When we arrived at Buttersville Campground in Ludington, Michigan, we made our way to the office.  We had to fill our tank with water as there is no water at the site.

While Dad monitored the water fill..... Momma wandered to the waterfront....

Lake Michigan in all its glory.  Breath taking view!! She didn't take the time for the stairs until after we got set up and I could go along.

 Dad kept trying to get me into the water.  He would toss a stick into the water and think I was silly enough to follow it into that chilly, cold water. 

 I told him if he would go in first, I'd follow him in.  Well, we didn't get wet....well, just my paws.  That's how I found out how chilly Lake Michigan really is!!

It was a nice morning for a run on the beach.  Not a bit of salt water anywhere, but boy that's some ice cold water!
Hickory

Momma was sitting in her rocker, enjoying the glow from the electric fireplace that is taking the chill off the 60 degree morning when she happened to look out her window at 8:30 in the morning.  Low and behold.....what adventuresome neighbors.  
While Momma and Dad headed out to meet the Breitweiser's last night (they are at a different campground) at the House of Flavors....yep, that's ice cream by the bucketfuls...the neighbors arrived.  I watched them set up the pop-up trailer and the adjacent tent.  I missed seeing them hang the two hammocks.  Momma was sure surprised this morning when she looked out her window. 

I'm sure the warmth of all that sunshine feels good on a cool morning!!
Hickory

Red, white and blue streets

Talk about community spirit!  Ludington, Michigan streets are lined with red, white and blue petunias.  Just gorgeous!! Now here's the kicker.....it's a volunteer project that began in 1987 and has continued every year.  Impressive!!

Boy would I have enjoyed the day on the Bavarian Belle if I had only been invited to go along.  They even served fresh popped popcorn and huge, soft pretzels. 

The Bavarian Belle tours the Carr River from a port in downtown Frankenmuth, Michigan.  Even the ducks look forward to the boat on the river.  As soon as they see the boat coming, they run down the river banks, into the water and swim toward the boat to enjoy popcorn tossed to them by the passengers.
Now the snack was good, but not near as filling as the family style dinner served at the Bavarian Inn.  Lightly breaded chicken with loads of sides.  And of course Jerry enjoyed teasing with the waitress who was dressed in Bavarian costuming. 

Now who is the most handsome, the wooden soldiers or those two gentlemen in the middle?  They may not be as tall, but they sure have livelier personalities!!

Gerald Ford

Wow!  A whole big building dedicated to a dead man. Now in my opinion, they could have a whole big building about my Dad.  He's a man of many talents.  Okay, so he wasn't Vice President or President of the United States like Gerald Ford but he still is MY MAN!!

 The museum is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Ford's hometown and now his resting place.  Kudos to the designer of the displays.  Very well presented.  The museum flows from one area to the next with lots of info as you follow Ford's life...and Betty's. 
Didn't spend much time in Grand Rapids as the rains began and everyone figured it was best to head out.

Yep, the day ended with another round of Hand and Foot and lots of goodies including one of Dad's favorites, Momma's fresh berry pie and Culver's ice cream.  Almost as good as Lane's fresh peach cobbler!!

All I got was a chunk of crust.  Guess that's a pretty good indicator of how much Dad enjoyed his pie!!  He nearly forgot to share with his buddy...his pal!!
Hick

Overload of treats!!

Today was a marvelous day.  We packed up and headed east to Vasser, MI just outside of Frankenmuth.  Dad said we had a bit of a tailwind.  Momma said the roads were bumpy and they kept jolting her awake from her napping.  This is a crazy criscross route, but the schedule for the boat show in South Haven and the play in Frankenmuth made for a strange route....back and forth from east to west and back to the east again.  Momma said that since we are retired, we can wander as much as we please.
Yesterday, I got so many treats I'm still full.  Jerry and Carolyn are parked right along side of us and you all know how generous he is.....especially with dog treats!!  We sat outside enjoying the fresh air and I loaded up on treats.  They came over to play games and I loaded up on treats. He brought me pepperoni sticks.  He needs to tell Momma where to get them. They smell delicious and taste even better going down.  They are so good, it is almost impossible to saver the flavor and not wolf them down.  The mini cookie bones Momma has are good but boy, I SURE LOVE those pepperoni sticks.  I guess Jerry could tell because I was almost in his lap.  Keep them comin' Jerry!  I can be a bottomless pit.
I can't wait for tomorrow, but I'll bet they will all be running off to visit Frankenmuth and leaving me on guard duty.  Just leave me a bag of pepperoni and all will be well!!
Hickory

Well, I'll tell you what....if Momma and Dad would stay home and talk to me, I'd have loads to tell but they have been off running around with Carolyn and Jerry Breitweiser ever since we arrived in Holland, Michigan.

We stayed at Dutch Treat RV Park and they stayed 6 miles away at Drew's Campground.  Need I say more.  If they weren't off sightseeing, they were playing Hand and Foot and petting that little white dog with the black nose named Penny.  Then there was the Wi-Fi issue that slowed me down. 
Everything is white here.  All this white 'fuzz' is floating around and trying to tickle my nose.  They tell me Cottonwood is blooming.....and it really looks white.

 

Dad wanted to see the wooden boat show in South Haven and I heard they had a marvelous lunch right on the water and watched the bridge go up and down to let the tall masted ships pass thru.

Pete's Garage

No, the new truck hasn't broken down.  The trip to Pete's Garage was for lunch and the food was sooo good, I didn't even get a doggie bag treat.  Would you believe they fry the french fries in auto grease? 
If you do you certainly are gullible!
It is a sports bar with interesting decor.  Some of the tables are in cars.

Henry Ford Museum a nice surprise

Momma said when she heard Henry Ford Museum, she conjured up images of a ton of Ford products and some possible images of the life of Ford.  Boy was she WAY off.
There are several 'attractions' on the grounds, one being the Henry Ford Museum which you can easily spend the day enjoying.  The Museum itself is divided into several areas.  The day began in the "Driving America" and 'Railroads' sections. 

 The following is a 75 foot locomotive that hauled 1 1/4 miles of train.  HUGE!  It had a feeder to keep up with coal needed to keep the engine moving.  No way you could shove coal that fast!

 Were you aware that the earlier train cars resembled stage coaches?

The auto section was loaded with a variety of years and makes of vehicles.  Everything from Fords, of course, to VW's.

 This 1957 Cornell Liberty Car held the distinction of being the safest car. It had a bifold front and rear combo door, a rear facing seat in the back for smaller children, wrap around front glass for better vision, and a bunch of other features.

How about this price for you new mobile?

The museum had a whole section on American Made with displays of tools from the past as well as furniture, heating stoves, lamps, agricultural machinery and huge steam engines.  Another half a days worth of displays.

 Dad was drooling over the machines above.  Do you remember the marshmallow sofa of 1956 below?

 Heating stoves for the parlor under a display of hanging lights.  Loved the lights!!

 A tomato picker below.....HUGE piece of machinery.

 One of many steam engines on display.  Some supplied energy for factories such as Ford's car factory.

 Now this is a unique item.  It is the Dymaxion House of 1946.  After the war, everyone was looking for quick housing.  They used the airplane factories to create these round houses complete with 2 bedrooms, kitchen, small...emphasis on small...bathroom, living room.  Sure glad my family passed on this item.

 

Upon arrival on the grounds, Momma stopped counting at 2 dozen school buses but the kids must have been exploring a trip back in time at the Greenfield Village Museum section....another full day to explore.....as there were very few students in the Henry Ford Museum.  They could have also been at the IMAX Theatre, Benson Ford Research Center, or possibly the Ford Rouge Factory Tour.  Lots of choices here.  Definitely worth visiting if you get to Dearborn, Michigan.

GIANT Jelly Beans

Here we go again.....off running around without me.  This time Momma and Dad were with friends they just saw this winter in Arizona, Mike and Maureen. They own a Heartland Toyhauler and Heartland is having a rally in Goshen, Indiana.  As the Open Range rally ended for us and just as the Heartland rally was getting ready to kick off, they spent a day exploring the area around Goshen, Shipshewana, Wakarusa, Nappanese.  

Their first mission was to get to The Dime Store for GIANT jelly beans.  Yes, you can purchase bags of jelly beans but the most fun is sampling all the flavors.  Momma said she drew the line at pink grapefruit.  Dad said the chocolate covered cherry flavored were to die for.  But what did he get?....STONES.  Okay, it's not as bad as it sounds. The jelly beans do look like stones, but they have super flavors that don't even resemble stones.
We have left Indiana and we are settled into Michigan and getting ready to explore the Monroe area.  I heard Momma say something about Pete's Garage.  I started to have a panic attack....not more mechanical troubles...with our new truck??? but no....Pete's Garage is a restaurant.  I'll make sure Momma takes pics when they go.

What a fun day.  I got to spend the WHOLE day with Momma and Dad....but I must say, it sure started EARLY...as in 5 am.  Momma and Dad were both out of bed and in packing up mode.  After we hooked up, we stopped at the dump station to empty our tanks...yep, our site had only water and electric last night. No sewer at the site.  By 7 am we were at the Open Range Repair Factory so we could get our gray tank valve repaired.  I got to explore with Momma and Dad because we left the rig in the repair bay.  I wasn't sure where we were headed, but I knew we were on an important mission.  Ah ha!  The Pickle Store in Fremont....but we were too early and the store was still closed.  Now I have to admit, we were ALL tired from our early morning wake up so Dad pulled the truck over to the far corner of the parking lot under the shade tree, rolled down the windows and we all settled in for a little shut-eye....until..... what is all that noise?  I peeked my head out the window and there he was riding round in circles cutting grass.  I was just getting into a really great dream.  Well, my dream turned into a real life nightmare.  You see, Dad took us about 5 miles down the road and all of a sudden we were being attacked by these noisy, wet blue strips that were beating on our truck.  Did I mention how noisy they were as they were coming at us?  I wanted to get in the front seat with Momma but she just reached over the seat, gave me a few strokes and told me everything was fine.  Dad was just tired of driving a dirty truck from all the rain and road grime.  Now as if that wasn't enough, I was threatened by a HUGE sucking hose.  Dad was really serious about this clean truck business!!
Our other stops were much calmer.  Dad purchased a whole box of Sechler's Sweet Heat Mixed Pickles and boy was he smiling.  It was an outlet store and the prices were exactly what he likes to see.....cheap!!
We had a picnic lunch outside the Bulk Food store.  And later a coffee break stop at a place named Rise N Roll.  Dad had the best looking snack to go with his coffee and would you believe I didn't even get a smell?  All I got were my standby cookie bones. Golly gee, all I've heard is how fantastic, light, melt in your mouth the donuts are from Rise N Roll, but I still can't verify from personal experience.  Dad was too stingy today.  
We didn't head for Monroe, Michigan until after 4 pm as they had quite a time with the valves plus they replace a slide cable and made another minor repair.  I am so glad Momma made reservations for Camp Lord Willing.  They are FULL!  Momma said there was a guy who arrived in the area to attend a funeral.  He could only stay one night as all the sites have been reserved and he has to leave tomorrow morning.  We have a nice long back-in site and everyone is super friendly here!!  I think I'm going to like our 3 night stay.
  

Well, it's been a rather sleepy week...for me that is.  Momma and Dad would head out the door in the morning ....without even having breakfast to share with me.....and check in on me later in the day for a poddy break or two.  What a sea of gray rigs I'd see on my way to the dog walk!  

I guess they are having a great time at all the seminars, breakfasts, dinners, programs, tours and shopping in the Shipshewanna, Indiana area because they ALWAYS return to the rig smiling!! 

They were REALLY beaming the night they returned from the Jeanne Robertson (comedian) show.  Check out some of her show on U tube.  She's a riot!!
One night, we had more than just the typical rain.  It sounded like someone was drumming on our rig as the mothball sized hail fell.  We were lucky and didn't get any damage but our neighbors called Dad over to check out the hail in the middle of their living room.  It went right through the sky light.  Dad scampered up the ladder to get a better view from the topside and taped up the hole while he was up there. 
Some guy had his professional camera and his helicopter camera to take pictures on the day everyone wore their Open Range Owners Forum T-shirts.  Now how cool is that?  I couldn't go though because I didn't have a blue or green shirt.

  The rally wagon masters Sue and Jerry Goddard did a fantastic job organizing the week of rally fun.