Big fun in the Littlest State

Sunday, a day of rest. We are taking a day to enjoy the sound of rain hitting the roof accompanied by kids laughing as they ride their bikes downhill in the rain. So, this begins the countdown to our departure from Whispering Pines Campground. Wednesday is D-day (not a WWII reenactment, D as in departure).

Rhode Island has several scenic bike paths so John and I chose Blackstone River Path and away we went for 20 miles or so. It was a lovely 20ish miles along a tree lined path along the River.

 

Me and Rosie (my bike)

 

John and I thoroughly enjoyed our day, including a quick visit to a little museum along the path. It was the home of a mill owner and contained a lot of interesting information about the rise and fall of the mills in this region.

Halfway point of the ride

View along the route

 

 Our next adventure had us heading to Point Judith to board the Block Island Ferry. The ride to the Island is just under one hour. Block Island is a place I have always wanted to visit and it did not disappoint. It is not as developed and crowded as other more famous beach areas in New England.

Approaching the island

 

 Mohegan Bluffs

 

We brought our bikes and immediately headed up an incredibly steep hill to see the South Light House. From there we continued upward (into the wind) to Mohegan Bluffs. There are steps from the top of the Bluffs to the beach below, 150 of them. I, of course, had to head down. John, the smart one, stayed on top to enjoy the view. Next we headed to a conservation area for a short hike. The rest of the day was spent biking up hill into the wind (according to my Sweetheart) except for one exciting curvy downhill blast to head back towards the downtown. We had a delicious lunch at The Three Yellow Kittens, established 1876, which has a rustic outdoor area that served great food with a nice beach view.

 

How to top that you are wondering? How about a day in Newport, touring some of the "cottages" from the gilded age. We arrived into Newport early in the morning and took Ocean Drive for about ten miles. What a fabulous drive this is! Breath-taking views of the water and some lovely estates. Since it was early we continued into Middletown and along some gorgeous beaches there, then back to downtown Newport to get some tourist info.

  

Easton Beach, Newport, RI (me and my Brown Hoodie that fits perfectly, Doyle)

 

The Cliff Walk

 

The Breakers

 

View from the terrace of The Breakers

 All I can say about the mansion tour is TAKE IT! We toured three of these summer homes: The Breakers, Marble House and Rosecliff. Each one unique and full of history. The audio tour gives you information on everything. How the buildings came to be, who designed and decorated, stories of those who lived and worked there. 

 

Other days we explored the Hope Valley, seeing lovely towns and visiting farms and getting fresh delicious produce. The sweet corn is amazing!! WHO KNEW??? Rhode Island, for its tiny size, has a lot of wonderful things to see and do.

 

Yesterday, we left Rhode Island and headed to Mystic, CT. A little more history was in order.  

 

 

 

Mystic Seaport is a maritime museum that I went to many times as a child. My Dad LOVED this place. I remember multiple trips, always on gray rainy days, learning the history of shipping in the United States. Forty years has elapsed since last I was here and it has grown but not lost its charm. It was wonderful sharing this place with my husband. It was especially fun to do it on a bright sunny day. However, midafternoon gray clouds began rolling in and by the time we left it was raining. Probably my Dad letting me know he was pleased. 



It's Been Awhile

Hello Pals! It is hard to believe we are more than halfway through the month of July. So much has transpired since last I wrote...where to begin? Oh, I know, we are NOT in Michigan! Before I pick up where we are now, I should recap the month of June into the first part of July. To put it succinctly, it was mostly a working vacation. But still a lot of fun. Fun: Thomas and Jackie's wedding, brunch the day after the big event, Catherine's graduation party, dinner and lunches with a host of pals, a few bike rides and walks in nature, an afternoon at the beach along Lake Erie, fireworks at the Graves' home that included delicious food, a week in Chicago with Sarah and her amazing group of young men and women from St. Paul on the Lake (along with some incredible adults, Dave and Brian). That takes care of June.

Our Fabulous Team in CHI

Working hard and learning a new skill with Mr. Calcaterra

A farewell performance especially for us

 

June 30th we arrived in New York, put the Jauchmobile into storage, and spent the next two weeks with The Robertsons of Brooklyn. So much fun, so much good and healthy food, so many Olive Nubbin kisses.

Olive in her favorite environment

 

Several days were spent at Casa Clemenza helping Mara get ready to reopen the Beach House after the damage done during Super Storm Sandy. The Fourth of July was splendid. Jen and Doyle hosted a wonderful BBQ and many friends came with tasty treats. We headed up to the roof at sunset, which was magnificent, and then enjoyed the fireworks with the skyline of Manhattan as the backdrop. There was time spent at beaches and wonderful meals with friends. Then we said adios to the city that never sleeps mid-July and headed to our next destination. Hint: it is the state with the longest name yet the smallest land mass. If you said The State of Rhode Island - Providence Plantation you guessed correctly! If you are asking why Rhode Island, the answer is: why not? We are at a lovely camp ground, Whispering Pines, in the Hope Valley. The area is piney and hilly and lovely. The people who run it are obviously fans of the movie "Dirty Dancing" as the list of activities available are mind boggling. Bingo, movies, choo choo train rides for the little ones (we wave as they go past us in their engineer caps) and so much more. Tonight is the Sock Hop. We have begun exploring the state. Yesterday we spent the day in the city of Providence. 

 The Providence River

 

 Entrance to the State Capital

 

 Historic Home(one of many) along Benefit Street

 

 Plaque on home pictured above





We hit the Swan Point Cemetery where H.P. Lovecraft is buried, Rhode Island School of Design, a little bit of Brown University, Federal Hill (Providence's Little Italy, little as in teeny-tiny) in addition to the sites pictured above. Today we do our nature thing with a long bike ride and picnic. Who knows, there may be a Sock Hop in our future. Until next time...





Still in Michigan

So, we had lots of fun while visiting Western Michigan. We have learned a lot, too. For instance, Michigan State Parks have no WiFi and if you are in Ludington, no cell service. The college students who work at Ludington State Park for the summer confided that they get lots of work done as they have nothing else to distract them. And I can attest to the fact that it is one well maintained park.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Last time I wrote, we had arrived in Allendale. This was so we could visit with relatives. It was a splendid week. My Sweetheart and I had some alone time and some family time. During our alone time, we walked in the woods of our campground, and took a day trip, with our bicycles, to Grand Haven. Such a lovely area to bike. One trail takes you right out to the Lighthouse. We strolled around the downtown, cute shops and restaurants and one amazing aroma that led us to (drum roll), The Rib Festival. Now, remember this is a small town, so not surprising to us, was that there were six vendors. In Grand Haven that is a quorum to form a festival.

We spent some family time at the magnificent Frederick Meijer Botanical Gardens. WOW!!! Michigan people, run, do not walk, and spend a day in a truly lovely environment. Family time was also spent at a beach along Lake Michigan. Kirk County Park has a special area designated as a dog beach. So much fun watching the dogs and owners frolic in the lake. John and I finally got to see the movie Frozen which was followed by playing a game with the family that involved seeing who could chop off the most aristocrats' heads to earn bragging rights in the executioners locker room. John apparently gets to brag, a lot.

Then, we were off to a week alone at Ludington State Park. What a beautiful location. We had lots of hiking and biking, Lake Michigan beaches, Lost Lake and the Big Au Sable River to enjoy. Also remembered how many bugs there are in Michigan. Dousing ourselves in DEET merely had the insects scoffing at us. On one ride we learned the difficulty of riding on a path surrounded by sand dunes. Those pesky dunes have no sense of propriety. Turns out low gear helps in the sand, mostly, but persevere we did and at the end found a lovely lighthouse. Doug was so happy we wanted to see the short DVD about the Big Sable Lighthouse and hear his spiel afterward. It was wonderful. Then we climbed 112 feet up to the observation deck for an awe-inspiring view.

By now, dear friend, you are thinking, "Where are the pictures?" I hearken back to an earlier time, paragraph one, no WiFi. So, with the precious few moments I have at the library today, I chose to paint a verbal picture. That being said, I will upload some great photos at a later date. 

We left Ludington yesterday and are on the east side of the state. Brighton State Park is lovely even if it is in Howell. While here we plan on seeing some pals and catching up. We will also witness the joining of two special lives, our friends Tom and Jacqueline are to be wed on Saturday.

More to come...

Michigan Continued

Good Morning from beautiful Allendale, MI. West side of the state, near Grand Rapids. Use your goggle maps. Why Allendale? Because we started in FLINT! Just kidding. Family visits are the order of business this week. The weekend we spent in Flint was a lot of fun, not so much because of the geography, but because of the gang pictured above, the Delta Tau Delta Frat boys, class of 1964.

A word of advice to anyone contemplating a class reunion - GO! I learned things about my husband no one would believe. Oh, the shenanigans that went on during his college days! What bound these men together then was clear - beer. Lots and lots of cheap beer. And, as I learned this weekend, the ability to consume copious amounts.

The tour of "Ye Olde Stomping Grounds" began Saturday morning. Three couples piled into a car to begin the search for the house our GMI Alums rented at the end of their Senior year. Along the way to Lake Fenton, we learned that as Pledges, they thought a sign similar to the one pictured above would look better in their house. Being engineering students, they were prepared to unbolt and load it onto the roof of a car. Imagine their surprise when the Fraternity President demanded they remove it from its place of honor.

The funny thing about returning to a place after 50 years is that things change. So when we finally found Lake Fenton after hearing lots of, "should I turn here?" " No, I mean maybe, Yes" (the fact that Joni had pulled up a map and was gently trying to lead them to water had no impact on our fearless explorers) we found the lake and lots and lots of beautiful homes. Alas, not the cottage the boys rented back in the day. But we think we found the area where it once stood. (The wives just went with it because we had six adults crammed into a caddy and those of us in the middle were done).

The rest of the weekend was filled with parties and some speeches and a photo booth. By Sunday afternoon we were all ready to head off and sleep. A sure way to judge that the weekend was a success.

Michigan

Greetings from beautiful Flint, MI! Not exactly the hotbed for summer travelers, but one must start some place. Actually our journey began last Monday when we said good bye to our home in Phoenix, AZ and hello Jauchmobile, our summer home on wheels. The week was spent driving through AZ, NM, TX, OK, MO, IL, IN. This morning we arrive in MI.

John and I are newbies to this experience and, like all good students, spent months reading everything we could about RVing and felt we were ready. Who could not love an activity that involves Boondocking? That is what we did this week. Minds out of the gutter people. Boondocking is stopping for the night at a truck stop or rest stop or, for those of you who can not pass up a deal, Walmart for the night. No fees like at a campground for those of us of German decent (John) or those of us who like to save money and have no pride (me).

As we formulated our plan for the summer, I thought, why not blog? There are at least two people out there who will read it (a good reason to have children). I have always kept journals of our travels so I will have a memory of the trip because, as any woman of a certain age knows, memories can be tricky things. What was I saying? Oh, yes, that whole journaling thing is now available to all to see.

So, we begin our journey here in Flint because my Sweetheart is celebrating his 50th college reunion. Our weekend will be filled with old friends, lots of laughs, and lots of reminiscing.

Stay tuned to see where we go next!