Leaving Minnesota - year 3

I wrote this about a week ago and just now have an opportunity to post it. Writing about leaving Minnesota brought back all the ambivalence I was feeling at the time. 

Today I am sitting at Thompson’s West End Campground in Washburn, Wisconsin… waiting for a call back from Microsoft technical support because for some reason my computer refuses to install updates. They said they would call an hour ago. Don’t know how long I should wait. But that is my problem, not the problem of my dear readers.  I started this 2 days ago. Now I’m in Marquette. I did get a call back from Microsoft and they worked for hours and hours actually reinstalling Windows 7. And after all that was done I went to install updates and nothing had changed. Now I no longer have Wi-Fi for time being. I also am having problems getting my phone to connect to wi-fi. Enough about that.

Last time I wrote was from Mississippi Riverwood on August 26. Seems like a long time ago. We left there on September 1, the day after Greg’s birthday. He’s 40 now. Life does go on even after you are retired.

I will write about the places that we’ve been and the things we have seen and done beginning with Aleatha and Kyle’s wedding reception or Shindig. They roasted a pig out at Kyle’s dad’s place and a bunch of people from both families gathered to play games and eat a feast.

It was a cool overcast day with occasional spatters of rain. Overall it was a good celebration with this young couple starting out. After the shindig, we went back to our camper. Later Greg and Peggy joined us along with brothers Ludwig and Dick. We build a bonfire and enjoyed one of our last days at Mississippi Riverwood. On Sunday we went in to Greg and Peggy’s to celebrate Greg’s birthday and enjoy an afternoon with them. I got to play with Edie one more time. Then we spent a couple of days getting the rig ready to travel and left on Thursday and headed up north to sister Jean and brother Mark’s house where we stayed for 4 nights. We had a few days to get ready for the family reunion and enjoyed some really good meals around their big table with family members.

The family reunion was on Sunday and we had about 100 people come. I got to meet some people who I didn’t even know I was related to, see some cousins who I hadn’t seen in forever and of course, play with Edie one last time before we left the state.

On Labor Day we headed farther up north. We took 4 days to get to Camp Deer where we stayed for the Jug Band Boogie. We spent 2 days in Grand Rapids at the county fairgrounds. While we were there, we got some groceries and got some rest. We met some Palmdale friends who have a summer cabin up there for breakfast. We then moved to Scenic State Park up by Big Fork for a couple of days. Brother John’s wife Mandy joined us for dinner along with brother Mark who was in the area doing a radio show in Grand Rapids. We enjoyed some steaks and a bottle of wine while it poured down rain outside. We took another day to rest there before moving up to Camp Deer.

We enjoyed 3 days at Camp Deer with more family time. Brother’s Ludwig, Dick and Byron along with Sisters Kay and Elaine and her husband Loy also came up for the Boogie.

More family dinners and some good time watching the sun set over Deer Lake, bon fires by the beach, a little bit of fishing and of course listening to the jug bands on a beautiful September day brought our summer in Minnesota to an end.

We spent a night in Duluth overlooking the harbor where I was able to get my laundry done before we left the state.

On September 13 we headed into Wisconsin and followed Highway 13 along the Lake Superior to Washburn just down the road from Bayfield where we camped for 4 nights. On our way there we stopped at Brother Dick’s recommendation for fish chowder at the Village Inn in Cormucopia. On Friday we went to Patsy’s in Washburn for a hamburger and fish fry, also on Dick’s recommendation. W went over to Bayfield on Wednesday and caught the fairy to Madeline Island

and spent the day checking out the island. The next day we took a cruise out to the Apostle Islands and stopped at Michigan Island where we toured the light house. On Friday I spent a good part of the day trying to get my computer fixed and on Saturday we went to Big Tap Chataqua the season closing festival at Big Top Chataqua at Mt. Ashwabe. The Big Tap and “Fatty 5K” has music in the Big Top along with local microbreweries and wineries handing out samples along with some food vendors. The local restaurants have tables set up along a 5K hike up the ski mountain where you can get a taste of some of the best local foods. They also have a hay ride up to the top of the mountain for those who prefer.. that would be Don.

So yesterday we drove here to Marquette and will spend some time checking out what there is to see and do here.

9/1/2016 – 9/4/2016 – Left Mississippi Riverwood and moved to Mark and Jean’s place in rural Crow Wing County

9/5/2016 – 9/6/2016 – Itasca County Fairgrounds, Grand Rapids, MN

9/7-9/8/2016 – Scenic State Park near Big Fork, MN

9/9-9/11/2016 – Camp Deer, Effie MN

9/12/16 -  Lake Head Boat Basin Campground, Duluth MN

9/13-9/17/16 Thompson’s West End RV Park, Washburn, WI

9/18-9/19/116 Ojibwa Casino in Marquette, MI