Here’s what’s happening with us....

WJ Hayes State Park on Round Lake in Michigan. This was our first US stop of the trip. The park is smaller and very quiet. We arrived on Friday with the sun and blue sky. The next day it was back to rain…for the next two days. At least it was on/off rain most times. We ended up taking “trips” into town almost every day to occupy ourselves.

Come day 9 it was time for a laundry run….only because of the rain. John did the laundry while Stephanie did some grocery shopping. It’s been awhile since we used a laundromat and we were a bit surprised at how much it cost. The wash/dry was US$22.

One of routes we took into town brought us around the massive MIS. Shelby was not racing here, but he will be in Alabama next week. We look forward to catching up with him in Indianapolis in a couple of weeks to see his final professional race of the season.

This was our first trip using the Sarnia, CA/Port Huron, MI crossing. it is quite a bit different from the Prescott, CA/Ogdensburg, NY crossing. In Ogedensburg, a busy day might mean a 10-15 minute wait to clear the US Customs. At Port Huron it was probably closing in on one hour. The agent we encountered was very pleasant, courteous, and welcoming….but we finally we found out why are line was moving slower than the others…..He was quite the “chatty kathy” So chatty, he didn’t even ask if we had much to declare, just if we had chicken or eggs. The he proceeded to tell us that he’s not sure why it matters, but that’s what he was supposed to ask today. Never mind about alcohol, cigarettes, or firearms…(we only had a bit of alcohol). All and all a very good experience. On the way back we hope to cross the new Gordie Howe Bridge.

Dalewood Conservation Area….part of the Kettle Creek Conservation Authority, located just outside London ON. We have stayed here a couple of times before. For birthdays, funerals, and just plain visiting family. We met up with John’s cousin Tom and wife Jennifer. They were kind enough to start their fall camping season early so to meet us here.We arrived about 15:30 to find them just settling into their site. After set up and dinner they joined us for campfire.

On night two we enjoyed a beautiful smoked salmon that Tom smoked along with a vast array of sides…..all provided by cousin Kelly (and Tim), and second cousin Leah (and Luke). It was a bit of a challenge to keep all the names strait…(second cousin Leah and her friend Luke) and our two dogs Leia and Luke. It was an amazing time….John’s cousin Kelly worked in the kitchen of a summer camp this summer so she and him had at least one hour of “Summer Camp” conversations….

Day three was Stephanie’s birthday. Number 58ish to be exact… Stephanie and I headed into London to visit the “Gone Home” crowd. For those who are not familiar with Scouting terms, Gone Home is exactly what it may sound like. We discovered that nobody has left their appointed spots, which is good….and all the spots were in the same place…also good. After we were done we enjoyed our last campfire with Tom and Jennifer before we parted our ways.