's the closest large town in the area.    They opened a new grocery,clothing store, it's like a Walmart and Target on steroids called Meijer, if you ever see one stop and take a look it is quite impressive.
Yesterday we went to the Coachman compound to see how a Chaparral fifth wheel was made.  On the way we dodged on the road, farm machinery,  Amish horse drawn buggies,  and Amish on bikes.    Some areas by Howe remind us of Bird-in-Hand  in PA.

Class C Chassis 

One thing we did notice is that it seems to stay lighter longer here.  It's 8:27 pm and the sun is  still out.  Doesn't get dark till 9:20 pm.  

We went to Grand Design RV today to see how they build their RV's.  But before I get into today, we had another vintage Blue Bird class A RV pull in next to us.

They are having a rally in Shipshewana, IN  this  weekend.

Outside Grand  Design Headquarters in Middlebury,  IN .  We had a tour of their manufacturing plant and  met Don Clark one of the owners.  The company was started in 2013 and now ranks number 4 in RV sales in the US.

We finally found a food store on the way back to Howe.  Outside the food store in LaGrange IN this afternoon we ran across these fellows outside the store. 

It's a rainy afternoon, so we are catching up on paper work, Tom is cooking his new favorite snack, boiled peanuts, and we have cinnamon bread in the bread machine. This morning we had donuts and coffee with the president and treasurer of the RV park.   Then it was off to the farmers market in town.

We were very surprised to see horses tied up , a lot of the vendors were Amish.

                                            
Farmers Market.

We also did a walking tour of historic Howe.    It's one of the oldest towns in Indiana.    A number of buildings in town were built in the mid 1800's and they are still standing.  The town has changed names several times through the years.

Howe United Methodist Church built 1847.

The Searing House and Lima Presbyterian from the mid 1800's.

Some cool murals in town.

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Howe, Indiana

Tom is like a kid in a candy store.   We are in the RV capital of the United States and  will be visiting some RV factories to see how they are made along with  sightseeing.   We are at Howe Indiana, when we pulled in we met our neighbors in this cool 1988 Class A bus.

   Vintage, even has an original built in blender.

Then we saw someone pull in towing a fifth wheel and a car, that was a first.

Well its our last day in Jefferson Ohio, great place,we will be back for July 4th.   Having lunch at the best donut shop ever  "Legally Sweet ".  If you are ever in the area would recommend it.  Next stop,  Howe  Indiana.

Cake case