Dale & Patti Schumacher's Travel Log: Stayed an Extra Day on Lake Michigan

Saturday. We're winding down up Week 4 of our adventure. The weather was bad this morning. It rained all night and we really enjoyed hearing the rain pelt the roof of the RV. Sounds like the tin roof of a barn or an old farm house porch. Peaceful and relaxing. So, instead of moving day, this became another day of rest and relaxation. We just didn't want to do all the tear down and hook up on the rain soaked ground. We're starting to adjust to the phrase: "No place to be; and, all day to get there." We'll try again tomorrow. The weather has cleared; we should be good to go.

Time for reflection. When Patti and I were much younger, we would rent a houseboat to vacation with Dominique on Lake Barkley [Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Lake] just south of the Ohio River, north of its confluence with the Mississippi River. We loved houseboating. Dominique would often bring a friend and we'd spend a week swimming and reading. We dreamed back then that we would retire aboard a houseboat and travel the Intercoastal Waterways of the eastern United States. You can go from Chicago to St. Louis to New Orleans to Miami to Maine without getting out on the Ocean. Then take the St. Lawrence Seaway to return to Chicago. It sounded so exciting, we were experienced freshwater sailors. Now that we've retired that doesn't seem so practical. So, we've opted for a houseboat on wheels. And, we're looking for a name for this rig. What do you think? Any suggestions?

We've enjoyed our time together, away from the hustle-bustle of everyday life. We start Week 5 tomorrow. These past few days we've felt as if we are in a foreign country, but speak a very similar language. We've concluded that perhaps the U.P. should be called the L.R.C. (Lower Rural Canada), eh. Cell service is limited. Food is different. Not many people. Highway improvements are rare. Just a different kind of life than we are used to. What a beautiful part of the U.S. We can see ourselves spending the summer months here. But, we'd be way too far from our family, so that won't happen. Headed back to the Lower 48 tomorrow, back to civilization.