The Tybee Rally was so much fun with our Shasta Compact that we vowed to return with our Boles Aero. Little did we know, it would be two years before we could make it.
This trip would be special for several reasons. It was our 30th Wedding Anniversary and we would have many special stops along the way.
We started out through southern Illinois and stopped to see The Lincoln Farm owned by Honest Abe's family. It was a lovely visit but we were too early for the interpreters so, it was quiet and we had it mostly to ourselves.
Our route took us through Ohio as we were stopping to see about purchasing a vintage stove, a Flair Stove from the set of the TV show "Bewitched", noooooooooo not the actual one, but Dear Dave has been wanting one forever and since it was turquoise well, we had to look.
We bought it. And had uShip pick it up.
We had been talking about when to sell Sprocket, the trailer we were traveling in, but we would keep the memory of it alive by retaining all the decorative items, extra wallpaper, etc. for the media room at our house in Oregon. The question was when to sell. I didn't want to be without a trailer while the other one was being done and at this point we had not even begun. Plus, we did not have room for two.
I had a childhood wrong to make right.
We stopped in Sandusky, OH at Cedar Point Park. When I was 11 years old, I was 1/2" too short to ride "The Blue Streak" roller coaster and it was time give it another shot! It seemed tame now, by adult standards, but it was still fun! There were others that I passed on, especially the vertical spiral contraption that broke down leaving riders perched like so many pigeons high up in the hot sun.
Nope.
It was Memorial Day weekend and the theme park was packed but not as packed as our campground. What was I thinking? Funny, when you pull into a full campground and you're the ONLY vintage camper, setting up was like being a goldfish in a bowl. I almost bowed to all the people stock staring at us. All the kids throwing every manner of ball around had me cringing. It was an ear plug kinda night. We would be gone in the morning...
And Dave died.....
Off to Cleveland we plodded. "Were the highways as bad as I remembered in my middle school youth?", I wondered. I had attended Nathaniel Hawthorne Elementary and Carl F. Schuler Jr. High and once lived on 138th street * I think * I took my first tentative strokes on the ice of Halloran Rink with twinkling lights and Ethyl Merman music blaring from the loud speakers. To this very day, they served the BEST hot chocolate I have ever had! I'd been told, the old neighborhood had really gone down so, we didn't want to tow a trailer through it! Still, I wondered... I thought about Miss Petree, my 6th grade teacher, Mr. Bako a teacher from junior high, Rich and Cathy our next door neighbors, in the way you do when passing through a place where you once lived......and played so badly in a quartet concert that I quit on the spot! I lost my tonsils in Cleveland! Okay, time to move on.....
I have a skating friend, Karen, who is from Presque Isle, PA and it just so happened that it was lunchtime when I saw the exit. I texted her and she sent us to a venerable burger spot packed with people, always a good sign. I only wish we would have had time to play in the "old school" amusement park there. It actually had a roller coaster that went over the highway!
It was onto Niagara Falls! We were lodging on the Canadian side and motoring through Ontario to Michigan on the backside of our trip.
Ahhhhhhhhh the friendly Canadians......
NOT! OMG!
Our experience at Customs was really something to behold. First off, we were singled out and had to pull over to a special area to the left and told to get out of the vehicle and to leave our IDs.
Keep in mind, we were on a three week road trip and packed to the ears in the truck, the truck bed, and the trailer.
They made us stand behind a barrier as they rifle through our things. There were two officers and one went through my purse and even took my money out and thankfully put it back. I was watching. The other guy went through Dave's messenger bag and found a ring box which made Dave shout, "Do not open that box, it's very delicate!" He put the box back but only after he dropped it..... Yes Ma'am. I tell you the truth!
"Which key opens the truck bed?" one barked gruffly. "I'll have to show you." I said curtly. "You have to stay behind the barrier!" he clipped. "You'll never get it open unless I come over there", I retorted. "Alright" the officer conceded.
So, I showed the Customs Officers how to open the truck bed cover and asked, "May I unlock the trailer for you, too?" I did. You may know this, but when you travel, things have to be tied down, taped shut, and generally organized for transport. They started in the upper cabinets and it wasn't long before the two began handing me stuff. Our trailer was tiny and tinier with the three of us inside going through it's contents.
I had enough.
I finally protested, "If it's your intention to take everything out of our camper, could we please proceed in an organized fashion? After all, I'm going to be the one to put everything back in!"
Just like that, one of them shut a cabinet door and pronounced, "That won't be necessary, you're free to pass. Blunt. Curt. And the disappearing act was swift when they went back into their little hut.
Were they trainees? Was one showing off to a new recruit? What the heck just happened? We had our passports, driver's licenses, we have never been arrested for anything. Were they bored and just wanted to pester us? To say I was non plussed would be a colossal understatement. Dave felt the same.
Both of us fumed.....😡
We very nearly turned around and went back to the U.S.
Everyone had told us that the Canadian side was prettier and some said we had to go to Niagara On The Lake....
Deep breath, just breathe.....
I put everything back in order the Mountie Goons had messed with and inventoried our wallets spending almost as much time fixing everything as the unfixing took. Surely, they could not take this amount of time with every RV, Truck, or car going over! It just didn't make sense.
Oh well, moving on......
The giant Rooster killed Dave.
We found our RV park on the Canadian side, it was a mix of permanent installations of park models, and an open field for us transient types. Up to this point we hadn't stayed in such an arrangement and it felt a little odd at the time. But, it was clean, well kept, and on the bus line to the falls.
We spent the entire next day exploring Niagara Falls. Dave and I took the boat up to the base of the falls in the deafening pounding water and thick swirling mist. The two of us went underground in the tunnels behind the falls to see the water coming down from above. All that water, it's running right now, just so you know. All day, every day, 24 hours around the clock.
The next day, we made the short hop to Niagara On The Lake. This is a beautiful town brimming with Victorian architecture. We had Afternoon Tea at The Prince Albert Hotel. Outstanding! Driving around looking at the houses, window shopping and actual shopping on Main Street yielded a lovely navy and white polka dot skirt and antiquing filled the rest of the day. We were headed out of town when Dave saw another shop in the rear view mirror. I sighed, "Okay, turn around." It's a good thing we did, because in that shop was the little chandelier that now graces Wolfi, our Boles Aero, hanging over the table.
People may think Canada is just an extension of the U.S. and it's similar in many ways and very dissimilar in others. For one thing, the road numbering system takes some getting used. Another is, when you pull in the drive through at McDonald's, and have young women at the "Massage Parlor Bordello" next door barking at you for business...... prostitution is legal in Ontario.
It tends to draw your attention when some Tart hollers, 'I got your Happy Meal over here, Honey!"
Uh huh.
Makes you wonder what's under that Maple Leaf 🍁, doesn't it?
We had seen all there was to see. Beyond the edge of the falls is one huge tourist trap very much in the style of Reno, Nevada. Just beyond that is the big canal and lock system that ore boats use to navigate around the falls. A lot of limestone had to come out of there!
Off to Michigan! Don't get me wrong, I love Canada. We had played two stops there during my time in the ice show. I love CBC because they broadcast every single skater at the World Championships and Olympic Games. Dave and I have been to Victoria, BC three times as we are checking off the Grand Canadian Hotels, The Empress, Chateau Lake Louise, and The Chateau Frontenac. Lots to love. Plus, it's so CLEAN, no trash anywhere. I could also tell you stories of our OWN Customs Officials but I won't get into that now as it had nothing to do with our trailer.... "Are you and American Citizen Ma'am?" Arkansas driver's license, red hair, pale skin, nooooooooooooooo, I'm from Bokutoswanna.......
Yeeeesh.
We arrived at Customs in the U.S. "Do you have any contraband, illegal firearms, or illegal aliens in your truck or camper?" they asked. "Nope." Dave said.
"Welcome home" the officer said. And we drove off.
Here's a size comparison to give you an idea of how tiny we were traveling!
Next stop, Dearborn, MI. We had a fun day out at The Henry Ford Museum and a day was not enough! The exhibits were all wonderful and we enjoyed it immensely.
The next evening we had dinner with a high school friend of mine, Mike. We had not laid eyes on each other since graduation day and we both had changed a lot! We talked about classmates and the good ole days and we found out, for each other, they weren't so good but we had made the best of them. The setting was extraordinary, The Holly Hotel, in Holly, MI, right on a rail line. Presidents have dined there and it's vintage charm was as undeniable as the delectability of the food. It was a wonderful evening I'll never forget.
Other than Niagara Falls, we had another important destination, The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island! We had stayed there one night 25 years ago barely able to afford it. This time would be different. Not only would we stay longer but I brought a wardrobe....
No trip north in Michigan is complete without a stop at Bronners Christmas Store. Trust me.
We arrived at the ferry ⛴ to Mackinac Island with just enough time to wrangle the luggage and change clothes. I wanted to make an entrance......
Dave and I love, love, LOVE The Grand Hotel. Formal evenings, harpist in the lounge, orchestra in the ballroom, several restaurants, impeccable service, I could go on and on. The island has no automobiles, just horse drawn carriages or surreys, and bicycles. You don't realize how much noise there is until you go to a place where there is none. Just the clop clop clop of hooves. It is where the film "Somewhere In Time" was made.... one of my all time favorites!
On our 30th Anniversary, which was June 1st, I wore my wedding gown to the evening meal. Applause erupted as we entered the dining room, which made me teary eyed. Little did they know, we weren't "Just Married", it was 30 years of marriage.
Oh, and the ring box that Canadian Customs dropped? A diamond and golden emerald ring Dave had designed himself and had made just for me." ❤️
We toured the Fort and took a carriage ride around the island, had a picnic lunch on the lawn, and played croquet.
There's the polka dot skirt from Niagara On The Lake!
Anyone who goes to island has to buy fudge, it's everywhere! And it's so good! They call the tourists "Fudgies' :)
We tore ourselves away but brought our memories, several sets of China, and a press of towels with us. The dishes and towels would be for Wolfi, our Boles Aero.
Our southward journey paused in Traverse City, MI to see our friend Pat and her husband who recently retired and we had a lovely dinner together on the shores of Lake Michigan.
From there it was onto Elkhart, IN to see The World RV Hall of Fame. As fate would have it, we ran into Justin and Anna Scribner of Flipping RVs fame! They were lovely and enjoyed seeing our camper. We were told they were there to record a segment for their TV show and both were gracious posing for pictures.
The RV Hall of Fame is wonderful and so worthwhile, set up as a walk through time.
Our last stop on our return home was to attend a wedding reception of a friend's daughter. Tori had married a fine young man from Australia and there was a reception in Illinois for family and friends that couldn't travel. I had met Tori and her mother Susan at Dorothy Hamill's skating camp and kept in touch. We changed clothes in the camper right there in the parking lot! Even little Lucy joined the fun!
And then it was home, with our little camper full to the brim with more wonderful memories.
This time, at long last, was a trip ( a really extended one, too) without one single mechanical problem.
Oh, happy day!!!
Now, that's what I call a vacation!
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