I found a cool website (http://www.travellerspoint.com) where I can map our travels using a visual format. I divided our journeys into each of the years we've been on the road and made a separate map for each one. Below are the links to each of the maps if you'd like to get a visual of the places we've been, starting in 2007. Each of the dots on the maps identifies the towns and cities where we've stopped along the way. (Tip: You can zoom in or out on the map by clicking on the " + " or " - " buttons in the top left cornor of the map.)
First Year 2007 (August through December)
Travel Map 2008
Travel Map 2009
Travel Map 2010
Travel Map 2011
Travel Map 2012
Travel Map 2013
Travel Map 2014
Cumulative Travels To Date
In 2007 Dan and I retired from work, hitched our 5th wheel to our truck, and hit the road. We are full time RV'ers so we take our home with us everywhere we go. We live by the credo "Home Is Where You Park It" and we have found Home in many an awesome setting! I created this blog to track our adventures as we travel around the US, Canada, and Mexico. Two of our goals include visiting all the State Capitals and as many of the Baseball Parks as possible, with everything else we can fit in between!
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Frederick Meijer Gardens (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
During our visit to Grand
Rapids , Michigan , we set aside an
afternoon for visiting the Frederick
Meijer Garden .
In retrospect, we should have set aside an entire day - or two! Sprawling over
139 acres, both indoors and out, the garden is a wondrous, magical collection
of theme gardens, nature trails, boardwalks, art galleries, and indoor and
outdoor sculptures. The outdoor sculpture garden alone was one of the most
intriguing and satisfying experiences I've ever had in a botanical garden and I
could have spent hours walking among the wooded trails, discovering delightful
and intriguing objects around each new corner. We took 100's of pictures,
making it extremely difficult to pick just a few for the blog, but hopefully
these capture the essence of our visit.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum
Regardless of your politics, there is
always something interesting to learn about anyone holding the office of
President of The United States. While in Michigan
this year we made the journey to Grand
Rapids to visit the Gerald R. Ford Presidential
Library and Museum. To me, the most interesting thing about Ford's political
career was his unexpected appointments to first the Vice Presidency, and then
the Presidency during the political upheaval of the Watergate scandal. Ford was
the first person to be appointed to the Vice Presidency under the terms of the
25th Amendment, after Spiro Agnew resigned. When he became the 38th President upon
Richard Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974, he was the first and to date
only person to have served as both Vice President and President of the United
States without being voted into either office, or elected by the Electoral
College. He couldn't have picked a more tumultuous time to serve as Commander
in Chief, but despite the challenges, he ran again in 1976, only to be narrowly
defeated by Jimmy Carter. Ford was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr., the son of
Leslie Lynch King and Dorothy Ayer Gardner King, in 1913 in Omaha ,
Nebraska; two weeks after his birth, his mother fled Omaha and an abusive relationship. Dorothy eventually settled in Grand Rapids ,
Michigan and in 1916 married Gerald R. Ford, a
Grand Rapids
paint salesman. The Fords began calling her son Gerald R. Ford, Jr. and
eventually his name was legally changed. Touring the museum and learning about
his life before, during, and after his political career was very enlightening,
giving me a broader perspective on the era of his Presidency.
Labels:
Gerald R. Ford,
Grand Rapids,
June 2014,
Michigan,
Presidential Library
Monday, June 16, 2014
Ocqueoc Falls (Presque Isle, Michigan)
One of our friends at Thunder Bay Golf Resort (where
we are currently parked) provided us with some great ideas for day tripping and
tips on scenic places to visit during our stay. One of her suggestions was to
see the Ocqueoc Falls
(pronounced Ah-key-ock) in Presque
Isle County .
The falls are located along the 34-mile long Ocqueoc River
(ocqueoc is a French word meaning
"crooked waters") and are the largest waterfalls in the Lower
Peninsula of Michigan - with a drop of about five feet. Coming from California,
a state that abounds in waterfalls, with some having bragging rights of being
the tallest in North America (think: Yosemite), I have to admit, I was chuckling
a little at a five foot waterfall being the largest in this region. To me, this
seemed more like a "rapids" than a waterfall; however, if that is all
you have, that is all you have, and call it a falls, or call it a rapid, the beautiful
Ocqueoc Falls Bicentennial Pathway is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon, boasting
6-miles of picturesque hiking trails set amongst a forest of towering pines and
hardwood trees. If it had been a hot summer day, I likely would have found
myself splashing around in the falls - now how many waterfalls in California can you
actually wade right into? Here are some pictures of our afternoon along the
"crooked waters".
Labels:
Hiking,
May 2014,
Michigan,
Ocqueoc Falls,
Waterfalls
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (Empire, Michigan)
Even though we've stayed in Northern Michigan many
times now, this is the first year we visited the Sleeping Bear Dunes National
Lakeshore, a US National Park encompassing a 35 miles stretch of Lake Michigan's
eastern coastline and the Manitou
Islands . Established for
its outstanding natural features including forests, beaches, dune formations,
and ancient glacial phenomena, the Park also contains many cultural features
including an 1871 lighthouse, Coast Guard Stations, and an extensive rural
historic farm district. There are over 100 miles of trails available for
walking, biking, or cross-country skiing in the winter. In 2011 the area won
the title of "The Most Beautiful Place in America" from Good Morning
America, and it isn't hard to see why once you've spent time hiking the
dunes, swimming in the lake, camping out, or winding your way through the maple
and beech forests.
Labels:
Empire,
May 2014,
Michigan,
National Parks,
Sleeping Bear Dunes
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