Two months ago we arrived in Hillman, Michigan. (I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to update our blog!) Hillman is a very small town (population 800), a village, actually, in northeast Michigan, about 25 miles inland from Lake Huron. Last September we heard about Hillman through a job advertisement from Thunder Bay RV and Golf Resort posted in our daily Workamper’s e-mail. The job description read “Summer on Michigan's sunrise side at Thunder Bay Golf & RV Resort. Resort includes RV park, suites, villas & chalets; Championship Golf & our nationally acclaimed Elk Viewing Carriage Ride. Seeking friendly, enthusiastic, flexible Workamper couples to work 36 hours/week/couple in exchange for unlimited golf w/cart, Full Hook-up site, Wi-Fi & cable TV”. Since we had never been to Michigan before, and the lure of unlimited golf was hard to pass up, we decided to apply for the position. Fast forward to May, and here we are along with five other Workamper couples. The “jobs” have been split up among the twelve of us; I primarily help Linda with the gardening on and around the golf course, and Dan performs a variety of maintenance related tasks including splitting and stacking wood for the resort cabin, mowing greens on the golf course, sanding tees and greens, and whatever else comes up.
The weather has been very cool since we got here, and folks tell us it has been much cooler than usual this year. This is quite a change for us, coming from Sacramento and very hot summers! We are lucky to see a day over 75 degrees! I’m not complaining, mind you! I much prefer the milder weather. I’m also enjoying the slower pace of living in a small town. Folks here are incredibly friendly, and it’s true – everyone does seem to know everyone else. Everyday at noon and 6:00 p.m. the church bells ring, and since the church is right next door, I get to enjoy this even when I’m sitting inside my 5th wheel home. Local fruits and vegetables are starting to become available and it reminds me of growing up in Orangevale and eating fresh and local fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Most businesses close on Sunday and holidays, and even the newspaper we subscribe to is only delivered Monday – Saturday. There are some drawbacks – the closest Starbucks is 50 miles away, and we have to drive 25 miles to the nearest “big town” – population 11,000 - to take care of most of our business.
One of the draws to Thunder Bay Resort is the Elk Viewing Carriage Ride. Visitors are taken by horse-drawn carriages through the woods and treated to Elk viewing (a herd of Elk is maintained by the resort owners). Along the way visitors are entertained with stories about the resort, the owners, the Elk, and the history of the area. The ride culminates at the Resort Cabin where guests are served a gourmet meal prepared by Jan Mathias, one of the resort owners. Jack Mathias (Jan’s husband and the other owner) entertains guests with stories about Elk, his family, and will answers any questions visitors may have. Here is a link to Thunder Bay in case you want to check it out: http://www.thunderbaygolf.com/
My next posts will include some of the fun things we have done away from the resort since arriving in Michigan!
P.S. – Dan is enjoying the unlimited golf, and I have taken a few lessons and am beginning to enjoy it!
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