August 2021

We squeezed a lot of traveling into the month of August. Highways, byways, and ferries. Here are some of the highlights:

Michigan

We took the ferry from Manitowoc, Wisconsin to Ludington, Michigan. The SS Badger is the last coal-fired passenger vessel operating on the Great Lakes.

We had a sunny afternoon to relax in deck chairs and read. Unless you like bingo, reading and snoozing are the major activities. The 62 mile trip takes four hours and crosses a time zone, which makes the trip feel even longer.

None the less, it was fun to say we had crossed Lake Michigan by ferry and doing so saved a lot of driving time and distance, which worked well with our travel plans.

We spent a couple nights in Ludington at Cartier Park. With a name like that, it would be natural to assume that it would have some pretty snazzy amenities. Nope. It was a cramped city park and our site was flanked by a busy street on one side, and a cemetery on the other. At least that meant quiet neighbors.

The silver lining to this stay was meeting Laura and Frank, a terrific couple from Cincinnati. We talked late into the evening, enjoying each other’s company.

John and Frank found they had a shared interest in sampling local beers. A respectable number of beer cans went into the recycling bin that evening.

During our time in Ludington, John and I drove out to Ludington State Park. The drive out to the park is gorgeous. The road is bordered by Lake Michigan and Hamlin Lake, with beaches, dunes, and wetlands. We went into the park and hiked the Lost Island Trail. It was one of our prettiest hikes ever.

The inland bays were edged with water lilies in bloom. Each turn in the trail had another scenic view. Sunny day, blue skies – very enjoyable.

From Ludington, we drove south to Holland, Michigan. We had a waterside lunch at Boatwerks, and then visited the Windmill Island Gardens.

The centerpiece of the Gardens is the DeZwaan windmill, a 250 year-old, still working, windmill that was moved here from the Netherlands.

In spring, this garden is a tulip extravaganza and a huge tourist draw for the area. We still enjoyed our summer visit and the very colorful gardens.

We continued on to Fennville and spent the night at Fennville Winery, a Harvest Host site. We were given a nice shady spot to park on a rise overlooking the winery. There happened to be live entertainment that evening.

McKinney and Brown performed pop favorites, families were picnicking, and kids were racing around having fun. After dark, all those folks went home and we Harvest Host guests had the place to ourselves. On these winery overnights, I enjoy getting up early and walking around the fields with my cup of coffee.

Everything looks fresh and sparkly in the morning dew and it’s still quiet. The morning shift winery staff start arriving around 7, and then we head out for our day of traveling.

Ohio

We drove east across Michigan and dropped down into northern Ohio to stay at Maumee State Park near Toledo. We had a great time at this park, which is very close to Lake Erie. The campsites are grassy and set far apart.

The park volunteers are dedicated and active. One night they had an ice cream social for guests; another morning, they offered coffee and muffins. Both were fundraisers for the park. Friendly volunteers make camping more fun and personal. The whole park had a very nice vibe.

One afternoon, we hiked a long boardwalk nature trail through the wetlands. We saw herons, ducks, and swans in the wetland ponds, along with deer and lots of chipmunks. It was hard to remember that we were in suburban Toledo.

The second day, we went into town and visited the Toledo Botanical Garden. This gem of a garden is part of Toledo’s Metroparks system. The grounds are beautifully maintained. There are themed garden areas, plant collections, interesting garden sculptures, and it’s free to visit.

There are two schools nearby that use the garden as a learning lab. I also understand that they have concerts in the park and an event center. A beautiful garden for the city’s people to use and enjoy. Such a great concept!

From Toledo, we drove along the coastline of Lake Erie, enjoying the charm of small resort towns, like Vermillion. We stayed in Geneva-on-the-Lake State Park. GOTL, as locals call it, was one of Ohio’s first resort towns. Remnants of those days persist, with high-end waterfront resorts and a main street with tourist shops: fish and chips, ice cream, fresh lemonade, tee shirts, an arcade, and Friday night Bingo. Lightweight honkytonk.

We found a bike path that ran from our campsite into town, which was fun.

We heard musicians – The Dynamic Duo- performing in the park, rode around town, and then stopped at the ritzy Lakeside Inn for pizza on the patio.

Our last day here was rainy. A rainy day at a campground can be long, soggy, and dismal. So, we decided to go out for lunch at a winery. We went to Dubonne, and both lunch and beverages were good. We also visited M, another winery just up the road. The rains stopped, and we sat outside and enjoyed the countryside views. GOTL definitely goes on the list of places to visit again.

New York

The Finger Lakes has been a go-to region for our vacations for many years. This year, we stayed at Keuka Lake State Park and went in different directions for day trips. We met friendly camping neighbors and had a nice stay.

One day we hiked Watkins Glen Gorge, which has always been a favorite.

We visited different wineries this time. In the old days, you could just drive up and do a wine tasting, and tastings were usually complimentary. Now, reservations are required and there’s a charge for a tasting. Usually, we’d go to Dr. Konstantin Frank’s. However, when we called, they were totally booked. So, we went to Hunt Valley Winery and had a very nice time.

We also stopped at Keuka Springs Winery, which also has nice wines and a splendid view of the lake. Breweries are also up and coming in the Lakes region, and one afternoon we visited a couple. We were sorry not to visit familiar haunts, but it also felt great to patronize smaller establishments that are doing a good job.

We traveled east to the Adirondacks and stayed at Little Wolf Campground on Tupper Lake for a few days. The Adirondacks region still has an old-time feel to it, even though it is also experiencing a rush of tourism.

Fancy condos and lodges are appearing, but there are still plenty of places that feel woodsy. The town of Tupper Lake has small, interesting shops and several art galleries. We visited the Tupper Art Center and saw an exhibition of Peter Hornbeck watercolors and sketches. Friends who are canoe enthusiasts will recognize Hornbeck as the builder of the Hornbeck lightweight Adirondack canoes. He was also an educator and artist. It was great to see such a vibrant art center that features rotating exhibitions and has on-going classes in arts such as plein air painting.

In our travels, we have seen our share of laundromats. The boring wait times can be good for people watching and meeting folks – like the woman in Florida who had a pet crow on a leash. Laundromats sometimes are bundled with other businesses, like a coffee café (Suds and Beans) or a car wash, or even a self-serve doggy wash. Tupper Lake’s laundromat is combined with a donut shop. Fresh, hot donuts. The Washboard/Donut Shoppe was the only laundromat I’ve ever been to that made me hungry.

We worked our way north along scenic routes, passing through Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. On the spur of the moment, we stopped at Ausable Chasm.

Our midday arrival, and on and off showers, made the fee for a day-long activity impractical, so we snapped a few photos and drove on. Another time, this would be a great hiking or boating day.

We spent the night in Plattsburgh at Valcour Brewery and Inn, a Harvest Host site. This was such a terrific stay. The brewery, restaurant and lodge are in Plattsburgh’s restored old stone barracks.

The building dates from 1838 and has been beautifully restored. It has both a poignant early and recent history. The brewery and restaurant were warm and inviting, and beer and food were great. We took a walk along the lake before settling in for the night.

It’s a real winner that we’d never have found, if we hadn’t been searching the Harvest Host site. It’s off the main drag and tricky to find – not a place that you’d see passing by. We look forward to a return visit!

Vermont

We took the quick ferry ride from Plattsburgh, across Lake Champlain, to Grand Isle, Vermont.

That night, we stayed at Big Deer, part of Stillwater State Park, near Groton. It was a muggy 85 degrees.

The campground had neither electric or cell service, and we were feeling a little out of touch. Our original plan was to race across Vermont and New Hampshire to the coast of Maine. However, Hurricane Henri was looming, with a threat of heavy rains on the coast. We drove around until we found cell service at a nearby town. Then we went online and modified our plans to stay a bit further inland, delaying our arrival in Camden, Maine by a few days.

New Hampshire

We went to Crawford Notch in the White Mountains and camped at Dry River Campground.

This was a nice wooded campground with good facilities. The skies had been dark most of the day, but the rains hadn’t arrived. We hiked up to Ripley Falls in spritzy showers. The heavy rain held off until overnight. We woke up to heavily clouded skies, packed up, and headed out.

Over next stop was another Harvest Host location. Over the Moon Farmstead is a meadery that also makes hard cider and beer.

Mead is made using honey as its fermenting sugar. We did a mead tasting and liked the orange blossom one best. But, on the whole, we found the mead to be super sweet, almost like liqueurs. I preferred the hard ciders, especially the one made with ginger.

This is another HH location that features a historical building being renovated for business. The owners have ambitious plans, including renovating barns and adding buildings to house their meadery production plant which is currently in Londonderry.

The 100 acre property sits on a hilltop with stunning views. We enjoyed our time here.

It rained overnight, and then the rain was gone. And gone from the forecast, too. Sunny skies. Time to go to Maine!

Maine

We stopped in Wiscasset to pick up lobster rolls at Red’s Eats. This is a famous spot, and it always has customers in line before opening time.

The wait time was longer than we imagined and the lobster rolls were pricey, but it was all worthwhile. How can you go to Maine and not have lobster?

We enjoyed our time at Camden Hills State Park. The view of Camden Harbor from Mt. Battie is stunning. We did some hiking and lounging.

We also stayed at Sebago Lake State Park, where we met some lovely campers from Auburn, Maine. We were lucky to land a spot fairly close to the lake, where we enjoyed a late afternoon dip.

Our last stop in Maine will be Freeport, home of the LL Bean flagship store. There must be some camping gear that we still need. And perhaps Freeport has one more lobster waiting for us before we head south?