Upper Peninsula

Well, here we are. For the past several days my internet access was limited to a Verizon Air Card in a weak signal environment. It allowed for responding to essential emails, but nothing more. So I'm catching up on pictures. One shows our Empire, MI host's grandson with a salmon he caught on our fishing charter on Sunday. (More about that later) Two are shots taken in the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Park. One is a shot Durelle took through our dirty windshield on the Mackinac bridge to the upper peninsula of MI. The last one is a picture of the driver waiting for a navigator.

We arrived in Empire on Friday and were thoroughly and generously entertained by Dick and Jeanette Daniel until we left on Tuesday morning. Even if I had had good internet access, there wouldn't have been time to post a blog. Empire is a village of 450 people on the eastern shore of lake Michigan that is embedded in a national park. I believe that only about half of the residents stay through the winter. The hospitality started as soon as we arrived. It was steaks at their place on Friday...Durelle played golf with Dick and some of his buddies on Saturday...Sunday Dick took me and three of his local relatives on a salmon fishing charter. We netted two nice salmon and a lake trout, but I was concerned about raising the ire of the Coast Guard's environmental hazards folks because I spent most of the morning clutching the rail. It was rough out there. After a nap and a complete recovery, we had a nice meal at an upscale Chinese restaurant in the quaint town of Frankfort. Monday was the grand tour of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park followed by supper at the Daniels making good use of that salmon.

Today we left for the upper peninsula of MI. It was only 180 miles, but we stopped to visit friends in Traverse City. The Kerlins are fellow golden retriever folks that we usually see at Tyndall AFB in February. Route 31 up the eastern shore of Lake Michigan is very scenic but not quick. We are now parked just downstream from the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie and will be here for three nights.