Sauder Village – Day 2
It does get a little confusing, when traveling and the time you pay for at the RV parks is actually the nights. A two-day stay, like this was going to be, is actually a two-night stay. So, we had this day and that night before we had to move on.
This day was June 29, 2017. This was our day to visit the Sauder Village History Museum. It ties in with a local family history. The Museum is a walled off area that begs the question, “What is in there?” There is a small fee to get in, of course, but, the elements of the chronological walk through time is well worth it.
From Black Swamp to New Furniture
This general area was known as the Black Swamp. The walk started with the local Native Indians and how they lived. Then came five families of German descent, Mennonites, who escaped from Europe from persecution. They cleared the land and drained the swamp. The museum had evidence and examples of how they managed to do that.
The walk continues through the changing architecture and the effect of national events until, with the influx of more settlers, opportunities for income from a trade was made possible. One person, Erie Sauder, born on a local farm, with only an 8th grade education, started building furniture in a small barn. That small start, which was replicated in the Museum, has since grown into a $63 million per year company. The Sauder family still runs it. It is the biggest employer in the area, with over 500 employees.
As we neared the end of our tour, we came upon the Ice Cream Parlor! We could not pass that up! Connie had butter pecan and I had the “Black Swamp”. I will not tell you what it was. You will have to try it when you visit the Museum!
Archbold, OH
After our tour of the Museum, we drove to the nearby town of Archbold, OH. We found a fuel stop and I got my first haircut on the road. That was on the main road through town. We did not have to go far to find the Sauder Furniture plants. There were several buildings. An intriguing feature to their facilities is the connecting pipes and power lines since they use the saw dust from the wood cutting to fuel much of the power they use in the operation.
We went back to the RV to cook supper and watch a movie before retiring to dream of the unknown sites to see on our move to the next RV park…
Cranberry Lake Campground, Marcellus, MI
The address was Marcellus, MI for the Cranberry Lake Campground. However, it was somewhere between there and Three Rivers, MI, along a dirt road. Our GPS had us make several turns, almost like we were going in a circle. We finally got to the entrance but it was not very wide and I did not think I could get in. So, we drove on for a while. We stopped for a break in Three Rivers. We went back in the opposite direction and the entrance looked bigger for some reason. Perhaps it was the Big Boy Restaurant figure by the driveway that distracted me!
This was the closest and maybe the only RV park available close to Lake Michigan, in Michigan, during the 4th of July weekend. We arrived on June 30 and planned to stay a week. The Campground was fairly large, with the Lake and the RV sites, I would gage it to be about 40 acres. A week by a fishing lake appealed to me!
Decatur to Paw Paw and back
After setting up our RV, we decided to take a drive to find a local café for supper. For those of you following us on a map, we drove north to a small town called Decatur. We saw a row of shops which had a café. We walked toward the café and a guy opened a door and held it to let us in. We went in and sat down in a small dining area next to the bar. Most of the locals were having beer but we ordered tea and hamburgers. The burgers were very good. However, as we left, we realized that the café was next door! We had eaten in a tavern. Oops…
Our drive went further north looking for a Walmart, which we found in Paw Paw, MI. Though it took us a little while to find our way back in the dark, we drove past several fruit markets that carry locally grown strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. We noticed some vineyards, wineries, and a Welch processing plant.
I got even more excited on our trip back to the Campground when I saw a sign that said there were 36 lakes in a six square mile area! My fishing fever was running high. However, a good movie before bed time and I had calmed down…
Fish, Lavender, and Fruit
Our second day started with me going down to the Lake to try my luck fishing. I had to cast over the water lilies, which were blooming. I got one nibble and lost two hooks to the lilies. Connie came to see how I was doing, as I was ready to leave. So, we went back to the RV and sat out on our rockers for a while.
After a lunch of sandwiches, I took a short nap while Connie read a book on her Kindle Reader. I had subscribed to the Amazon Kindle Unlimited program. After my all-important nap, we went for a drive to find blueberries.
Our first stop was less than a mile down the road where we found the Lavender Farm. It was a well-laid out area of about a half-acre of lavender plants. We met the lady who owned the Farm. She was cultivating three varieties. In her little shop on site, a small wooden building, with electricity and plumbing to it, she carried soaps and lotions with lavender scent, of course. Connie bought some plants to dry and a sachet for making the RV smell good!
We headed north on SR40 to find some fruit. We stopped at the Little Red Shed Farm Market for blueberries and cherries. No strawberries were available. Next stop was Lawton. We stopped for fuel and, then, ice cream at the Ice Cream Place, which was inside the restaurant called The Breakfast Place. Not joking that was the name! Nearby, we found a market to buy some charcoal and ribs for our 4th of July picnic.
A nice evening back at our home
Back to the RV, we had a sweet potato along with leftover brisket for supper. Then, I fished a while and caught a few bluegills, enough to bag a few fillets. I am still working on a fish fry. And, I have plans to go out in a boat tomorrow to places that others have caught the big ones!
This was our third night of the seven we have planned for our stay here at Cranberry Lake Campground. Tomorrow, is July 2, a Sunday. More on that outing in my next blog…