Beep Bopping West
Off to a great start! We’ve both been in really great spirits, just generally excited to finally be on the road. Lots of giggles and goofiness throughout the day.
Our original plan was to get up to the Great Lakes and hangout in the same place for a few days, get settled and check out a couple national parks/seashores. However, the plans slightly changed when Ben spent some time perusing a National Parks book. He started to get really amped about all there is to do in Alaska. It’s also peak time to be in Alaska right now, so we decided let’s not dilly dally and head over/up that way.
So here’s where we’ve been!
Monday we got to sleeping Bear Dunes and re-heated some Tuscan soup - compliments to Mrs. Musci! We slept at this pull-off overlooking Lake Michigan.
The next morning (Tuesday), we drove a little closer to the water for the workday. I edited my latest vlog, while Ben worked. He shocked me when he hopped onto a conference call with his boss in California (he’s working with a National Lab there on some work that compliments his thesis). I was just amazed that he didn’t say a peep about it to me beforehand! If that was me, I would’ve been talking and stressing about my call coming up for all to hear. I forget that he is cool as a cucumber with work.
Lake Michigan was crystal clear! The only downfall were the swarms of bugs. I went for a walk and had to sprint and zig zags to lose them. We got to try out our new bug net though and it worked great!
After work, we went to a trail down the road to walk along the shore. We talked to Jay on the phone for a bit and enjoyed the ginormous dunes.
That evening we smashed on some Ruffles (Ben’s favorite, gifted from Jay) and drove across the Mackinaw bridge - officially making it into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We slept in a Marina parking lot. I made Ben pay the $6 daily pass fee to avoid getting ticketed, which he reluctantly agreed to.
Woke up Wednesday and I drove us up to the coast of Lake Superior (Au Train, Michigan) so we could be by the water again for the day. Ben worked in bed while I drove, and by the time we arrived to this “Sandy Public Beach” it turned into a hot, sunny day. I couldn’t get my bathing suit on fast enough! Water was ice-cold but it was worth it.
A storm started to roll in in the afternoon so we drove a few more hours to Ashland, Wisconsin where we parked in a baseball field parking lot because the local Walmart did not allow for overnight parking. Gasp!
That brings us to today, Thursday. A gloomy day so I decided to drive while Ben worked. We didn’t even change the van out of bed-mode and into desk-mode. He just came into the passenger seat and wore my noise cancelling headphones. 2 significant stops so far today:
1. Duluth Minnesota - we stopped here after the Boundary waters trip and loved it so wanted to make sure to stop again. We got some delicious smoked fish sandwiches for breakfast, and a coffee and muffin from a cafe I liked last time (Amazing Grace cafe).
2. Planet Fitness - we took the plunge and signed up for a membership - a great decision!! $23 per month for showers, massage beds, and a workout facility. We only have to pay for one membership too, because with this “Black Membership” you get to bring a guest every visit. There are Planet Fitnesses in Canada and Alaska so this will be great. Otherwise, we’d have to pay $5-10 at campsites or truck stops which would add up anyway.
Currently still on the road in North Dakota some where. Nothing but flat farm land out here! We’re trying our very best to keep the windshield clean and bug free, but It gets like this after just an hour of driving!!
