We left the Niagara Falls/Buffalo area on Friday morning and headed along Lake Erie on I-90 to Erie, PA, where we turned south toward Pittsburgh on I-79.  Crossing the West Virginia state line near Morgantown, we picked up I-68 through western Maryland.  By then we had travelled about 400 miles and were ready to stop, but there were no sites available at Rocky Gap State Park in MD or at the KOA in Hagerstown.  We ended up at Happy Hills Campground near Hancock.  It was a place primarily used by permanent residents with just a few sites for transients. Our site was basically a gravel pad, but it did have water and sewer hookups so we were able to empty tanks before heading home.  The park was noisy with golf carts and ATVs well into the evening, but it quieted down enough to allow a good night's sleep.

The last stretch of the trip was only about 5 hours of driving, so we arrived home after 2900+ miles at around 2:00.  The afternoon was spent emptying the RV and unpacking.  Much cleaning awaits tomorrow, but tonight it will be nice to sleep in our own (larger!) bed.

Our campsite at Four Mile Creek State Park, near Niagara Falls, NY was quite a change from the shores of Lake Huron.  No sand here---just lush grass!  The park has the feel of a city park: large expanses of lawn  with occasional trees for shade.  The campsites do not allow for much privacy but they are large so you are not right up against your neighbor.  And on weekdays (Wednesday and Thursday for us) there were many sites unused so we were at quite a distance from others.  One of the employees in the office told me that they had already had several weekends with every site (hundreds of them!) filled, and it's hard to imagine how different the campground would be when totally full.  It is apparently very popular with Canadians because it is so much less expensive than their provincial parks for camping, and it does get totally booked in July and August.

The lakeshore here was totally different from Lake Huron.  The beach is covered with smooth gray rocks and the trees and bushes run right up to the edge.  We hiked a short trail along the Four Mile Creek (4 miles from Fort Niagara, if I remember---the sight of a battle in the French and Indian Wars), but it was poorly marked and the vegetation made it tough to see where it went.  After lunch and a bit of relaxing, we tried another "trail" but this was even worse, just disappearing into brambles and tall grass---no blazes on trees and no clear path to follow.

From the state park, you can look across Lake Ontario to see Toronto in the distance.

Laundry done.  Two good campfires.  Lots of relaxing.  A good few days in New York State!

This is our last morning at Port Crescent State Park near Port Austin, Michigan.  We spent a quiet day yesterday, catching up on some cleaning and reading.  There's not much hiking to do here; the trails are in the other section ("day-use") of the park which one must drive to.  (Strange arrangement for a state park!)  The beach here has fine sand and it was a busy place yesterday afternoon, with kids digging and building, and of course, swimming and wading.  I took my Kindle down to the beach and enjoyed the sunshine.  I also took off my shoes and walked along the water's edge---warmer than I had expected---and it felt almost like being at an Atlantic beach, except for the lack of salt air.

The wind picked up in the evening and the temperatures dropped (43 on one indicator, 54 on another this morning, probably a difference between being along the lake or on higher ground where the wind is not so fierce).  There are good-sized waves on the lake, reinforcing that sense of being near the ocean.

Today we travel through Ontario and into New York state.

We spent from Friday afternoon until Monday morning at Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Michigan.  It is in a very remote area, so we did not have any cell phone service or internet access.  The nearest town to speak of was Newberry, which was 30 miles away.

On Saturday we did a day trip and visited the town of Paradise, MI---definitely a misnomer!  It is on Whitefish Bay, a bay off Lake Superior.  Turning north, we took the road as far as one could, about 11 miles, to Whitefish Point.  There is a lighthouse there and a wildlife sanctuary, but its claim to fame is the Shipwreck Museum.  Apparently that area of Lake Superior is known for its shipwrecks, over 300 on record, including one that is probably most familiar---the Edmund Fitzgerald.

From there we drove to the Upper Falls area of the state park, where this picture was taken. The upper falls of the Tahquamenon River is the second largest waterfall in the East (after Niagara), and it was quite impressive.

Our campground was in the Lower Falls area of the park, about 5 miles along the road from Upper Falls.  The campground was quite nice.  On Sunday we decided to hike part of the 4-mile River Trail from Lower Falls to Upper Falls, and---it being a lovely trail and good weather---we ended up doing the whole length for a total (with walk from the campground) of over 9 miles.  All three of us were exhausted at the end!

Speaking of good weather: I had expected to be in jeans and long-sleeved T on this part of the trip, but it was HOT!  We didn't run the air-conditioning, as it did cool off after dark, but we kept vents open and the fan running to draw in cooler air for sleeping.

Today, Monday, we left the Upper Peninsula, crossing the Straits of Mackinac, and drove into the "thumb" of Michigan. (Picture the state in the shape of a mitten, and there's a thumb that protrudes into Lake Huron.) We're at Port Crescent State Park, where at least I can access the internet!  It's a totally different environment: sandy beach and dunes with that huge expanse of water.

Yesterday (Friday) morning, we packed up, filled the water tank, did some grocery shopping, and headed north.  Actually we headed south, then west, then northeast, making a huge circle around Green Bay.  Crossing into Michigan, we took Route 2 along the north shore of Lake Michigan and soon saw big black clouds ahead. Dan drove through a downpour for at least an hour---awful driving conditions---and then the rain settled into a normal steady rate.  It continued for most of our trip to our next destination:  Tahquamenon Falls State Park, near Newberry, Michigan.

This is the part of the Upper Peninsula that experienced a recent wildfire (Duck Lake fire) and there were signs thanking the firefighters in many of the store windows in town.  The state park was closed for a few days at the start of the fire but obviously it is open now (since we are here!).

Having forgotten that we went from Central time to Eastern time, we lost an hour yesterday and arrived at the park after the office closed.  However, we had our site number and found our place.  A light rain continued all evening, and we were grateful for our awning which allowed us to sit outside for a while and unwind from a stressful drive.  This morning all is muddy and wet, but the sun is peaking through and we can hope for some drying as the day goes on.

This is a very remote part of the state, so again, little "oomph" to the internet and no photos to post.  The town of Newberry, the nearest place to shop, is 30 miles down the road!  

Yesterday we rented bikes and rode the Sunset Bike Trail (misnamed in yesterday's post).  Neither of us had been on a bicycle in a LONG time, but we managed to get around without mishap.  Oh, yes, there was that steep hill on the way to Eagle Tower that we both had to walk the bikes up....and ended up winded at the top anyway.  Eagle Tower allowed a view all over the area, lots of blue, blue water as far as you could see.

After the strenuous ride, we relaxed at the campsite for the rest of the afternoon, relaxing and reading.

Today we are packing up and heading for Michigan.  Peninsula State Park was a fabulous place to visit, and I highly recommend it to all!

On Wednesday we took the Hemlock Trail (1.8 miles) from near our campground toward the park entrance at the town of Fish Creek.  After an initial uphill climb, the trail went along through grassy areas with birches and hemlock trees.  There were lots of wildflowers including some Yellow Lady's Slippers---beautiful!  From the park entrance we walked into town.  It's a bit touristy---lots of shops with expensive gifts and such----with many inns, B&B's, and restaurants.  There was also a marina and quite a few sailboats at mooring.  This would be a great place to sail (or motor) though the season is undoubtedly short.

We had lunch at a nice restaurant (Summertime) with an outdoor patio.  As we were passing the entrance, the manager came out and said, "We're a pet-friendly place", so we brought Ranger in and he behaved very well. (Of course after walking about 2 1/2 miles, he probably needed a little rest, and he enjoyed the water and dog treat that the manager brought him.)

We walked back to the campground along the Sunrise bike trail, which is 9.6 miles and goes around the shoreline of the park.  Many of the people here bring bicycles (and one can rent them at the concessions area), and it does seem a perfect place for that activity.

And speaking of perfect: the weather continues to be sunny, high of 70, low of 50.

The birdwatching has been good; yesterday's list includes pileated woodpecker, Baltimore oriole, cedar waxwings, and an indigo bunting.

We slept in a bit this morning after being up with Ranger at 3:30 am----he detected animals in our site, probably raccoons, and he thought it his duty to bark and try to get out and chase them away.