2014 Western Camping...Day 6...Sunday, June 8, 2014

The usual “morning ritual”...up early for coffee and breakfast. Then, we are on the road once again. It's a long drive today...north out of Cloquet up to Voyageurs National Park...way up in the northern part of Minnesota near the Canadian Border.
Voyageurs National Park is almost exclusively a “boaters” park. Their are a series of lake and rivers comprising the park, and most of that is accessible only from the water. We arrive late afternoon and drive to one of several Visitor's Centers. The ranger is not particularly helpful, but we get a “guide” to the area. We are at Lake Kabetogama, and there is a choice between camping at one of several National Forest Campgrounds or private camping at one of the many resorts and lodges on the south shore of the lake. We opt for sites in a small resort on a secluded cove. It's too late to do much today, but we plan out our activities for tomorrow...rent a pontoon boat, bar hop around the shore of the lake, dock at one of many small islands for lunch. It should be a very fun day.
Afternoon “cocktail hour” begins...Roger splits some logs with his “splitter ax” for a nice big fire. A “snacking dinner” of nuts, chips and salsa, cheese dip, some smoked whitefish.
It's been a long day...and we have our “big day” tomorrow. Off to bed before 10:00PM.

2014 Western Camping...Day 5...Saturday, June 7, 2014

Another early morning of coffee...and a very light breakfast.
Leaving Munising, we stop at a small grocery for more pasties. Now we have a drive of several hours to Minnesota...to a KOA Campground just outside of Duluth in the town of Cloquet, Minnesota. Along the way, we stop a few times for fuel (I'm only getting 10-11mpg towing the camper, so my “cruising range” is only about 200 miles or so). At 12:00, we stop at a roadside park for a lunch,,,enjoying the pasties we bought in the morning.
Late afternoon, we arrive at the KOA in Cloquet. My cousin, Bill, and I camped here last year, and it was a pretty nice campground. But...not so nice this time around. First, they bill the wrong bank card for my stay, and I get “dinged” with an overdraft fee...so my $30.00 site becomes a $60.00 site. It's rained here, and the campground is really muddy. Their Wi-Fi is not working, so no Internet access.
We grill some bratwurst and bacon for dinner...open a few bottles of wine...builsd another fire in our wet and muddy firepit.
We get out our atlas to plan our trip for tomorrow. We decide to head north to Voyageurs National Park. I had to skip that stop last year, so I'm excited now to get a chance to visit a “new” National Park.
A few “bourbons” around the campfire, but it's windy and cold.
Yet another early night.

2014 Western Camping...Day 4...Friday, June 6, 2014

Another early morning with Roger...coffee, followed by another “monster” breakfast, supplemented this morning with several pieces of French Toast.
Around 10:00AM, we pack up and head out on the road again. On the way out of town, we pick up a few “pasties” for dinner. A few hours later, we have arrived in Munising, Michigan. There's a city-owned campground, so we check in there. It's got a nice view of Lake Superior, but layout of the camping sites is not very well thought out. The water hookups are at least thirty feet away...the electric even further. We have to use every water hose and extension cord that we have.
We are right near the historic “Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore”, and there are boat trips available. Everyone recommends the “sunset cruise”, so we book that for tonight. There are no taxis in Munising, but there is a guy who ferries people around in a small bus for $5.00 a trip. So, after a late afternoon “snack” of pasties and red wine, we head to the docks for our boat rip. It lasts for 3 ½ hours, and the views...caves, lots of colors, majestic cliffs...are most impressive. We all get a lot of great photos.
A little before 9:30PM, we're back at the docks, and our bus driver takes us a mile or so up the road to an American Legion Club. We're the only patrons at this hour, so we enjoy a few quick cocktails and head back to camp.
Another long day...another early night.

2014 Western Camping...Day 3...Thursday, June 5, 2014

Roger and I are both “early-risers” and, this morning, we're enjoying our first cup of coffee at 6:30PM.
It got down into the very low 40's last night so, before I climbed into bed, I turned on the furnace in my camper for ten minutes or so to warm things up. Then, nestled under my down comforter, I was plenty warm for the rest of the night.
Roger cooks up one of his classic breakfasts...Nueske's bacon, sausages, eggs, toast, milk and more coffee. Thus fortified, we grab a shuttle bus from the campground to the ferry docks for our ride over to Mackinac Island for the day. The ferry ride is nice...it's a sunny ride of twenty minutes or so. On the Island, we immediately head for the first bar that we see for Bloody Marys and beer...then across the street to the “Pink Pony” for another round.
And so...for the next five hours or so, we hike around town...stopping for more beers, a little shopping, and a bite here and there. I get some whitefish “fingers” that are excellent. And, towards the end of the day, we find a nice little wine bar where we all enjoy a glass of really excellent California Cabernet.
By 3:00PM or so, we've had enough of “bar hopping”, so we get back on the ferry and return to the campground for more cocktails.
We've eaten well during the day, so dinner consists of some sliced salami, a few pieces of cheese and crackers...and, of course, more wine. At sunset, we build another big fire. But...it's been a long day...and, by 9:30PM, we have all retired for the evening.

2014 Western Camping...Day 2...Wednesday, June 4, 2014

At 6:00AM or so, I'm up after a good night's sleep. My new camper is insulated well, so I've gotten through the night without having to turn the furnace on. Inside, I set up my coffeemaker and brew a pot. Over the next hour or so, I enjoy my coffee and a morning cigar while I check my emails.
Later, I hike for an hour around the campground before returning to camp for breakfast. I made about two dozen pieces of French Toast before I left home, so I heat up a few of those along with more coffee, a glass of orange juice and some milk.
Cousin Bill would like to have my “Go Anywhere” portable toilet for his camper, and I don't need it anymore because I now have a toilet right inside my camper. I had intended to mail it to cousin Bill before I left home, but things got busy, so I brought it with me to mail from up here. I drive 30 miles or so to the FedEx office in Petoskey where they dutifully pack everything up.
I head back to Mackinaw City for lunch...a little family place with good whitefish. I enjoy another big platter of fried whitefish and finish things off with a very large piece of coconut cream pie.
Back at camp, Roger and Gretchen have arrived. I help them set up camp. Later in the afternoon, we settle in for cocktail hour. I break out my bottle of “Eagle Rare”, and we put a pretty good “dent” in that. Roger rustles up a great dinner, and we enjoy that with some wine...a lot of wine.
As night falls, we build a big fire and settle into comfortable chairs for warmth and more wine...a lot more wine.
By 10:00PM, we're all pretty beat, so off to bed.

2014 Western Camping...Day 1...Tuesday, June 3, 2014

The “plan” was to leave on my camping trip yesterday, but a fehead out on this, the “best” day of the year for me. I pet each of the cats, then i'm out the door. It's about five hours to Mackinaw City...overcast skies, but light traffic.
Around 1:00PM, I get my “conference call” from Florida. There is money to be distributed. I have my ideas on distribution...they have theirs. I'm “tough” in the negotiations, and my ideas prevail. But I'm also careful to make some strategic concessions so that everybody can walk away a “winner”. I am very glad when the call is finally over.
The rest of the drive goes by quickly and, around 2:00PM, I'm pulling into the “Tee Pee” Campground. The owner is a friendly guy, and he puts me in one of the best camping sites in the whole park. Other than some playground equipment, I've got a great view of the bridge...and I'm close to the restrooms.
I set up camp pretty fast...I just have to hook up to electric and water. A couple have just been married, and the wedding party is getting photos taken on the beach under cloudy skies.
Around 5:00PM or so, I pour myself a healthy shot of Eagle Rare Bourbon on the rocks and relax at my picnic table. At 7:00PM, I walk about a 1/3 of a mile up the highway from the campground to the Blue Water Grill for dinner...another bourbon and a big platter of fried whitefish...very good. I chat with a guy at the bar...retired 101st Airborne. He just moved up here from Kalamazoo and bought 50 acres o0f land with a nice house...he's enjoying the solitude.
Around 8:30PM, I hike back to camp for a few beers before bed. It's cold, but I'm prepared. Last year, my cousin, Bill, and I froze our rearends off up here. So...this winter, I shopped sales on the Internet and bought down vests, jackets and other “cold weather” gear. Tonight, it's down in the low 40's, but I'm nice and warm in a down vest, fleece vest and flannel-lined jeans.
Around 10:00PM or so, I'm pretty tired...so...off to bed.

"Dispatches from the Pampas"...Day 24...Saturday, March 1, 2014

Lying in bed this morning...in that "twilight" between asleep and awake...I make a "command decision". I have seen enough of Punte del Este...I want some new scenery. So...I decide to head to Montevideo a day early.
This morning, I opt for a bigger breakfast...the usual cafe con leche, yoghurt and granola to which I add some scrambled eggs, sausage and a few nice pancakes slathered with dulce de leche.
After breakfast, I take one last walk for a half hour or so along the beach before heading back to the hotel to check out. By 10:00, I'm on the road...back west to Montevideo. It's a very leisurely two-hour drive. As always, the Garmin does it's job...guiding me effortlessly through the countryside, into the suburbs and deeper into the city until, at last, I arrive at the Hotel Oxford. Once inside, I'm in for a bit of a disappointment...while I have a room starting tomorrow, I'm out of luck for tonight...they're booked up. The desk clerk suggests another hotel, so I drive over there...no luck. A third hotel...no luck. A fourth...a fifth...same story. Finally, on the sixth try, I find a nice (but expensive) hotel with a room available. After check in, I have to park my car in the basement down a very narrow passage at an incredibly steep angle...this will be "fun" coming out.
Once I get settled in, I head out to walk my neighborhood. I'm right in the middle of downtown...lots of hotels and shops, not too many bars or restaurants. However, just four blocks from the hotel is the steakhouse, El Fogon, which my guidebooks have identified as one of the top places for steak in the city...very convenient!
For the next three hours or so, I just walk the city...up one street and down another. One thing that I notice almost immediately is the fact that most people here are carrying some sort of cup and metal straw in one hand and a thermos bottle in the other. They're drinking mate, a highly-caffeinated herbal "tea". I saw a little of this in Argentina but, here in Uruguay, it's everywhere. People make "slurping" noises when they suck through the metal "straw", and that sound is very distinctive (and pervasive). There are even little "mate stations" where you can get your thermos filled with hot water and herba mate leaves to put in your cup. The cup, itself, is made from a "gourd" and usually wrapped in leather. Mate (pronounced, "mah-tay") is perfectly legal (even in the U.S.). It's not a drug, it's just got a whole lot of caffeine.
Around 6:00, I head back to the hotel for a shower and change of clothes...then over to El Fogon for an early dinner. Arriving at El Fogon, I'm somewhat excited because it has that "look" of a classic steakhouse. At 7:00, it's almost empty, so I get a nice table by the front window. After 10 minutes or so, my waiter comes to the table, and I order my traditional "Jack Daniels/hielo/doble". It's almost twenty minutes before my waiter returns with my cocktail...this is the first sign of trouble. I raise the glass to my lips, take a big sniff...hmm...smells like scotch. I take a sip...hmm...it IS scotch. After ten minutes of waving my arms, I finally get my waiter back. I tell him he brought me a scotch. He says no, it's Jack Daniels. I ask to see the bottle...he brings out a bottle of Johnny Walker Black. Now I have to walk to the back of the restaurant to the small bar and point to the bottle of Jack Daniels. So now, almost 40 minutes after my arrival, I finally have my cocktail. It's another fifteen minutes to get a menu. Yet another fifteen to order my dinner...rare rib eye, salad and fries...it's advertised as tonight's special. I ask for a wine list...fifteen minutes. I order a bottle of Tannat. thirty minutes later, my steak arrives...a well-done sirloin...and no wine. I send my steak back. Thirty minutes later, my second steak arrives...it's a rib eye, but also well-done...and no wine! I send the second steak back. Meanwhile, my wine finally arrives. The second steak is a rib eye in which I can detect the faintest hint of pink. I eat it...it's the best that I'm going to do. It's dry and tough...very disappointing. Another thirty minutes to get my check. It's over $100 U.S., which is about double what I paid, on average, in Argentina for a much better steak...plus, I've been in the restaurant for close to FOUR HOURS. I am so mad that I do what I almost never do...I leave no tip.
Fortunately, right around the corner from El Fogon, there's a little pizza place. They have tables outside, and they have large bottles of Patricia beer So I'm able to relax outside on a very pleasant evening...enjoying a cold beer...watching people go by. It's almost 1:00AM before I finish the last of my beer and head back to my hotel for bed. I've already started erasing from my memory the experience at El Fogon.