Saturday, August 29, Little House took us over the Mackinac Bridge as we headed south then west to Montague, MI. This small town of about 2300 residents sits on White Lake, just a few miles from Lake Michigan. Trailway Campground is a city-owned park and is being managed by our friends, Lacy & Kathy. The campground is well-run, very neat and quiet, although the sites are close together. We met Kathy & Lacy about 8 years ago when they were working at the Anderson, SC KOA where we often stopped when we traveled from NC to AL. They are both amateur radio operators and our friendship began with that shared interest. We've stayed in touch through the years, with a few meetings, and we were very happy to be able to spend time with them once again.
Tomorrow, we will get the wheels moving to Celina, OH for a service appointment at Cruising America RV Service, owned by Kevin Mallory. Our front rooftop A/C is still not working right in spite of several repair attempts. Kevin is a former employee with American Coach and we've always been pleased with his work. After Celina, we'll be heading northeast to New York for two rallies in September.
Our life on the highways and byways of America.
Monday, August 28, 2017
CASINO TOUR WRAPUP: August 19-26
The last week of our casino tour... 13 casinos since the end of June...ended in St. Ignace, MI. We spent more time with Dave and Charlotte. Alabama friends - John & Peggy arrived at Dave & Charlotte's house mid-week. We all had a nice lunch together on Thursday at the Mackinac Grill in St. Ignace, on the the shore of Lake Huron, and enjoyed a cookout at Dave & Charlotte's lakeside home on Friday. It's always a great treat to spend time with friends. Both of these couples will be joining us at a rally in New York in September.
The final tally for our casino gambling showed us to be on the winning side overall, which is always nice to see. We've come away with a few strategies for the future, and look forward to more casino visits wherever we are traveling.
The final tally for our casino gambling showed us to be on the winning side overall, which is always nice to see. We've come away with a few strategies for the future, and look forward to more casino visits wherever we are traveling.
Monday, August 21, 2017
ST. IGNACE, MI: To the Moose Lodge and Back
There was heavy rain predicted for last Thursday and Friday, so we did most of our preparations for moving down the road to the Moose Lodge on Wednesday night....disconnected the water hookup, brought the two big slides in so the toppers wouldn't have water on them and bring that moisture inside, took the large ham radio antenna down and retracted the two awnings. The weatherman's forecast was accurate - heavy rain began about 5:30 A.M. on Thursday, and continued most of the day. We were hoping for a little lull in the activity, but ended up moving as the rain continued to fall.
The Moose Lodge camping is on a fairly flat grassy area, and we saw standing water, but the ground seemed firm so we weren't too concerned about parking in it. After we settled into our spot, we noticed that there was a dryer looking area just down the row, so we decided to move to another spot. That was when we found out that the ground at the rear of our space was not so firm - Little House's rear wheels had sunk about 8 inches into the ground and we were not going anywhere. No sense in sitting there spinning our wheels, and fortunately we were sitting perfectly level so we settled in and hoped that by the time we needed to return to the casino on Saturday the ground would have drained enough for us to move.
The Moose Lodge women host a fish fry every Friday evening. The menu includes your choice of whitefish, perch, shrimp or chicken, or a combo of two, with side dishes, a great salad bar and homemade desserts. Our friends, Dave and Charlotte joined us in supporting the ladies' efforts as we enjoyed a delicious dinner. After dinner they visited with us and discussed our plans for extracting our Little House from the mud.
Saturday morning, the sun was out and there a nice breeze, but unfortunately the ground was still moist enough that the big dual wheels couldn't get enough traction to move our 38,000 pounds out of the muddy ruts. We have roadside assistance that provides wrecker service, but we wanted to avoid that if at all possible. Hank spent about an hour trying to raise the coach with the jacks so that he could get wood under the wheels, at least far enough to give us some traction, but the ground was still soft enough that it just pushed any wood into the muck.. A hardware store visit was necessary to get a small shovel and kitty litter. After another hour Hank had dug enough ground up in the front and back of both the left and right pairs of dual wheels to convert the hole into a short trench about 4 ft. long, and then spread kitty litter in front of and in back of the wheels. He was then able to rock forward and backward to get just enough of a running start so that momentum would carry Little House over the hump and out of the muck, and without hesitating, he drove the 50 feet or so to solid ground - Little House was free!
Lesson learned! You can bet we won't be parking on soil with standing water in the future if we can possibly help it - even if it is supposed to be firm and draining well!
After all of the unwanted excitement we had on Saturday morning, it was nice to return to the quiet RV parking area at the casino, empty our waste tanks at the dump station, and settle in for another week's stay....on very solid ground.
The Moose Lodge camping is on a fairly flat grassy area, and we saw standing water, but the ground seemed firm so we weren't too concerned about parking in it. After we settled into our spot, we noticed that there was a dryer looking area just down the row, so we decided to move to another spot. That was when we found out that the ground at the rear of our space was not so firm - Little House's rear wheels had sunk about 8 inches into the ground and we were not going anywhere. No sense in sitting there spinning our wheels, and fortunately we were sitting perfectly level so we settled in and hoped that by the time we needed to return to the casino on Saturday the ground would have drained enough for us to move.
The Moose Lodge women host a fish fry every Friday evening. The menu includes your choice of whitefish, perch, shrimp or chicken, or a combo of two, with side dishes, a great salad bar and homemade desserts. Our friends, Dave and Charlotte joined us in supporting the ladies' efforts as we enjoyed a delicious dinner. After dinner they visited with us and discussed our plans for extracting our Little House from the mud.
Saturday morning, the sun was out and there a nice breeze, but unfortunately the ground was still moist enough that the big dual wheels couldn't get enough traction to move our 38,000 pounds out of the muddy ruts. We have roadside assistance that provides wrecker service, but we wanted to avoid that if at all possible. Hank spent about an hour trying to raise the coach with the jacks so that he could get wood under the wheels, at least far enough to give us some traction, but the ground was still soft enough that it just pushed any wood into the muck.. A hardware store visit was necessary to get a small shovel and kitty litter. After another hour Hank had dug enough ground up in the front and back of both the left and right pairs of dual wheels to convert the hole into a short trench about 4 ft. long, and then spread kitty litter in front of and in back of the wheels. He was then able to rock forward and backward to get just enough of a running start so that momentum would carry Little House over the hump and out of the muck, and without hesitating, he drove the 50 feet or so to solid ground - Little House was free!
Lesson learned! You can bet we won't be parking on soil with standing water in the future if we can possibly help it - even if it is supposed to be firm and draining well!
After all of the unwanted excitement we had on Saturday morning, it was nice to return to the quiet RV parking area at the casino, empty our waste tanks at the dump station, and settle in for another week's stay....on very solid ground.
Monday, August 14, 2017
ST. IGNACE, MI: Kewadin Shores Casino
Sunday, August 13, Little House carried us from Brimley, MI to the Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace, MI......about an hour's drive on state roads with little traffic. This is a large casino with 700 slot machines and table games on the shore of Lake Huron, owned by the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of the Chippewa Indians. It includes a hotel, entertainment center, indoor pool, and 3 dining venues.
Entrance to casino and hotel
The RV hookups are located along two sides of a remote parking lot - grass/gravel sites with water, 30/50 amp electric hookups, and a picnic table for $15 per night. The dump station is nearby.
Our view of the area
The building in the distance is the casino/hotel. We're parked in a quiet location away from those who come and go to the casino. We have access to all the amenities of the hotel.
St. Ignace is a small town of about 2400 people and is the second-oldest city founded by Europeans in Michigan. It's situated at the north end of the Mackinac Bridge. The main tourist area is along the shore of Lake Huron with many restaurants, motels, and ferry service to Mackinac Island; a boardwalk to a marina, lighthouse and city park; tourist shops and a state park.
This is our 3rd summer to visit this area. Our RV-Ham Radio friends, Dave & Charlotte, live about 20 miles west of here and we'll be getting together with them several times while we're in the area.
We had planned to stay here until August 26, but today we got word that we have to leave for two days this week because of a big entertainment event at the casino which requires the RV lot to be used for parking cars. Being in a tourist area and getting a last minute spot at a local campground at a low cost could have been a problem. The Moose Lodge just down the road has a few camping sites, so we asked them if we could use one of their campsites and they welcomed us to do so for $20 per night. Problem solved! We'll move there on Thursday morning, August 17 and return to the casino on Saturday, August 19. to finish out our time in St. Ignace.
Entrance to casino and hotelThe RV hookups are located along two sides of a remote parking lot - grass/gravel sites with water, 30/50 amp electric hookups, and a picnic table for $15 per night. The dump station is nearby.
Our view of the area
The building in the distance is the casino/hotel. We're parked in a quiet location away from those who come and go to the casino. We have access to all the amenities of the hotel.
St. Ignace is a small town of about 2400 people and is the second-oldest city founded by Europeans in Michigan. It's situated at the north end of the Mackinac Bridge. The main tourist area is along the shore of Lake Huron with many restaurants, motels, and ferry service to Mackinac Island; a boardwalk to a marina, lighthouse and city park; tourist shops and a state park.
This is our 3rd summer to visit this area. Our RV-Ham Radio friends, Dave & Charlotte, live about 20 miles west of here and we'll be getting together with them several times while we're in the area.
We had planned to stay here until August 26, but today we got word that we have to leave for two days this week because of a big entertainment event at the casino which requires the RV lot to be used for parking cars. Being in a tourist area and getting a last minute spot at a local campground at a low cost could have been a problem. The Moose Lodge just down the road has a few camping sites, so we asked them if we could use one of their campsites and they welcomed us to do so for $20 per night. Problem solved! We'll move there on Thursday morning, August 17 and return to the casino on Saturday, August 19. to finish out our time in St. Ignace.
August 6 - August 13: Brimley, MI
Our week in Brimley was relaxing. We went to the Bay Mills Casino across the street several times, visited the small King's Club casino just down the road (also owned by the Bay Mills Indian Community). We drove to Sault Ste. Marie, 15 miles away, to watch the big freighters approach the locks, shopped at Walmart and played a few dollars at the Kewadin Casino there. We had a sewer hook-up at the Bay Mills Casino RV Park, so we were able to get caught up on a large pile of laundry as we had not had a sewer connection for a couple of weeks in previous locations. Hank did some major computer work on some club websites. The weather was great with only two days of occasional rain. All in all it was a very enjoyable stay and we actually broke even for the week in our slot play.
Sunday, August 6, 2017
JULY 31 - AUGUST 6: A Week in Manistique (well almost)
On Monday, July 31, we left the Kewadin Christmas Casino. It was time to dump the tanks, and we were a little ahead on playing the slots. The Bay Furnace Campground in the Hiawatha Forest Recreation Area was across the street from the casino. We used their dump station for a $5 fee, and emptied our waste tanks and filled up with fresh water to be ready for our next destination which had only electric hookups - the Kewadin Manistique Casino.
This casino has a 10 site free campground on grass with 20 amp electric hookups. There are two 30 amp outlets at the edge of the parking lot and we were able to get one of those. The casino is on Hwy. 2 about 4 miles east of Manistique and is another small facility with a restaurant, bar, over 250 slot machines and a virtual roulette table, but no hotel or entertainment center. We didn't finish in the black, but our losses were a small price to pay for 6 nights of free camping.
During our stay, we explored the town of Manistique and some of the surrounding area, spent time on the shore of Lake Michigan watching the waves and the people, and found a great grocery store - Jack's Foods. This is the first large grocery we've found since we left Oklahoma. Most grocery stores in the U.P. are small, not much bigger than an Aldi's, so the selection is not always very good. The weather was comfortable and we had two days of rain accompanied by very high winds.
Today we pulled up the jacks and made the 2 hour drive to Brimley, MI and the Bay Mills Campground, across from the casino on the Whitefish Bay of Lake Superior, about 15 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie.
This is a campground with gravel pull-thru sites, full and partial hookups, free cable and good WiFi bathhouse, laundry and dump station.
We're in site 1, the one on the far left. The casino is across the street via the walkway.
This is a return visit for us and we'll be here for a week. This larger casino has a hotel with 142 rooms, 4 restaurants, 1000 slot and video poker machines, table games, free alcohol and soft drinks while playing, and an entertainment center.
This casino has a 10 site free campground on grass with 20 amp electric hookups. There are two 30 amp outlets at the edge of the parking lot and we were able to get one of those. The casino is on Hwy. 2 about 4 miles east of Manistique and is another small facility with a restaurant, bar, over 250 slot machines and a virtual roulette table, but no hotel or entertainment center. We didn't finish in the black, but our losses were a small price to pay for 6 nights of free camping.
During our stay, we explored the town of Manistique and some of the surrounding area, spent time on the shore of Lake Michigan watching the waves and the people, and found a great grocery store - Jack's Foods. This is the first large grocery we've found since we left Oklahoma. Most grocery stores in the U.P. are small, not much bigger than an Aldi's, so the selection is not always very good. The weather was comfortable and we had two days of rain accompanied by very high winds.
This is a campground with gravel pull-thru sites, full and partial hookups, free cable and good WiFi bathhouse, laundry and dump station.
We're in site 1, the one on the far left. The casino is across the street via the walkway.
This is a return visit for us and we'll be here for a week. This larger casino has a hotel with 142 rooms, 4 restaurants, 1000 slot and video poker machines, table games, free alcohol and soft drinks while playing, and an entertainment center.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
CHRISTMAS IN JULY!!
Sunday, July 23: We said farewell to
Baraga, MI and the Ojibwa Casino so we could continue our Michigan
casino tour to the Ojibwa Casino east of Marquette. Upon arrival,
we found out that this casino would be undergoing a huge
renovation and adding a hotel, entertainment center and new RV
Park. Unfortunately for us, they expected to close the RV park on
July 24 when construction equipment started arriving. We parked in
one of the 7 RV sites with electric hookups, checked in with the
service desk and each of us received $25 in free play and 2 free
drinks. Each day we stayed, we'd get $5 a piece and 2 free
drinks.
The casino was about 10 miles east of Marquette on Hwy. 28.
Our site was the one on the right (not our coach).
We could dry camp in the parking lot after the July 24, and it was tempting to stay there and receive free play everyday. However, mid-day on Monday we decided to move on, but not before we turned their free play into over $40 between the two of us..
Monday, July 24: Our next stop was 28 miles east to The Kewadin Christmas Casino in Christmas, MI, where it really is Christmas all year long! The Kewadin Casinos are a set of casinos in Michigan owned by the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The primary property is located in Sault Ste. Marie, with additional locations in Christmas, Hessel, Manistique and St. Ignace.
This is our first visit to the Christmas location This is the smallest casino we've been to, with just over 200 slot machines, a few table games, grill with bar, and 8 free RV sites with 30 amp electric hookups. It appears to be the least attented casino we've been to and therefore not as smoky. There are 8 RV sites that are very close together, and some were already occupied when we arrived, but we managed to back into one with our rear wheels on the dirt area behind us so we wouldn't block parking lot lanes. We only extended the two driver's side slides because of the limited space.
In the picture, the casino is to the left, we're in the 3rd space from the left where the fifth wheel is with extra room on the driver's side. Hwy. 28 is directly behind the camera.
We were already Kewadin casino club members because of previous visits to St. Ignace and Sault Ste. Marie in past years, so no free play for us this time. It was time to put some of our previous winnings to use!
Wednesday, July 26: Wednesday is Senior Day and there were free pastries and coffee when the casino opened at 9:00 A.M. (Most casinos we've visited are open 24 hours or close to it. Christmas closed at 1 A.M). After eating lunch at the Foggy's Steakhouse just across the road from the casino, we did some sight seeing and shopping in Munising, about 4 miles to the east, another town that sits on the scenic shore of Lake Superior. This would a beautiful place to live if it wasn't for the very cold temperatures and heavy snow that is part of winter here.
So far, our slot play has left Hank a little bit ahead and Selene a little bit behind. The date of our departure from here will probably depend on when our black and grey tanks need to be dumped or we need to fill the fresh water tank (no facilities here to do that). Once again there's no OTA (over the air) TV reception, but Verizon is working well for our internet usage. (Glad we switched to an unlimited plan a few months ago). There is no Sprint coverage here. The weather is cool and sunny most of the time, and it's interesting watching the traffic on Hwy. 28, the RVs coming and going, and the people going in and out of the casino, some smiling, and others not so much.
The casino was about 10 miles east of Marquette on Hwy. 28.
Our site was the one on the right (not our coach).
We could dry camp in the parking lot after the July 24, and it was tempting to stay there and receive free play everyday. However, mid-day on Monday we decided to move on, but not before we turned their free play into over $40 between the two of us..
Monday, July 24: Our next stop was 28 miles east to The Kewadin Christmas Casino in Christmas, MI, where it really is Christmas all year long! The Kewadin Casinos are a set of casinos in Michigan owned by the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The primary property is located in Sault Ste. Marie, with additional locations in Christmas, Hessel, Manistique and St. Ignace.
This is our first visit to the Christmas location This is the smallest casino we've been to, with just over 200 slot machines, a few table games, grill with bar, and 8 free RV sites with 30 amp electric hookups. It appears to be the least attented casino we've been to and therefore not as smoky. There are 8 RV sites that are very close together, and some were already occupied when we arrived, but we managed to back into one with our rear wheels on the dirt area behind us so we wouldn't block parking lot lanes. We only extended the two driver's side slides because of the limited space.
In the picture, the casino is to the left, we're in the 3rd space from the left where the fifth wheel is with extra room on the driver's side. Hwy. 28 is directly behind the camera.
We were already Kewadin casino club members because of previous visits to St. Ignace and Sault Ste. Marie in past years, so no free play for us this time. It was time to put some of our previous winnings to use!
Wednesday, July 26: Wednesday is Senior Day and there were free pastries and coffee when the casino opened at 9:00 A.M. (Most casinos we've visited are open 24 hours or close to it. Christmas closed at 1 A.M). After eating lunch at the Foggy's Steakhouse just across the road from the casino, we did some sight seeing and shopping in Munising, about 4 miles to the east, another town that sits on the scenic shore of Lake Superior. This would a beautiful place to live if it wasn't for the very cold temperatures and heavy snow that is part of winter here.
So far, our slot play has left Hank a little bit ahead and Selene a little bit behind. The date of our departure from here will probably depend on when our black and grey tanks need to be dumped or we need to fill the fresh water tank (no facilities here to do that). Once again there's no OTA (over the air) TV reception, but Verizon is working well for our internet usage. (Glad we switched to an unlimited plan a few months ago). There is no Sprint coverage here. The weather is cool and sunny most of the time, and it's interesting watching the traffic on Hwy. 28, the RVs coming and going, and the people going in and out of the casino, some smiling, and others not so much.
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